A new meaning to "urethane topcoat"...

[rs_hunter]

Well, it looks like I've finally got my very own "You'll never believe this..." story.

I was cruising up I-75 late this afternoon and, just after changing lanes, I noticed a cloud of something coming out of the bed of a pick-up truck ahead of me. At first I thought it was grass, like you often see blowing off the back of landscaping trucks. A moment later it became all too obvious that it wasn't lawn clippings. This stuff wasn't just blowing over the car. A few pictures of the results are at the bottom of this post.

Luckily, I got the name of the roofing company, the unit number and their telephone number off of the truck's tailgate. I called them, only to find that they were closed. I finally managed to get ahold of someone who put me through to an answering service, who then hung up on me. I called back, getting put on hold for more than 15 minutes before they must have realized I wasn't going to hang up and go away. I left a message about what had happened and that I needed them to call me back, ASAP. It's been about five hours at this point and I've yet to get a call. I suppose they've got a different idea as to what "ASAP" means.

I took the GTI to a car-wash and they went over it with a power-washer. It got the superficial stuff off. Unfortunately, the car has still got what I believe to be urethane foam stuck on every body panel on the car. I mean every panel, literally! You name a piece of the body, it's got this shit on it...

I'm calling their office in the morning and asking them if they'd like to do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way would mean me taking the car to a body shop and having the shop take care of the damage, bringing the bill to the roofing company's office for reimbursement. If they'd prefer the hard way, they can deal with my insurance company's lawyers.

Either way, I'd love to punch the ignorant fuck driving the pick-up in the face. With a tire iron...

 

[//HF07]

Looks like your car was covered in saran wrap lol, sorry to see man. Assuming the driver was aware of what he/she was doing, it's a shame people can be so inconsiderate. I'm curious about how the car looks as a whole, those close ups look like video grabs.

TBH, I don't see the roofing company handling this "the easy way."

 

[Twoeighty]

This seems to be a real common trait with people who drive trucks... basically thinking that everything in the back is going to somehow stay there. I've had silicone grease fly all over my car on two occasions by asshole drivers in trucks.

 

[Colleton]

TBH, I don't see the roofing company handling this "the easy way."

Me either. His best bet is to give the info to the insurance company and let them handle it. They'll probably just eat it though, as it'll be nearly impossible to prove liability on the roofer's part.

 

[Manheim81c]

Call or if you can go to your insurance agent to show them the damage or email them the photo's and info on the roofing company.

 

[rs_hunter]

I just got off the phone with my insurance company. They've already arranged to get the car inspected and have an estimate written. They said to call the roofing company after I get the estimate and give them the opportunity to do the right thing. If they don't want to stand up to their obligation, then they'll get to deal with the less friendly guys at the insurance company.

It hasn't helped the seething anger, though. The car was absolutely immaculate, and now it's got that crud in, and on, everything. Body panels, glass, body seams, lenses, honeycomb grills, etc. I cringe at what may be necessary to get the stuff out of all the places it's gotten to, if they can even get the stuff off. UGH!

 

[rs_hunter]

Now I'm starting to wonder if some of that shit went in the intake. I've also got to see if there is any embedded in the intercooler and radiator.

All because some lazy fuck couldn't be bothered to ensure he had his load secured. YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!! Funny, I thought that might make me feel better. Maybe if I went outside, and woke up all the neighbors by screaming it at the top of my lungs, it would help? Nah, probably not...

 

[Manheim81c]

Could of been worse,could have been loose plywood flying off the back of that truck.It'll be as good as new......

Get some sleep...you got a long day ahead of you in the am...Lauryn...:wink:

 

[This is Ryans face]

without a witness to the happenings, this issue is going to be tough. You should've gotten on the phone with your local highway patrol and requested the motorist be stopped as debris from his vehicle have caused damage to person/property. Could've had a police report to back you up at that point. Like I said, proving they're to blame isn't going to be easy

 

[rs_hunter]

without a witness to the happenings, this issue is going to be tough. You should've gotten on the phone with your local highway patrol and requested the motorist be stopped as debris from his vehicle have caused damage to person/property. Could've had a police report to back you up at that point. Like I said, proving they're to blame isn't going to be easy

Luckily, my dad was in the car with me. Whether it helps or not, we'll see.

 

[This is Ryans face]

Luckily, my dad was in the car with me. Whether it helps or not, we'll see.

definitely let the insurance attorneys know this. Eye witnesses are usually your best bet.

 

[rs_hunter]

definitely let the insurance attorneys know this. Eye witnesses are usually your best bet.

Thanks. I can't remember if I mentioned it when I spoke to the insurance company earlier. I'll make sure and let them know, when I speak to them again later this morning. There's always something...

 

[moniz]

The best thing is to call the highway patrol immediately as you see it happening. I've do it this a couple of times. Driving with an insecure load is a serious offense in my neck of the woods. No damage to myself, but it helps to have a call logged with the police to back you up.

 

[staulkor]

That is fucking insane! Like holy shit! I can't imaging what I would do if that happened to me. I probably would have been on the phone with the police asap and tailing the truck until he pulled over and/or police arrived.

The only thing I fear about your repair is they will probably have to use some sort of solvent to get it off. A solvent which I assume will probably eat paint But if you are getting ALL of the panels repainted, it's actually easy to match since it is all the same batch of paint. It may not be the same exact shade of UG as factory, but it will be so damned close you couldnt tell. A buddy had his GLI keyed -- EVERY single panel. The entire car was resprayed TR. He got it back and you couldnt tell until one day he parked next to a TR GTI and you could tell his was a slightly darker shade. The cool thing was, it actually looked better, LOL

The only time anything even came close to hitting my car was the other day on the way back home from class, I was on the highway and this HUGE piece of drywall flew off the back of a truck. We were both going 70 and I dont even know what I did, but I totally swerved like a motherfucker and avoided all of it...at 70 mph. Afterward I had no idea what happened or what I did, I just did it. I am paranoid about paying attention.

 

[rs_hunter]

Well, here is the latest.

All the grills are going to have to be replaced, since they have no hope of getting the stuff off of their unfinished textured surfaces. The front bumper is also going to be removed in order to be able to clean out the radiator, inter-cooler and condenser fins. They're reserving judgment on the paint until they see if they have any luck removing the goo. The turn-signal lenses on the mirrors may well have to be replaced, too.

The kicker is that this stuff has a tendency to etch glass, and it's done just that. So the GTI is going to be getting a new windscreen to boot. I forgot to mention them to the shop, but since the HID headlamps have glass housings they need to be checked for etching as well. You don't want to know what a set of HIDs go for...

All the replacement parts are going to be OE Volkswagen. At this point, with just the grills, the windscreen and a detail job, it's easily into four figures. If it needs any other trim or a set of lenses, much less paint or a set of fogs or headlamps, we're talking some really serious money.

The fun has just barely begun.