Likley damaged underside after run over something

[spottedhaggis]

I do not know if this type of discussion should take place in here so if not, I will understand if someone (admin or mod) remove the question.

On Sunday this week past there was an incident with a pedestrian on the M20. She was killed walking (or something) on the motorway, and unfortunately due to it being a pitch black part of the road, 7 other vehicles struck the same person.

I, unfortunately, was the 5th vehicle, driving at approx 75mph in the middle lane.

The car was taken away by the police for forensic evidence and then taken to a specialist cleaner. I collected the car back today, spotlessly clean, however there is a noise that I cant place.

The car drives without any noticable issues, when the turbo kicks in there is a sort of rumble with the engine sounding a little deeper and mildly throatier than before, it still performs as it did.

What, underneath the car could be damaged due to impact that could create these types of sound. The engne undertray thing is still in tact, and without going into detail, much of what was collected on impact was around the center portion of the car, so what is at that point.

Again, I am terribly sorry if this is not a discussion for the forum, but forums are for asking so thats what I am doing.

[The Mk3 man]

Sorry to hear you were involved with that. You could have snagged a silencer box and dragged the exhaust back and therefore got a small leak somewhere. I did it in the snow and it burst a flexi on the downpipe.

[spottedhaggis]

Thanks, that sounds like a good place to start, Ill take a look at the weekend, is this a simple fix or does it require a garage to repair.

[The Mk3 man]

I think it depends on where the exhaust is leaking. If its pulled one section away from another and you can get under the car safely then maybe you can sort it yourself. For me, the flexi is part of the downpipe assembly and it was badly damaged. I got a garage to weld in a new flexi.

[spottedhaggis]

luckily it turned out after inspection down a hole in the garage floor to be the two thin metal strips that run accross the underside, I dont know what they are for but they are not load brearing at all, they simply go under the exhaust without touching.

Looks like the person had bent both of these cross bars so they were touching the exhaust, so the garage removed them bent them back and now all is fine, although the chassis steam clean that had apparently been performed by the specialist cleaners needs to be done again, this time with a little more vigour, still a few things under there that do not belong! .

That said, the insurance company have been very good, Initially they said that the cleaning of the car, and removal (on lorry) to the cleaner would have to come out of my excess, to which I complained stating this surely is no fault of my own, and eventually they came back with a full sorry, we made an error, and they have paid for any and all work that was required, in my case cleaning and recovery of the car.