I drove over a speed bump that had come loose on my street. A spike was sticking up. As I slowly drove over it, I heard a scrape near the front of my car. When I got out to check, the spike was totally bent over. I looked under my car and saw nothing handing down. For the past 5 days, I have checke…

You didn’t mention if there was any change in the car’s performance after the incident, but… if there is no change in the car’s performance… if there are no leaks (I REALLY hope that you are personally monitoring fluid levels, rather than just assuming that there are no leaks because you see no fl…

I’m assum;ng you are certain yo didn’t hit the spike with your tires. If you think this a possible that you did, you should have your tires inspected straight away as it would be a safety issue. Suggest as mentioned by VDC that you keep a check on the car’s fluid levels. Oil, coolant, brake fluid…

“suggest you ask for a visual inspection the next time you have your oil changed” That is a good suggestion–IF the OP uses a real mechanic for service. If he asks the kids at Jiffy Lube (or its clones/competitors) to inspect for damage, they would have no clue as to what they were looking at.

There is heavy steel under some parts and nothing under others. You probably got lucky but the only way to tell for sure is to get it up on a lift or crawl under it and take a look at where the scratches are.

Thanks, everyone for your comments! I am checking everything as carefully as I can. I haven’t noticed any change in driving performance. The one thing i am not worried about is the tires since the spike was at about the center of the car. I will continue to watch the display to see if fluids go d…

Quite possible you hit the radiator support. It’s a strong hunk of metal, right up at the front, and spans almost the entire car width, but it’s often pop-riveted in place, and the rivets can break. Sometimes they’ll break a little bit, and then slowly over time the vibrations of driving will break …

I would take it in without delay. Any number of things could have been damaged that don’t immediatly give warning signs. A slightly bent tie rod could ruin an expensive set of tires. And since Audis are expensive to repair and are not known for reliability why take a chance?

It’s also possible that the spike was already bent when you went over it. Buy some ramps at the local big-box store, drive up on them, slide underneath (engine off and parking brake engaged), and take a look-see. You’ll see more that way than we can see over the internet.

Sounds like you got lucky. A good inspection with the car on a lift is the only way to be 100% sure though.

Did I damage my undercarriage?

Maintenance/Repairs

dagosa January 30, 2012, 4:31am 4

You would be surprised at the number of tough and durable components under your car capable of bending a spike…if you’re lucky enough to hit them. A thorough inspection at the next service as suggested by others is in order.

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Did I damage my undercarriage?

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