How bad might my car be damaged?

[Anonymous]

So I hit some bad railroad tracks super early this morning in the fog. Obviously, I know my car is damaged.

My 2 front tires are blown to heck. I may even need rims and I know I'll need an alignment. I am not worried about that. It won't be bad to replace tires and stuff. I was about to replace them anyway. So if it's JUST tires and an alignment I will be glad. But I am very afraid it could have damaged something underneath my car. I didn't have any lights on my dash or anything (no check engine light or anything like that), my car was not smoking, I didn't smell anything except for rubber from the tires and I didn't see anything leaking.

What COULD have happened by hitting tracks like that? I am very upset by this to say the least. I had it towed to a shop and they are going to check everything underneath tomorrow and fix my tires.

I was just curious if anyone had any idea on any other things I may need to be prepared for and what could be damaged from this type of issue so I can estimate costs.

[Oliverlogan263]

Hitting railroad tracks that hard is never good news for the car. But from the sounds of it, I think you're probably gonna be okay overall, just some tires and alignment like you said. Fingers crossed that's all it is!

A few things could potentially be damaged underneath though, just based on how railroad tracks are:

- Control arms/ball joints - those take a lot of impact and could be bent out of shape.

- Diff/drive shaft - if a track caught just right it could have jostled those components.

- Exhaust - track may have whacked the piping a bit, could have sprung a leak.

- Undercarriage - bits like the oil pan or transmission case might have dings but hopefully nothing punctured.

On the plus side, no dash lights is promising! As long as coolant/oil/other fluids look good, it's probably minor stuff. Try not to stress til the shop checks it out tomorrow. If it is just the easy fix, you'll be golden. Fingers crossed for ya! Let me know what the verdict is after they take a look.

[Asker]

Thank you! I was horrified when it happened. I immediately knew my tires were done for. The one is way worse than the other. I looked when the car was picked up and nothing had leaked overnight and nothing noticeable was wrong underneath. Didn't see anything hanging or anything. Back tires were not damaged it appears. So I am hopeful. Will definitely update!

[Oliverlogan263]

No problem, anytime! Yeah hitting those tracks out of nowhere had to be scary as hell. Props to you for getting it towed right away though, that's the smart move. Definitely a relief nothing was leaking or obviously messed up looking from what you could see - fingers crossed it's just the tires/rims like it seems. Good sign the back tires are alright too. Can't believe how fast these things can happen, just driving along and bam - flat tires. At least you're on top of getting it checked properly tomorrow so you'll know for sure. The waiting is definitely the worst part, but don't stress til you get the full report from the shop. Keep me posted for sure how it turns out! Fingers crossed it's an easy/cheap fix for ya.

[Asker]

It truly is insane how things can happen so suddenly. I'm just thankful I had an area to leave ny car until it could be towed.

[Oliverlogan263]

For real, shit can go south in an instant out there on the roads. One minute you're cruising along and the next, BAM - blown tires and who knows what else damaged. Props to you for keeping your cool in that stressful situation.

Leaving the car safely off to the side was clutch too. Last thing you need is it breaking down in the middle of nowhere. You did all the right things given the crappy circumstances.

Always crazy to think how different it could've gone down too, like hydroplaning into a ditch or something. Just grateful you're safe and it wasn't worse, y'know? Definitely puts things in perspective.

Anyway, try not to dwell on it too much now. See what the shop says and go from there. At least the car got you where you needed before conking out! Now relax till you get the diagnosis luv. You handled it well all things considered 🤘

[Asker]

I actually saw the guy that is going to look at it and fix it for me last night and we had a good laugh about it. He told me to lay off ramping the tracks and told me in all seriousness, sh*t happens and it'd be fine. He said he'd get me taken care of and get ahold of me sometime soon.

I'm just glad they are old, barely ever used tracks. I couldn't imagine getting stuck on them and have a random train come by. I'm glad I just hit them and was able to get over them and get things taken care of. I knew at least the tires were goners so I needed to stop as soon as I could get it to a safe spot. Continuing to drive on flats is just asking for more issues and a full blown car accident. And super glad I had a normal car, not like a tiny smart car or freaking motorcycle lol

I should probably hear something later today I hope. I know the shop has been rather busy since they are well known and liked in the area. They draw in a good crowd. They're really nice people that run it and work there. They have a huge shop that does all sorts of repairs from minor to major. I'm glad to know people who can help me like this.

[Oliverlogan263]

Hey, wow sounds like you handled it like a pro. Props to laying off the tracks after too, that could've gone way worse! And that's awesome the shop guy has your back, it's so relieving to know people who can help in a pinch. I bet he'll get you taken care of today since they seem busy but reliable. Good call getting it situated right away too instead of risking more damage. Sucks about the tires but you live and learn - at least it wasn't something major, right? Try not to stress until you hear back. In the meantime, maybe grab some snacks to keep your mind off it! Let me know what the diagnosis is when you find out. It'll all work out, you got this!

[Redstang88]

Lots of things COULD have happened. Busted suspension, bent frame, body damage, busted oil pan, differential/ driveline damage. Impossible to say when you’re just talking worst case

[Likes2drive]

Bottom engine cover probably got ripped, hopefully it didn’t damage the oil pan for the motor and transmission pan

[In_Trance]

This could be really bad