My recently purchased 04 TL with 84K miles got hit by a piece of tire rubber shot from either a car or a truck on the highway. I was traveling with a two other cars in front of me. I guess the tire went airborne and hit the first car on the hood where it left a big dent. The rubber then rolled under the second car and came straight at me. Since I was going 75mph I only got to lean my car slightly to the right. The tire got me on the front bumper and my front left wheel rolled over it. I heard a scraping sound as it went over. The first car and I pulled over right after the incident to examine the damage. The 2nd car in the pack didn't care.

The repair shop told me that to replace the bumper would cost around $730. Another option would be to soften the damaged area with a heat lamp and try to shape it back, but I was warned that it will never look perfect.

But the bumper is the least of my worries. After the accident I noticed whenever I hit a bump or apply brakes, my steering wheel jerked left and right. I took it to the dealer and they said the car was safe to drive but may need tire alignment. So I got it done and they found my right front wheel was way out of alignment. But after the service, the steering wheel still jerks when I go over uneven surfaces, although the braking has improved a bit.

Since I never paid attention to the steering before the accident, I don't have a baseline to make comparisons. Is this normal? If not, what could be the problem?

 

I would file a claims under comprehensve coverage (Falling objects), hopfully you have full coverage on an 04 TL. This will not cause your insurance rates to go up. Good luck.

 

Had a very similar thing happen to me last month.
Big chuck of what I THINK was tire landed right on my hood and a bit on my windshield. Left a big gash to the metal and a small dent on the hood.
Insurance covered it, although I had to pay my $250 deductible...

 

I had a similar thing happen on my old car. The car in front of me ran over a piece of retread and it came flying up at me. I was going 70 or so, so there wasn't much I could do. When I got home, it was lodged in my front bumper.

Anyway, I'd get a second opinion about the steering situation...it sounds like something's off.

 

Hmm...$1000 deductible. Hello heat lamp!

 

A bumper replacement should not cost that much. You can get the bumper for around 200 and maybe 300 for paint, and maybe 50 for installation. As for the braking, you might have damaged a part of the caliper or the rotor when the tire hit it. I would ask the dealer to check it out, then ask to speak to the tech that will work on the car and speak to him/her directly and tell them the situation, that will aide them greatly.

 

I checked prices on. A bumper is around $230. Would a body shop just paint the thing for you? I think I can take care of the installation myself.

Speaking to the mechanic directly is a good idea. The "service team" usually just drive my car off to some place and tell me to go grab something from the fridge. Free beverage is nice, but it's hard to enjoy it when I need to keep both hands on the wheel to prevent the car from jerking around.

 

The shop I go to would just take the bumper and paint it for me for like $250, no questions asked. You're better off just buying the bumper and having it painted.