I hit a piece of tread from an 18-wheeler head-on at 70 mph in my '97 SL (75K miles). I exited the highway because something was scraping the front left tire. I removed a portion of the fender liner and that took care of what was hitting the tire. Drove another 2.5 hours and no problems with oil pressure, transmission, power, etc.

Took car to a Saturn dealer and this was the assessment:

parts price / labor (hr)

FENDER
Repl LT Fender liner 52.16 / .4
FRONT BUMPER
R&I R&I bumper cover 0/ .8
RADIATOR SUPPORT
Repl Air duct 37.84 / .3
Repl Shield w/AC 43.10 / .3
Repl Air deflector 15.12 / .3
Repl Air deflector springs 5.24

Total parts and labor with tax is $258.58 in Dayton area, OH. Considering the age of the car, is this worth fixing? Are these components really providing major support to the radiator or other important systems?

That sounds quite reasonable for that kind of repair. Some of the inner plastic parts shield the hot engine from cold rain and puddles. You don't fix it, the first puddle of water you run into might break your exhaust manifold or head from the cold shock.

I figured I'd have the work done since it seem reasonable to me as well.

This brings up an unrelated question. When vehicles hit 18-wheeler tread on the highway, can owners deem the trucking companies responsible for the damage? The truck was ahead of the tread on the side of the highway. I supposed I could have turned around to get his info.

I figured I'd have the work done since it seem reasonable to me as well.

This brings up an unrelated question. When vehicles hit 18-wheeler tread on the highway, can owners deem the trucking companies responsible for the damage? The truck was ahead of the tread on the side of the highway. I supposed I could have turned around to get his info.

with a good lawyer anything is possable

I figured I'd have the work done since it seem reasonable to me as well.

This brings up an unrelated question. When vehicles hit 18-wheeler tread on the highway, can owners deem the trucking companies responsible for the damage? The truck was ahead of the tread on the side of the highway. I supposed I could have turned around to get his info.


No, it's not safe for the trucker to retrieve the blown tire and they have no way of knowing when a tire will blow or seperate. There are some hazards to driving and we can't go suing everyone for every little thing.