looking at the pic of the scratch
http://i120.photobucket.com/al...5.jpg I would say that you were really lucky whatever did that didn't hit your windshield. I understand that the first scratch can be traumatic, and different people obsess differently about the perfect finish on their cars, so for someone who really takes pride in it, any scratch or blemish is a trauma. One of my favirite sayings is that birthdays are like scratches on your car, after so many, another one doesn't seem to matter I can understand seeing a bunch of missiles dislodge from a truck and hitting hte brakes, seems an instinctive reaction, and I bet now you'll leave more room between you and the truck in front of you. If you had caused the pile up, you, or perhaps someone in the middle could have been seriously injured. imho, no car is worth that. If silverawd was still here, he'd have a thing or two to say about road rage. I know a bunch of truck drivers, if you had convinced the driver to pull over, he might have just shot you, so be grateful you got away with just a acratch. some of the roads around here, if you leave a safe enough distance between you and the vehicle in front, then three cars will pull inot the space. When following a dump truck, having a couple of cars bufer would be a good thing. Except unless the car in front spntaneously slams on the brakes and you et caught in the middle of a 5 - 10 car pile up. I imagine you'd be a lot more upset about that. Imagine your reaction if you got sandwiched because someone saw a rock predictably bounce off a dump truck.I think that trying to get an insurance claim for such a minor cosmetic blemish is a bit much though. I didn't think the language in the mo.com thread was outrageous for that forum, I know some people can't make a complete sentence without throwing the F this an f'in that and if mo.com tolerates that stuff then the language is appropriate for that forum. I do object to the implied criticism of millster,in the original post in this thread, perhaps it was not intended, but the mdoerators here, and especially millster, catch a lot of grief from members who know the rules but ridicule the moderators for enforcing them. I really respect millster, and appreciate all the time and effort the puts into this site, and it angers me to see people giving him a hard time. Maybe meant in fun, but often, other places, people say such things to ridicule the mods, and I have low tolerance for that.Speaking of language, I got a kick out of "Were I grew up ... " an unfortunate typo, but I first read "were" to mean "if" instead of the intended "where" I don't mean that I think you are immature, I just thought it was funny, and it would be really hypocritical of me to criticize anyone for typos. Like in the mo.com thread someone said "tracker trailers" The government stopped using vehicles that large to spy on the general population, they are now called tractor-trailers, (referring to the tractor part that pulls the trailer). Also, the government now uses minivans for that, since electronics have allowed significant miniaturization, and nonthing is more anonymous on the road than a minivan. (just kidding, I hope nobody is that paranoid )so, sucks to have the first scratch, I'd say either get some touch up paint, or the inside hookup to the bodywork expert. Or, just accept it and move on, it angered you, and frightened you, but it is just a scratch, feel lucky instead of angry.Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »There should be a law...trucks carrying this kind of crap need to have covers. There is a lw in MD that requires covers. In this case, it sounds like a cover wouldn't have helped. Dump trucks and other contrauction trailers, as well as anything that might have driven in mud, or gravel, will pick up stuff on the undercarraige, and a bump in the road will knock it loose. All you can really do is notice the nature of the vehicle you are following, and leave enough distance to be able to react.