Plowing through snowbanks

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:53 am

Today is just one of those days when I'm glad I got the AWD.I had to drive about 180 km to go to a seminar today. The weather around here has been warm (OK a few degrees around freezing is warm for us), and so it has been melting a bit. The snow is still blowing around, so it sticks to the highway, then more & more builds up and you get this slushy mess that freezes. Yuck. Anyway, basically the entire highway, from shoulder to shoulder is covered in a thick layer of what is basically curling ice (the surface is pebbled, so you slide even better!).Now, add to the equation winds that are gusting to 60 km/h and basically not even a shrub for miles, and the snow really starts to blow around & drift. On one stretch of highway, I'm pretty sure that there hasn't been a sanding truck or snow plow out all day, because I was hitting foot tall "finger drifts", then had to plow through a 3 foot tall snow drift at the bottom of a valley. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have the AWD I would have hit the ditch. I watched a girl in a Sunfire coming towards me hit a drift, lose control & hit the ditch. Luckily I had enough time to stop, and asked her if she wanted a ride into town (we could see town from where we were). Luckily for her, her mom was following behind her.If I weren't still vibrating from the experience, I would go back out & take pictures. I really don't enjoy that white-knuckle-grip on the steering wheel kind of drive. Winter can go to hell.

Sputnik · Post by **Sputnik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:59 am

We had to drive through finger drifts a few weeks ago. It wasn't fun! I think the biggest one we drove through though was about a foot, maybe a foot and a half.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:11 am

ya.. went snow plowing in my vibe today as well. but it didn't turn out as well. hit the snow burm and cracked the front lower bumper.. so it's all cracked and you can see where the paint is coming up. i was so pissed!

Sputnik · Post by **Sputnik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:37 am

Wow, cracked the bumper eh? Must have been a hard snow bank. Mine were quite pillow like... except everytime we came across one, we were meeting a car going the other way which makes it more tense.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 11:07 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»ya.. went snow plowing in my vibe today as well. but it didn't turn out as well. hit the snow burm and cracked the front lower bumper.. so it's all cracked and you can see where the paint is coming up. i was so pissed!From what I saw, it is repairable Hope. To bad you couldn't ship me the bumper and I could get it repaired real cheap for you and looking as new as ever.Winter is a real pain to drive in. It can be the most beautiful with all the snow but also very deadly. Thankfully I have never been in a ditch whild driving but I have had that white knuckle experience before... not fun.

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:18 pm

Except where it weathers on the back..but that's only us 2003ers.. Hopefully the bumper won't be too much to fix...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:28 pm

well, hopefully it won't be much at all. but i will prob wait until summer. then perhaps i will get the front end

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:02 pm

lol! guess i forgot to finish typing!!! yes, i meant to say taht perhaps i will wait til summer and them repaint the front end! duh!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:28 pm

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»Started to hit the bottle a little early now didnt ya Hope. LOL yeah who else has done that? hit POST before finishing a post? What ever your drinking, I want some.To bad you were not driving your Vibe to the meet... I could get the body shop at work to do it for me.... well for you lol but through me for under $400 CAD to fix, mended and repainted.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:39 pm

I'd have to check on Monday. I can do that if you want Hope. Might be cheaper for you and you can pay me back.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:42 pm

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»That prob would be the best way to go.. You could ship it from your dealer and charge your dealer for shipping. yes. make someone else pay. Hopefully it would arrive in one piece.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:48 pm

Its very unlikely there would be any fade to even be noticed. I always wanted to visit Alaska... could always fly down there and take it as part of my luggage.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:55 pm

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»True or they can pack you in the box too and it would be cheaper. hehe... I think people have tried to do that but since 911 and the exposure of poor customes...those poor people got arrested and jailed. But I think we are spamming this way off topic lol.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 2:04 pm

I backed into one... not sure really how I missed a huge 15 ft tall snow bank in broad daylight. My house is at a turn around dead end street so all the snow gets piled in the middle and there I am always backing out of my driveway and turning to the side cept for that one time I just backed right straight out and CRUNCH!!!!!!!! sounded terrible but did not even leave a scratch... thank god.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 3:48 pm

hmm... it is a newer color and you could be very right, silver.but i will prob get it fixed later this summer...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:07 pm

so here's a pic of the front bumper. you can see the paint creases and where it bent...

Attached files

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 7:58 pm

On the bright side Hope, you didn't smash your bumper right off and need a new one... cause that would be worse.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 1:20 am

yes, that's true... but still.....

drummerdude · Post by **drummerdude** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 1:45 am

ouch! I'm sorry Hope. I wonder if you could just take it to a shop since it looks like the bumper went back to the way its supposed to be (no visble signs that it had been hit other than the paint) and just have them strip the paint and then prime and paint it. would save you the cost of the new bumper. Just a thought

VibeChick · Post by **VibeChick** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 2:21 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»so here's a pic of the front bumper. you can see the paint creases and where it bent... Poor car! I think I would cry...even though it's just a little damage...it's still damage!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 2:42 am

ya, i want to get it reinforced with STEEL! lol.... but, yes, i'll prob just repaint and maybe bondo the botton portion that cracked...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 7:20 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»ya, i want to get it reinforced with STEEL! lol.... but, yes, i'll prob just repaint and maybe bondo the botton portion that cracked...Well before you do that Hope, let me check out a few things first cause maybe I can get you all fixed up as perfect as new... Actually it would be new.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:05 am

ah, i'm not gonna do anything to it til this summer... will just have to deal with it's imperfections.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:08 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»ah, i'm not gonna do anything to it til this summer... will just have to deal with it's imperfections. That gives me some time to research a few things. But I need to know what it would cost you to have it repaired... we can discuss those later though.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 1:37 pm

oh, i wish i had gotten a pic of the bumper in the snow! it was bent in half almost, snow oozing from every place!!! it bounced back rather well actually... and i'm surprised it didn't have more damage than it did! so, as much as i gripe, i'm actually happy because it could have been far worse!

JustinVGT · Post by **JustinVGT** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 10:43 pm

Hey Hope. I just got back from spring break and saw your bumper issue. A year ago I slipped into a snow bank and had a similar situation. It cracked the center vertical brace on the lower portion and paint started to peel like yours. The body shop said they would have to replace the entire lower half because of the very slight texture the plastic has, will not repaint well. So, total cost to replace only the lower portion, paint and installation was around $800. Hopefully something will work out for you.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 11:32 pm

$800! what a rip off! it's a piece of plastic!!! man, i guess i may be waiting for a while then...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 12:07 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»$800! what a rip off! it's a piece of plastic!!! man, i guess i may be waiting for a while then... Leave it to me, I'll see what I can hook up for you through my work with discounts on price and painting if required.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 12:57 am

thanks, phil! that's very cool of you.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 6:44 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»thanks, phil! that's very cool of you. Do you know your paint colour? like the code? I suppose I can get all that info from you later, just curious if you knew.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 1:08 pm

i don't remember.. i'll have to look in the glove box and write it down... if i can remember to do that! lol..

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 1:11 pm

man, you're good! thanks, rob!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 8:05 pm

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»No problem.And Phil, the paint codes are also located inside the glove box on a sticker for future reference. That I knew but didn't want her ending up with a fusion bumper cause I used my code...

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:20 pm

I took this photo of my Vibe Monday during a brief snowstorm here in central Indiana. So my paint code is now Frosty = 40U/WA9737 + Salsa = 44U/WA721H , right???

Attached files

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Wed Mar 17, 2004 10:59 pm

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»Fixed under warranty... What weathering? Are you talking about the space behind the tires?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:19 am

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»$800! what a rip off! it's a piece of plastic!!! man, i guess i may be waiting for a while then... Ok Hope, I can get you the front fascia unpainted for $356.26CAD and about $100 approx to paint it. I can get this all done for you and bring it to the meet in a large box in June and you can fly back with or we can work something else out. Either way, there you have it.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 12:44 pm

thanks, phil! that's not near as bad! lol.no money right now, but perhaps a little later on in the summer.. like may?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 1:12 pm

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe Â»thanks, phil! that's not near as bad! lol.no money right now, but perhaps a little later on in the summer.. like may? Well thats a possibility there Hope. It could be done in May.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:49 am

ok, so i was studying my lower bumper and thinking... you know most of the damage would prob be covered by the body kit.... hmmmm.....so i can't remember what you said it would be for the body kit in silver... and then the question would be what would i do w/ the spoilers? i already have the one i want... if it costs me like $400-800 for just the lower bumper, how much more would it really be for the body kit already painted by the factory? and if i sell the spoilers that could prob drop down the price a bit more??? hmmm...... i think i will start slowing setting aside some cash in my penny jar and maybe i will do this instead.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:27 am

I'll look into the final figure for you through me when I can there Hope. The part number for the package should have the spoilers and I'll have to see if I can get it without... if not you can always sell the spoilers here at Gen Vibe. I only one one spoiler myself so will be selling one also, probably the mid one. $2400 canadian for the kit at my cost.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 12:35 pm

well after closer examination, i see that the lower bumper where it connects under the front license holder is completely cracked. that caused it to sag down and the lower panel is also broken. so i'm missing the passenger side lower grill and the drivers side is sorta hanging on there. i may have to replace it next month or so after all! dang! i hate having to spend that money! and not on an exhaust!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:13 am

so as i was at a body shop this morn getting them all signed up for services, i'd figure i'd find out about what they would charge to repair everything. estimate came to $1071! that's for replacing the lower bumper cover, the 2 sidewells underneath, and the lower grill.GM parts #88973186 Fnt Lwr Bumper Cover88969808 Right Lwr Grill Insert88969696 Right Fender Liner88969697 Left Fender LinerYikes!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:25 am

Here are the parts for you at my cost cause I am such a nice guy and can be your hook up babe. Front Fascia List $554.50 My cost $356.26Front Grill List $54.30 My cost $39.91Left Liner List $143.00 My cost $105.10Right Liner List $143.00 My cost $105.10Total with taxes in at my cost $697.33Now I do not know if the grill is painted, some come painted and I think yours is... if so, no painting required.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:31 am

ok, and i think you said about $100 to paint the bumper. so.... $800 CAD, which is approx $616 USD.... there goes my entire refund!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:40 am

I didn't get a chance to spend mine, I OWED! least your getting one back to spend.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:35 am

hey, thanks for the help! i'll have to figure a way out to get the money to you so i can get this before end of may.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:48 am

They may be some pretty big boxes, the one is for the bumper I know that... I wonder what it would cost to ship them there...