GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

So I thought it was just an axle, but after the guy at my service place looked closer he saw a lot more than he originally thought. So the $700 repair was going to quickly add up. I called my insurance and gave them the what happened and they said they would cover it. So after a $500 deductible and a Kia Spectra rental for a few weeks, here is the tally:-front bumper extension-front inner structure (liner)-tie bar-alloy wheel-four wheel alignment-suspension bearing-suspension lock nut-snap ring-steering knuckle-front axle-shaft assemble-towing-corrosion protection-mount/balance-paint/materials-reset TPMS-transmission/transfer case replaceTotal was $3,640.93 in parts and labor. WOW! and I have no idea what I ran over but it obviously did a number. Thank god for insurance.On a side note, I will never buy a Kia. I had a 2009 Spectra 4 door that was tinny, wobbly on the road. It was horrible with braking, tires were not up to the job, and the engine was very buzzy. Everything just felt cheap inside as well. When I got in my Matrix, I felt like I was in a Mercedes, it was quiet, warm, comfortable, aaahhhh.

Holy crap! How did you manage all that?

Well Progressive is pretty thorough and even detailed my car inside and out for me in the process. But I think since I drove for a good 20 miles after hitting whatever I ran over (in the dark), I pulled to the side, checked it all out, the car still drove completely fine. At a light off the highway, BANG something broke and the car sounded disconnected from the transmission, drove like it too.So I go to pull into a gas station and the car is chunking along. I then had my father push me with his Jeep to a parking space (in Neutral) and got towed. I guess when the front axle broke, the transmission thought I was slipping and engaged the AWD so the transmission was doing work it shouldnt have been and my car was essentially RWD at that point since the front axle was snapped. The extra strain on the tranny must have damaged it pretty good.

Geez, did you at least get to eat whatever you rolled over??

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Well Progressive is pretty thorough and even detailed my car inside and out for me in the process. But I think since I drove for a good 20 miles after hitting whatever I ran over (in the dark), I pulled to the side, checked it all out, the car still drove completely fine. At a light off the highway, BANG something broke and the car sounded disconnected from the transmission, drove like it too.So I go to pull into a gas station and the car is chunking along. I then had my father push me with his Jeep to a parking space (in Neutral) and got towed. I guess when the front axle broke, the transmission thought I was slipping and engaged the AWD so the transmission was doing work it shouldnt have been and my car was essentially RWD at that point since the front axle was snapped. The extra strain on the tranny must have damaged it pretty good.Was that when you thought you hit a curb or something?

Could have been, I'm thinking the combination of wear after I hit whatever and the cold weather