Watch out for big "bumps"...

[MMM2003]

On our way down to So. Ill. we hit a large pot hole (width of the lane, about 5-6" drop) just North of Bloomington/Normal on I-39.

Shorthly after the ride got really bumpy and the air suspension light came on. We pulled off which made the ride bounce even more. Checked tires, shocks, etc... and everything seemed normal, until I notice that the rear end was about 4-5" higher than normal. I should mention that we had the trunk packed full.

We asked at a gas station for the nearest Ford dealer. Keep in mind this was Saturday, Dec. 22nd around 11:00am. The dealership was about 10 miles in the next town. We made it there alright to find an "old" dealership. Showroom big enough for two cars. The service writer was available but no technician.....

He agreed to put our car on the lift and got the service manual out. He checked on the ride height sensor. Turns out that the small hook that attaches to the undercarriage got unhooked, making the car think the rear end was low, causing the "airbags" to inflate to compensate, which caused the rear end to be extremly high and riding only on the shocks.

After he reattached the hook and taking it for a drive around the block, everything was back to normal....Phew.. Got lucky there.

The best part, they only charged me $32 for everything. Wish I had a dealer like this nearby.

Just FYI.

Thanks,

Peter aka MMM2003

[knine]

Illinois roads are why I don't want to take my Marauder out any more. :cheesed:

[Zack]

Illinois roads are why I don't want to take my Marauder out any more. :cheesed:

And the world thanks you for staying home. :banana:

[knine]

Back to your hole !

[Breadfan]

Glad to here everything worked out.

I got snagged last night, took my MM out for a bit and stopped by the local store to pick some things up. They must have recovered their parking lot recently...

It was dark out, and this spot of hte lot wasn't well lit. I was cruising through and hit a pretty nast bump - turns out it was a rather tall speed bump that was not painted yellow. It blended in really well with the dark wet pavement... *sigh*

No damage, I wasn't going very fast anyway, but I usually creep over speed bumps, so I was pretty annoyed.

There was a second one at the end of the lot, I was looking for this one, and even looking out for it I nearly missed it!

[Cordoba1]

PS: If you hit a big pot-hole either on the Illinois Tollway or on a city street in Chicago, you can file a claim for damages to your car. I don't know of any way to file a claim while you're on a DOT controlled street, but if any of you Midwesterners find yourself in a similar situation -- with a big suspension-related repair bill -- it's worth looking in to.

[UncleLar]

Cordoba1 is right about Chicago,I know from experience.Back around 1990 I got a check for $1500,the max amount allowed without filing a lawsuit. It took a few months to get the check I only got it that fast because my alderman pushed it through for me,otherwise it could've taken a long time to get a check.
If it happens to you file an accident report with the police,get good pictures of the pothole and the damage to your vehicle and get repair estimates or repair receipts, make 2 or 3 copies of everything including the police reports.

[Da Dark Jedi]

If your driving the city streets this year you'll see three times as many as last year.

[UncleLar]

Did you see Ch 2 news at 10 tonight about potholes and reimbursement for damages? I've taken to carrying one of my digital cameras in the car,just in case. Watch out on Northbound Cicero coming up to Lawrence,axle buster.
Remember,in Chikago they don't fix the potholes,they just move them around so you can't keep the locations memorized!:eek:

[Da Dark Jedi]

:rofl::rofl: They also mention it'll be a LOOONNG time before you see a payment for damages. The city only paid out 88% of the claims filed.

[Cordoba1]

I've filed two claims in the last two years, and both were paid within 15 days. It's a pretty good program with liberal rules. My friends in New York, having similar city-street-pot-hole-issues say they don't have such a reimbursement program.

[DOOM]

Illinois roads are why I don't want to take my Marauder out any more. :cheesed:

Try the roads in D.C. sometime, they suck. :shake: