...and it wasn't just my RAM... I was driving to school today and hit an icy patch. I knew it was icy so I was only doing about 45-50, but it was still too fast. I went around a turn, but when I striaghtened back out the back of my car kept sliding. I did a 180 and got stuck in a ditch on the side of the road. Some guys I knew from work (they work for a pipeline company. I pump their diesel.) were pulled off of the road about 75 yards up the road waiting for their boss. They came down and pushed me out. I thought the car was fine, but after driving a while I realized that when I hit 45mph the car started making a really loud beating sound from the one back tire. When I got to school I looked at it. The back tire is less than half an inch away from the fender on the one side. I'm certainly no mechanic, but it looks to me like I bent an axle... . That can't be cheap. It's the back axle on a front wheel drive car, but still, that HAS to be alot.

Although, on an episode of 'The Waltons', the dad got an axle for his truck for $9. Mine is only a car, so it'll only be about $7, right? ...if only...

Ouch, that really sucks. Yeeeah, somehow I don't think purchasing and installing a new real axle is going to set you back a mere $7.

More importantly, is your calc ok?!

Yeah, that was quite an accident.

You were "only" doing 45-50 on ice? You're lucky you didn't fly off the road and into a tree - why were you going that fast, anyway? Were you on the highway or something?

It might not be a bent axle, but no matter what it is, it sounds expensive. Good luck with that If it is the axle it might just be cheaper to junk it and buy a different used car

well at least you're not hurt

Ouch... I live in the mountains, I know how bad ice sucks... You're lucky to be alive, doing 45 in an icy area... Cars were not meant to be ice skaters, ya know?

Well, I'm glad you're alright. Maybe you've learned a lesson.. maybe not. But as to your axle, try just rotating your tires (Old Dilbert joke)

Unless he meant km/h (which I don't think he did)

That's still ~20mph, which in an icy area really is too much, unless you've got special tires or some.. chains

What kind of car? You could have bent any number support bars or alignment bars. What kind of car?

Well, 50 might have been a little fast, but 45 seemed to me like a decent speed at the time... And yes, mph, not kph.

It's a 2000 Ford Contour SE. Hopefully I don't need to junk it. I spent a very good portion of my college fund on that. If it really is totaled, I guess I'll just try to get along without a car... I'm leaving for college next year, and I can probably get by without one there. If the frame is bent, the car is done for. Anything else I can probably afford to fix. I'm taking it to the shop tomorrow to see what it is.

I just can't believe it happened... It's April. I thought I made it through the winter.

And it wasn't really a "learned your lesson" thing. The roads looked bad so I slowed down. I hadn't fishtailed or anything else before I wrecked so I had no idea how icy it really was. I was lucky I knew enough to slow down beforehand.

Well, i'm really glad you didn't get hurt. Now for your car...well right before college that sucks. Where do you want to go to? Some colleges like Davis and Santa Barbara rely a lot more on bikes and skateboards. Otherwise there is always buses...if you really need to. Good luck getting your car fixed! That's really a bummer.
Although you're on ice, sometimes you feel safe going at a certain speed. I doubt I would have slowed down. Luckily, there isn't much ice/snow where I live. Once again, it's great you're OK

Yeah, I'm going to Millersville University. It's kind of a rural setting, but there are always buses. My sister went there and she didn't bring her car her first year. I should be alright. I'll just have to try to get a job on campus close to my dorm or at the mall so I can ride the bus.

I just really wish I had collision insurance. It would be hard to convince them that a deer pushed me off the road.

Lol, Ya well you could always say it was there and you tried to get out of its way..then started sliding. Dunno might work...
That's a great college. nice campus too What do you want to study?

Math Education. Millersville is the #2 math teacher producing college in Pennsylvania. It's about 5 hours from my house, though. It will be a pain having to have my parents drive me back and forth. I really hope I can afford to fix my car.

Oh, and if you swerve for a deer comprehensive won't cover it. That still falls under collision.

Darn. Well have fun on the drive there with your parents. (when you leave of course)

yeah, we get icy roads all the time here (can you imagine that in some places in the state I am in, got 3ft of snow in April (no, not Alaska)). I was once driving to school when a car spun out in front of me. I was able to dodge it at the last second. Any closer, would have had to change clothes.

Okay, apparently I didn't bend the axle... because it doesn't have a rear axle? I don't really understand how, but whatever. I bent a bar that holds my wheel in place. It was something like a transfer arm, trailing bar, or tie rod, or something like that. The part only costs about $60. We'll see how much labor is, but it isn't looking too bad right now.

oh cool cool. wtf is up with it not having a rear axle? I wouldnt be suprised if 'they found more complications and fixed those anyway, so itl be 300$'

Yeah, but still, if it was something like a bent frame the car would have been totaled. At least it should still be drivable.

Front wheel drive car doesn't really need a rear axle, as the wheels aren't connected to each other in any way. At least, thats what I'm figuring