Big bang theory!

[Bananaman]

Hi chaps,

Just been driving home and heard/felt an almighty bang from underneath the drivers seat and fairly close to the door....


Pulled off the carriageway at the earliest opportunity and had a good look underneath. Couldn't see any damage, any leaks, there are no lights on the dash and the car behaved perfectly as usual all the way home. Brakes, acceleration, etc.. all as good as ever.


The only thing I can think is that i may have run over something, but the road ahead was clear when the bang happened and I was paying close attention to the road.
One thing that I can see now under the drivers seat is 4 or 5 exposed cables/tubes (white and blue) that I can't remember seeing exposed before. Also the white tube is pretty damn clean which I wouldn't have thought it would be if it had always been exposed, so it smacks to me of a protrective tray maybe coming off and me ruuning over it?!

Any help would be much appreciated, please.. I took the car in to a trusty garage the other week to check the exhaust, shocks and brakes - and they sent me away and said "no work necessary". So after having it up on the ramp, surely anything loose would have been spotted?

Cheers guys!

 

[swilky23]

Just had a look under mine and I can see a blue and a white tube under the drivers seat near enough for about a foot so I would not worry!!

 

[swilky23]

Just had a look under mine and I can see a blue and a white tube under the drivers seat near enough for about a foot so I would not worry!!

Unless I have something missing as well

 

[Bananaman]

Cheers swilky!

Any suggestions what the bang may have been then - do you think I may have just run over something? I can't even see a dent in the paint - I even started thinking someone could have thrown something (pretty big!) at the car!

Thanks for the quick reply fella!

 

[swilky23]

Pot hole maybe!

 

[Bananaman]

LOL, could well be - I'll have to get some better shades and see if I can see clearer!

Ta mate!

 

[ArosaRacer]

Tubing under car is fuel system lines, return and feed, have them on arosa too

 

[Bananaman]

Cheers guys. I've just been back out and had another look now that the sunlight is different and I can see a mark in the paint at the bottom of the driver's door.... Sounds too much of a coincidence - I guess i must've either run something over or something was thrown at the car....


Thanks for the reassurance about the tubes though lads!

 

[olliep]

maybe you hit a small rodent?!

 

[Bananaman]

LOL! Maybe, but from the noise it made, I'd say it was more like a robot badger!

 

[Bananaman]

Well, not sure if this is related or not, but I have an update.....

I've just taken the car in for a valet at the local delaers. Soon after pulling away, I noticed a rattle in the driver's door. There's a spring (10-12 inches long!) sitting in the storage compartment in the driver's door!!!

Long story, short - I phoned the dealer who has spoken to the valet guy... He found the spring trapped under the front passenger seat when he came to valet the footwell, and as it wasn't attached to anything, he placed it fro safe keeping in the driver's door compartment.

Does anyone have any suggestions at to what it could be or where it's come from? Being a complete idiot when it comes to cars - and sat back at the office now - I'm not sure if it could have come loose from underneath the passenger seat? It's 10-12 inches long, about half to three-quarters inch diameter, and has a 2 inch strip of black plastic moulded to the body of the coil......

Cheers again,

 

[olliep]

have you had a good feel under the seat mechanism and moved it about a bit?

 

[Bananaman]

Cheers ollie.

Not yet, I'm afraid - was late back to the office for lunch, otherwise I'd have turned the car round when I found what it was and taken it back immediately.

I'm going to have a play around before I head home, although it's not very dry here in Derby so there won't be much lying on my back on the path and checking just yet.......
;-)