Gritter Bleeping Lorries

[Flip Martian]

I had my black Mazda MX-5 Mk 3 less than 24 hours. A gritter lorry drives towards and past me while I was waiting to turn right off the A5 between Towcester and Stony Stratford and "opens his bay doors" at that precise moment. I now have a pebble-dashed nose. More than a bit annoyed but I guess the lorry driver sure as hell got a kick out of it.

The local Milton Keynes Chips Away guy is coming to take a look on Friday - although I fear it may be a respray job. Getting 3M Ventureshield on it asap once that's done. I wasn't even planning on driving it much this winter and this happens... Just as well I had the roof up at the time. bd.

[Flip Martian]

I suppose so - but that wasn't something I was planning on doing either!

[Flip Martian]

Willy Nilly said:

bks. It's winter and if the roads weren't treated he's be moaning on here if he slid off the road, it's not like they treat the road with bits of granite. Run it through a car wash and the "damage" will be gone.

No need to be such a cock really, is there? I washed the car down as soon as I got home - not wanting salt on the car. The nose is totally peppered, its not just salt marks but chips in the paint. Lots of them. God knows what was coming out of the back of it. It doesn't look like the car has been used - it looks like its been shot at with a scatter gun.

Do I moan about grit on the road generally? Er no. Would I be driving the MX5 this winter? Er no. Did I want to take it out on a sunny day just after I bought it? Yes.

Thanks to the guy above who recommended not putting a film on the car for a few weeks after. Good advice - I'll be leaving that a month or two and getting it done before the spring.

Thanks to those who took the time to post in a grown up fashion.

Edited by Flip Martian on Wednesday 17th December 08:41

[Flip Martian]

Leptons said:

Great idea, Sue the council!

No no no. We're not in the USA...

[Flip Martian]

lord trumpton said:

OP is it a brand new car or new to you?

Also do you have any pictures?

No pics at the mo - not at home during daylight hours. And its new to me - its a 2007 model. It wasn't perfect - there were a couple of scratches here and there and some (poorly touched up) stone chips already, so before the Spring I was going to get those seen to - I knew what I was getting. Whatever came out of the lorry hit at a real force and made a hell of a racket when it hit the car.

I doubt very much the car was left unmarked by that and its unlikely it was me washing the car that has uncovered existing marks, to be honest.

[Flip Martian]

bobbo89 said:

No way a gritter could do that kind of damage, no council would be gritting at anything above 25gsm at the moment as its simply not cold enough. At that spread rate the salt pretty much just trickles out of the back!

Is there any chance your car has had a cheaply sprayed front bumper at some point?

Who knows? Seems unlikely if other scratches have been left as is. Pretty random if it was though - there are a few on the middle and upper bonnet as well as the nose - all consistent with the impact really.

Thanks to this thread I now know more about road grit than I ever thought I'd want to know.

[Flip Martian]

Quite sure...

Chips Away guy been - seen similar before. Damage is across the nose, on the bonnet and a few chips on both wings. As such, he advised it was a full sand down and respray from a bodyshop. So I'll drive it around on dry days and enjoy it, then get it sorted for the Spring. Give me plenty of time to find a decent bodyshop around Milton Keynes (must be a few).

Incidentally - he said Mazda lacquer is pretty poor and chip damage is certainly not uncommon "but a decent bodyshop will use better quality lacquer". And he recommended the 3M stuff I mentioned above as being good stuff to keep your car from getting marked.

[Flip Martian]

DonkeyApple said:

Don't see any upside to fixing it now, doesn't seem logical given the time of year.

I'm not - like I said, I'll get it fixed before the Spring.

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rockandrollmark said:

For good body shops in Milton Keynes check out Al Shaws in Denbiegh www.alshaws.co.uk/ or there's a place down behind behind the Galleon pub in Old Wolverton.

Cheers, will check them both out. I visit the antiques place down behind the Galleon, I'll perhaps pop in next time I'm there.

[Flip Martian]

DonkeyApple said:

In winter then?

I would reply again here but you used a smug wink. Smug winks are #7 in the "how to piss people off on web forums" list.

[Flip Martian]

DonkeyApple said:

They only ps off the insecure and feeble, so who cares? Normal, well adjusted people aren't threatened by a and so respond appropriately and jovially. Hope Santa brings you a calendar and a sense of humour.

Likewise I hope you learn to stop trying to be "a bit more cleverer than yow" on web forums. Merry Christmas

[Flip Martian]

rockandrollmark said:

I think I have a few XXXXL condoms I can spare from my collection

How do you walk?

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S0 What said:

The council = damned if they do, damned if they dont, i meen it's not like the gritters dont have flashy lights and are painted yellow so you know they are there is it.

I really don't see the relevance to the topic at hand. He could have played Waltzing effing Matilda really loudly through a PA for all the difference it made. Not like I could avoid it.

[Flip Martian]

HertsBiker said:

OP, sorry to hear about your car damage. Hope it gets fixed in spring at low cost and looks great.

Ta.

[Flip Martian]

Clivey said:

I know what you mean though! I once realised a gritter was coming towards me...



...and did a 3-point turn (the driver looked quite bemused), driving off in the opposite direction to avoid my car being peppered.

Good luck with getting yours sorted - hopefully it's relatively painless.

lol, wish I'd thought of that. Cheers