The dealer said there was a minor scratch on one of the plastic panels, but no other damage. I am not terribly surprised. A car battery is plastic, lead, and acid. Lead is the hardest part and that is not very hard. With enough velocity, it does not matter of course. Think of a .05 caliber bullet at 20,000 feet per second. Minor caliber, but very little would stop it. While a car battery qualifies as major caliber (I think), the speed I was going was about 60 fps.
I'd be a little leery of their findings. Did they remove those covers, for instance? Yes, it may have just exploded from the impact, but a car battery has a fair amount of mass. 40-80 lbs, mostly of lead, with acid and plastic as the minor elements involved. Did they at least wash the engine bay and underside, and the painted body, to remove any potential acid splashed?
ReplyDeleteIt's possible most all the acid had leaked out prior to the impact. Still, it's troubling to hear no damage found. Doesn't match your experience of the impact.