hit by lighting

[syd-c]

i took the car in for inspection at my insurance and the adjustor said this is not possible because of the one case he dealt with. the tires where melted so this applies to all cars. but if hyundai can prove otherwise there willing to look at the evidence,car goes in this thursday. things got alittle heated when he was telling me what he knows and decided my freashly cleaned car was a good place to lean against.(because a car looks like a wall) had to tell him 2 times until he figured out what i was so pissed about. and to top it all off i went to wal mart latter and parked in the empty section of the lot and someone still managed to back into me and f ed the bumper and grill. they left a note, so the car goes back to sgi tomorrow

 

[Qbedobedoo]

I've seen lightning strike the asphalt right in between 2 building, both around 5-6 story high. It ripped a chunk of asphalt up in the air.

Yes, lightning takes the path of least resistance, but shit happens!!!

 

[CanukV6]

i took the car in for inspection at my insurance and the adjustor said this is not possible because of the one case he dealt with. the tires where melted so this applies to all cars. but if hyundai can prove otherwise there willing to look at the evidence,car goes in this thursday. things got alittle heated when he was telling me what he knows and decided my freashly cleaned car was a good place to lean against.(because a car looks like a wall) had to tell him 2 times until he figured out what i was so pissed about. and to top it all off i went to wal mart latter and parked in the empty section of the lot and someone still managed to back into me and f ed the bumper and grill. they left a note, so the car goes back to sgi tomorrow

What a jerk this adjuster is. What then was his explanation for all these systems in your car to suddenly malfunction? Has the dealer actually diagnosed what has failed and/or tried to reset them? Have the dealer provide a clear list of all the systems that are malfuntioning and why. If unknown, have them state on the report that it could be caused by a lightning strike on or near the vehicle.

 

[QuantumRift]

Well, I'm old school...the TVs were portables used in the kids' rooms...and yea, I just naturally use the term "color" as when we turned them on, the screens were all permanently gaussed up wiht all sorts of pretty shapes and wild colors.

LoL...

Color TV's?? Good thing they weren't black and white, you would have lost an antique

 

[QuantumRift]

Aircraft have properly shielded electronics. The last actual "crash" of an aircraft due to "lightening strike" was in 1967. However a car, even on it's rubber tires (which nowadays doesn't amount to much of a sidewall), is a different beast. A DIRECT strike on a car will be catastophic as I related. A direct strike on a car can blow all four tires off the rims, as that gap between car and ground is small and a bolt can seek ground THROUGH the car quite easily. AN aircraft has no ground potential, though there is a potential difference between it, and say, the cloud. Aircraft often are the cause of the bolt.

I'm a pilot (single engine land) and many years ago, I was piloting/flying from Myrtle Beach SC to OH and went around and near thunderstorms...and the 4 engine Cessna plane we were in was struck by lightening off the left wingtip. WOW. I thought for an instant we were goners...but the durned plane kept on going...I was stunned for a few seconds by the flash...but I digress. for the uninitiated, this is as good an explanation of it as I can dig up.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-happens-when-lightni

Aircraft get hit by lightning all the time...and they ain't even on the ground...so I see no problem with a car getting hit when it's "flying" just inches off the ground.

Moving cars are more difficult for a bolt to hit....as the potential of the car, ground, terrain all affect the zig zag of the bolt...

 

[mcginnpm]

AN aircraft has no ground potential...

...thus supporting my argument that if an aircraft (which has no ground potential) can be struck by lightning, then there is little difficulty for lightning to strike a car, which "flies" mere inches above the ground.

Folks who think rubber tires protect the car by "insulating" it from the ground probably also believe that rubber sneakers protect a person by "insulating" them from the ground. I would invite those same people to stand with rubber sneakers on in an open field during a thunderstorm and let me know how things turn out.

When you're looking at around a billion volts in a lightning strike, a few inches of rubber don't mean squat when it comes to dielectric insulation. The two things that count most are shielding and surge protection.

If something is shielded inside the equivalent of a Faraday cage, it will be protected from the electrical current because the charge flows around the outside of the "cage". The current can’t get inside the “cage”.

If something is connected to a wire and the wire is exposed to the EMP of a lightning strike and the current generated by the EMP in the wire is too high, it can "fry" whatever is connected to the wire, even if that item is inside a Faraday cage.

 

[sandy]

If something is connected to a wire and the wire is exposed to the EMP of a lightning strike and the current generated by the EMP in the wire is too high, it can "fry" whatever is connected to the wire, even if that item is inside a Faraday cage.[/QUOTE]

To update my posts #5 and #8 above, a tech rep from Hyundai inspected my car last week and Hyundai has decided to make required repairs which include replacing 7 computers. While there is no physical evidence of lightning striking the car such as burn marks, blown tires etc, the fact that this problem occured immediately after a thunder storm supports your EMP theory.

If the cause was lightning, not sure why Hyundai didn't look to push responsibility onto my insurance company. I'd like to think they accepted responsibility so as to provide the best possible customer experience.

Bottom line, Hyundai and the dealer (Stamford Hyundai) are doing everything they can to make the situation palatable including an Equus loaner.

 

[QuantumRift]

Any unshielded circuit that is 'turned' ON is potentially susceptible to EMP. Even items that are "off"....a stereo, for instance, can absorb an EMP through the speaker wires that behave the same way as an antenna does. Like when I lost the furnace control board. The thermostat wire that runs between the control bard and the thermostat is 20+ feet long, and 'receives' EMP given off by a bolt of lightening. The EMP causes a voltage to be generated in the wire, and thus overloading any attached circuitry...especially if that circuitry is turned 'on'. "OFF" is no real protection. A direct strike on a power line will overload and burn out a computer even if it's turned off or powered by a surge protector. Your household 120V electric outlets will arc and fuse at 600v. When you're tooling down the road, and BAM! A bolt hits near you, the proximity matters. Overloaded circuits will fry on-board computers as there is a LOT of wiring that will act as little antennas to absorb the EMP.

If something is connected to a wire and the wire is exposed to the EMP of a lightning strike and the current generated by the EMP in the wire is too high, it can "fry" whatever is connected to the wire, even if that item is inside a Faraday cage.

To update my posts #5 and #8 above, a tech rep from Hyundai inspected my car last week and Hyundai has decided to make required repairs which include replacing 7 computers. While there is no physical evidence of lightning striking the car such as burn marks, blown tires etc, the fact that this problem occured immediately after a thunder storm supports your EMP theory.

If the cause was lightning, not sure why Hyundai didn't look to push responsibility onto my insurance company. I'd like to think they accepted responsibility so as to provide the best possible customer experience.

Bottom line, Hyundai and the dealer (Stamford Hyundai) are doing everything they can to make the situation palatable including an Equus loaner.[/QUOTE]

 

[Aquineas]

Don't get me started on insurance agents... they'll fight you tooth and nail the second you have a claim. I never missed an insurance payment in 20 years. My agent was always super nice with me. The one time I made a claim (last year), they refused to admit the damage was caused by the accident and refused coverage - I had to find another mechanic who proved I was right. They eventually paid up.

Good luck with your issues... I hope yours go easier than mine did. Especially since your car is so expensive and relatively new!

Hopefully you changed insurers too. Personally I have had good luck with Progressive, but I've heard horror stories about them too. Guess it all depends on the luck of the draw.

 

[Aquineas]

<snip>
To update my posts #5 and #8 above, a tech rep from Hyundai inspected my car last week and Hyundai has decided to make required repairs which include replacing 7 computers.

I don't even want to *think* what that would cost outside of warranty.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[QuantumRift]

Well, if the cost to repair/replace the components (less deductible), it's possible that the car could be totaled out. It happens. Ever see a car that has been clobbered by large hail? Not uncommon to total out a car, and now that there are LOTS of expensive electronics...well, it's possible. Maybe not for a newer one but as the car ages and devalues, it's possible.

 

[sandy]

I don't even want to *think* what that would cost outside of warranty.

Dealer estimated $15k for parts and labor.

 

[QuantumRift]

Ka-CHING!

Dealer estimated $15k for parts and labor.

 

[syd-c]

just got my car back from the the shop and they think its a faulty FR wheel sensor ,parts should be in next week and hyundai is going to do the repairs under warrenty.hopefully this fixes the nav too,if not they ll repair or replace that aswell. pretty happy with this because i was not lookin forward to dealing with my insurance. got lucky too because my nav comes off of warr at the end of aug. they couldn't find any signs that lighting did all this

 

[ImInPA]

driving in a heavy lighting storm in town,one went off near or hit me,all car electronics stopped working for a second. now esc,abs,parking brake lights are on,all drivers info reset. checked all fuses,don t have a scanner for ob3, dissconnected the battery with no affect on problem. the car is more prone to go sideways but tc is still steppin in, didn't try a hard stop yet to see if the abs kicks in. by top gear stantards it as tough as a vw golf

You have apparently experienced an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse). These can reak Havoc on electronics. You should first find out what the dealer says and contact your insurance agent(s) (home and auto) to find out if damage of this type is covered. Good luck.

 

[QuantumRift]

Start here. I like the explanation that the EMP is "like a super powerful radio wave"...when the electromagnetic pulse hits any wire, electrical current is induced. That's why transmitters and receivers in the military are heavily filtered and shielded, from nuclear EMP, lightening emp, etc. Not only lightening to worry about but a severe solar storm could wreak havoc as well on electronics.

http://www.catalogfavorites.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=V25318&usrsearch=v25318

http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/space-defense-technology/emp-9479/

It can also be argued that EMP does not affect most vehicles, however, PROXIMITY, as I mentioned is the key factor. Here, I've often seen HUGE bolts that strike the ground and stay 'connected' or lit up for as much as 2 - 3 seconds or more (timed them) That's a huge discharge. ANd if your vehicle is next to something like that, you will be affected by it. Car makers do a good job of shielding the electronics in a car to a great extend but it's not foolproof. People with those GONGA "8 Gigawatt" reactors in their cars for sound are pretty susceptible to EMP as well...but I digress. Anyways, you can dig up a lot of information to support your claim if need be.

just got my car back from the the shop and they think its a faulty FR wheel sensor ,parts should be in next week and hyundai is going to do the repairs under warrenty.hopefully this fixes the nav too,if not they ll repair or replace that aswell. pretty happy with this because i was not lookin forward to dealing with my insurance. got lucky too because my nav comes off of warr at the end of aug. they couldn't find any signs that lighting did all this

 

[syd-c]

it would be nice to change insurance companies,but in this part of canada we have only one goverment appointed provider,S.G.I. this shitty country.

 

[QuantumRift]

Well, we'll be like you soon.. LoL..

 

[syd-c]

my car went to the shop today to replace the damage sensor. its been there six hours,they just called and informed me that the part was damaged in transit and a new one will have to be ordered...........................?

 

[syd-c]

and to top it all off the tech got greese\dirt all over my interior,took them another half an hour to clean it up.i told them that i will no longer be coming there for regular service,warrenty only,im tired of the 2 hour oil changes