So long story short was driving late evening yesterday and on intersection of John Vorster and Nelmapius road in Centurion, road was buckled and my ML went airborne with witnesses stating some sparks on the landing. Was my own fault for not noticing the terrain there, but need some advise on what checks to do on the car after such experience, did check the shocks/suspension and tyres seem to be ok. Worried about the sparks, which I assume came from the protection plate underneath the car, also any advise on checks to be done on the engine for damages caused by the landing impact not absorbed by the shocks that you can recommend would be appreciated.
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Post airborne SUV experience
- Thread starter Zukat
- Start date
Brenden_E
Executive Member
Ha! I've done the same, coming down from Southdowns on John Vorster over Nelmapius road. Luckily I got only slightly airborne and landed gracefully without any damage.
Yeap thats the spot, looking at all the skid marks there, I can only imagine all the thrills people experienced over that bump
OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
How fast were you going? :erm:
AlphaBravo
Expert Member
It is a nasty bump, sort of catches one unawares.
Your ML should be fine. You can check engine mounts or loosened hoses, but the car should be fine unless you bent the chassis.
Your ML should be fine. You can check engine mounts or loosened hoses, but the car should be fine unless you bent the chassis.
Kosmik
Honorary Master
How hard did you land for sparks to come off? Especially if it's an SUV, those things are relatively high off the ground no?
Brenden_E
Executive Member
Sounds like you were doing some hectic speeding
Think I did around 70-80. It's very uneven and you can launch without going too fast. It's a nice downhill too
A ML is heavy and might not be so easy to land, hence the sparks.
silver6933
Expert Member
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Put in on a lift and have it checked out.
The car would have landed first on one axle, then the other would have come down. You most likely compressed the dampers to their limit.
How did you test the dampers? Which model ML???
Check the strut tops and the area around them for deformation damage. This is the most likely spot for damage.
The car would have landed first on one axle, then the other would have come down. You most likely compressed the dampers to their limit.
How did you test the dampers? Which model ML???
Check the strut tops and the area around them for deformation damage. This is the most likely spot for damage.
f2wohf
Honorary Master
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Apparently, it's a Mercedes thing to fly
If I was you, I would also put it on a lift and perform a thorough check. The engines mounts might have taken a shock also, I've had one bent on my Volvo because of a big pothole, so for a landing I can't imagine what it would have done to it.
If I was you, I would also put it on a lift and perform a thorough check. The engines mounts might have taken a shock also, I've had one bent on my Volvo because of a big pothole, so for a landing I can't imagine what it would have done to it.