Rear End Messed Up - Legal Action Winnable?
 

Alright,

So, today I'm on the way to drop off my brother’s money for his medicine and guess what happens, I chew up the gears in my rear end! How...read on...

Alright, so, I'm coming down my neighbor hood at 27-28 MPH, the average for most people is 35-40 MPH and it's a 25 MPH limit, and I get behind Mr. slow poke in a Toyota Camry doing 15 MPH, 15 MPH!!!!.

I know all about speeding in neighborhoods with kids that live around, hell I have five brothers and I would never speed, I hate speeders in neighborhoods my self.

I passed him, let off the gas (nor did I punch it), and when I went to take the final turn, guess what, he flies up beside me and throws his car sideways blocking up both lanes.

He gets out and starts to run at my car, then I put it in reverse and floored it (not thinking about the gears) and it started to clunk clunk clunk really bad so I did a J-Turn almost and put it into first, no go.

I locked my doors, pulled the e-brake, put it in N, and let her run and the guy comes running up to my door throwing his hands up in the air and kicking my door.

I called the cops, they came out there and told the guy that it was illegal to take the law into his own hands and that him cutting me off was wreckless and that he could have been shot legally by me because I was in a scared state.

Hah, like I carry a gun, lucky for him...

Anywho, he offered $200 cash for an out-of-court statement, HELL NO, the gears by them self are $400 for stockers!

I opted to go to court to pursue the actions of this idiot. March 28th I'll be summoned to go to court for this.

What do you guys think? He scratched my paint up (worse than it was), he messed the gears up (you ever see someone chasing after you, would you throw it into reverse?)

Do you think I'll win? Do you think I'll get paid for a new paint job, rear end?

Now, I've got a Thunderbird with a blown tranny (my fault) and a RX7 with chewn up gears (not my fault).

- Tech

I think you might just win with the paint i dont know about the mechanical. if anything ask the judge if you could trade off not shooting the guy for the mechanical bill. even trade atleast i think so.

Not sure about legal stuff but please make sure you keep us updated. I would like to know how this works out for you.

I'd say you were a dink for passing someone on a residential street. Also, it's not this dude's fault that you don't know how to shift into reverse. So, I'd say that you're SOL on the gears. As you should be. Ding him for the damage to the paint sure, but the gears ain't his fault.

So you screwed up your rearend and want to blame him.

An open diff will cost you about $50 and an lsd can be had for $150. just replace it.

I don't know what the hell's wrong with the rear end!

And, I usually don't pass people on residential but in this case, yes, I was in a freaking rush.

The car has been spun around by the previous owner in reverse at high speeds before, I think this was the breaking point. And if the mother freaker wouldnt have been chasing at me (for all I know with a gun) I wouldnt of had to throw it in reverse now would I?

I don't even care about the freaking paint, now I have no way of getting to work besides walking/bus!

Just fix the rear. Pull the axles and take a look at them. If they look good, then pull the diff and look for problems.

the guy didn't have to get out of the car being all crazy though... people are crazy..

oh, and i have an extra rear end out of my 85 GS.. drums/axles/pumpkin. should you need any, let me know. :)

That's easy to do if you've done it before!

I've never bitten into a rear end before, all I know is how much fluid to fill up.

How hard is it to do? Do you need special tools? etc

Unsupa, will the pumpkin just bolt right up to the axel? I'd much rather keep the GSL-SE's because from what I see it's more jeweled.

If worse comes to worse and I cant afford the majority of this I will sell the car and replace the transmission in my Thunderbird...

If you have a disk rear then it is very easy. You

Pull the Calipter.
Pull the Calipter Mount.
Remove the rotors.
Hit the back of the Axle with a BFH. If they are really in there tight then you will need to borrow and axle puller. and axle puller looks like a big slide hammer.

Remove the Drive shaft
take out the 10 or so bolts.
Diff will fall out or give it a bump with the BFH

Well that makes it allright, doesn't it? :rolleyes:

Boo. Fucking. Hoo.

So you're admitting to pinning the responsiblity for the damage on someone else when you know that the car had been used and abused in the past.

You're a real peice of work, aintcha?

Alright, let me see...

- Tech

What did you do before you had a car? Six and hour is money, Guess you did not save any of it.

Sale the car broke and you will get very little for it. You can fix it with an open diff for about $50, An SE LSD will cost you about $150. Nice thing about fixing it, is in a pinch you can do it with just an adjustible wrench, And it will be worth much more.

Well,

My dad spotted the money for me to fix the major stuff...

I've got an axle remover, but my dad something about having to take it back to a shop to put the bearing back on?

You think the LSD is my problem? Where can I get one?

- Tech

You MIGHT be able to pin the rear end thing on him. If it weren't for his actions, you never would have had to throw it in reverse. I don't know, maybe it would have been better if you shot him. He should be greatful that you just threw it in reverse instead.

Make sure you go to the dealer and get a paper quote for the rearend gears! Get some serious cash out of this!!!

If an axle is bad then you will have to get one or two, They may have the bearing already on them. when you pull yours the bearing will stay on it. You would only need to take it to a shop if you need to change or put on a bearing. They are pressed onto the Axle.


Tell us what the simptons are with the car.

Yes,

I've been paying my dad back, that's where all of my paycheck goes right now, that and insurance and gas money, food, etc.

I've cooled off a lot. Yes, maybe I should have shot him, but I don't wish death on anyone, even if they do deserve it...

If it weren't for him chasing after me in the first place I wouldn’t of been scared, if I wasn’t scared I wouldn’t of thrown it into reverse possibly grenading the LSD...

The driveshaft will spin but the car wont move, it just sits there and clunks, and she’s getting towed on a flat bed tonight in a few minutes home (right down the street from where it happened thank god).

good luck getting money for the rear end.. take what you can get for the paint.

if some fool was kicking at my car, we would have gone down..


uhh to bad assult is illegal....

Sounds like you need to change the Diff.


On the lawsuit. I dont think you will win. His actions did not break the diff, yours did. His caused the paint and door to be messed up.

If it is right down the street why get a tow truck. Me my Mom and sister pushed one of my cars all over the yard last week and up a hill. You could push it home or pull it the small amount with another vehichle.


Now not trying to be an ass, But, Next time you decide to do something stupid, Make sure you have the Balls to back it up.

Yeah,

Assault is illegal, I was thinking of legal terms when I did what I did, I didnt want a confrontation.

The whole diff needs to be changed? Gears and all? It used to hum in fourth/fith really bad...

I didnt do something stupid, why does everysone say that? After my blown tbird tranny I dont drive like an idiot anymore, I learnt my lesson but you seem to think that I did something to him by making a LEGAL PASS!

you told us you were in a neborhood, there are no legal passes. I think you started it, but he deffenitely esclated it futher then it needed. Your actions called for him to give you the bird and be done with it.

I didn't know passing in a neighborhood were illegal? There are no double yellow lines? I was under the impression that if they are no passing signs, double yellow lines, then you couldn't pass, I'm looking in my handbook from a year ago and don't see anything about this law that you talk about...

The only legal passes are on doted yellow and dotted white. Of corse I could be wrong.

Hmmm....I called my mom (state trooper) and she said it wasnt illegal and the cop came back to ask if my car was stolen (hehehe - he saw the ghettoed ignition from a loose connection you have to hold) and I asked him, he said it was legal if both sides were clear and there are no parked cars on either side.