Vibration Test

Yesterday, as I was riding home from a PGR ride, I was stopped at a light next to what I refer to as a "stereo car." This is a car which almost drives itself under the power of the bass in the music. This is a car which you don't so much hear the bass as feel it. Where you hear the bass is in the rattling of the various parts of the car.

I'm not a killjoy when it comes to loud music. I like to listen to my tunes loud, too.

But, I have to wonder if anyone has done a study to see how that extreme vibration affects the structure of the average car. I don't expect the frame or the drive train to be affected too much, but the body pieces seem to take a real beating. I wonder if any fasteners come loose after a time of being exposed to so much vibration.

I'm sure the auto manufacturers design around a certain amount of vibration, but that is from the road and the drive train pieces. The vibration of the bass is completely different.

I'm just curious.

Progressive Insurance Claims Service - Excellent

Two years ago, my wife and I switched our auto insurance from State Farm to Progressive. We had just purchased a new motorcycle and the insurer my wife had her coverage with on the old bike wanted over $100 per month to cover the new one. I checked with Progressive and they gave the same coverage for $25 per month. I wanted to keep our auto insurance with State Farm, but they wanted over $300 per month for the bike alone and already informed me they were going to raise my auto premium. I wanted to keep our vehicle insurance with one company and Progressive offered us the same coverage on our autos we had with State Farm - and - even adding in the bike's insurance cost we came out at less per month.

Up until now, I've only had to make 2 claims against my auto insurance in the 30 years I've been driving. One was when I was stopped and someone backed into me. I was 17 and it was my mom's car - not a good thing. The next was in 1986 when I hit a deer driving from El Paso to San Angelo, Texas. Thankfully I had my car registered and insured in Michigan where such happenings are covered as an "act of God." Both times State Farm came through for me with flying colors. I kept my auto insurance with them for over 25 years.

Today I was in a fender-bender. Not a good way to start a Monday morning. A young lady backed into my path as I drove through the driveway of the apartments where I live and I hit the rear corner of her car. Although we were both going slow, the damage is nevertheless somewhat extensive because of the way cars are made these days. Plastic breaks a lot easier than metal.

After the police officer assisted us in exchanging information and setting up an incident report, I went into work. Later that morning, I logged into my Progressive account via their web site and filled out a claim form. The whole process took me about 5 minutes.

Within 15 minutes of my submitting the form, I got a call from the local Progressive adjuster. He had already called the young lady who was driving the car and the young man who owns it and wanted to get my side of the story. I've contact Progressive a few times in the time we've been a customer of theirs and they have always been prompt to respond. Even so, I was really (and quite pleasantly) surprised at the speed in which I got a response.

I'm not entirely sure how the rest of the story will pan out. More on this later.