| Author | Message | ||
     Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 287 Registered: 05-2003 |
I saw a D2 yesterday that had been fried by a lightning strike. It took out the entire electrical system. It was being dismantled for full repair and going to be covered under the owners auto insurance. I was dumbfounded - asked how did they know it was a lightning strike & I thought that couldn't happen?? They knew where lightning had hit - in the driver's side mirror. It had totally melted everything together in the mirror then flowed thru the rest of electrical system. Was told it could happen if rover is sitting in enough water & it was a good thing no one was in it. Yikes!!  | ||
| Ian Bentley (Ibentley) New Member Username: Ibentley Post Number: 36 Registered: 06-2003 |
Cars and lightning have got to be one of the most common misconceptions out there. You are (mostly) safe inside the vehicle because you're inside a metal box. In technical terms, this is a 'Faraday cage' and no electrical field from the outside can enter. But it's not a perfect, or even great, cage. You can still use you cell phone from inside, for example. A lightning bolt has a potential of millions of volts. It can jump miles through the air. 6" of Michelin or BFG's best rubber isn't going to slow it down. So it can, and will hit your car. Depending on where it hits, it certainly can fry all that 16 and 5 volt electronics. I design sensor electronics for a living, and trying to protect it from surges is one of the most difficult things to do. The good news is that anyone in the car would probably have been OK. | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 1080 Registered: 09-2002 |
Ian, I think if a lightning hits your vehicle and you're inside, your life may be spared by all the metal around, but it may never be the same. Say, people rarely wear welding helmets in the driver's seat... peter | ||
| Ian Bentley (Ibentley) New Member Username: Ibentley Post Number: 38 Registered: 06-2003 |
Peter, You may have a point there. Let's hope we never get the opportunity to find out for sure. |
