Oh poo...!!! I broke my car.... :-(
09-17-2003, 11:08 AM
#1
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Oh poo...!!! I broke my car.... :-(
Blast sh1t and pooo...... I've bent my car.
Last Friday, coming home from work at about 7.30, I came round a roundabout from one stretch of dual carriageway onto another. It had been a long hard week of 10 hour days, and I was sooooo looking forward to getting home for the weekend.
As I rounded the apex of the roundabout to go straight on, the back end started to slide out to the right. I applied opposite lock to correct for the slide, and managed to catch it. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to remove the opposite lock when the rear wheels regained traction. This threw the rear out to the left, only this time much more violently.
The back of the car came round by 90 degrees, and there was no way I could apply enough opposite lock quickly enough to catch THAT one. The car spun through 180 degrees, and I ended up sliding backwards, and sideways up the dual carriageway.
The drivers side of the car slammed into the kerb at the side of the road, and I eventually came to rest. Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road at the time, so no one else was involved or at risk. I turned the car around in the road, and parked it in a nearby layby to assess the damage.
I was mildly surprised to see no discernable damage. Certainly no damage (not even a scratch) to the bodywork. There were bits of grass sticking out of the wheels, and stuck to the inside of the arches, and the rims were quite badly scuffed, but apart from that I couldn't really see anything wrong (it was getting quite dark by this time, don't forget). Oh, and if anyone is wondering, I was absolutely fine.
I got back in to start driving the car the 2 or 3 miles to get home, when I realised that the steering wheel was no longer pointing in the "straight ahead" position, but was offset to the left by about 20 degrees. Also, the car felt like it was steering itself around from the rear. I limped the car home at about 25 mph along the A3 and onto my driveway.
When I got out and examined the rear driver's side wheel, I realised that it was at a very peculiar angle. I had obviously damaged the rear suspension, and possibly the front suspension too (though not to the same obvious extent).
I'm putting the car into the insurance company's body shop to have the work done tomorrow, and it'll probably take a few days to get done.
It's a really annoying thing to happen (especially since my insurance is up for renewal next month ), but as I always maintain, cars can be easily fixed. People can't. So I'm right p155ed off about bending my car, but at least that's all that's damaged.
I don't know if there was anything on the roundabout that may have helped initiate the skid in the first place. I certainly wasn't going over the speed limit (40mph) - of if I was, it certainly wasn't by very much.
Just thought I'd share my story with everyone here. Hopefully, I'll have the car back some time next week.
Take care out there folks!
Last Friday, coming home from work at about 7.30, I came round a roundabout from one stretch of dual carriageway onto another. It had been a long hard week of 10 hour days, and I was sooooo looking forward to getting home for the weekend.
As I rounded the apex of the roundabout to go straight on, the back end started to slide out to the right. I applied opposite lock to correct for the slide, and managed to catch it. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to remove the opposite lock when the rear wheels regained traction. This threw the rear out to the left, only this time much more violently.
The back of the car came round by 90 degrees, and there was no way I could apply enough opposite lock quickly enough to catch THAT one. The car spun through 180 degrees, and I ended up sliding backwards, and sideways up the dual carriageway.
The drivers side of the car slammed into the kerb at the side of the road, and I eventually came to rest. Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road at the time, so no one else was involved or at risk. I turned the car around in the road, and parked it in a nearby layby to assess the damage.
I was mildly surprised to see no discernable damage. Certainly no damage (not even a scratch) to the bodywork. There were bits of grass sticking out of the wheels, and stuck to the inside of the arches, and the rims were quite badly scuffed, but apart from that I couldn't really see anything wrong (it was getting quite dark by this time, don't forget). Oh, and if anyone is wondering, I was absolutely fine.
I got back in to start driving the car the 2 or 3 miles to get home, when I realised that the steering wheel was no longer pointing in the "straight ahead" position, but was offset to the left by about 20 degrees. Also, the car felt like it was steering itself around from the rear. I limped the car home at about 25 mph along the A3 and onto my driveway.
When I got out and examined the rear driver's side wheel, I realised that it was at a very peculiar angle. I had obviously damaged the rear suspension, and possibly the front suspension too (though not to the same obvious extent).
I'm putting the car into the insurance company's body shop to have the work done tomorrow, and it'll probably take a few days to get done.
It's a really annoying thing to happen (especially since my insurance is up for renewal next month
), but as I always maintain, cars can be easily fixed. People can't. So I'm right p155ed off about bending my car, but at least that's all that's damaged.I don't know if there was anything on the roundabout that may have helped initiate the skid in the first place. I certainly wasn't going over the speed limit (40mph) - of if I was, it certainly wasn't by very much.
Just thought I'd share my story with everyone here. Hopefully, I'll have the car back some time next week.
Take care out there folks!
09-17-2003, 11:13 AM
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Bugger
Sorry to hear that, Mark. I had a similar heading-backwards-drifting-towards-the-kerb moment - except mine ended up with me in the armco. Ouch.
I felt equally pissed when it happened but, as you say, nothing permanent was done and you'll be back on the road soon enough
Sorry to hear that, Mark. I had a similar heading-backwards-drifting-towards-the-kerb moment - except mine ended up with me in the armco. Ouch.
I felt equally pissed when it happened but, as you say, nothing permanent was done and you'll be back on the road soon enough
09-17-2003, 11:15 AM
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Sorry to hear about it - sounds like a traditional LSD bite moment - all power transferred to one rear wheel. Some of the roundabouts round my way are quite dangerous-looking when inspected at slow speed, so not difficult to imagine how a wheel got out of place.
09-17-2003, 11:43 AM
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Damn roundabouts. Exactly the same happened to me in the summer. Rear wheel was very very bent though but 5 weeks and a big insurance claim later and got the car back. Like you say at least you and no others were hurt. I was very confused by the whole episode but put it down at the time to not knowing how the car behaved (only had it a week!) and maybe some slippy stuff on a wet road. All I do know now is that it certainly makes you concentrate a lot more when driving! Hope you get the car back soon.
Rick
Rick
09-17-2003, 12:14 PM
#6
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I feel for you.
I had same problem back in 99. Very low speed off camber moment - luckily there was no kerb but I went onto a grass verge and ended up facing on coming traffic !
Luckily I got away with it. I'm still not sure if I provoked it or not.
At the time I thought it may have been slightly icy. I remember getting on the throttle whilst still having lock on and the diff locked probably due to the inside rear lifting. I certainly learn't to turn in less aggressively and be more progressive on the throttle afterwards.
Slow speed, high lock + throttle seems to be a problem due to the very stiff rear suspension and rear diff.
I'm wondering if the diff locks more easily during the first few 000 miles? My car is no where near as twitchy as it used to be. I thought it may be a tyre issue, but I now have a brand new set of tyres and it still feels fine. Maybe I've adjusted after 4 years!
I had same problem back in 99. Very low speed off camber moment - luckily there was no kerb but I went onto a grass verge and ended up facing on coming traffic !
Luckily I got away with it. I'm still not sure if I provoked it or not.
At the time I thought it may have been slightly icy. I remember getting on the throttle whilst still having lock on and the diff locked probably due to the inside rear lifting. I certainly learn't to turn in less aggressively and be more progressive on the throttle afterwards.
Slow speed, high lock + throttle seems to be a problem due to the very stiff rear suspension and rear diff.
I'm wondering if the diff locks more easily during the first few 000 miles? My car is no where near as twitchy as it used to be. I thought it may be a tyre issue, but I now have a brand new set of tyres and it still feels fine. Maybe I've adjusted after 4 years!
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09-17-2003, 01:27 PM
#10
Former Moderator
You have my sympathies, I did the same kind of thing earlier this year.
Still at the end of the day it's a car and can be fixed, people sometimes aren't that lucky.
Still at the end of the day it's a car and can be fixed, people sometimes aren't that lucky.