Advice?

CliffyBiro · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:19

Hi. Just had an accident on the way home. Driving along at about 40 mile an hour. Came round the corner and saw another car coming the other other way in the middle of the road. Watching him, I missed the rock that was sitting at the edge of the road. Hit that, wrecked the wheel, sent me into the hedge. Wheel came off, went across the road, took out a concrete bollard and managed to steer it into some bushes well off the road. Shook me up a fair bit but was perfectly fine. A guy stopped and made sure I was OK and everything and gave me a lift home.

Got the car towed away. Needs a new bumper, wing and door. Wheel has a massive dent (feels like such a small word to describe this), the wishbone apparently snapped and the driveshaft was lying on the ground too. But on first looks, everything else seems OK.

Anyway, reported it to the Police and they said that without knowing where the rock came from (they drop off lorries all the time on these roads) then there's nothing they can do.

I'm on TPFT. Don't have any photos.

Is there anything else I should do?

Morba · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:20

Sounds nasty and sounds like you'll have some money to pay out yourself for repairs.
Unlucky fella.

ins0mn1ac · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:22

Ouch, what do you drive?

CliffyBiro · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:23

deleted said:
Ouch, what do you drive?

Sorry, was an '02 Saxo.

griffo_001 · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:44

skippi90 said:
Sorry, was an '02 Saxo.

If you can identify a driveshaft of the floor then you may well be mechanically capable of stripping it for spares. That's what I'd do, flog the various nice bits on ebay then weigh the shell in.

I say that because the amount of damage caused sounds like it may well cost more than the car is worth to fix

You're still ok which is the main thing, I've almost done the same thing a couple if times avoiding people who were allover the road

Bennie-Mac · 1 Apr 2011 at 16:53

Sorry to hear skip

It might be worthwhile phoning round the local scrapyards or checking on ebay/gumtree/autotrader for people breaking saxos for spares. Would be the cheapest way to source parts at least.

CliffyBiro · 1 Apr 2011 at 20:19

Yep that's the first course of action when I find out what the full extent of the damage is.

Right now, the smell of the airbag is still stuck in my nose.

Horrid smell.

Robbo · 1 Apr 2011 at 20:24

Unlucky skippi, at least you're in one piece.

Tute · 1 Apr 2011 at 21:50

Robboftw said:
Unlucky skippi, at least you're in one piece.

This.

Mark3h · 1 Apr 2011 at 21:55

you crashed in a saxo, regardless of year you are lucky to be alive!
those things dont handle a knock well at all.

Participant · 1 Apr 2011 at 22:01

skippi90 said:
Watching him, I missed the rock that was sitting at the edge of the road.

Bennie-Mac · 1 Apr 2011 at 22:06

^ Its awful but i laughed so hard at that

Aero · 2 Apr 2011 at 08:42

Bennie-Mac said:
^ Its awful but i laughed so hard at that

+1 Unlucky Skippi90 good to hear you're ok

IAmATeaf · 2 Apr 2011 at 11:12

How big was the rock? Must have been pretty large no ?

CliffyBiro · 2 Apr 2011 at 14:08

Robbie G said:

I thought that myself.

IAmATeaf said:
How big was the rock? Must have been pretty large no ?

Roughly the same size as a football.

I've STILL got that smell of the airbag on me despite 3 showers.

flibbage0 · 2 Apr 2011 at 16:15

skippi90 said:
I thought that myself.

Roughly the same size as a football.

I've STILL got that smell of the airbag on me despite 3 showers.

You sure its not just your nose?

Try having some mints or something like airwaves/extra. I know it sounds silly but it does sometimes work.

ins0mn1ac · 2 Apr 2011 at 20:09

Mark3h said:
you crashed in a saxo, regardless of year you are lucky to be alive!
those things dont handle a knock well at all.

Heh that's what I was thinking, watched my mate fail park and shunt into a high kerb in a Saxo, speed was tiny and it utterly mashed the wheel into the arch was mental. Watching ncap/crash vids of Saxos it seems not so mental any more

Glad you're alright!

CliffyBiro · 3 Apr 2011 at 15:03

Just had the call I was dreading. The cost it would take to fix the car is unfeasible. Chassis and everything twisted. I was planning on selling it in the summer too before I went to Uni. There's £800 lost.

griffo_001 · 3 Apr 2011 at 15:24

As I said earlier if you have the time, grab a Haynes manual and take the car to bits, sell all the straight bits, interior, everything basically, then take the twisted shell to a scrappy to scrap it. That should recover most of the £800 I would have thought

CliffyBiro · 3 Apr 2011 at 15:30

Yeah that's looking like the only option. Might just nab a ~£500 motor to tide me over for the next few months.