What have you done to your car today?
- Thread starter mattyprice4004
- Start date
Soldato
Yeah I thought so - 100 a corner seems good. Bear in mind I'll do the paint work, it's welding only. But I really doubt I could buy all the gear and supplies, PPE etc for 400. And then it would take me ages to get some practice and finish the job.
Caporegime
Make sure you ask about their process for repairing those bits. £400 seems like the sort of "will get it through another 1 or 2 MOTs" type welding. But they might just be very good value.
Soldato
He was pretty serious, insisted he'd have to keep cutting til he found clean steel to weld to, etc. Booked up til January and 5.0 stars on Google reviews with 100+ reviews, suggests he's just honest and good value
I did say I'd save him work by taking out seats and carpet, doing my own paint etc.
Caporegime
He was pretty serious, insisted he'd have to keep cutting til he found clean steel to weld to, etc. Booked up til January and 5.0 stars on Google reviews with 100+ reviews, suggests he's just honest and good value
I did say I'd save him work by taking out seats and carpet, doing my own paint etc.
I see I see... And uh, where is this bodyshop?
Message me bbz xoxox
Yesterday evening, I decided to see how my car would perform as an impromptu lawnmower.
Spoiler alert: it did not perform well.
Long story short: Span off a wet roundabout, but despite the dramatic looking image, the car is unscathed and safely back on the driveway at my parents.
Spoiler alert: it did not perform well.
Long story short: Span off a wet roundabout, but despite the dramatic looking image, the car is unscathed and safely back on the driveway at my parents.
Travelling up to Thetford last night to visit my parents for the weekend. Horrible night, wet and raining, lots of spray, and two dogs with me in the car, so I certainly wasn't out playing silly buggers, just trudging along.
Coming up the A11, arrived at the Barton Mills roundabout near Mildenhall. The A11 is two lanes as it joins this roundabout, there's two 'straight ahead' lanes all the way around it, and two lanes off to continue on the A11. As I approach, there's a few cars and a couple of trucks in the left hand A11 lane, but the right lane is empty. Rather than slow right down behind everyone, I switch into the right-most "straight ahead" lane for the A11, and pass the vehicles on my left.
As we get to the exit to continue along the A11, lorry on my left is turning off, and I will be passing him as I also turn off. Realising I was sitting in his blind spot, I think "Ooo, I'll just nip ahead of him as we both leave the roundabout". It's quite an angular roundabout, so in order to leave for my exit while being in the right hand lane, I actually have to have a fair amount of left-hand down as I do so.
This was of course my downfall. I only gave the throttle a gentle squeeze, but I still had a fair amount of left-hand lock applied...and I completely underestimated just how wet the roundabout was. Back stepped out and Ispan sideways, panicking and flailing at the wheel while screaming calmly and cooly attempted to correct but alas, it happened so suddenly and caught me completely unawares. I veered across the left hand lane, over the (thankfully, shallow-angled kerb), across the grass verge and came to a stop where you see the car in the first image, just slightly down the bank.
Despite feeling like the end of the world, it wasn't all that bad in retrospect. At the time, I was convinced I'd written it off of course. But no airbags deployed, the dogs were fine (they just barely woke up, and probably more because of my screaming than anything). I sat there for a bit at a roughly 30 degree angle, taking stock and wondering what to do having that "you absolute ****ing moron" internal dialogue with myself. I was still about 15 minutes from my parents.
Restarted the engine. Put it in reverse and just gently let the clutch out - nothing but wheel spin. Of course, I'm sitting on an un-mown grass verge in a rainstorm, on a RWD coupe on road tyres. Fair enough, its not going anywhere without a tow...or recovery. At this point, I was fairly convinced I'd broken something going over the kerb. Shut it down. Not quite sure what to do, I called 101, but could not get through to anyone - understandably they're all a bit busy. Briefly considered 999, but I was unhurt, out of danger and I hadn't hit anyone or anything, so no. I manage to extricate myself from the car. At my age and weight, this is unglamorous at the best of times, so you can imagine what it looked like trying to do it with the car at an angle and a heavy door to hold open as well.
Take a look around the car. It's dark and wet, but it doesn't seem too badly damaged. At a glance the front left wheel which took the brunt looks okay, but it's hard to tell. I just assume something's got to be broken. But I note at least that both front wheels are pointing in the same direction, and as the steering wheel. Phone parents, explain what's happened, ask dad to come out so he can at least get the dogs. Put phone down. Stand there in the rain next to the A11 thinking: ********.
Few minutes later, I hear a siren. Can't be for me, surely? Sure enough, police car pulls up. I've seen enough Motorway Cops to expect to be given a good dressing down, but no. He's as good as gold, asks if I'm okay, if there's anyone else in the car - just two dogs. "What happened, did you just spin off the roundabout? Not surprised, it happens all the time, you wouldn't believe the amount of cars that end up in that very same position." He's trying to make me feel better, although it doesn't help much. But, doesn't attempt to belittle me. Takes name, licence, and checks that I'm insured and just reports it and advises that I won't be able to get it recovered tonight (it's 10PM by now) as due to the storm and flooding, there's lots of people in similar situations all over the place. He gets me and the dogs in his car and gives me a lift up the road to Elveden - I phone dad and re-task him to that location.
On the way, I ask the policeman how he got to me so fast, as 101 hadn't gone through. "Yeah, we're having lots of comms issues tonight and it's busy because of the storm, there's a state of emergency declared in the county. But we had a couple of 999 calls from people who'd seen you go off. There's already been on crash further up the A11 and we thought it might be for that, but I was nearby so responded to the call". I am grateful he did. We meet up with my dad at Elveden, who is his usual sympathetic self and I head back to my parents. Very despondent, I barely sleep a wink, worrying about what to do about the car.
Next morning, at first light, me and dad jump in his car and head back to the scene. Dads thinks it's worth seeing if we can just drive it out. I'm not at all optimistic, especially when I see the car sitting like that in the daylight. However - I take a look around the car and there's not a scratch on it. All four wheels are undamaged and still holding air. Nothing's fallen off. The car is just sitting on the grass, albeit up to the undercarriage. But it's long grass and it's sodden; there's no way it's getting back up to the road under it's own power.
I'm all but resigned to the rigmarole of finding a local recovery firm to at least tow it. Luckily, my dad is not so hopeless at me, and says we should at least give it a go at trying to reverse it and get it rolling, and maybe move it down the bank rather than up. I take a look down the bank, and in the daylight, it's clear that there's actually tramlines leading through the grass (on the right of the first pic) back toward the junction...evidently the result of someone else coming off in the same position and being recovered. So I get in the car, start it up, and this time have the wherewithal to disable the traction control - and we managed to actually get some traction and get the car reversed back down the bank. At this point, a young guy passing by stops, gets out of his car and comes to help, followed shortly another another young lady. Between them and my dad, we manage to reverse the car all the way back along the grass to the junction, up the small incline and back on to the road.
We thank the passers by profusely for their efforts. I am astonished that two total strangers should stop their own journey, unbidden, and come and trudge through the mud to help a fat man me pull his bright blue midlife-crisis-mobile out of a ditch, that he clearly got there through his own hubris. Faith in humanity restored a bit. Dad sees me back onto the road. Hazards on, I rejoin the A11 and head back to his house.
And guess what? It's like nothing ever happened. The car tracks and steers straight and true. There's no vibration, no knocking, nothing falls off. it stops and it turns fine. I take it easy, get back to the driveway and get out for a proper look around. Apart from the spattering of mud and grass, there's no evidence whatsoever that anything untoward has happened. I have never been so relieved in my entire life. I was planning on having the car serviced and a proper alignment done before the end of the year anyway; I plan to move that forward and ask them to give the car an inspection while they're at it, in case there's anything I can't see. But seemingly, it's fine, apart from having collected some scenery.
So that's it. That's my entire allocation of luck for the next few years gone. Despite feeling like the end of the world, the only solid thing I went over was the kerb; but being one of those shallow kerbs with a 45 degree angled face, and because I didn't hit it square on, I think I've managed to get away without bending anything. And luckily, I came to a rest on soft grass and mud. In fact, in the daylight, I realised just how much of a bullet I had dodged....
...if the car had rolled another few feet, or I'd left the carriageway a few feet later, I would have landed squarely on that massive concrete manhole. Doubt very much the car would have survived that.
Absolutely no excuses to be made. I wasn't playing silly buggers at all, but I just got complacent. By the time it happened, I'd already driven 90 miles in awful conditions and was on autopilot. I underestimated how wet the road was, overestimated the car's grip level, and made the stupid mistake of not taking that into account while accelerating and turning at the same time in a RWD car. I've got off extremely lightly, and I know lots of other people won't have been so lucky last night, so I am absolutely not taking it for granted. Lesson learned.
Coming up the A11, arrived at the Barton Mills roundabout near Mildenhall. The A11 is two lanes as it joins this roundabout, there's two 'straight ahead' lanes all the way around it, and two lanes off to continue on the A11. As I approach, there's a few cars and a couple of trucks in the left hand A11 lane, but the right lane is empty. Rather than slow right down behind everyone, I switch into the right-most "straight ahead" lane for the A11, and pass the vehicles on my left.
As we get to the exit to continue along the A11, lorry on my left is turning off, and I will be passing him as I also turn off. Realising I was sitting in his blind spot, I think "Ooo, I'll just nip ahead of him as we both leave the roundabout". It's quite an angular roundabout, so in order to leave for my exit while being in the right hand lane, I actually have to have a fair amount of left-hand down as I do so.
This was of course my downfall. I only gave the throttle a gentle squeeze, but I still had a fair amount of left-hand lock applied...and I completely underestimated just how wet the roundabout was. Back stepped out and I
Despite feeling like the end of the world, it wasn't all that bad in retrospect. At the time, I was convinced I'd written it off of course. But no airbags deployed, the dogs were fine (they just barely woke up, and probably more because of my screaming than anything). I sat there for a bit at a roughly 30 degree angle, taking stock and wondering what to do having that "you absolute ****ing moron" internal dialogue with myself. I was still about 15 minutes from my parents.
Restarted the engine. Put it in reverse and just gently let the clutch out - nothing but wheel spin. Of course, I'm sitting on an un-mown grass verge in a rainstorm, on a RWD coupe on road tyres. Fair enough, its not going anywhere without a tow...or recovery. At this point, I was fairly convinced I'd broken something going over the kerb. Shut it down. Not quite sure what to do, I called 101, but could not get through to anyone - understandably they're all a bit busy. Briefly considered 999, but I was unhurt, out of danger and I hadn't hit anyone or anything, so no. I manage to extricate myself from the car. At my age and weight, this is unglamorous at the best of times, so you can imagine what it looked like trying to do it with the car at an angle and a heavy door to hold open as well.
Take a look around the car. It's dark and wet, but it doesn't seem too badly damaged. At a glance the front left wheel which took the brunt looks okay, but it's hard to tell. I just assume something's got to be broken. But I note at least that both front wheels are pointing in the same direction, and as the steering wheel. Phone parents, explain what's happened, ask dad to come out so he can at least get the dogs. Put phone down. Stand there in the rain next to the A11 thinking: ********.
Few minutes later, I hear a siren. Can't be for me, surely? Sure enough, police car pulls up. I've seen enough Motorway Cops to expect to be given a good dressing down, but no. He's as good as gold, asks if I'm okay, if there's anyone else in the car - just two dogs. "What happened, did you just spin off the roundabout? Not surprised, it happens all the time, you wouldn't believe the amount of cars that end up in that very same position." He's trying to make me feel better, although it doesn't help much. But, doesn't attempt to belittle me. Takes name, licence, and checks that I'm insured and just reports it and advises that I won't be able to get it recovered tonight (it's 10PM by now) as due to the storm and flooding, there's lots of people in similar situations all over the place. He gets me and the dogs in his car and gives me a lift up the road to Elveden - I phone dad and re-task him to that location.
On the way, I ask the policeman how he got to me so fast, as 101 hadn't gone through. "Yeah, we're having lots of comms issues tonight and it's busy because of the storm, there's a state of emergency declared in the county. But we had a couple of 999 calls from people who'd seen you go off. There's already been on crash further up the A11 and we thought it might be for that, but I was nearby so responded to the call". I am grateful he did. We meet up with my dad at Elveden, who is his usual sympathetic self and I head back to my parents. Very despondent, I barely sleep a wink, worrying about what to do about the car.
Next morning, at first light, me and dad jump in his car and head back to the scene. Dads thinks it's worth seeing if we can just drive it out. I'm not at all optimistic, especially when I see the car sitting like that in the daylight. However - I take a look around the car and there's not a scratch on it. All four wheels are undamaged and still holding air. Nothing's fallen off. The car is just sitting on the grass, albeit up to the undercarriage. But it's long grass and it's sodden; there's no way it's getting back up to the road under it's own power.
I'm all but resigned to the rigmarole of finding a local recovery firm to at least tow it. Luckily, my dad is not so hopeless at me, and says we should at least give it a go at trying to reverse it and get it rolling, and maybe move it down the bank rather than up. I take a look down the bank, and in the daylight, it's clear that there's actually tramlines leading through the grass (on the right of the first pic) back toward the junction...evidently the result of someone else coming off in the same position and being recovered. So I get in the car, start it up, and this time have the wherewithal to disable the traction control - and we managed to actually get some traction and get the car reversed back down the bank. At this point, a young guy passing by stops, gets out of his car and comes to help, followed shortly another another young lady. Between them and my dad, we manage to reverse the car all the way back along the grass to the junction, up the small incline and back on to the road.
We thank the passers by profusely for their efforts. I am astonished that two total strangers should stop their own journey, unbidden, and come and trudge through the mud to help a fat man me pull his bright blue midlife-crisis-mobile out of a ditch, that he clearly got there through his own hubris. Faith in humanity restored a bit. Dad sees me back onto the road. Hazards on, I rejoin the A11 and head back to his house.
And guess what? It's like nothing ever happened. The car tracks and steers straight and true. There's no vibration, no knocking, nothing falls off. it stops and it turns fine. I take it easy, get back to the driveway and get out for a proper look around. Apart from the spattering of mud and grass, there's no evidence whatsoever that anything untoward has happened. I have never been so relieved in my entire life. I was planning on having the car serviced and a proper alignment done before the end of the year anyway; I plan to move that forward and ask them to give the car an inspection while they're at it, in case there's anything I can't see. But seemingly, it's fine, apart from having collected some scenery.
So that's it. That's my entire allocation of luck for the next few years gone. Despite feeling like the end of the world, the only solid thing I went over was the kerb; but being one of those shallow kerbs with a 45 degree angled face, and because I didn't hit it square on, I think I've managed to get away without bending anything. And luckily, I came to a rest on soft grass and mud. In fact, in the daylight, I realised just how much of a bullet I had dodged....
...if the car had rolled another few feet, or I'd left the carriageway a few feet later, I would have landed squarely on that massive concrete manhole. Doubt very much the car would have survived that.
Absolutely no excuses to be made. I wasn't playing silly buggers at all, but I just got complacent. By the time it happened, I'd already driven 90 miles in awful conditions and was on autopilot. I underestimated how wet the road was, overestimated the car's grip level, and made the stupid mistake of not taking that into account while accelerating and turning at the same time in a RWD car. I've got off extremely lightly, and I know lots of other people won't have been so lucky last night, so I am absolutely not taking it for granted. Lesson learned.
Soldato
Glad all ended well @Conscript pleased you and the car are unscathed.
Caporegime
I saw exactly the same thing the other day with a BMW Z4 and two girls scratching their heads while looking at it. Although they managed to do it on a straight bit of road!
My GR86 has caught me out a couple of times although I was playing silly buggers on roundabouts I blame it on not driving RWD for a few years and getting too used to AWD and FWD.
I had an equally poo my pants moment yesterday too. Coming back from taking my mum to Stansted yesterday a hard pull off a slip road and felt a horrible kangaroo kick and flashing cell light. My initial thought was a hose has gone somewhere on the boost system as it would drive normally on light throttle (Although having blown one engine already I feared the worst). Made myself a DIY smoke machine and the hot side boost pipe had blown clean off the intercooler. All bolted back up but I think I am going to get some replacement silicone boost hoses as they are 20 years old and a bit squidgy. I did spot some other leaks on the vacuum system so sorted those too.
My GR86 has caught me out a couple of times although I was playing silly buggers on roundabouts
I blame it on not driving RWD for a few years and getting too used to AWD and FWD.I had an equally poo my pants moment yesterday too. Coming back from taking my mum to Stansted yesterday a hard pull off a slip road and felt a horrible kangaroo kick and flashing cell light. My initial thought was a hose has gone somewhere on the boost system as it would drive normally on light throttle (Although having blown one engine already I feared the worst). Made myself a DIY smoke machine and the hot side boost pipe had blown clean off the intercooler. All bolted back up but I think I am going to get some replacement silicone boost hoses as they are 20 years old and a bit squidgy. I did spot some other leaks on the vacuum system so sorted those too.
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Don
Changed the battery on the Mini and registered it with my veepeak obd dongle and Carista.
Hopefully will resolve the intermittent car on ramp indicator that I've been getting occasionally for the last few weeks.
To be fair the old one was the original 12 year old BMW one, so replaced with a new Bosch with 5 year warranty.
Also replaced the fuel cap tether - 30 second job but looks nicer when I fill up with fuel
Hopefully will resolve the intermittent car on ramp indicator that I've been getting occasionally for the last few weeks.
To be fair the old one was the original 12 year old BMW one, so replaced with a new Bosch with 5 year warranty.
Also replaced the fuel cap tether - 30 second job but looks nicer when I fill up with fuel
Caporegime
Sold the 1JZ washing machine and put a deposit down on a big turbo car.
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Soldato
Just circling back to this. I tried using a regular USB-C cable and a 12v adaptor to minimise the install on mine but it turns on and then resets. I've ordered a new 12v adaptor that can draw the full 3mA, but have you wired it in permanently or still using the cigarette lighter?
Associate
That's odd. I have mine routed through the dash and coming back out to the rear cig lighter using the power cable that came with it, as everything remains hidden. I also used it on a standard USB C cable coming from my PC when testing it and it powered up and worked fine (despite manual stating 9-12V). Perhaps yours is faulty?
Soldato
Ah ok. I did have that to start with, although i then would like a second USB slot for charging my phone which meant having a double USB cigarette charger would be ideal. I think the main issue is that the one i was using topped out at 500ma, and the charger it comes with is rated at 3000ma.
Will see if the new USB adaptor works as it's higher rated.
At some point i plan to wire in some additional USB sockets tucked away but that's another days task!
Soldato
Update - I found another USB adaptor and that works fine. I imagine the original was just too low power. Now to route the cable in the dash.
Caporegime
Correct size plates applied.
Much better!
Also tidied up some of the JDM special wiring under the dash.
Much better!
Also tidied up some of the JDM special wiring under the dash.
Soldato
How many different colours/shades am I seeing on the front? 
Caporegime
How many different colours/shades am I seeing on the front?
Well lets see... There is the factory two-tone silver, then theres the lip spoiler which was added later and is a little bit too gold... And the bonnet is white because its from a Works R rally car which was white, but I do have the original bonnet.