TOPIC CLOSED
TOPIC CLOSED
Author
Discussion

flemke

22,862 posts

236 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Mazda Baiter said:
Good to hear that you (and the others involved) are ok.

Being as the car will be pulled apart soon, will the car stay blue? Or is this the time to change colour?
Not sure about colour status, but that is possible.

Peloton25

986 posts

237 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Slinky said:
Don't worry F, someone already knows how much the repair bill is going to be...

http://jalopnik.com/5602260/this-is-what-130000-in...

:shakes head:
In defense of Jalopnik's number, they're basing it off the information supplied by the local police estimating damages to the F1 at €100,000 which has been published in every news article released so far. The current exchange rate sits at about $1.32 for every €1.00.

>8^)
ER




Edited by Peloton25 on Tuesday 3rd August 11:54

BOR

4,697 posts

254 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Joe911 said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Guys, in honesty usually rules of :
drove in to the back of = responsibility ?
So - you are in lane 3 and passing someone in lane 2 and they jink out in front of you at the last second - that's your fault is it?
No. But there is a bit of a myth about germans and lane discipline. 90% are good, but there are quite a few who will just change lanes on a whim. I'm not even convinced that they haven't seen you, they just don't give a damn.

Anyway, the most important thing is that the car is repairable no-one was injured.

BOR

4,697 posts

254 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Peloton25 said:
In defense of Jalopnik's number, they're basing it off the information supplied by the local police estimating damages to the F1 at €100,000 which has been published in every news article released so far. ER
When my 3-series was t-boned, the attending plod just put his finger in the air and wrote €10000 damage. The figures the quote have no real bearing on reality, it's just for their report.

[smurf blue - that's gotta hurt]

Peloton25

986 posts

237 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
I agree the number may have little basis in reality, but it's just one of those 'Don't shoot the messenger' scenarios.

>8^)
ER

Animal

5,246 posts

267 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
BOR][smurf blue - that's gotta hurt said:
I was just about to post the same thing!

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

231 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
flemke said:
It was one of those things that could only have happened because of a number of separate, rare/unlikely factors coinciding. Yet they did, and it did.
.
Genuinely sorry to hear about your accident. We all have them, and the main thing is everyone was OK.
Did you take away anything from it?
THe reason I ask, is that your thoughts are "Just one of those million to one things" give or take.
I would actually argue otherwise. I would say it is an extremely obvious scenario from overtaking traffic with 'such a speed differential'.
THis isn't a witch-hunt, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your thread over the years, I just take slight issue with the fact that you are putting this down to external factors as opposed to the fact you were simply going too fast for the circumstances. The oblivious third party obviously 'caused' this, so I still don't blame you- but I do think that where you are in the position that you are travelling significantly faster than the average person- you have a duty to be vigilant about the driving of others.

Mazda Baiter

37,068 posts

187 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
flemke said:
Mazda Baiter said:
Good to hear that you (and the others involved) are ok.

Being as the car will be pulled apart soon, will the car stay blue? Or is this the time to change colour?
Not sure about colour status, but that is possible.
Time to get the rattle cans out on the fibre glass scale models. wink

RobboC

1,522 posts

260 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Glad to hear you're ok Flemke, although I am sure the pain is still elsewhere seeing your beloved pride and joy in such condition.

May I ask, do you know if any of the custom suspension components were damaged? Also the kenwood changer? I'd be surprised if they still made/kept any of those. How will you play your David Hasselhof CD's? hehe

Seriously though, hope she is back to fine fettle asap. (a few sneaky progress pics would be most appreciated thumbup )

Martin Keene

9,345 posts

224 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Flemke

Great news to hear that everybody is as nature intended and the cars is repairable.

Progress reports on the rebuild would be very much appreciated if you have the time/contacts/inclination.

Martin

flemke

22,862 posts

236 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Muzzlehatch said:
Good to hear you're in one piece.

flemke said:
There were 3 cars in the middle lane, going more slowly than I. As I neared the back of the 3rd of them, with no warning its driver swerved directly in front of me. The speed differential meant that I would crash into the back of him, so I could only avoid by going into middle lane. The problem now was that, for some reason unknown to me at that moment, the 2 cars in the middle lane, which were already going a good bit more slowly than I had been, slowed very sharply.
Just a thought, which may seem to rationalise things... it plausible that:
- the leading car of the three 2nd laners would have the furthest view around the corner to see the slowing traffic ahead, thus braking first, with the 2nd car following suit PDQ
- the brake lights of the leading car may have been unsighted by you, as the other two cars were blocking your view due the angle of your approach and their proximity to one another
- the 3rd car therefore panic swerved to avoid rear-ending car 2, whilst briefly glancing into the rear view mirror, but didn't see you due to the low roofline of the F1, and continured on his merry way
?

Whatever the chain of events, it seems there will be no comeback on the 3rd car, which I imagine is immensely frustrating for you.

For the rebuild, perhaps you should ask for a few Q-Branch modifications, such as stinger missiles, to remove any unwanted swervers from your chosen route?
The whole thing was, I thought at the time and I still think, quite odd. I'm not sure whether, as you suggest, there was some idiosyncrasy about the perspective.
The 3rd (trailing, causal) car did not brake, he just jinked across in front of me. He still had more than enough space to cope with the car ahead of him in his lane - he just wanted to save a bit of time by changing to an open lane and overtaking some slow cars. He did not indicate, either: it was only when his car's front wheels began to move towards the left that I realised what he was going to do, and the thought flashed through my mind, "You have got to be kidding me!"

flemke

22,862 posts

236 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
timmo said:
Flemke

As you dont receive any private emails I will post this on here
I recently met Dr Ernst Wustinger the CFO for Carbo Tech

Eugen-Muller Strasse 16,5020 Salzburg,Austria

email - ernst.wustinger@carbotech.at

www.carbotech.at

They supply the carbon fibre tub for the new McLaren and the Carrera GT

Might be worth an email or call

Cheers


tim

( ive met you a few times at the Nordschliefe )
Thanks, Tim. I'll check it out.

Cheers.

flemke

22,862 posts

236 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Slinky said:
Don't worry F, someone already knows how much the repair bill is going to be...

http://jalopnik.com/5602260/this-is-what-130000-in...

:shakes head:
Because of my own experience with journalists regarding one or two subjects about which I happen to know a lot, the fact is that they are professional news-hounds, networkers and writers, they are not professional engineers or racing drivers or anything else. Compounding the problem is that in the last 10 years we have undergone such an explosion of informational media that the standards have sunk to a naturally low level - anybody can do it, and almost anybody does. There is very little that involves an opinion, an estimate or a qualitative judgment that I read and take at face value. Considering that the McLaren factory won't know for some time what the repair will cost, I tend to doubt that the Jimmy Olsen of Koblenz will have it already dialed in.

Cheers.

Soovy

35,829 posts

270 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
flemke said:
Slinky said:
Don't worry F, someone already knows how much the repair bill is going to be...

http://jalopnik.com/5602260/this-is-what-130000-in...

:shakes head:
Because of my own experience with journalists regarding one or two subjects about which I happen to know a lot, the fact is that they are professional news-hounds, networkers and writers, they are not professional engineers or racing drivers or anything else. Compounding the problem is that in the last 10 years we have undergone such an explosion of informational media that the standards have sunk to a naturally low level - anybody can do it, and almost anybody does. There is very little that involves an opinion, an estimate or a qualitative judgment that I read and take at face value. Considering that the McLaren factory won't know for some time what the repair will cost, I tend to doubt that the Jimmy Olsen of Koblenz will have it already dialed in.

Cheers.
Flemke, is the car now with McLaren?

As someone has previously said, updates and photos of the car as it is brought back to 100% would be most interesting, if you are minded to share them.


flemke

22,862 posts

236 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
El Guapo said:
Flemke, do you know if McLaren keep an inventory of any of the parts that will be required for the repair (radiators, lights and such)? I imagine CF panels will be made to order, but would this be done in Woking or farmed out to a third party?
I'm sure that many on here will be interested to hear how the work is progressing once it is under way.
Of course I couldn't tell you how complete their inventory is, but in my experience it is pretty rare for them to run out of something. As you say, you can make up a CF body panel fairly quickly, although they tend to have at least one of everything on hand. Parts-making is usually done by outside specialists, although there are some things for which they bring in the racing guys.

HundredthIdiot

4,414 posts

283 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
flemke,

Feel free not to answer, but what was the estimated speed differential between you and the numpty when he swerved in front of you?

In retrospect, would it have been better just to slam on the anchors and hit him?

(use of he/him is for convenience only)

edited for typo


Edited by HundredthIdiot on Tuesday 3rd August 16:04

Jakg

3,450 posts

167 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Slinky said:
Don't worry F, someone already knows how much the repair bill is going to be...

http://jalopnik.com/5602260/this-is-what-130000-in...

:shakes head:
Apparently the cars were also parked *rolls eyes*

I'm glad that everyone is ok, and also very pleased that you chose to repair rather than let another F1 fall of the road for good... after all, there have to be some available for me to buy when I become a multi-millionaire.

One question I have to ask (not sure if it's been covered so far), whats your country of origin, Flemke?

Munter

31,319 posts

240 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
flemke said:
and the thought flashed through my mind, "You have got to be kidding me!"
I think my thought would have been shorter and begins with "Oh Fu**".

hehe

Glad everyone's ok. smile

bramley

1,670 posts

207 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Glad to hear no-one's injured. All the best for getting it back together again smile


Zad

12,695 posts

235 months

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
quotequote all
Ouch. It looks horrible, but I bet the people who did the engineering design on those components are really rather satisfied with their work. What matters at the end of the day is not the number at the bottom of the repair bill, but that all the pink squishy things walked away. I wonder what would have happened to a less well engineered car.

On the subject of bloggers or "citizen journalists", I suspect many (or at least some) of them strive for higher standards of professionalism than much of the mainstream media does now. They at least try to do the best they can, whereas mainstream journos do just enough, and aren't averse to decorating the events in order to sell it. "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story" and all that.

Chinese Whispers seems to be an increasing problem nowadays. You can tell when they have taken a press release, changed a few phrases and reissued it as their own work. It is more or less a word-search-and-replace job, but can end up totally changing the meaning. Local TV seem to be especially bad at this. Something that started out as "collided with" ends up as "slammed into".


TOPIC CLOSED
TOPIC CLOSED