scary this morning.........
scary this morning.........
Author
Discussion

bryan35

Original Poster:

1,906 posts

271 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
ON the dual carriageway coming into Hull, car about 200 yards in front suddenly starts driving erratically and ends up very hastilly on the hard shoulder. It initially looked like he'd driven into a large plastic bag or something that was covering his windscreen, but as I went past it became clear that it was his bonnet!, bent and blown backward like aluminium foil. COMPLETELY covering his view.

He seemed to be OK.

What do you do in these instances?

RichBurley

2,432 posts

283 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Was it a Clio? - they have a known bonnet catch fault on them...

justinp1

13,363 posts

260 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Vow never to drive a TVR again!

(... a cheap shot, I know!)

Balmoral Green

42,561 posts

278 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
bryan35 said:

What do you do in these instances?

Stop probably.

Andrew D

968 posts

270 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
bryan35 said:
What do you do in these instances?
Generally fill my pants. Then stop.

Richard C

1,685 posts

287 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
wind down the window quick and stick your head out to see where you are going. Happened to me on the downhill approach to the old Severn Bridge westbound rather a long time ago. 117 in a rally Imp was too much for the front bonnet catches. It took a second or two to realise it was not the engine that had blown.

percy flage

1,770 posts

252 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Richard C said:
...... 117 in a rally Imp was too much for the front bonnet catches. It took a second or two to realise it was not the engine that had blown.



Would that have been because the engine was in the boot?

tigger1

8,478 posts

251 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Balmoral Green said:
bryan35 said:

What do you do in these instances?

Stop probably.


I would say that you should hope that you had left a 2 second gap, and then perform a fairly steady "emergency" stop...seems exactly the kind of situation that requires one. Not a "drop anchor" type, just stopping PDQ.

And then hope everyone misses you, Better than the possibility of what you might hit if you don't, and there's a chace the bonnet might close as you slow hard allowing you to pull over with some visibility.

BigBob

1,471 posts

255 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
bryan35 said:


What do you do in these instances?




Personally I drive a BMW - bonnet opens the other way on those



BB

SIDAORB

5,595 posts

236 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
bigbob said:
Personally I drive a BMW - bonnet opens the other way on those


Yeah great!! I was driving my mates mint 2002 turbo when I saw the bonnet release off the 1st catch. Natural instinct, emergency stop, eek WRONG! bonnet flipped forward, bending it!!!

Very Very pi**ed off mate furious

Carl

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
BigBob said:
bryan35 said:


What do you do in these instances?




Personally I drive a BMW - bonnet opens the other way on those



BB
only on older ones.

BigBob

1,471 posts

255 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
SIDAORB said:
bigbob said:
Personally I drive a BMW - bonnet opens the other way on those


Yeah great!! I was driving my mates mint 2002 turbo when I saw the bonnet release off the 1st catch. Natural instinct, emergency stop, eek WRONG! bonnet flipped forward, bending it!!!

Very Very pi**ed off mate furious

Carl


Ouchh....

Was that an original 2002 turbo or a year 2002 turbo?

Double ouchh if it was the first one - had one years back and it was a lovely car.



BB

SIDAORB

5,595 posts

236 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Bob,

It was the former, 100% original genuine minter with 14,000km on the clock.

Carl

BigBob

1,471 posts

255 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
SIDAORB said:
Bob,

It was the former, 100% original genuine minter with 14,000km on the clock.

Carl



weeping weeping weeping

silverback mike

11,293 posts

283 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
justinp1 said:
Vow never to drive a TVR again!

(... a cheap shot, I know!)


hehe You're allowed, you own one...

Saying that, the bonnet of my s3c popped open on both sides once, and as you know it is basically the whole front of the car. That obliterated the view somewhat when I slowed down to snap it shut. yikes

becca_viola

9,932 posts

241 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Hazards on, hard shoulder ASAP. As mentioned before, if hard shoulder not immediately possible, emergency stop time.

7db

6,060 posts

260 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
I always check the inquisitive-child-friendly catches on the 7 before setting off. It just doesn't bear thinking about.

Hemibum

833 posts

247 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
Bought an old (but really nice looking) Vauxhall Royale at auction some years ago.

The steel sun roof took off on a dual carriageway at 70mph! I still squirm at the thought of what would have happened if there had been traffic behind me.

SpudGunner

472 posts

289 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
percy flage said:
Richard C said:
...... 117 in a rally Imp was too much for the front bonnet catches. It took a second or two to realise it was not the engine that had blown.



Would that have been because the engine was in the boot?


ROFL Perhaps he was doing 117 in reverse?!


justinp1

13,363 posts

260 months

Tuesday 20th March 2007
quotequote all
silverback mike said:
justinp1 said:
Vow never to drive a TVR again!

(... a cheap shot, I know!)


hehe You're allowed, you own one...

Saying that, the bonnet of my s3c popped open on both sides once, and as you know it is basically the whole front of the car. That obliterated the view somewhat when I slowed down to snap it shut. yikes


I am an ex-owner, does that mean I must retract it!?

Seriously though, I was referring to the very real problems the first beta testers, I mean owners, of the Sagaris when it first came out. I was very surprised at the time that this kind of thing wasnt discovered in the long-term, high speed endurance testing they apparantly did in the desert!

They went so far as to put an assymetric bulge in the roof on the drivers side to accomodate a helmet for track use, but didnt realise that the bonnet became dangerously loose under the pressure of 'track speeds'!