Be careful out there :(
Discussion
Well my ski trip in the Exige isn't likely to happen now. As I have been saying for a while, use appropriate tyres for the conditions. Sadly this caught me out. Last week, I decided the conditions were getting to the state where swapping to my winter tyres was needed. I went to my tyre fitters on Saturday and booked it in to have the tyres swapped over, but at 3 pm they said they were too busy and I'd have to wait till next week.
Yesterday I was driving in bad weather, came round a corner, hit a load of leaf mulch and the A048Rs simply didn't grip. The back flew out, I caught the slide and wrestled the car onto my side of the road (there was oncoming traffic - a head-on collision doesn't bear thinking about) and into the hedge along the road. There must have been a wall in the hedge, because when I stopped the car the front offside wheel was hanging off its suspension.
I'm absolutely devastated by this as I love the car and of course there's the huge self-hate because I didn't catch the slide cleanly and avoid hitting anything. I'm not posting for sympathy as I'm sure someone will say something to upset me in my current state (a week ago, my girlfriend and I lost our second IVF attempt, so this hasn't been a good year for us) - but more a question of the likelihood of the car being repairable.
The clams are intact. The front splitter has been torn off but the fixings are still attached to the front clam. The triangular panel between the front clam and the door is in a sorry state (presumably from the front wheel breaking loose). Interestingly the boot / engine cover hinges are out of alignment and the boot won't shut. There was always a large panel gap on the passenger side - perhaps the hinge was weak as it was?
Anyway what I'm trying to get reassurance of is whether my car is likely to be repairable, in which case I'll be back on the road reasonably soon. Did Lotus engineer the suspension components to absorb crash impacts before twisting the chassis? I know that if the chassis is bent then the car is a write-off
but if the suspension absorbed the impact then presumably a new set of suspension arms and hub/wheel will fix it? The good news is that the clams are in good shape and the armourfend film protected the paint from damage...
In terms of bodywork (which is usually the expensive part of car repairs), it needs a new front splitter, a bit of glue on the very top of the wheelarch where the fibreglass has cracked (half an inch long), the triangular panel behind the front wheel, and the boot hinges need re-aligning. The real damage is to the front passenger side suspension, where the wheel has broken free from one of the wishbones at least (it's still connected, but hanging backwards). The affected wheels are in pretty poor shape and will probably need replacing.
Has anyone had a similar incident, and what do you reckon my chances are of getting my beloved car repaired and back on the road? I'm absolutely devastated given all the other bad luck I've had this year. I wasn't even going fast - I had my little nephew in the car as he really wanted to have a go in my 'racing car'. He's absolutely fine, I've got a bad back, but nobody else was involved and (apart from my back) nobody was injured. I wasn't going more than 40 mph - I guess that's why the clams are still OK - a faster impact would have done much worse, I suppose.
Anyway please don't be too harsh on me, I'm bloody fragile at the moment. I just wanted to get a feeling for how likely it is that the front suspension breakage would have damaged the chassis (which is the game-over situation AFAIK).
And if any of you are still running summer-compound rubber (esp. A048Rs) - be really careful. I normally pride myself on paying close attention to the road surface (from my motorbike tuition), but this was a blind corner and the leaf mulch was on the other side of the bend - and the car tried to spin *very* fast indeed - much faster than the usual slides / drifts that I get out of it when 'playing'.
I guess there's some hope that if the car is repairable, then it'll be a quick and reasonably straightforward repair and I'll have my car back before Christmas? I know it's futile to think of the 'if onlys' - but hell, if only the tyre guys weren't so busy on Saturday and I had the winter tyres fitted - then none of this would have happened
Yesterday I was driving in bad weather, came round a corner, hit a load of leaf mulch and the A048Rs simply didn't grip. The back flew out, I caught the slide and wrestled the car onto my side of the road (there was oncoming traffic - a head-on collision doesn't bear thinking about) and into the hedge along the road. There must have been a wall in the hedge, because when I stopped the car the front offside wheel was hanging off its suspension.
I'm absolutely devastated by this as I love the car and of course there's the huge self-hate because I didn't catch the slide cleanly and avoid hitting anything. I'm not posting for sympathy as I'm sure someone will say something to upset me in my current state (a week ago, my girlfriend and I lost our second IVF attempt, so this hasn't been a good year for us) - but more a question of the likelihood of the car being repairable.
The clams are intact. The front splitter has been torn off but the fixings are still attached to the front clam. The triangular panel between the front clam and the door is in a sorry state (presumably from the front wheel breaking loose). Interestingly the boot / engine cover hinges are out of alignment and the boot won't shut. There was always a large panel gap on the passenger side - perhaps the hinge was weak as it was?
Anyway what I'm trying to get reassurance of is whether my car is likely to be repairable, in which case I'll be back on the road reasonably soon. Did Lotus engineer the suspension components to absorb crash impacts before twisting the chassis? I know that if the chassis is bent then the car is a write-off
but if the suspension absorbed the impact then presumably a new set of suspension arms and hub/wheel will fix it? The good news is that the clams are in good shape and the armourfend film protected the paint from damage...In terms of bodywork (which is usually the expensive part of car repairs), it needs a new front splitter, a bit of glue on the very top of the wheelarch where the fibreglass has cracked (half an inch long), the triangular panel behind the front wheel, and the boot hinges need re-aligning. The real damage is to the front passenger side suspension, where the wheel has broken free from one of the wishbones at least (it's still connected, but hanging backwards). The affected wheels are in pretty poor shape and will probably need replacing.
Has anyone had a similar incident, and what do you reckon my chances are of getting my beloved car repaired and back on the road? I'm absolutely devastated given all the other bad luck I've had this year. I wasn't even going fast - I had my little nephew in the car as he really wanted to have a go in my 'racing car'. He's absolutely fine, I've got a bad back, but nobody else was involved and (apart from my back) nobody was injured. I wasn't going more than 40 mph - I guess that's why the clams are still OK - a faster impact would have done much worse, I suppose.
Anyway please don't be too harsh on me, I'm bloody fragile at the moment. I just wanted to get a feeling for how likely it is that the front suspension breakage would have damaged the chassis (which is the game-over situation AFAIK).
And if any of you are still running summer-compound rubber (esp. A048Rs) - be really careful. I normally pride myself on paying close attention to the road surface (from my motorbike tuition), but this was a blind corner and the leaf mulch was on the other side of the bend - and the car tried to spin *very* fast indeed - much faster than the usual slides / drifts that I get out of it when 'playing'.
I guess there's some hope that if the car is repairable, then it'll be a quick and reasonably straightforward repair and I'll have my car back before Christmas? I know it's futile to think of the 'if onlys' - but hell, if only the tyre guys weren't so busy on Saturday and I had the winter tyres fitted - then none of this would have happened
It's a f
ker and everyone becomes an expert whenever a similar post appears with all sorts of fabulous advice on how you could have avoided it and what training days you should go on but unless you were there you're not really qualified to comment.
It's no consolation but you know what, it's just a car and you'll get it repaired and continue enjoying it...it happens :-)
ker and everyone becomes an expert whenever a similar post appears with all sorts of fabulous advice on how you could have avoided it and what training days you should go on but unless you were there you're not really qualified to comment.It's no consolation but you know what, it's just a car and you'll get it repaired and continue enjoying it...it happens :-)
sad to hear it, but it can happen to the best of us so dont beat yourself up too badly about it.
My other half is an experienced driver, has done lots of training on/off track and took my Elise to work one day (her car in for a service) back in 2004.
She had a similar spin on a leafy wet corner, on R888s, only doing about 20-30mph max, £12K of damage at the time
...she was fine but gutted ...it was an excuse for more upgrades at the time for me
My other half is an experienced driver, has done lots of training on/off track and took my Elise to work one day (her car in for a service) back in 2004.
She had a similar spin on a leafy wet corner, on R888s, only doing about 20-30mph max, £12K of damage at the time
...she was fine but gutted ...it was an excuse for more upgrades at the time for me
Cheers lads - I just feel like such a c*nt for not getting the right tyres on when I felt they were needed... the guys I usually use (because they take care of my car - torque wrenches rather than air guns, that sort of thing) were busy but I could have gone somewhere else.
Hopefully the car is fixable, but I presume I'll need to take it to a specialist to get the geometry done *properly* afterwards?
Then again, if the insurance premium is quadrupled because of the accident, then I won't be able to have a Lotus again, which will be even more depressing. Those of you who have had prangs in your Elises / Exiges - what's the usual loading on your next insurance premium, if you don't mind me asking?
Hopefully the car is fixable, but I presume I'll need to take it to a specialist to get the geometry done *properly* afterwards?
Then again, if the insurance premium is quadrupled because of the accident, then I won't be able to have a Lotus again, which will be even more depressing. Those of you who have had prangs in your Elises / Exiges - what's the usual loading on your next insurance premium, if you don't mind me asking?
cyberface said:
Cheers lads - I just feel like such a c*nt for not getting the right tyres on when I felt they were needed... the guys I usually use (because they take care of my car - torque wrenches rather than air guns, that sort of thing) were busy but I could have gone somewhere else.
Hopefully the car is fixable, but I presume I'll need to take it to a specialist to get the geometry done *properly* afterwards?
Then again, if the insurance premium is quadrupled because of the accident, then I won't be able to have a Lotus again, which will be even more depressing. Those of you who have had prangs in your Elises / Exiges - what's the usual loading on your next insurance premium, if you don't mind me asking?
I have 11 years protected and mine went up by £400, it depends on the amount of money you have to claim and if it's your fault (Which I'm afraid in the eyes of the Insurance it is). I'd go here http://www.sinclairemotorsport.com/ and nowhere elseHopefully the car is fixable, but I presume I'll need to take it to a specialist to get the geometry done *properly* afterwards?
Then again, if the insurance premium is quadrupled because of the accident, then I won't be able to have a Lotus again, which will be even more depressing. Those of you who have had prangs in your Elises / Exiges - what's the usual loading on your next insurance premium, if you don't mind me asking?
Boggy
Good work avoiding a smash.It’s easy to get all high and mighty. I remember having a 20mph slide on a roundabout with my FWD daily driver. Good tyres no ice, a tad damp, but nothing to worry about and I was driving like a saint. A good job as if I had been driving at normal speeds I would have crashed. It’s the strangest feeling when a car goes like that. Its like some adverse force is at work. Until you experience such a loss of control its hard to be understanding.
Glad your ok and hope your back on the road soon.
Glad your ok and hope your back on the road soon.
Keep things in perspective. Nobody got hurt, that is number 1,2 and 3 on the list of issues here.
It is a lump of plastic and aluminium. You do NOT love your car. Really you do not, that is reserved for flesh and blood.
It is easy to get things out of proportion when stuff like this happens but in the grand scheme of things I'd say you GF and your family plans mean a whole heap more.
I hope it is fixable mind you!
It is a lump of plastic and aluminium. You do NOT love your car. Really you do not, that is reserved for flesh and blood.
It is easy to get things out of proportion when stuff like this happens but in the grand scheme of things I'd say you GF and your family plans mean a whole heap more.
I hope it is fixable mind you!
Hi, feel sorry for you and know what it feels like. I spun my exige in wet conditions on a country road at the end of October this year and went down the side of a hedge. Just got told last week that the car is been written off. Was an expensive repair as i would have required both clams and all the other bits so would be around 15K.
Just about to get my service history, mot and so on sent to the insurance company to allow them to offer a settlement fee. I had four years no claims which were not protected so believe I will lose two of these. Not sure either on the insurance increase, I have done quotes on the internet with a few companies and one of them has came up with a quote which is only £200 dearer than I am currently paying but others have been 4-500 more expensive.
Atleast you and your nephew are okay. I was lucky in my crash that nothing was coming the other way as could have been alot worse. Im just wanting to agree on a good settlement few with my insurance company then hopefully start looking for a new one.
Kevin.
Just about to get my service history, mot and so on sent to the insurance company to allow them to offer a settlement fee. I had four years no claims which were not protected so believe I will lose two of these. Not sure either on the insurance increase, I have done quotes on the internet with a few companies and one of them has came up with a quote which is only £200 dearer than I am currently paying but others have been 4-500 more expensive.
Atleast you and your nephew are okay. I was lucky in my crash that nothing was coming the other way as could have been alot worse. Im just wanting to agree on a good settlement few with my insurance company then hopefully start looking for a new one.
Kevin.
Edited by deany on Monday 23 November 14:14
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