Funniest car mishap
Discussion
Like the subject says - what's your funniest car mishap?
Mine is as follows:
1) Kids leave light on in car which drains the battery
2) Battery is in the boot
3) As there is no battery, central locking is not working so used key in fob to open driver door (curiously, unlocking any of the other doors didn't work even when trying from the inside)
4) Enter through driver's door
5) Reach over the driver's seat to drop the rear seats to access the boot
6) Empty the entire boot through the driver's door (this included two kids' bicycles and an assortment of other random crap such as pump, toolkit, bucket and sponges, cleaning liquids etc)
7) Lift boot floor plastic protective cover
8) Lift boot floor itself
9) Access boot latch on the inside and push boot open
10) Exit car through driver's door, trip over bicycles and crap left outside car
11) Marvel at amount of scratches/cuts I've managed to give myself in the process
12) Look at battery and start work on disconnecting it
13) Remove battery
14) Tidy everything away either in car or in flat (living in flat meant I coudln't leave it all lying there)
15) Take battery upstairs to flat to charge it
For reference, car is a 2010 Prius, not some kind of van or giant SUV so moving the entire contents of the boot out through the driver's door while I was inside the car was rather interesting...
Thankfully, managed to charge the battery using a £20 amazon charger and it's been going strong for the last 3 years!
Mine is as follows:
1) Kids leave light on in car which drains the battery
2) Battery is in the boot
3) As there is no battery, central locking is not working so used key in fob to open driver door (curiously, unlocking any of the other doors didn't work even when trying from the inside)
4) Enter through driver's door
5) Reach over the driver's seat to drop the rear seats to access the boot
6) Empty the entire boot through the driver's door (this included two kids' bicycles and an assortment of other random crap such as pump, toolkit, bucket and sponges, cleaning liquids etc)
7) Lift boot floor plastic protective cover
8) Lift boot floor itself
9) Access boot latch on the inside and push boot open
10) Exit car through driver's door, trip over bicycles and crap left outside car
11) Marvel at amount of scratches/cuts I've managed to give myself in the process
12) Look at battery and start work on disconnecting it
13) Remove battery
14) Tidy everything away either in car or in flat (living in flat meant I coudln't leave it all lying there)
15) Take battery upstairs to flat to charge it
For reference, car is a 2010 Prius, not some kind of van or giant SUV so moving the entire contents of the boot out through the driver's door while I was inside the car was rather interesting...
Thankfully, managed to charge the battery using a £20 amazon charger and it's been going strong for the last 3 years!
Not me (yes honestly) but Mrs E.
Mazda 2 with remote & (key in pocket) entry option.
Left the key in the car with the car running somehow and it locked itself, when I was away for 2 weeks at work.
She persuaded Mr next door to climb in through the boot to open the door to get her out of a pickle.
When she told me about this I asked her why she didn't just use the little button on the door handle rather than the little button on the boot release as the car was obviously still "recognising" the key?
Needless to say she wasn't impressed, she still doesn't understand how the button on the door handle works to this day no matter how many times I show her.
Bless!
Mazda 2 with remote & (key in pocket) entry option.
Left the key in the car with the car running somehow and it locked itself, when I was away for 2 weeks at work.
She persuaded Mr next door to climb in through the boot to open the door to get her out of a pickle.
When she told me about this I asked her why she didn't just use the little button on the door handle rather than the little button on the boot release as the car was obviously still "recognising" the key?
Needless to say she wasn't impressed, she still doesn't understand how the button on the door handle works to this day no matter how many times I show her.
Bless!
Early hours of the morning, town centre, ropey looking car driving slowly.
Pulled it over, walked up to the driver's window. Driver had massive bandage over one eye and the other eye all swollen up.
"Do you think you should be driving with only one partly useable eye?' I asked.
He gave me a quizzical look. Then dawned on me it was a LHD car (but on UK plates).
I bade him farewell and wished him a swift recovery and his wife/partner who was actually doing the driving drove away.
In my defence it was the last of the nightshifts and I was extremely tired.
Pulled it over, walked up to the driver's window. Driver had massive bandage over one eye and the other eye all swollen up.
"Do you think you should be driving with only one partly useable eye?' I asked.
He gave me a quizzical look. Then dawned on me it was a LHD car (but on UK plates).
I bade him farewell and wished him a swift recovery and his wife/partner who was actually doing the driving drove away.
In my defence it was the last of the nightshifts and I was extremely tired.
gm cars used to have a design choice where if you unlocked the car, and didn't open the doors, it'd relock after a minute or so (I guess to catch pocked unlocks)
it didn't detect whether the rear door had been opened
cue a distressed call from my wife who'd unlocked the car, put the toddler and a couple of things in the back, pushed the door shut, and had the car lock on her before she opened the front door. Kid is now locked in with our only key.
fortunately I only worked a couple of miles away and it wasn't a hot day so had to cycle home, get a crowbar out (didn't have the fancy airbag things then), crowbar the top of the door open and press the button on the key (we could just see it in her handbag) with a coat hanger, all whilst she plays a half-hour game of peekabo through the window to keep the kid entertained for the duration
it didn't detect whether the rear door had been opened
cue a distressed call from my wife who'd unlocked the car, put the toddler and a couple of things in the back, pushed the door shut, and had the car lock on her before she opened the front door. Kid is now locked in with our only key.
fortunately I only worked a couple of miles away and it wasn't a hot day so had to cycle home, get a crowbar out (didn't have the fancy airbag things then), crowbar the top of the door open and press the button on the key (we could just see it in her handbag) with a coat hanger, all whilst she plays a half-hour game of peekabo through the window to keep the kid entertained for the duration
Last day of our holiday in Devon, I'm loading up my car (2003 E Class) ready to drive home.
I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
Artsy said:
Like the subject says - what's your funniest car mishap?
Mine is as follows:
1) Kids leave light on in car which drains the battery
2) Battery is in the boots!
...
Pretty sure there's a positive post in the engine bay to avoid exactly this type of shenanaigans!Mine is as follows:
1) Kids leave light on in car which drains the battery
2) Battery is in the boots!
...
One that springs to mind was when I had my 5 door Astra GTE (no c/l or e/w) I locked the doors with the key in the ignition. Walked to the first charity shop I saw and bought a load of coat hangers for 50p (proper metal ones) and slid one down the gap by the window... and the lock popped open on the first try! A few people watching me didn't say anything either.
Replace brake pads. Forgot to pump the pedal back up. Drove it into the garage door with the pedal practically being pushed through the floor.
Used to own an E30 325 that would go sideways for fun. Being relatively young and stupid I'd send it sideways at every opportunity until it eventually went all the way round on a mini roundabout. Calmed it down after that.
Used to own an E30 325 that would go sideways for fun. Being relatively young and stupid I'd send it sideways at every opportunity until it eventually went all the way round on a mini roundabout. Calmed it down after that.
Living with my parents shortly after getting my first car, inherited from my mum. An H reg Rover Metro, kept in the garage as it was the only car in the family which still fit.
Anyway, shortly after getting it I wanted to do all the usual checks (fluids, tyre pressures, etc). I'd always seen my dad roll the car out of the garage without starting it up, just by releasing the handbrake and hanging his foot out the door to give the car a quick shove, before quickly pulling his foot back inside and shutting the door before it rolled out the garage. So gave it a try, only I didn't shut the door quick enough so the car slowly rolled back and the edge of the door crunched into the garage door frame.
Cue lots of frantic swearing as I pushed the car forward to unwedge it before sheepishly starting it up and reversing out "properly". Thankfully no-one was watching, cosmetically it was just a minor dent on the edge of the frame and some chipped paint, not very noticeable, although it must have bent slightly on the hinges as the door never felt like it shut completely straight afterwards <insert joke about Metro build quality/shut lines here>
Anyway, shortly after getting it I wanted to do all the usual checks (fluids, tyre pressures, etc). I'd always seen my dad roll the car out of the garage without starting it up, just by releasing the handbrake and hanging his foot out the door to give the car a quick shove, before quickly pulling his foot back inside and shutting the door before it rolled out the garage. So gave it a try, only I didn't shut the door quick enough so the car slowly rolled back and the edge of the door crunched into the garage door frame.
Cue lots of frantic swearing as I pushed the car forward to unwedge it before sheepishly starting it up and reversing out "properly". Thankfully no-one was watching, cosmetically it was just a minor dent on the edge of the frame and some chipped paint, not very noticeable, although it must have bent slightly on the hinges as the door never felt like it shut completely straight afterwards <insert joke about Metro build quality/shut lines here>
Not me but my sister. She had a petrol engined Lexus that was very smooth and ultra quiet.
She went to start the car one morning and there was the almightly screech that happens when you try and start a car that is already running. Turns out that she had left the car running all night.
She went to start the car one morning and there was the almightly screech that happens when you try and start a car that is already running. Turns out that she had left the car running all night.
_Rodders_ said:
Replace brake pads. Forgot to pump the pedal back up. Drove it into the garage door with the pedal practically being pushed through the floor.
I've done that after changing the pads on a mates car, except I didn't crash into the garage door I crashed into my own car that was parked opposite...Alex_225 said:
Last day of our holiday in Devon, I'm loading up my car (2003 E Class) ready to drive home.
I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
Done exactly the same with a hire car that was a Renault Clio.I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
Got my gear out the boot to get changed put the key down got changed and.......shut the boot on the key.
DKS said:
Pretty sure there's a positive post in the engine bay to avoid exactly this type of shenanaigans!
One that springs to mind was when I had my 5 door Astra GTE (no c/l or e/w) I locked the doors with the key in the ignition. Walked to the first charity shop I saw and bought a load of coat hangers for 50p (proper metal ones) and slid one down the gap by the window... and the lock popped open on the first try! A few people watching me didn't say anything either.
There are terminals in the engine bay but I've read quite a few warning about charging a hybrid (mostly on jump-starting from another car) and that the hybrid system can be badly damaged so I didn't consider this an option. One that springs to mind was when I had my 5 door Astra GTE (no c/l or e/w) I locked the doors with the key in the ignition. Walked to the first charity shop I saw and bought a load of coat hangers for 50p (proper metal ones) and slid one down the gap by the window... and the lock popped open on the first try! A few people watching me didn't say anything either.
In any case, wouldn't be a funny story if I just charged from the front!
Working in Plymouth, sent the lad who was working with me to get something out the back of my Alhambra. Unlocks car, lifts tailgate, puts keys in tailgate opening right where the tailgate closes. Retrieves item, closes tailgate. Tailgate closes on key, pressing the button to lock the car. Car now locked with key jammed in under the closed and locked tailgate. Had to get my wife to drive down from our home in Exeter with the spare key. Just lucky it wasn't raining as we were working outside at the time.
I did one the other week...a total apprentice error, I was angry with myself.
It was time to change the front brakes on my van as the pads were almost gone, so the first thing to do is work the brake pistons in and out which helps to keep them free, I did the near side then the offside.
When I looked under the van I noticed a lot of fluid...in a moment of stupidity I had removed the nearside caliper and pumping the brake had pushed the piston clean out through the dust seal.
I couldn't get the piston back in through the seal so it had to be cut off, it took a week to get a new dust seal.
For all the years I've been doing brakes this is the first time I've done this...I am still raging about it.
It was time to change the front brakes on my van as the pads were almost gone, so the first thing to do is work the brake pistons in and out which helps to keep them free, I did the near side then the offside.
When I looked under the van I noticed a lot of fluid...in a moment of stupidity I had removed the nearside caliper and pumping the brake had pushed the piston clean out through the dust seal.
I couldn't get the piston back in through the seal so it had to be cut off, it took a week to get a new dust seal.
For all the years I've been doing brakes this is the first time I've done this...I am still raging about it.
It's fun and games trying to get the battery out of an E34 5 series when the battery is completely flat and the doors are locked.
Unlock driver's door (on some you have to lift the handle whilst turning the key past the usual normal position - thankfully not the case on mine). Try to pull up rear door lock pin, except they won't pull up. Climb in driver's door and into rear seat area. Lift rear seat into space you are currently occupying to access the battery. Disconnect battery and now manhandle battery out through driver's door whilst avoiding rear seat squab.
Now the fun part - battery too flat to accept a charge from the battery charger (hence the need to remove instead of charging via underbonnet points). Hook up jump leads to other car's battery to flat batter, and connect charger to allow the charger to "see" a battery.
Also on the same E34 (perhaps not funny, but definitely a mishap). Turn key to turn engine off, something breaks inside ignition barrel. Car now running, key out of ignition. Switch off car by stalling. Ignition still at position 1 (somehow). Disconnect battery. Car now completely immobilised in a public car park... Luckily I knew a mobile mechanic who was able to get out there and rig something up fairly quickly.
Unlock driver's door (on some you have to lift the handle whilst turning the key past the usual normal position - thankfully not the case on mine). Try to pull up rear door lock pin, except they won't pull up. Climb in driver's door and into rear seat area. Lift rear seat into space you are currently occupying to access the battery. Disconnect battery and now manhandle battery out through driver's door whilst avoiding rear seat squab.
Now the fun part - battery too flat to accept a charge from the battery charger (hence the need to remove instead of charging via underbonnet points). Hook up jump leads to other car's battery to flat batter, and connect charger to allow the charger to "see" a battery.
Also on the same E34 (perhaps not funny, but definitely a mishap). Turn key to turn engine off, something breaks inside ignition barrel. Car now running, key out of ignition. Switch off car by stalling. Ignition still at position 1 (somehow). Disconnect battery. Car now completely immobilised in a public car park... Luckily I knew a mobile mechanic who was able to get out there and rig something up fairly quickly.
Discovery 4 - renowned for tailgate switches breaking. Mine decided to break on holiday in Devon with a fully loaded, and I mean fully loaded car. Evertything had to go in or out through the back seat.
I realised later that it logged a code for it, so clearing the code each time gave me another shot at opening the tailgate. (I did replace the part as soon as I got home!!)
I realised later that it logged a code for it, so clearing the code each time gave me another shot at opening the tailgate. (I did replace the part as soon as I got home!!)
myvision said:
Alex_225 said:
Last day of our holiday in Devon, I'm loading up my car (2003 E Class) ready to drive home.
I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
Done exactly the same with a hire car that was a Renault Clio.I'd popped the boot open from the key so the doors were locked but I'd done it a load of times without incident. This time the key is annoying me so I put it on the plastic trim above the tail light. Specifically there so I see it and definitely won't shut it in the boot.
On autopilot I close the boot and as it clicks I realise my key was in that gap! What a tw@t.
Thankfully the AA came out used one of those air bags that fits into gaps and expands to give enough room to get a screwdriver in and press the unlock button.
Got my gear out the boot to get changed put the key down got changed and.......shut the boot on the key.
It's quite handy that my current car has the same feature, pop the boot from the key but when you do it unlocks the doors at the same time. I see what Merc tried to do, pop the boot, chuck things in and shut it then you don't have to re-lock the car but I'd rather it unlocked for this very reason.
5lab said:
gm cars used to have a design choice where if you unlocked the car, and didn't open the doors, it'd relock after a minute or so (I guess to catch pocked unlocks)
it didn't detect whether the rear door had been opened
cue a distressed call from my wife who'd unlocked the car, put the toddler and a couple of things in the back, pushed the door shut, and had the car lock on her before she opened the front door. Kid is now locked in with our only key.
fortunately I only worked a couple of miles away and it wasn't a hot day so had to cycle home, get a crowbar out (didn't have the fancy airbag things then), crowbar the top of the door open and press the button on the key (we could just see it in her handbag) with a coat hanger, all whilst she plays a half-hour game of peekabo through the window to keep the kid entertained for the duration
Wife managed this only with 2 dogs rather than a toddler and we had to call step son who had spare to the house to come and let us into the house to get the spare key, he was not amused as he was an hours drive away, dogs didnt seem to mind and just curled up while watching us out of the window.it didn't detect whether the rear door had been opened
cue a distressed call from my wife who'd unlocked the car, put the toddler and a couple of things in the back, pushed the door shut, and had the car lock on her before she opened the front door. Kid is now locked in with our only key.
fortunately I only worked a couple of miles away and it wasn't a hot day so had to cycle home, get a crowbar out (didn't have the fancy airbag things then), crowbar the top of the door open and press the button on the key (we could just see it in her handbag) with a coat hanger, all whilst she plays a half-hour game of peekabo through the window to keep the kid entertained for the duration
Clad-Hach said:
I did one the other week...a total apprentice error, I was angry with myself.
It was time to change the front brakes on my van as the pads were almost gone, so the first thing to do is work the brake pistons in and out which helps to keep them free, I did the near side then the offside.
When I looked under the van I noticed a lot of fluid...in a moment of stupidity I had removed the nearside caliper and pumping the brake had pushed the piston clean out through the dust seal.
I couldn't get the piston back in through the seal so it had to be cut off, it took a week to get a new dust seal.
For all the years I've been doing brakes this is the first time I've done this...I am still raging about it.
Also done this but on a Frontera, had to wait for a rebuild kit to arrive to get the seal It was time to change the front brakes on my van as the pads were almost gone, so the first thing to do is work the brake pistons in and out which helps to keep them free, I did the near side then the offside.
When I looked under the van I noticed a lot of fluid...in a moment of stupidity I had removed the nearside caliper and pumping the brake had pushed the piston clean out through the dust seal.
I couldn't get the piston back in through the seal so it had to be cut off, it took a week to get a new dust seal.
For all the years I've been doing brakes this is the first time I've done this...I am still raging about it.
njw1 said:
_Rodders_ said:
Replace brake pads. Forgot to pump the pedal back up. Drove it into the garage door with the pedal practically being pushed through the floor.
I've done that after changing the pads on a mates car, except I didn't crash into the garage door I crashed into my own car that was parked opposite...A friend bounced his car off of the front of his house by dropping a spanner on the starter motor with the car in gear.
When I first started driving I crashed into the back of a friend's mums car because we were eyeing up his sister walking down the pavement, he was in the passenger seat of his mums car and found it way less funny than we did.
When I first started driving I crashed into the back of a friend's mums car because we were eyeing up his sister walking down the pavement, he was in the passenger seat of his mums car and found it way less funny than we did.
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