A Word Of Warning.....PLEASE READ!!!!!
Discussion
[quote=nelly1]Yesterday evening I had a simple choice to make - stay in and watch the Bond film (with a teething baby in the background) OR go out for a quick (read long ;) ) blast in the Tusc.
No contest really!
After pootling round town for a bit letting it warm up properly and ogling the girlies, I ventured out to the lanes.
Near me is a roundabout leading onto a long straight, and I had been following a particularly slow Fiesta for a bit, so, come the straight, I pulled out to overtake.
Got level with him, and gave it some more throttle (long clear straight, perfect weather, local road remember).
Without [i]any[/i] warning, the back steps out of line, I try to correct it, it goes the other way...[b]a lot![/b].
The rest is, as they say, history.
The good news is I missed the car I overtook, the bad news is that I [i]didn't[/i] miss the gravel by the side of the road or the lamp post! :(
As soon as the slide started, I was effectively a passenger, as nothing I did changed my tragectory.
Now if the post was one foot to the left, I'd have missed it.....but it wasn't and I didn't!
Cue one mangled expanse of fibreglass where the nearside wing used to be (I'm hoping it looks worse than it is!).
There then followed two hours I kept hoping I would wake up from.
What with having to stare in disbelief at my P&J, I had to content with a recovery centre operative that I couldn't understand, the police with their itchy breathalyser and somewhat superfluous lectures, sarcastic council workers who came to sweep up the glass from the lamp post and, when it eventually arrived (he had been sent to the wrong area!), the heartbreaking sights and sounds of the car being [b]d-r-a-g-g-e-d[/b] onto the low loader, complete with shards of wing and strange bits of metal falling off that [i]used[/i] to be my wing / suspension :weeping:
Today I've had to sort out the producer, insurance, repair centre and storage depot.
This after a somewhat broken night!
Now, I [b]do[/b] consider myself somewhat lucky compared to what [i]could[/i] have been.
After all, there could have been people waiting by that lamp post (which just so happened to be a bus stop too!), in which case I would probably have been arrested for 'Death by Dangerous Driving'.
I could have had my son (3 1/2) in the car.
I could have ended up in somebodys front garden.
Etc, etc.
The point I'm trying to make here is, my evening went from top-of-the-world-good to I-don't-believe-it-bad in a fraction of a second.
Maybe I gave it too much throttle.
Maybe there was diesel, oil, etc on the road.
Doesn't matter now!
It doesn't matter how well you know the road, how well you think you know the car, how good the conditions are.......
For Gawds sake :shout: PLEASE, [b]PLEASE[/b] be careful!
I wouldn't want any of you to go through what I just have (or worse!), so just remember what you have under your right foot, and have your wits about you [b]at all times!![/b]
We drive pretty unforgiving beasts at the end of the day, so don't get complacent and don't let your guard down for a second.
Should have watched the film!
Drive safe and god bless!
[small]sorry if this rambled a bit, but my head is in a bit of a :spin: at the moment[/small]
[/quote]
No contest really!
After pootling round town for a bit letting it warm up properly and ogling the girlies, I ventured out to the lanes.
Near me is a roundabout leading onto a long straight, and I had been following a particularly slow Fiesta for a bit, so, come the straight, I pulled out to overtake.
Got level with him, and gave it some more throttle (long clear straight, perfect weather, local road remember).
Without [i]any[/i] warning, the back steps out of line, I try to correct it, it goes the other way...[b]a lot![/b].
The rest is, as they say, history.
The good news is I missed the car I overtook, the bad news is that I [i]didn't[/i] miss the gravel by the side of the road or the lamp post! :(
As soon as the slide started, I was effectively a passenger, as nothing I did changed my tragectory.
Now if the post was one foot to the left, I'd have missed it.....but it wasn't and I didn't!
Cue one mangled expanse of fibreglass where the nearside wing used to be (I'm hoping it looks worse than it is!).
There then followed two hours I kept hoping I would wake up from.
What with having to stare in disbelief at my P&J, I had to content with a recovery centre operative that I couldn't understand, the police with their itchy breathalyser and somewhat superfluous lectures, sarcastic council workers who came to sweep up the glass from the lamp post and, when it eventually arrived (he had been sent to the wrong area!), the heartbreaking sights and sounds of the car being [b]d-r-a-g-g-e-d[/b] onto the low loader, complete with shards of wing and strange bits of metal falling off that [i]used[/i] to be my wing / suspension :weeping:
Today I've had to sort out the producer, insurance, repair centre and storage depot.
This after a somewhat broken night!
Now, I [b]do[/b] consider myself somewhat lucky compared to what [i]could[/i] have been.
After all, there could have been people waiting by that lamp post (which just so happened to be a bus stop too!), in which case I would probably have been arrested for 'Death by Dangerous Driving'.
I could have had my son (3 1/2) in the car.
I could have ended up in somebodys front garden.
Etc, etc.
The point I'm trying to make here is, my evening went from top-of-the-world-good to I-don't-believe-it-bad in a fraction of a second.
Maybe I gave it too much throttle.
Maybe there was diesel, oil, etc on the road.
Doesn't matter now!
It doesn't matter how well you know the road, how well you think you know the car, how good the conditions are.......
For Gawds sake :shout: PLEASE, [b]PLEASE[/b] be careful!
I wouldn't want any of you to go through what I just have (or worse!), so just remember what you have under your right foot, and have your wits about you [b]at all times!![/b]
We drive pretty unforgiving beasts at the end of the day, so don't get complacent and don't let your guard down for a second.
Should have watched the film!
Drive safe and god bless!
[small]sorry if this rambled a bit, but my head is in a bit of a :spin: at the moment[/small]
[/quote]
Could of been a lot lot worse with any of your scenarios and many more besides.At least you walked away and no-one else was injured and the car can always be replaced/repaired at the end of the day.Still not very nice seeing your P & J in a mess though.Glad your ok.Are the Police going to prosecute you for anything else or are they happy it was just one of those things.?Hope everthing comes right for you.
Scorcher
Scorcher
scorcher said:
Are the Police going to prosecute you for anything else or are they happy it was just one of those things.?Hope everthing comes right for you.
Scorcher
Part of their lecture consisted of trying to pin reckless driving on me, but in the end, they are making me do a two day 'driver awareness' course.
Thanks for sharing, am very sorry to hear about your car. Time and time again, we do need reminders on how to treat these machines. I had a right good blat today, grippy tarmac and controlled slides (intentional) but looking back I really shall be more careful next time...
Hope it all gets sorted without too much pain and that you can enjoy the summer before it finishes.
Hope it all gets sorted without too much pain and that you can enjoy the summer before it finishes.
Here's another incident last Thursday night - it can happen to anyone.
Heading up to the Anastacia concert at Warwick Castle I'm on the A507 heading West out of Ampthill. The A507 isn't really an A road at all and this section is wooded, bendy with very short straights and I get stuck behind a white van doing about 35mph. After a couple of corners I get past him on one of the short straights and open it up. I also catch a glance in my rear view mirror of the tell tale headlight of a motorbike about 500 yds behind me getting past the van. Now anyone who drives TVRs knows they are a magnet for motorbikes and I know this guy is itching to get past. So I pick up some pace but he's on me within 20 seconds.
We zip round a corner nose to tail, which opens onto another straight and as I get on the power I glance in the mirror and he's disappeared. I snap from one wing mirror to the other assuming he's in my blind spot but he's gone and there are no turnings off this road anywhere near here.
It's your move................
Heading up to the Anastacia concert at Warwick Castle I'm on the A507 heading West out of Ampthill. The A507 isn't really an A road at all and this section is wooded, bendy with very short straights and I get stuck behind a white van doing about 35mph. After a couple of corners I get past him on one of the short straights and open it up. I also catch a glance in my rear view mirror of the tell tale headlight of a motorbike about 500 yds behind me getting past the van. Now anyone who drives TVRs knows they are a magnet for motorbikes and I know this guy is itching to get past. So I pick up some pace but he's on me within 20 seconds.
We zip round a corner nose to tail, which opens onto another straight and as I get on the power I glance in the mirror and he's disappeared. I snap from one wing mirror to the other assuming he's in my blind spot but he's gone and there are no turnings off this road anywhere near here.
It's your move................
And I was feeling a bit down today because I kerbed an alloy!!!!!
Very sorry to hear about your accident, as I'm sure everyone on this forum will be. Glad you're OK and no one was hurt, that's the main thing. Like you say, it makes you think what could have happened.
I lost the back end recently whilst accelerating quite gently in 3rd. I ended up in the other lane in the direction of an oncoming lorry. Thankfully I gained control in time and got back on track. It could have been very nasty.
After that experience I always take a moment to consider everything around me before I floor the throttle. Not just when overtaking, but always. We have to consider where we'll end up if we suddenly start going sideways and out of control.
It happens. What happened to you could happen to any of us. A patch of oil or even water on the road and bye bye back end.
Good luck getting it sorted out. Hopefully not too much time off the road for your blue beastie. Also hope your engine is OK...you just had it tuned didn't you?
Very sorry to hear about your accident, as I'm sure everyone on this forum will be. Glad you're OK and no one was hurt, that's the main thing. Like you say, it makes you think what could have happened.
I lost the back end recently whilst accelerating quite gently in 3rd. I ended up in the other lane in the direction of an oncoming lorry. Thankfully I gained control in time and got back on track. It could have been very nasty.
After that experience I always take a moment to consider everything around me before I floor the throttle. Not just when overtaking, but always. We have to consider where we'll end up if we suddenly start going sideways and out of control.
It happens. What happened to you could happen to any of us. A patch of oil or even water on the road and bye bye back end.
Good luck getting it sorted out. Hopefully not too much time off the road for your blue beastie. Also hope your engine is OK...you just had it tuned didn't you?
GreenV8S said:
No disrespect, but a car control course might be more usefull under the circumstances.
Totally agree - I'd much prefer that than pootling about in a Nissan Micra learning how to obey speed cameras!
This does not, however, fit in with current council thinking!
Still, better that than 6 points for careless driving!!
nelly1 said:
No disrespect, but a car control course might be more usefull under the circumstances.
Totally agree - I'd much prefer that than pootling about in a Nissan Micra learning how to obey speed cameras!
This does not, however, fit in with current council thinking!
Still, better that than 6 points for careless driving!!
It was my understanding that any kind of 'off' with your vehicle attracts at least a 'due care and attention' penalty.
Certainly that's what they threw at me, after writing off my Lotus 7 a few years ago. (Similar circs)
Next time I won't be so naive as to report it.
I managed 'case dismissed' anyway, due to the inept vehicle examiner employed by plod, but that's another story.
nelly1 said:
Good luck getting it sorted out. Hopefully not too much time off the road for your blue beastie. Also hope your engine is OK...you just had it tuned didn't you?
Yep, only had it back four days
Neill, have a word with the factory, and make sure you get the car to a TVR approved repair centre. You can look back on PH and find post about the MK1 Chassis (yes there is a MK2 chassis on the MK1 Tuscan), and cars being written off because of suspension damage on the Early Tuscans. Hopefully you can get it all repaired.
If you are near Castles in Stanstead, then Hilton Coachworks just up the road, and owned by Castles do a 1st class job, and they have TVR repair classification and deal with most of the major insurance company's.
If you can speak to Peter (Hilton) he is a super guy and a TVR enthusiast, he has access to TVR via Castle's.
www.hiltoncoachworks.co.uk/
Good luck and I hope you get the car repaired very soon.
Mr F
I am sorry you have had such an experience.
Good driving is more than just car control. Car control comes into it but powerful cars require delicate handling. You can get the best from them under all circumstances but you have to treat them like a sexy woman! Treat them bad and they will slap you hard.
You have to caress the controls. You can be firm with them but never the less they require finesse.
1. Safety
2. Systematic
3. Smoothness
4. Speed
The above in order of importance.
Thank god you and no one else was hurt.
When the glue has hardened and the final coat has been waxed, invest in a course like Ride Drive. There are several to chose from. You will benefit no end from it! You will learn to overtake properly and safely so that you never induce that situation again, even if there is a fault on the road surface.
4 hours will cost you the equivalent of 3 tanks of fuel. It could save you an awful lot more!
Good driving is more than just car control. Car control comes into it but powerful cars require delicate handling. You can get the best from them under all circumstances but you have to treat them like a sexy woman! Treat them bad and they will slap you hard.
You have to caress the controls. You can be firm with them but never the less they require finesse.
1. Safety
2. Systematic
3. Smoothness
4. Speed
The above in order of importance.
Thank god you and no one else was hurt.
When the glue has hardened and the final coat has been waxed, invest in a course like Ride Drive. There are several to chose from. You will benefit no end from it! You will learn to overtake properly and safely so that you never induce that situation again, even if there is a fault on the road surface.
4 hours will cost you the equivalent of 3 tanks of fuel. It could save you an awful lot more!
Thanks for all the kind words guys.
Really appreciated!
I've booked the car into Austec for the (hopeful) repair. Like I said, I'm hoping it's not as bad as it looks.
I had virtually stopped when I hit the post (approx. 15mph impact). Hoping that the bits that were supposed to break, did, and not much else.
Really appreciated!
I've booked the car into Austec for the (hopeful) repair. Like I said, I'm hoping it's not as bad as it looks.
I had virtually stopped when I hit the post (approx. 15mph impact). Hoping that the bits that were supposed to break, did, and not much else.
Gald you're OK - had a near miss myself today! Out for a blat and negotiating the "Scilly Isles" roundabout complex nr Sandown/Thames Ditton. I'm on the last section in the left lane, indicating left and heading towards Hampton Court. I always keep an eye on approaching traffic when on roundabouts and today it paid dividends. A stupid 
wit bmw 330 cab decides on approaching that she has right of way on entry!! 
Doesn't even slow down and I was already braking hard realising what was going to happen - and locked up finally as I pulled up about a foot from her door! At least she waved and said sorry . . . silly mare. Be careful out there!
>> Edited by keithyboy on Saturday 16th July 20:13
wit bmw 330 cab decides on approaching that she has right of way on entry!! Doesn't even slow down and I was already braking hard realising what was going to happen - and locked up finally as I pulled up about a foot from her door! At least she waved and said sorry . . . silly mare. Be careful out there! >> Edited by keithyboy on Saturday 16th July 20:13
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