Ouch!

[Jimberland]

It seems Porsche brakes are too good!
I managed to avoid a 3 car pile up on the M6 this afternoon by braking very hard, unfortunately through stopping so quickly it gave the Vauxhall Astra traveling behind no option other than to use me as there braking mechanism!
The result... the longest few seconds of my life watching in slow motion via the rear view mirror as an Astra approached at speed with smoke pouring off the tyres, a very loud band, a written off Astra and a big mess to the back of my car.

I have to say Porsche assist have been brilliant.
45 minutes after the accident my car was on a trailer heading to Slough.
They arranged for a taxi to pick me up from Stafford services to bring me all the way back to London and a courtesy car is being delivered at 9am tomorrow.

Visually, i think i'll need new seat belts (all the pre tensioners went off rendering them now useless), new airbags / sensors, complete rear bumper, parking sensors, rear light clusters, exhaust system and anything else I can't see...all the engine warning lights came on.
Fingers crossed it isn't a right off, but then again maybe it is time for a newer model...

I'm fine, a bit of whiplash, but nothing a good nights sleep thanks to a couple of Diazepam from the nice doctor at the hospital won't fix.

P.S Apologies if I caused anyone a delay at about 2pm today traveling north on the M6 between junction 12 and 13. Count yourself lucky it wasn't you.

 

[Dylan1]

glad you escaped with minor injury james-reminds me of 25 yrs ago when an astra piled into the back of the volvo[].scraped my back bumper and wrote his car off!i saw him coming in the rearview mirror looking down at his stereo then looked up horrifed and too late to stop!

 

[mex99]

Glad you are OK - if the engine got a big shunt it could well be a write off - a lot of P cars go that way.

 

[Andyg400]

Since your car has been damaged, you can obtian compensation for loss of value ...

 

[Popolou]

Glad you came out of it alright and hopefully its downhil when it comes to dealing with the insurance companies.

One word on such injuries however: after a bang like that, whiplash injuries seem to take a while to manifest so try and take it easy until you're in the clear.

Pop

 

[peanut]

glad you escaped without any serious injury thank god. Best take it easy for a bit as spine injuries sometimes do no show straight away.

I was luckier. Saw a range rover bearing down on me at 40+ when I was waiting to turn right into a garage. I managed to drop the clutch and scream off up the road with a rangerover inches from my bumper,! Lucky I had it in first gear.[]

The woman was on her mobile and looking down at her feet ? probably dropped her makeup Grrrrrrrrrrr

God knows what made me look in my rearview mirror at that precise second.

Hope the car isn't too badly damaged. Bet the Astra driver needed a change of strides.[8|]

 

[garyw]

Strange that we look in our mirrors that much []

In my 996 I watched the terror on a Austin Metro owners face as she screeched down the A45 going into Birmingham.
It wrote off the Metro !! I drove my car home, the police said I shouldn't as the rear lights were broken, but rather than sit waiting in the traffic I decided to get home...
I remember it well, Concorde was coming into Birmingham on its farewell tour.. heck it was busy...
Car came back 3 weeks later good as new..[]

Being as I saw it coming, I put my head back into the headrest so received no whiplash..

garyw

 

[paulstevens]

I had a simliar event a while back; I was going down the slip to join the motorway when a small van decided to pull right straight into my nearside, in trying to avoid him I put the offside wheels into the 90deg drains which smashed the front offside wheel into my footwell and destroyed the rear rim. I managed to get back across to the hard shoulder, and questioned the driving ability of the blind idiot driving the small van.
I called for assistance and the man arrived with the low loader pickup lorry, loaded my car and we set off to the next intersection to go back the other direction to the garage. I decided to phone the wife to arrange for her to pick me up from the garage, and to confirm that I was not hurt. I had just rung off and was putting the phone in my pocket when the driver of the rescue truck who was slowing down for the oncoming exit, suddenly shouted oh S**t and swerved towards the hard shoulder, there was an almighty thrump up the rear as a 15tonne truck decided to use us as a method to stop!! This time due to the low seats in the cabin I suffered neck and lower back injury; back on the phone, told the wife I have now been in a second accident (3miles from home) and that she could pick me up from the hospitalinstead. I owe the rescue truck driver, because in turning towards the hard shoulder we were punted diagonally up the sliproad just missing the cars in front, and we went around a car and a half up the hard shoulder, could have been quite bad. I didn't bother with the lottery that saturday evening!

 

[dexter1]

[:'(]I had a similar experience but with a golf "I'll show you" idiot still accelerating while the ceramics were in full flight.
Used the ABS to the full and Mr golf used the Saab in front of me as a bollard (sorry mate) while I swerved into the inner lane between a lorry and a whatever.
It was raining hard , foggy and dark and for the first time in years I have to say I was actually shaking from the experience. I can usually see the tossers from way back but this one took up all my braking zone and the buffer I keep by simply keeping accelerating [:'(] not much you can do but it is so stupid.
I have had the turbo for over a year and while the car is brilliant the idiot factor is appalling. [&o] I have lost count of the potential rear enders I have driven out of and the tailgatters are legion. Including two pinheads very small Rover! What is worse is if I go slowly the revheads seem even more agressive. Can't win.[]

 

[Jimberland]

Thanks for all the advice much appreciated.
Another quick question...
The car has been taken to Body Technics in Slough on the advice of Porsche Assistance as it is my nearest authorised Porsche body shop.
Anyone used these guys in the past?
The insurance company are arguing that they want to take it to there preferred repairer but I am worried about warranty issues etc

 

[marlin]

ORIGINAL: Jimberland

Thanks for all the advice much appreciated.
Another quick question...
The car has been taken to Body Technics in Slough on the advice of Porsche Assistance as it is my nearest authorised Porsche body shop.
Anyone used these guys in the past?
The insurance company are arguing that they want to take it to there preferred repairer but I am worried about warranty issues etc

Insist the work is done by Porsche, if its done at a non approved you will have serious problems come trade in time. The insurance companies try it on. Sorry for your trouble, strong those porkers. A transit van rear ended me a few years back and wrote the van off four grand saw me back on the road + hire car charges of 2 K

 

[garyw]

Your choice on where the car goes for repair, check that Body Technics aren't actually already approved by your insurer anyway.. (mine we're but the insurance company failed to notice)

The Insurance company will say the usual that they will now need to send out an assessor to check the quote for work done and they no longer will provide a courtesy car etc..
I luckily didn't need a replacement car and so what if it took a day longer for their man to visit..
Only other drawback is if the repair does turn out faulty, the insurance company won't assist you in getting it repaired again, but the fact you are sending it to an approved Porsche repair centre should give you enough confidence over that anyhow.

garyw

 

[okellyt]

ORIGINAL: dexter1

I have had the turbo for over a year and while the car is brilliant the idiot factor is appalling. [&o] I have lost count of the potential rear enders I have driven out of and the tailgatters are legion. Including two pinheads very small Rover! What is worse is if I go slowly the revheads seem even more agressive. Can't win.[]

Even for those of us in the cooking 997 models its the same issue - they would rather crash into you than let you drive slowly or cautiously (as I am in Essex I am being quite literal about the crash bit). You end up being forced to drive agressively (progressively) just for your own saftey.

What makes me laugh is most of them are cars that don't stand a chance old XR's/ desiel modeos/vectra's or mildly warmed over hatches plus the occasional Subaru/Evo. And the Subarau/Evo lot normally give you a fair breaking space.

I had a turbo for a weeeknd and have to say it goet more unwatned attention. To keep the language clean and repeatable - the "ejit" factor is very high. it must be the flaired arches and spoiler that grabs the pond lifes attention.

 

[944s2]

Is the Body shop a Porsche approved or just insurance approved?

I had a major issue with a repair on the family car when I took it to a major Scottish dealerships "approved" body shop Turned out that while the insures were happy to use them they were not actualy "approved" by insurers who had no direct "hold" over them as opposed to the body shop that the insurer recomended/approved

I'm surprised none of the local owners have suggested any where might be worth posting in area forum as opposed to 977 forum

It can save a lot of hassle in long run if you check before it goes in

Good luck

 

[rob.kellock]

I presume it is the Astra's insurers who are picking up the tab? You should have no problems in insisting on a Porsche approved bodyshop. They have an obligation to put you back in the position you were in before the accident. You may also wish to consider bringing a claim for dimunition in value - a damage repaired vehicle may be worth less that an unrepaired example and an expert engineer would assist you there (although using a Porsche approved repairer may limit the extent of such a claim). If you have any problems, find a good local personal injury lawyer, they are likely to assist on a no win no fee type basis.

 

[944s2]

This is an old one

Someone on this forum has(had) a car on that train

 

[juliany27]

Someone's insurers are going to take a heavy hit and a premium is going to rise spectacularly.

 

[Melv]

Stoopid place to park........ya seen the size of the logging trucks goin thru there!!!!![&:]

 

[tscaptain]

ORIGINAL: Melv
.....ya seen the size of the logging trucks goin thru there!!!!![&:]

I certainly have - used to live 1 mile from Inverurie High St but managed to escape many a long year ago. Probably a rig worker on shore leave anyway......[]

 

[944s2]

According to paper today it was an alleged hit and run but a 42year old has been charged

The drivers husband had his Continental written off three years ago

Lucky white heather