Stranded at the Nurburgring

[Marcussuper7]

Hello,

Just thought I would ask if anyone has any ideas/help.

The car was damaged in the Ring and is now in a garage costing a fortune in storage. My insurance won't help.

The car still drives and is repairable but not sure it is worth recovering to the UK. I was hoping to try and break it for parts to help pay for the £1500 I had to pay the Nurburgring.

Help!!

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Looks like you are stored at Ring Racing? (Or have they moved and that is someone else now?)

I take it you've trawled through www.nurburgring.org ? There is an associated forum where you might get help.
This page http://www.nurburgring.org/repairs/index.html is particularly useful on the site itself.

The car doesn't look too bad from that shot - although I appreciate how you'd be feeling right now.
One of the companies in the link above might be able to get you patched up enough to get home?
Then you can decide what to do in your own time.

 

[JamesO]

Hard lines, where did you crash? I was told they charge by the minute for closures and £400ish for recovery and extra for damage to the track.
Remove what's left of the spoiler, see if the garage can bodge working lights on the drivers
side. Cover any sharp edges with gaffa tape and drive it back.

Assuming from the pic its just panel damage to the rear.

 

[nick3814]

Crikey!! Theres a tale thats making me cautious! A few of us are heading down there this weekend!! I feel I may be spectating, I hope you get it sorted out []

 

[edh]

I'm there this weekend as well [] Are you in the 911 or the 944? Nick - look out for a red 944 turbo & come & say Hi [] - we're staying at the tiergarten & will be around Friday - Monday

If there's anything I can do this weekend I'd be happy to help

oh - and btw ADAC will recover from the ring, and there are still some insurers left who will cover TF days (third party insurance is an absolute neccessity for TF days)

 

[nick3814]

[] We are staying near Auderath, about 20 mile away, going to the tiergarten for a meal Sunday night (booked on line) apparently the steak on a stone is worth the visit [], I will be in the 911, theres 8 of us coming down, will def look out for you and say hi.

Cheers

 

[edh]

we'll be eating at the PK / Tiergarten on Sunday (and Friday, and Saturday []) - a big slab of raw fillet on a hot stone is well worth the visit. []

The restaurant is pretty big now - and very busy

have a good weekend & see you there (hope it stays dry)

Ed

 

[Marcussuper7]

Thanks guys,

Go carefull at the weekend.

The car is at a garage called KFZ Bongard in Addenau near the veiwing point. They say the car cannot be repaired to drive on the road!?!? We have some friends going this weekend and were going to bum a lift with them take some parts and tape and patch it up enough to drive home.

They wont release the car though. Any one taking a trailer this weekend so I can get it out of the garage? do you think it is ok to drive? ie legal?

Needs a tyre and I also hit the front. Ooops

 

[JamesO]

Possible damage to the steering, suspension and ability to get the front lights aligned would be my biggest concern.

 

[zcacogp]

Strewth, that's a messy situation you have found your way into. I'm sorry to read your tale.

Thoughts: It's an insurance write-off, for sure. Breaking for parts will be the best way to make any money from it. I would ask what basis the holding place are refusing to release it - whether they are allowed to do this, under German law. However, they certainly hold the trump cards as I would be pretty sure that it is illegal to drive that on German roads and you don't want to be getting too stroppy about it.

My best suggestion would be to either kiss it goodbye, or hire (or borrow) a transit van, go over there with a friend for a weekend and strip anything of use from the car. (Interior, engine, wheels, suspension if it is nice, calipers, instruments, switchgear etc etc etc). Then leave what is left for the storage people to dispose of. BUT, will the value of the bits recovered cover the cost of this trip (ferry + fuel + transit hire)? If no, you're back to kissing it goodbye.

The only other option would be a naughty one - get recovery-to-your-home-country breakdown cover now, and 'phone them in a week's time telling them you have just crashed. Yes, it's naughty and you may be found out.

I can only imagine it is a 'ring trip you sincerely wish you had never embarked on. A salutory lesson to those planning such a thing to get good breakdown and accident cover before you go ... as I said, sorry to read your story.


Oli.

 

[swright]

Oh mate that's heart braking. I know how you feel having recently written off my Turbo[]

But the most important thing, is that you are still living and breathing.

I wish you the very best of luck sorting this out.

Stu

 

[elvis]

Please note that the following may not be legal (or even sensible..)

Might be just me but that doesn't look too bad.. If it's only rear end damage (and all you've really done is taken off the bumper) then I'd be inclined to trailer it off the premises, gaffer tape it up and run for it as per JamesO above.

Possibly your best bet would be to hang around the 'ring car park and offer fist fulls of Euros to people with trailers. I'd have thought you could at least get it removed to a cheaper location (hotel car park, forest track in the middle of nowhere) while you work out what to do.

Make sure it's straight, cover sharp edges of bodywork, get the lights working and off you go...

---

Further edit because I'm an idiot who doesn't read all the posts..

Front panel doesn't look too bad, get that tyre replaced, hit the wing with something solid so it clears the wheel and get that front light working and you're sorted.

 

[Diver944]

If it's driveable and you can get the lights working I'd book an overnight ferry and set out while it's dark

 

[elvis]

Well, that was helpful.

 

[gresley]

Yes - empathy would appear not to be one of Scotty's strengths - or was it meant to be ironic?

I think we would all hope for sympathetic comment in situations like this - Porsches are our pride and joy no matter what value or condition.

Andrew

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Yes - empathy would appear not to be one of Scotty's strengths - or was it meant to be ironic?

Either way it doesn't encourage people to ask questions if that's the sort of reply they get! That sort of comment is possibly more suited to pistonheads? [8|]

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: sc0tty
Driveable??!!!!!!!!!!! you must be joking?? That pile of metal must be worthless now?

We all have differing ideas about the worth of our cars though, dont we? I dont think that there is any room for misguided snobbery when we are talking about four cylinder cars.

 

[Peter_Bull]

My first Porsche was a 1986 944 Lux that I got in 1989 and I absolutely loved it.

I went the 911 way as it was what I was 'expected' to do.

However, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the 944 was the best Porsche I have ever owned and I would have him back tomorrow. I loved it and it would sit alongside my 996 with pride.