One less C (and driver) on the roads....

[Leavon 0]

I don't often contribute to the forums but I check them out every day and kind of feel part of the comunity even if it's a very quiet part so I thought I'd share my tale of woe. A few weeks ago on a saturday morning I entered a roundabout a little too quickly and the next thing I knew I was sideways and headed for the kerb, I bounced off and came to rest at the side of the road (policeman later told me that the road was really greasy). Upon getting out I saw that the front drivers side wheel was ripped to pieces and sitting at a crazy angle. I knew that it wasn't going to be going anywhere without a tow truck so I rang the AA, unfortunately for me a passing police car stopped before they arrived.

They asked if I would mind giving a breath test, not a problem, I'd given them before on a couple of routine stops, imagine my shock when the previous night's drinking binge gave me a reading that exceeded the limit. I was hastily shipped off to the station where I failed another test and put in the cells for a few hours. I was in complete shock, I'm always really consciencious about drink driving, I felt a little hungover but no more, I knew then that it was gonna be bad.

I was given a court appearance date and 2 weeks later I had my (clean) licence taken off me, given a 16 month ban and a £400 fine on the same day that I recieved a £1700 bill for repairs to the car. They had to replace the wishbone, caliper and discs, wing and respray the side of the car. The upshot for the car is that one side of it looks immaculate, gleaming and no parking dents while the rest of the paintwork looks pretty poor in comparison. The guys who did the work said they'll do the rest of it for me next year for a good price as they love the car so much, they even offered to buy it off me. It's now sat in a barn up in Yorkshire at my parents place where it'll get driven on a private stretch of road every couple of weeks. It's on a space saver as Mille Miglia aren't casting any more Cup 3's till february and maybe not at all(?).

So I'm carless for a year (was offered a course that get's a quarter off the ban), I miss it terribly, though it was worse seeing it in it's parking space outside my flat so it's better that it's out of sight. The only upsides of the whole thing are that noone else was involved, I don't think I could live with that and that I don't need the car for work, 2 hrs walking every day, ah well it's good for me.

So there's my yuletide tale of woe, I don't expect any sympathy at the end of the day DD is DD, I guess the moral is it's party season so think twice before getting in the car in the morning. Anyway I'll still be kicking around the forums, spending the next 12 planning future mods.

cheers

[dinkus 10]

That's pretty crappy luck mate, your C looks very nice too.

 

On the plus side, at least you'll be able to return to your C and drive it again next year and it'll feel even more special :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Bugger..... not another one.... what's going on with Corrados sliding off the roads at the moment??

 

No comment on the drinking related charge but what a sh1tter for you mate.... I'm glad you had it repaired though as there aren't many Ice Greys about.

 

I hope 2005 starts better than 2004 has ended for you :(

[chrishill 0]

thats so unlucky mate, i feel for you, regardless of your 'DD is DD' statement. I'm sure everyone at some point or another has driven their car the morning after a big night out. I know I have, and I never really think about being over the limit the morning after. Its one of those things thats all too easily done and sadly, you're a victim of curcumstance. By the sounds of things the accident had little or nothing to do with your alcohol levels, but the law is the law and they're 'extra' strict at this time of year. As you say thankfully it wasnt any worse. How's the insurance stand on something like this? I guess they're not going to cough up? also, are you going to take the course that'll shorten the ban?

 

what's going on with Corrados sliding off the roads at the moment??

 

had a scare this morning myself, front end went, i corrected it and the back slid out! thankfully it wasnt busy and i wasnt going that fast so I managed to recover it after a bit of wiggling down the road.

[Leavon 0]

Cheers dinkus, sorry to hear about your C, seems to have faired rather worse than mine. I've heard of so many cars crashing on greasy roads in the past few weeks, I know of at least 3 at the place I work at (all rear wheel drive).

Do ya reckon you'll get another? There isn't really another car (that I could afford) that I'd like over a corrado.

[20v turbo 0]

sorry to here that mate,it hapened to my mate a couple of years ago ,out night befor left car in town and went back the following afternoon to pick it up only to be stoped on his way home and bang 18 month ban £600 fine and then had to sell his c because he couldnt afford to insure it when he got his licence back because his premium had trippled to £3300 :mad: ,hope you fare better than this though 8)

[rmn 0]

this last few months has beeen bad for corrado's in general!

Seriously hard luck!

as for the dd, it willmake many many people thinkbefore they get into a car the morning after!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I've heard of so many cars crashing on greasy roads in the past few weeks, I know of at least 3 at the place I work at (all rear wheel drive).

 

That's largely because of sodding lorries dumping diesel everywhere and not enough rain recently to wash it away. And you don't know you're on a greasy road until the front end understeers like mad, by which time it's usually too late unless you're quick with the correction.

[Leavon 0]

"I'm glad you had it repaired though as there aren't many Ice Greys about."

 

Thanks Kev (love your car by the way, I consider it a bit of a bench mark, something to aspire to). I'm a couple of grand worse off (insurance is null in DD situations) but there was no way I could let it go, an ice grey is for life not just for christmas :)

I've no idea what my insurance will be, currently £500, 32, 7 years NCB with all mods declared. Probably pretty horrendous. I paid through the nose when I got my first C when I was 24 so I'll just have to bite the bullet again, who'd be a car enthusiast out of choice huh?

Thanks for the votes of sympathy folks, it's taken me a few weeks to pluck up the courage to post owing to the shame :oops:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Cheers chap! I think it's just the wheels mate.... otherwise it's just standard externally bar coded handles and rubbing strips :lol:

 

I don't know what a DR10 does to insurance premiums, probably sky rockets them I would have thought :x

Maybe if you do that driving course your were offered, some ins companies might see that as a responsible step and be more leniant with you on the premium? I hope you not having a license doesn't affect your job either....

 

Oh well, best of luck to you and keep us posted....

[Leavon 0]

Cheers chap! I think it's just the wheels mate.... otherwise it's just standard externally bar coded handles and rubbing strips :lol: quote]

 

Yeah, and the shrek with the VR badge, subtle mods but v.cool 8)

 

I'm thinking at least double if not tripple my current premium. I'm definitely gonna do the course, apparently it does get you some sort of discount but probably not with Flux and the only insurers that touch modded C's.

 

I'm a graphic artist so the car isn't needed for work and as I say it's a couple of hours walking a day which saves me going to the gym :-P

[chrishill 0]

bar coded handles and rubbing strips

 

that confused me for a second, thought you'd gone all supermarket sweep!

[khurrado 0]

shame to hear about ur c mate, mine went into a traffic island!!! I had to replace wishbone, drive shaft, ront driverside shock, cross member, 2 alloy wheels, front bumper, floor lining, etc.

 

Came to a total of around 500 buc, incl labour charges. All as a result of hastey driving.

 

my brother had a similar accident in his mk2 golf, wheel bearing went as he was driving and the rear passenger side wheel went flying off at 45 mph. not a pretty sight.

 

These things happen though, it just goes to show u cant take corrado ownership for granted. You gotta treat these cars liek queens or they turn into right bitches.

 

Or as my mrs would say, " I told you to get a sensible car"........

 

what she doesnt know is that the c is back next tuesday.. 8)

[samm_cvr6 0]

Sorry to hear that dude. If it's any consolation, back in the days of my 205, I have driven when I blatantly knew I was over the limit and crashed the car out of sheer recklessness, although I was sober when I crashed the car. I learnt my lesson and any time I start to push my car now, I just have memories of my crash and it scares the s*** out of me! Atleast you didn't hurt/kill any other people, that would be a very hard thing to live with.

[Leavon 0]

When I heard that the driveshaft had decoupled on my car I instantly thought big bucks, it hadn't occurred to me that it's bound to happen when the wishbone gets wrecked. Fortunately my drive shaft wasn't bent.

500? That sounds very reasonable, I would have thought that the parts alone would have come to more than that.

Glad to hear it's gonna be back on the road anyway.

[Jim 2]

Ow.. thats a terrible tale, and a cautionary one for those in a similar situation when it comes to the drink type situation.

 

Can't believe we've (temporarily) lost another Corrado.. but thankfully not another owner. It'll be a long 12 months but i'm sure it'll be a blast when you get it back on the road again :)

[Leavon 0]

Yeah, I'm counting the days (343 to go). I'm hoping that the money I save on running costs in the next year might go towards a schrick, I guess I'll have to see what the insurance companys have to say....

[VR6 0]

Jesus!

 

So sorry to hear about this!

 

I was going to drive to my mates tonight but I think I'll get the bus now instead!

[G60Jet 1]

Its about time someone came up with a morning after breath test for the home.

 

Sorry to hear you misfortune.

[chubbybrown 0]

Bad luck

[JoeNose 0]

Impact on your insurance can depend on your blood / alcohol reading. The difference between being a little over the limit and a lot can be huge, depending on the insurer. Young drivers, or drivers with additional claims or convictions get hit much harder with DR10s. The company I work for, worst case for someone over 30 is typically 160 - 180% load. Best case, maybe only 20%. Fortunately, your premium at present is pretty low!

[chrishill 0]

G60Jet,

 

like these?

http://www.breathalysers.co.uk/

[andycowuk 0]

I can only begin to imagine how anoyed you must be at yourself....... I am usually a responsible driver, sure i have an enthusiastic right foot, but tonight, i got suckered in by a spotty yoof in a maxed out 206cc. he was sittinig right up my tail until a set of lights, then pulled up my inside, the lights turned i gunned it a little, but thought, I am right in the middle of edinburgh, best not go fast. I stopped accelerating at 35, and he went off ahead. I pull across to the inside lane, to trundle on home, to find another car shoot past me, it was a fast mondeo estate thing. I thought woah, he is keen....cept it was a unmarked police car. I got a bollocking, and got away with giving the guy my details.

 

The bit the anoys me, is I went out a run in the car to laugh at the boy racers and lax power cars, and ended showing myself up. I am dissapointed and annoyed with myself - i gues it must be 100 times worse in your shoes.

[TomB 0]

Bad luck man, I know what you mean about the morning after. I was going to take my C out this afternoon, but I think I'll leave it until tomorrow after the excesses of last night.

Good luck with 2005!

Tom

[Leavon 0]

Once again, thanks for the kind words of support guys. Kinda wished I'd posted earlier as the first couple of weeks were pretty dark ones but I've adjusted pretty well to life without wheels, and feel like the whole thing is behind me now and I'm getting on with things.

That insurance info was interesting JoeNose, my blood alcohol wasn't very high (relatively speaking), .63 which is under twice the limit so it may not be quite as bad as I was expecting. Ah well I'll just have to see next year.