Wrecked my car. Long story
 

I was not hurt just stiff and sore from it. It all happened in a middle of a right hand turn at a red light. The light was green, as I was making my turn I did not see the sand in the road. Well when I hit it as I was making my turn my back end came around on me. I was running 26 miles per hour by my hud.

I had all the traction controls on. I went nose first into a bank of dirt and then it flipped around and went in backwards into the bank.

I was on a run with my vette club when all of this happend. Anyway, the adjuster sent it to one shop and they could not fix it. Now they are wanting to send it to another one.

When I tried to put my top back up the windshield was laying back a good 4 inches. There was no way to latch the top down.

It took the radiator out,the front nose was gone , radiator fluid was every where. All 4 rims now have some kind of damage to them.Broke the bead on the rear two tires.

They gave a estimate of 6k in damage. I donot see how they came up with such a low figure. I know there is more than cosmetic damage done. I guess time will tell.

Ive never had my tc or ah not get me out of a situation especially at low speeds like 26 mph.

You may want to get your system checked, and tires as well. Good luck on repairs

sorry to hear. hopefully your back up and running soon!

I will tell them in the morning to check it. The active handling did not show up either.

Glad you are ok and good luck with the repairs:rock:

Dang sorry to hear but you're okay which is what matters. The Vette can be repaired or replaced.

sad for car - good for you that you weren't seriously hurt.....

it would KILL me to wreck my car.....:willy:

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I hope these links work

Sorry to hear about your car but at least you are OK. Let me ask are both doors opening and closing properly? I'm hard pressed to understand why the windshield would be bent backward did the air bags deploy by chance? Let me tell you now to replace all four wheels and tires alone its going to cost 4 grand so whom ever gave you that 6 grand figure has there head up there a$$. Don't be surprised if they total it once they get to crunching the real numbers. I'm going to guess just from what I can see a repair bill somewhere in the $15-18K range. Usually most underwriters will total only if the damage costs are within $3K of wholesale value of the car.

The airbags didnot deploy. The door opened ok as far as I remember. I was sort of out of it. It broke the beads on both rear wheels. I just dont see them just putting the cosmetics back on and giving it back to me.

I feel the same way you do that they should replace rims and tires.

I got a feeling this is going to be a long process.

Who is your underwriter? Talk to the adjuster first, make it very clear to them before any work is started what you will and will not accept.

As long as you're ok. The car can be replaced.

:iagree: hope you are ok.:cheers:

Sand in the road ? That's a new one. :lol:

Glad you're ok. Good luck with repairs.

Next time, lay off the throttle on those turns.

I know it looks bad, but they can fix it

Sorry for your misfortune. I don't see anyway that the windshield moved at all based on what I see from your pictures and it's surely not totaled.

I like my C4 better it was way more stable then the C6.
I stuffed mine a few hours ago.What a pain these cars are they dig in on the front and plow like a dozer.I missed the telephone pole and headed for the tree and slid in side ways .I was lucky only doing 86 when the rear broke loose.Just tore up the front a little but not as bad as yours.Glad you are ok but sure makes you pucker up.I didn't see any skid marks and mine didn't have any marks eather.I though the engine would retard and slow the car but something is fishy with these cars.Good luck on the fix.They low ball the bids and when you get it back you have to keep going back and bug the insurance to get everything done right,This is the second license plate I have had torn off the car in 2 mths.Phone book blew out the back of an 18 wheeler and ate my bracket and plate .:willy:
I think this car is got a hex on it.

Heck when I got into a wreck with my C5Z. I damaged the front bumper, hood and driver side headlight. To fix that ran $5,800. So your underwriter is way off lol.

If that is a 26 mph crash, what does a 60 mph crash look like? Does the Vette just explode?

Good luck with all this, heres hoping for a satisfactory outcome

More like a "showing off and lost control" 26mph crash.

I do not think he was showing off. 26 in a turn is not excessive, depending on the turn.

OP glad you are OK and good luck with the repairs.:cheers:

I am sorry I have owned and driven cars with the same power and or more than my C6 vette, to lose it like that in a 26mph turn and do that kind of damage just does not add up.

Also the adjuster may not be replacing the wheels, they may be sending them out to be refurbished. If you read your policy there is nothing that sayd brand new wheels have to be provided, only that the car is repaired to like condition using what ever methods they can.

So ending up in a ditch with that damage isn't excessive? How do you think he ended up there? You don't just hit a bit of sand on a turn and have the back end come flying out from behind you, unless he coated his rear tires in oil.

Agreed. There's more to the story. And from looking at the pics there's no way the windshield is bent back.

:crazy2: Sounds like you need to use different alignment settings on your C6.

OP...Glad you're ok, but that's not a 26mph crash. Looks like you busted the front suspension based on looking at the front tires. If that is because the cradle was ripped off the frame, I can see how the adjuster would total it. If you busted the a-arms, that can be fixed.

That looks like more than $6K worth of damage. I'll bet you have suspension damage both front and rear. Once the repair facility starts taking it apart, the unseen damage will show up. You might want to start shopping for a new one.

Agreed. Looking at the photos, you're a long way away from the stop-light and right-hander... unless you spun across the road into the opposite side.

Regardless, and I'm not trying to be rude, if all events happened as transcribed (sand + 26mph in a non-aggressive controlled acceleration + all driver nannies turned on) and you lost it that bad, you may want to look into some performance driving education classes so that you can be a better/safer driver and better handle the vehicle.

Good luck with the repairs!

I know you mean well, but your information is misleading.

Underwriters never make a decision like repairing, or totaling a car. That decision is always made by the claim department.

A total loss is not determined by being within $3k of wholesale value.

A total loss is declared when the physical damage to the car, plus it's salvage value, equals, or exceeds, it's retail value, unless there are unusual extenuating circumstances.

First things first. Wait for a proper evaluation of the damage, and an accurate estimate from your repairer. Then, discuss with the adjuster, his/her, Agreed Price with the repairer. Then ask about the 'vettes Salvage Value, in it's present condition.

That's when a decision will be made to total, or repair the car.

Good luck!

Check the frame rails and have the frame measured before you accept any repair estimate. Long story short, I had a C5 with less than 400 miles that was in a T-Bone collision with an SUV. The original estimate was $5k to replace the bumper, hood, front fenders and head lights. Eight months later additional repairs included replacement of all four tired (flat-spotted), three wheel hubs, both rear axles, rear gears, transmission and torque tube. And the front cross rail was bent and they had to remove the body from the car to repair and straighten the frame. What a nightmare, and it all happened because of the front impact and the subsequent 360 degree spin sideways at speed.

Bottom line, these cars are built to tight specs and are built taut. Impact can cause all sorts of havoc.

Good luck with your repairs and most of all, I am glad you are alright.

:cheers:

:iagree: and not to mention how sensitive the electronics are in these cars... after a good impact no telling what kind of havoc it could do to the PCM/ECM etc..

Sorry to hear this. Glad you're OK. Good luck with the repair.

Sometimes you see the aftermath of a higher speed accident(70mph+) and relative little damage and then you see ones like this, low speed and a good amount of damage. The angle that the Vette hit the embankment could have created alot more damage than it would of if it had just slid strait in. :shrug:

It is my opinion that the traction control was unable to do its job due to lack of traction because of the sandy condition of the road. The traction control cannot over come the laws of physics. Not said very well but I hope I got my thought across. Best of luck with the repair and I am glad that you are OK.

Sorry to hear of your wreck. Glad no one got hurt and I hope you get her back soon.

I'd power slide through turns on my Big Wheel faster than 26 mph. Hoping there was some sand to get it to drift. :hide:

Glad you're alright. But that's a head scratcher. The speed limit in most residential areas is 25 mph.

It was on a four lane road with a speed limit of 55. I had Michelin all season run flats on it. The highway patrolman checked the depth and they were all good. The highway patrolman checked everything at the scene. The way it happened was when I went through the light I made a hard right turn to stay in the right lane instead of swinging out into the left lane.It was a four lane road. The right lane was full of sand from all the rain we have been having around here. The back broke loose and then it caught traction on clean pavement. I shot straight into the bank head on. It then spun the car around and backed into the bank. It happened so quickly I and such a shock. I did get the brakes on but it was way to late . The highway patrolman told me there was not any evidence of speeding or of reckless driving.He talked to everyone behind me and in front of me on what they saw. He cited me for failure to maintain lane control. I went to put my top up when the tow truck got there and the top would not close down on to the windshield. The pics do not show how the windshield is laying back. I was on a run with my vette club and we all tried to get the top to close but it was no where near the top where it locks down on to the windshield.

So all in all it was my fault not paying enough attention to the road condition.

Yeah, the problem was the sand let you yaw around and then when it gripped you were pointed the wrong way. That can happen in a hurry because the performance is so high on these cars. When they grip and go, you had better be pointed the right way.

Anyway, lesson learned, I guess, and you seem to be relatively ok. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you get another Corvette.

Glad your ok, thanks for sharing your story, few would admit to their error....speaks to your character! :cheers:

I hope this all works out for you.

I'm so so sorry that happened. I'd be sick over it. Hopefully you're up and running soon.

I agree. These kind of things are like "snap oversteer" (also lift throttle) and they can happen fast, even at seemingly slow speeds. The major contributors were the clean and sandy road surfaces. If it had been consistently one or the other, OP would have had a chance of correcting and driving out of it. The two combined produced unpredictable conditions/results.

I also applaud the OP for having the courage to come on here and describe his and his car's errors.

My friend, don't beat yourself up over this as the same scenario could have happened to anyone. I hope it all works out in the end for you and I am sure it will. The figure of $6k is just totally ridiculous and beyond lowball...I also would bet your black beauty is totaled out. Best of luck to you, sir.

Thanks everyone for your support. This was my first vette, something I longed for all my life. Screw my pride I hate seeing my car like it is.

Cars can be fixed or replaced much easier than bodies. Nobody was hurt, which is what really counts.

Stay Strong Vette Brother....you will ride again soon...

Lesson learned: As soon as control is lost, lift and brake.

Sorry to hear it. This too will pass.

Its amazing how many videos are on YouTube that show corvettes losing it not unlike what you describe. And consider that's just the ones on video...so don't feel so bad, you are not the only one.:cheers:

The OP was right behind me when he pulled out of the corner. We were not hitting it hard, like he said there was sand and a dip at the same spot which probibly helped the wheels break loose. We tried to put his roof up but it was lowerd on the one side and would not line up into the latch holes. I watched it all in my mirror, the back end came out and he was gone into the bank. Just like he said I was amazed it happened like it did.
I was in a vehicle years ago my wife driving at 55MPH hit the shoulder and she over corected we rolled 5 1/2 times. It happens fast somtimes and you have no reaction time.)
Hope the get that sortted out for you soon:thumbs:

Bummer

glad your ok.these cars have tremendous power and torque,and if you do not pay attention 100% of the time something bad can happen.you said this was your first vette.i hope its not your last.alot of people get in trouble with these cars just like you did.these cars are deceptively smooth and fast.it lulls the inexperienced driver into a false sense of security.it works most of the time on straight roads in good conditions.but when something happens,like happened to you and you are not ready for it or do not exspect it, trouble can happen and usually does.it sure looks like a lot of damage to your car.my suggestion is get it fixed and trade it in for a new one.good luck.

Just wondering how the window pillar got bent -- did it hit the side of the hill?

OP - Glad you're OK and I hope they total it. Seems like the window pillar alone could cost thousands.

The way you see the car sitting is the opposite of the way it hit. If you look at the pics he posted you will see the bank behind it is roughed up. He hit almost square on then popped and landed kindda stradled over the ditch pointing out. Actually it was pretty impressive and scary at the same time.

No the car hit straight into the bank. Then it is spun around. All I can think of is that it bowed the front back onto it self or the twist it got from being spun around.
Also, this was my first vette but I have had it since 2010 and it was a daily driver as it was the only vehicle I own. I have had drag cars back in the 70s and hot rods. Just sort of clear things up that I have driven plenty of cars with lots of power and motorcycles.

This is the first wreck that I have been in that has been my fault, after 40 plus years of driving. I know my limits and now age has came up on me I know reaction time has fallen off. I guess you can say I let my guard down and wasnt paying attention as I should have.

Sounds like one side of the car got bent upwards. That can't be only $6K to repair. Maybe they didn't know about it in the initial estimate.

Paganharley, something to think about since you said you made a hard right and have an 05 vert. No idea if you did the steering column recall but your active handling may have turned off and with the sand could have contributed to it all in a perfect storm of events. Here is the link to the recall in case you are not aware of it. Like someone said, check the codes.. Good luck with it all.

http://www.examiner.com/article/gm-r...2006-corvettes

I will have it checked out. Thanks for the link.

Couple weeks ago a smacked a deer. Lucked out and "only" damaged the front fender along with scratching the front head light assembly and it took of my mirror. Claims adjuster came up with $6200.00 in damage for an '05. I hit the deer at 50 mph and it was s large Wisconsin Buck. I thought the car took the damage well, was some what shocked on the price of repairs.

I know the radiator supports are broken for they were laying on the ground.The radiator was pouring fluid out. My vararam air filter is of little use. Along with all the little stuff that needs to go back into it. I donot know how my flow master faired. Guess I will find out soon enough.

I think they are just assuming on putting a new clip on and button it down and say good to go.

glad your not injured. sand sucks!!!!!!! harley softail (crossbones) went into turn, down and out. any moving vehicle is apt to go out of control. best of luck to you

And don't mash on the throttle around corners. As you can see, the car won't always save you.

Feeling sad for you, glad you're okay. Hope it gets repaired to perfection.

This was $ 11,890 worth of damage to mine a few year ago !!
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Read my mind... more importantly, glad the OP is okay.

I am sorry that people believe I am lying about the facts. If I was I would have said someone ran me off the road and make it not my fault. That would make more sense than the facts that I stated.. I guess it is better to lie on the forum then to tell the truth. That way you dont get flamed.

Also, old boot that posted on this thread was in front of me and seen the whole thing unfold. He was setting the pace as I was following.

I am a disable veteran that used everything I had to get this car. It is or was the only vehicle I own. I had to baby it around for I do not have anything else to drive. The tires on my car has over 30 thousand on them, the highway patrolman checked the tire with a depth gauge and they were good. Again, I had to take care of them for it is hard for me to come up with 1500 dollars for tires. The government that I depend on does not make me rich.

I posted so someone might learn from mistake of letting my guard down and not paying attention to road conditions.

Paganharley,

Don't give the "negative" comments a second thought!! There will always be those on here who will swear "that would NEVER happen to me, I'm too good a driver..." blah, blah, blah..:toetap:

Screw them..

Whatever.... We've ALL had "Oh Sh!t" moments, but ONLY the "stand up" guys will admit it, so that others might learn from our mistakes.

Thanks for the post. Sorry about the car. Glad you are OK..

From a brother VET, thanks for your service!!!!!

US Navy Retired

:flag:

No, it's not better to lie, but it may have been better not to start the thread at all, if you don't have a thick, "forum skin".

I have many years of experience on Internet forums. It doesn't matter who owns the site, and it doesn't matter what interests the forums cover. It could be aquariums, computers, restoring old clocks, or performance cars, there will always be a group of immature, childish, rude, know-it-all, smart asses, that delight in agitating another member's post, for no other reason, than starting a pointless pissing contest. What's worse, I've seen many instances where a moderator, with an inflated ego, will fuel the flames even further. It's the nature of forums.

You need to have the ability to either ignore these miscreants, (because acknowledgment is always what they are looking for), or you simply don't post at all.

As long as there are forums these losers will flourish. After all, where better to be a tough guy than hiding behind the anonymity of a keyboard.

For me your thread is simply a reminder of the care we all need to take when driving under the conditions you describe. And, after all, that was your only point in starting the thread in the first place.

:iagree:

Do not be disturbed by the flaming posts, Pagan. It is the way of the world. I will also admit that I had some doubts initially.

But then you wrote of having all four tires the same brand and model, AND the sand and clean surface road conditions. The facts are that few of us encounter really rapidly changing road surfaces or conditions. And when we do, somehow we usually "get through it." And what do we think afterwards? "Oh, I was lucky, or it was my skill." Nonsense. If you don't do it every day or very frequently, it was no skill, just plain luck. Ask any driver who races frequently in any form of racing about how they get caught out by something when they've been off for awhile, or haven't encountered a situation in a long time.

And you are correct: by coming on here and telling your story, it will help someone to think about it and recognize the potential for this happening to them. As the saying goes, it only takes one....:thumbs::cheers:

I wouldn't worry about the negative comments.

How many times have all of us accelerated coming out of a turn to feel the torque of these engines bringing everything back on line (mainly because the suspension and tires hold on)

In this case there was something on the road unexpected- - sand- - -could have been oil, water, whatever.

I hope you get your car fixed or replaced with little out of pocket to you. And last but certainly not least, thank you for your service to this country.

Yes, I really appreciate this thread, It is a reminder to me to not drive my C6 too casually and take it for granted. I need to keep both hands on the wheel, not follow too closely, and be especially careful in corners. You never know when unexpected conditions will appear, whether it is road conditions or a child or animal running out in front of you.

I only keep liability insurance on my Corvette, and I think that is another motivation for me to be careful. If I wreck it, I lose it.

I feel your pain, I went into a tire wall at the track a couple years ago. Mine was about $10K to repair, I did do a complete repaint too though.
I broke the radiator mount, needed a new headlight, new bumper cover, new drivers side mirror, one side skirt, wheel needed a polish due to scratches.
No mechanical damage. Mine was only the front no rear.
I hope you can get it back to as nice as before the crash.
Good luck... Mine was out of pocket because I was at the track.
:cheers:David
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I smacked a deer at 45mph in April in my 2013 427 convertible. The damage was mostly in the right front corner. The repair bill was ~$17600. Be glad you don't have carbon fibre body parts. The hood, fender, and splitter was close to $11000 just in parts. Also broke the upper control arm and the right front wheel hub assy.

Before and after pics here.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...body-shop.html

Glad to hear that you are ok. Sorry about what happened to your vette.

Hang in there and glad you're ok. Thanks for sharing your mishap for others to "experience". The combination of others sharing their experiences and previous driver training has kept me in check so far.
FWIW, I agree that estimates are low. I was hit at 35-40mph by a deer last year. Fender, inner fender, headlamp assy, paint & labor =$4.2K

Glad you are not hurt and I have been through this entire thread. I dont see where people are saying they could control the car at 26 mph if that stuff happened. What it looks like to me is they doubt that type of spin would happen at 26 mph with all the nannies on.

And before people jump on me I have wrecked a Corvette before and had it bounce both ends of the car....I was going faster than 26 and giving it more gas than I should have. This sounds exactly the same.

No car spins out at 26 mph, you are lying.

Why not just admit you hit the throttle during your turn?

Hahaha, the two extremes. TLS calls you out nicely, mchicia blatantly calls you out.

You can dive a C6 into a 90° turn at 40MPH and hang it with Active Handling.

That must have been a ton of sand on the asphalt in the middle of an intersection to park an AH Vette up a hill from 26MPH.

And thank you for doing so. We've all fecked up before. It takes guts to share your lessons learned.

Ignore the smart assess. Most of them would never say these things to your face.

:iagree:

absolutely. The smart asses never seem to attend CForum events in person

:rofl:

Sorry that happened to you. I do hope your baby is fixed to perfection or replaced. Good luck and keep us posted.

This is exactly what I was referencing in post #71.

They weren't there, they didn't see it, they don't know what they're talking about, but they call the OP a liar, in some lame attempt to look smarter, and act tough. :crazy2:

I know I'm impressed. :lol:

I'm impressed that

A) someone drives normally during a "corvette run."
B) you were able to do that amount of damage NOT hooning and going slowly with all driving aids on
C) that people say these cars are hard to control.


Glad you're ok op.... looks like insurance is on crack with the estimates lol.

Just what I want, to be around a bunch of clueless corvette owners who will compare their 4LT to a 1LT, and then talk about crank engine numbers of other random cars. That, or talk about the modifications a shop installed for them.
I'm sure some of you are good people, but I would rather spend time with car people with a clue.

Easy, brahs.......

OP, again, I am glad you didnt get hurt and the car can be replaced.

As for your story, I am sorry but everything doesnt add up. At 26 mph to go in to a spin and travel that distance, hit once, bounce around and hit again, is something that is against the laws of physics unless it was completely slippery the entire distance. Which from reading your posts I dont believe that is the case.

How many cars were ahead of you in this train of Vettes?

Again, not trying to be a jerk, just trying to find out even more details that others here dont get or assume.

What does this have to do with anything?

You think that because people dont join in "Cforum" evens they are somehow scared of you and the rest? I assure this is not the case. I do not attend meets from any forums, though I do go to car shows and weekend events.

It's not that others don't get it, or are "clueless", or assume anything.

You're missing the point.

The point is that reasonable people are well aware that there may have been some extenuating circumstances. Perhaps he was going faster than he thought, or perhaps in the confusion of a heavy drift & spin, he accidentally hit the throttle, or turned the wheel in the wrong direction, and never even realized it.

We're not stupid, we all know that these things can happen, because they've happened to us at one time or another.

However, a reasonable person can see that the OP is upset over his car, and just needs a little support. So what's the big deal, a reasonable person just keeps his/her suspicions to themselves.

Only a jerk calls him a liar, and demands to get at the bottom of this accident, like it was really important, and some stupid macho thing has to be proven. Geeeze, grow up you guys!

If you feel that way, why do you stay on these forums? Why even bother posting with us clueless people?

:iagree:Guess he should move on to something else other than here:thumbs: Happy trails oh ferocious one:D
Not like he has ever contributed anything worthwhile anyway:)

Do you even lift?

First off, my post was not directed at you but you seem to have a chip on your shoulder. Second, if you want to quote me then quote me, but dont throw other peoples post in to mine. Did I put clueless in any of my posts? Before you jump on me make sure you quote the correct person.:thumbs:

What is the point? Educate me.

You dont say? Well thanks for the news flash.

Without question I believe he was going faster than 26, if not and he was only going 26 there is NO WAY IN HELL he went in to a heavy drift. It doesnt happen at that speed. Accidentally hit the gas? Yeah, most likely was going faster than 26 and put too much throttle pressure in the corner and got some snap oversteer.....but again it doesnt happen at 26 mph. And yes, most likely he turned the wheel not the wrong way but way too far and snap oversteer came in to play. Then he overcorrected the other way.

Those sort of things do not happen at 26 mph, you cant blame tires, some sand in the road, or the nannies being off or not working. The point being driver error 100%....whatever it may be. Which is what people are questioning, me included. However, some want to make it to be the road conditions or the cars fault.

Do I feel bad for him? Absolutely, but I will not sit here and blow smoke up his ass like some do, which seems to be the going trend.

Again, why is the bold directed at me?

Nobody said you are stupid. I have made errors in driving and had an accident, with a Corvette.

It was a 30 mph corner and I had much more than that amount of speed in the corner. I gave it too much gas and oversteered when the rear came around. My nose hit the rails on the bank and spun my rear around and that hit ass well. Which is pretty close to what the OP is saying happened. Only thing was I was in bone dry (yes I know it was stupid) where he had some sand in the road.

Reasonable is one thing, to look the other way or accept things at face value so as not to hurt someones feelings (just because they are upset) is funny at best. Cant be truthful or call something how you see it for fear you hurt someones feelings. :lol:

Again, I feel for the OP as I have been in 2 accidents with my Corvettes and it makes you sick to your stomach. One was my fault and the other was not.

But again, if 26 isnt too fast in that corner and he had followed other cars, why did none of the others not have an accident? If anything the cars in front of him would have a more "slippery" condition as the sand will be pushed off the roadway as each car drives through it. That is common sense. The road is less slippery for those who follow.

1. For laughs
2. Help said people, on occasion.
3. Filter through the crap for the information I need. Some people are helpful.

If you go on to a forum, post up what happened, and you have the "Swiss Cheese Defense".......you are putting yourself out there to be picked apart. If you cant take the good and bad you should not post.

Hameister: "We're not stupid, we all know that these things can happen, because they've happened to us at one time or another."

And there is the key: it happens at one time or another, to a lesser or greater extent.

As I said, all the "skilled" ones who get out of it unscathed and call it their skillful driving are incorrect.

Some of the most experienced (if not necessarily "skilled") snow drivers are those who live in the snow states, like the Colorados and Minnesotas, among others. Yet, every start of winter---awake, alive and sober---they go flying off the road at first snowfall. 10 mph, 30, 60, 75 any speed. They are not all 16 and first time in the snow. Some are very "experienced" as in having seen dozens of years of winter driving.

As Ham. said, give the guy a break. You'll not find out the exact details nor will the OP necessarily know every detail. He was in it, he was in the moment of an accident. Not a darned black box "flight recorder.":yesnod:

I hope you guys got this all out of your systems. I know I have, very cathartic. :yesnod: