[Closed] An empty car just crashed through my wall !

check outside in case anyone hurt. doh I guess you did. glad you're ok.

I've been outside, the car is empty. My front yard, all six feet of it is empty, the road is empty.

I'd contact the police non-emergency number - it's an offence to let a car roll away and if you've got a crime number it'll help your insurance claim.

Oh, and claim 'finders keepers' if someone does turn up to claim it.

I'd give the Police a ring to get recovered/removed. They should also be able to tell you who the insurer is so you can contact them direct. I'd not bother reporting to your own home insurer unless the vehicle isn't insured.

EDIT: Photo or it didn't happen.

handbrake was probably not fully engaged and shoes or pads contracted in cold overnight. Hope all's ok.

Police...NOW! Don't sit and wait, the owner could be on a 2 week holiday.

Insurance would expect you to report it.

Definitely get in touch with the police. Just to help the claim along and they will get in touch with the owner.

handbrake was probably not fully engaged and shoes or pads contracted in cold overnight. Hope all's ok.

May just be like my car, I just put the handbrake on for show. It doesn't actually do anything.

Lucky I live in York where there's no hills. 8)

My car rolled downhill one morning into my neighbours car. Insurance co said its common accident, and normally happens in the morning. I keep the kar in gear on hills now as I am terrified that someone could have been hurt.

Photos...NOW! Don't sit and wait, I'm bored.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Lol. In San Francisco it's illegal to park your car on a slope without the wheels turned into the curb. $58 instant fine.

Fact of the day.

Police definitely.

And put the pics up here 🙂

Lucky it's the fence and not your car!

😀

Get teadrinker's daughter round, see if she can spot the driver.

It's a reportable road traffic collision for the Police as your property has been damaged, so they will document it.

The cops would usually locate / contact the registered keeper to get the vehicle recovered and get their insurance details before then giving you a collision reference number for your insurance.

I find it amazing that folks park cars out of gear.

That happened to me many moons ago: I'd parked my month-old Ford Focus at the bottom of a hill and went to the local fair. When we got back my car was partially on the pavement, and the local police were asking questions about the owner. I thought for a second I'd parked it illegally, then saw the damage to the rear end 🙁 Some idiot parked her 207 a bit further up the hill without properly engaging the handbrake...

Good job it wasn't a few more feet to the left 😯

Follow the tracks in the snow to where they came from and knock on the door?

First thing I would have done.

^^ this, surely theres only 5/6 houses it could have come from

sharkattack
Follow the tracks in the snow to where they came from and knock on the door?

First thing I would have done.

Two toddlers in the house, so I can't be wondering about in the snow today. Cops called anyway.

what, even before posting a thread on the internet sharkattack?

Make loads of snowballs for when the owner turns up

Make loads of snowballs for when the owner turns up

But don't get confused and throw them at the police.

This is the best thread in ages!

OP
Was there a small child in the car going ,BrrOOOOoooom ,broom? 🙂

[i]Lucky it was only the wall[/i]

get the kids to help you make a rocket?

[img] [/img]

what, even before posting a thread on the internet sharkattack?

You're right, sorry. I always get my priorities mixed up in a crisis.

i have experience of this at at an oem. Generally these days is the rear brakes are disk, and have combined handbrake/footbrake calipers. You pull the handbrake on, lock up and walk off. Some time later the disk cools down, the pressure on the pad reduces a bit, the car rolls away. Happens a lot.

Way to tell if your car has a combined caliper and not a drum in disk like a volvo etc. Is to apply the handbrake normally, and then with engine running and footbrake applied firmly, re apply the handbrake. If the lever comes up more for the same force then its a shared caliper. If you look in your handbook and it recommends applying the footbrake whilst applying the handbrake then odds are the oem has had had field issues with rollaway.

Pull the handbrake on fully, leave it in gear on a hill, and wheels in.

Drums are better as a handbrake because as the drum cools it gets smaller and the brake shoe pressure increases

Years ago I had a Xantia, the handbrake used separate calipers on the rear discs and when they cooled...

The recall fix basically took a load of the ratchet teeth off.

Looks like quite a well used road - good luck identifying the specific tracks!

porter_jamie, very precisely put as likely cause 😉

Xantia use front handbrake but it was discs

The windscreen has been cleared so it has been used fairly recently.
They are probably sat in their house completely oblivious to the whole thing.

They are probably sat in their house completely oblivious to the whole thing.

I really hope they first see it posted on here rather than by going outside and spotting it has rolled off. 😀

[i]Years ago I had a Xantia, the handbrake used separate calipers on the rear discs and when they cooled.[/i]

even more years ago rolled a citreon BX (my dads, whoops) having left on a hill on a hot day. calipers cool down just enough to set it moving. Probably the same system

The sun could have cleared the snow

The sun could have cleared the snow

Possibly, but the car further up the street still has plenty of snow on it.

Its in the shade 😉

Has no one blamed the OP yet for stupidly leaving his wall there on a snowy icey day? It was always bound to happen. He will get no sympathy from me.

Lucky it didn't hit your Impreza, claim would probably have gone 50/50 then!
My insignia company car has a wee habit of rolling away itself, hunk of crap!

The windscreen has been cleared so it has been used fairly recently.
They are probably sat in their house having just gone to the offy/when it opened to get some more wine

FTFY

Has no one blamed the OP yet for stupidly leaving his wall there on a snowy icey day?

Yep, I also notice that the wall isn't wearing high-viz or a helmet. Tsk.

Get a bat or a pick axe handle and go mental on it. Then you can just claim it was the damage from hitting the wall, and get the fun of smashing up someone's car

Bet it won't cost £3.5k to replace ..... probably best to just sue everyone on the road in case.

That used to happen fairly regularly near my old house, I'd be walking down the road to the station in the morning and would find cars "parked" in the fence. Left on the hill with handbrake not on properly.

Yes their insurance will pay. Probably best to call the police so they can trace the owner.

Are the shit happens/chalk it up to experience/get over it/accidents happens crew on holiday or something ?

I find it amazing that folks park cars out of gear.

NO NO NO! It drives me MAD when people leave cars in gear, especially people who work in garages and around hire cars. It means I have to waggle the gear lever until I think I've found neutral then gingerly declutch, occasionally getting it wrong and stalling the engine.

Not time for a YPLAC sticker 🙂

I think you need a pic of the owner when they turn up OP.

Glad this is a semi-humorous thread and not a tragedy! I remember being told to always park in gear and wheels turned if on a slope to avoid run-aways.

edit: globalti. Surely, it's good practice to start the car with the clutch depressed anyway? and why gingerly? Clutch down, push gear stick into middle, turn key (clutch still down)... where's the hassle? You'd check to make sure the car was in neutral anyway.

Look on the positive side.... you'll be able to get rid of that awful fence at last!

Perhaps the driver Lost (their) Focus 😉

I did similar with my Defender - parked up on steep avenue, put it in 1st gear but forgot to put the handbrake on - it slowly 'wound' itself down the hill as the compression in the engine slowly leaked away over a few hours. had left some steering lock on and it ended up nearly sideways blocking the street! really popular that day!

Must try harder.... [img] [/img]

murf - Member

Lucky it didn't hit your Impreza, claim would probably have gone 50/50 then!
!

Bits of the wall did hit my car. Minor chips/dents. Anyway, the owner has shown up, very shocked and apologetic. He was visiting his dads house further up the road. It was kind of funny seeing the two of them standing in the middle of the road scratching their heads. No one was hurt anyway so not a big deal really.

Has anyone any experience of how long it might take an insurance company to pay out for something like this? I presume an assessor from his insurance company will be out to inspect the damage?

Are the shit happens/chalk it up to experience/get over it/accidents happens crew on holiday or something ?

Junkyard

Only appearing if the OP confirms a dog knocked it out of gear on exiting the car and therefore it was not the owner of the dogs fault this happened , then , and only then , should the OP be happy it missed his car and chalk it up to experience.

The owner (well it's actually his girlfriends car so he's gonna be popular tonight) said he had his daughter with and she was excited to get in to see her grandparents, so he parked up and just engaged the handbrake. He told me his dad constantly berates him for not putting the car in gear. I guess he will next time.

So what's the damage to the car? A scratched spoiler? They'll write it off....

Just a couple of minor stone chip type dents

Surely, it's good practice to start the car with the clutch depressed anyway? and why gingerly? Clutch down, push gear stick into middle, turn key (clutch still down)... where's the hassle?

honeybadgerx - Member
Must try harder....

I literally just walked past the aftermath of that we decided the car must have just knocked the railings over,would never have guessed it had wedged itself in like that!

Now you don't see it:

[img] [/img]

Now you do:

[img] [/img]

HTF did that happen 😯
How was there enough room the car to rotate so it ended on it's side. Especially considering the railings were involved in the mix

I got a job because my car rolled into some-one elses during the interview! I can't explain why it rolled, handbrake was on (even afterwards) & working as I lived on a hill, and I'd sat in the car for 10 minutes before the interview (had gotten in & out, to check with security I had the right place), so even now I can't explain why it happened. The interviewers were impressed with how I handled the situation.. being presented with a colour picture of my car embedded into one of the office workers cars (who I worked with for the next 5 years), I was a tad taken back but dealt with it...

I now put it in gear...

I find it amazing that folks park cars out of gear.

Pretty normal really. I've been doing it for 25 years and never lost a car yet. Clearly I must know how to use a handbrake.

I'd love to see your reaction when something that's actually amazing happens.

I find it pretty amazing people manage to hold driving licences without having seemingly read the highway code.

[img] ?w=255&h=453[/img]

MrsMC has phoned me to say that coming home in a blizzard to pick up LittleMissMC when the school decided to close, she left the front bumper on the verge at the end of our road. 🙄

She has just texted to say that it has now brightened up and all the snow has gone. I blame the teachers! 😉

Obviously I cannot mention that she chose to use the car without winter tyres today. Or the fact that we were going to take it to the local garages on Saturday to start looking at new cars to replace it 👿

^^^
Is that not how you are meant to park a Range Rove Evoque then? To be honest that's some of the more considerate parking I've seen from that model of car

she left the front bumper on the verge at the end of our road.

*Driving speed normally like you would....on a summers evening. Not on snow.

This is timely - I've just spent an hour or so pushing beemers up the street (with the owners' permission!). One parked up on the verge and 20 mins later rolled down the hill for 80 yards and re-positioned itself in a bush! Were it not for the small tree behind the bush, my neighbour would have had a draughty living room tonight!

Alarm went off and passenger window opened itself - very strange! Interesting to hear about the discs cooling idea further up this thread.

According to an update the bumper is still "sort of" attached. But she thinks I need to pull it off to make the car driveable.

Not too sure the integrated fog lights will appreciate that.

Anyway, I'm about to leave work to ride home - squinting - into the bright setting sun glaring off the roads. Then I can start duck taping the front of her car back together......

Is that not how you are meant to park a Range Rove Evoque then?

I find it pretty amazing people manage to hold driving licences without having seemingly read the highway code.

Incredible eh. And I managed to get my RoSPA advanced too 😉

Obviously knowing how to apply a handbrake properly, has saved me needing to take that particular piece of Highway Code "belt and braces" advice.

I do about 65,000 miles a year and have done for a long time, and visit customers all day long, so if parking in gear was the only way to avoid problems, then I guess I would have had plenty of problems before now wouldn't I.

nealglover - Member

I find it amazing that folks park cars out of gear.

Pretty normal really. I've been doing it for 25 years and never lost a car yet. Clearly I must know how to use a handbrake.
I'd love to see your reaction when something that's actually amazing happens.

Although its in the Highway Code for hill parking anyway, I was taught to always park in gear and not rely on just the handbrake. I can't think of a reason to not park a vehicle in gear.

In fairness, I've only got 22 years; so have a bit of catching up to do 😉

Not sure why you are arguing about its clearly better to park with handbrake on and the car in gear and the tyres towards the kerb

Whilst I am relived by the anecdote that you [ neal] have not had any issue with it clearly, as this thread shows, handbrakes do fail on occasions and these simple actions may prevent the terrible carnage of a ruined wall and a subsequent STW bicker.

Driving longer than both of you .......just

Got to agree with Junky here - is there anything to be gained by ignoring the HC advice to leave it in gear with the wheel turned towards the kerb?

Or is this just some kind of macho "I know better than the Highway Code" thing?

Clearly I must know how to use a handbrake.

Which is great - but someone could still shunt your car with theirs and send it rolling down a hill.

Post of the day.

I'm impressed that it only took 3 pages for the bitching to start.