Another loss of a 5er :( - BMW Forum

sp0rky · 04-21-2006, 08:38 AM

Hey guys,
Today another 5 was wrecked. The black e34 in my sig pic.
Haven't had it for very long, but put LOTS of money into it. The tire decided to blow out on the freeway and I somehow managed to keep the car from hitting the center divide. Although its considered an unsafe place, I wasn't in a lane and it's where the car wanted to go... it was so squirly after the blow out, I didn't have much of a choice as to where I wanted to "safely" stop the car. 15 - 30 seconds later, I was rear ended by a car who was traveling at freeway speeds. They knicked the right rear corner and body damage was somewhat minimal considering the circumstances, but they also hit the rim which was bent and the car has some serious camber and toe issues now. A normal car drives straight like this | and now this one drives straight like this / if you can imagine what I'm talking about. The police officer said on the loudspeaker that my car looked like a crab on the freeway.

Everybody was ok, untouched, no scratches, nothing. Have a sore back, but I'm sure it's just stress. The car did its job and saved me and my passenger (mother - she had the day off and I was taking her to lunch) and it turned on it's hazard lights, etc. Excellent safety. I will be buying another. I'm not sure if they are going to total it yet, but several body shops have said that when the suspension of an older rwd car gets tweaked, it's usually expensive and it can cause costly damages down the road. I can't get out my JL subs, PPI amp, Clarion deck, etc, etc. I hope I don't lose EVERYTHING on the car.

Like the police officer said, though, we're all safe and thats what matters. Thank you BMW.

I have some crap cam phone pictures that I can't get onto my computer for some odd reason, but if I can I will post them.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

vwk · 04-21-2006, 08:48 AM

Never visit this part of the forum, but sorry to hear this

Can't you keep your car if it's totalled? Over here you're free to do whatever you want to do with your car when it's declared totalled, so then you can use the parts from your totalled 5-er...

In that way you wouldn't lose the money spend, or am I thinking wrong here?

Anyhow, glad you're ok. Just watch out with your back..... I'm speaking from experience, unfortunately.

Eric S. · 04-21-2006, 08:54 AM

Sporky,
Sorry to hear about that unfortunate incident. Man, that sucks, but at least you have your health. There are thousands more E34's out there, but there probably aren't very many that look as nice as yours. Oh well, as long as the insurance works out as it should, the major stuff will be taken care of.

You have my heartfelt sympathy.

cnn · 04-21-2006, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric S.

Sporky,
Sorry to hear about that unfortunate incident. Man, that sucks, but at least you have your health. There are thousands more E34's out there, but there probably aren't very many that look as nice as yours. Oh well, as long as the insurance works out as it should, the major stuff will be taken care of.

You have my heartfelt sympathy.

On hwy tire blow-out:
-do not panic
-keep driving traight if possible
-reduce speed to 40-50 mph if possible; BUT NOT 20 mph or you will get rear-ended
-hit hazard blinker ASAP
-pull off the hwy safely, the tire can always be replaced but safety should never be compromised.

I know it is too late but knowing these steps ahead of the event will make us prepare for this kind of stuff.

cn

Torque · 04-21-2006, 12:16 PM

I am very sorry to hear that, but I am glad that you, your mother and everyone else is ok. That's all that matters really ... cars can be replaced, a life can't.

Is that shragon's old e34?

sp0rky · 04-21-2006, 05:59 PM

Yeah, thats shragon's old car...

Thanks for the advice about what to do in a blowout situation. I did panic a bit when I lost control of the car briefly and there were other cars around me and it wanted to pull to the center divide. I had a hard time keeping it straight. The police officer also told me about what should have been done, but I was unable to think that fast.

Thanks for the kind words everybody.

superdeadman · 04-21-2006, 06:09 PM

glad you're fine

da_bull · 04-21-2006, 06:10 PM

I'm not driving my car anymore. Torques was a small hit, yours was worse, mine would go end over end at highway speeds. Sorry to hear about your car, but glad you and your mom are ok. Thank goodness for German engineering and safety built in. Everybody can tell you what you shoulda done, but its different when its you. My right rear went flat at 75 mph last August, and I was lucky it went down slowly, leaving me time to get into the right lane and shoulder and get it shut down.

Buy your next E34 (post-'90 of course) green w/ tan interior and I'll trade ya. That'll be my next car if I trade.

Torque · 04-21-2006, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by da_bull

I'm not driving my car anymore. Torques was a small hit, yours was worse, mine would go end over end at highway speeds. Sorry to hear about your car, but glad you and your mom are ok. Thank goodness for German engineering and safety built in. Everybody can tell you what you shoulda done, but its different when its you. My right rear went flat at 75 mph last August, and I was lucky it went down slowly, leaving me time to get into the right lane and shoulder and get it shut down.

Buy your next E34 (post-'90 of course) green w/ tan interior and I'll trade ya. That'll be my next car if I trade.

There's a '91 525 with a 5sp near me and it's green on tan ... but it has 180k miles and guy wants 4 grand for it. If it had 30k less, I'd pick it up right now.

CosmosBlack · 04-21-2006, 11:22 PM

Sorry to hear that Sporky! Glad you're fine though.
And you're right, when something like that happens, you don't even know what hit you, it's natural to panic, especially with traffic all around you. So don't feel bad at all. I bet the next time it happens you'll handle it like a pro!

ozarkmark · 04-24-2006, 11:34 PM

Sporky - glad you are OK. It sucks you had this happen, especially with Mom in the car.

If the insurance doesn't total it out, take it to Midas! They can fix anything as far as I am concerned. lol....

Seriously - glad it wasn't worse. You have helped me with alot of questions on here and enjoy reading your post.

LadyBim · 04-25-2006, 04:37 PM

Sporky......very sorry to read your post but am very pleased that both you and your mom are fine. Could have been a lot worse...glad to hear your BMW kept you both safe !

LadyBim