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Old Banger


Diz
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The old banger being me, not the car. Today I reversed my pride and joy WR1 into a stansion at a filling station I'd never used before, as the pump I'd pulled up at initially didn't have superunleaded. Bright sunlight blinding me from behind, and looking in the wing mirror for cars coming in, I didn't spot the pillar immediatley behind me. First I knew of it was a loud bang. On inspection, my expression could have been the basis for 'The Scream'. At least I didn't hit a petrol pump. When I fessed up the woman said countless people have done the same, and one guy even panned in his hatchback window.

 

Bashed in boot although the frame inside is intact (it still opens but is a bit harder to shut than before), bashed bumper, bottom of spoiler and light cracked, also require new number plate. Utterly miserable, as I drove home in shame I passed my boyfriend who had stopped at the shop and I had to laugh when I saw his expression in the rear view mirror. My baby brute has been reversed into the driveway to spare further embarassment, especially as my boss lives opposite and I won't hear the end of it...

 

We have a few mates in the motor trade who are going to try to help out with repairs at a reasonable cost. Going through the insurance is probably not a good idea. If anyone else has had similar misfortune I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on how bad you think the damage is and if you had to take out a mortgage to repair it. Before and after photos of my shame attached. FWIW I have never banged any vehicle before. Typically I bang the one that is most expensive to fix!

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what a shame - but it is easily done - have been caught like that myself. :mellow:

 

plastic bumper might be sorted it heat the boot lid you may be able to hammer out the spoiler however my be where the big cost is due to replacement and paint match. I wouldnt go the insurance route myslef as I try and keep no claims discount etc which enables me to get reasonable insurance for sports cars in the first place :wacko:

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Hey Diz hope you all had a good new year. 

:( sorry to see those pictures I bet you was gutted. I know I was once bit like you, was reversing into a space both car's was parked close to the parking spot but not to be deterred and showing off my amazing reverse skills I presided to attempt to wedge myself into it using only my mirrors as guidance I got the sudden jolt of shame as I came crashing back down to earth hit a  lamp post knocked the rear spoiler off and a small dint in the boot think the spoiler took most of the impact :( lucky it wasn't to bad managed to get the dint out a bit and repair the spoiler with no cost other than my pride :( I'd never claim on the insurance. I look at it as another form of tax with a safety incase I crash into someone, I wouldn't even claim even if I binned my car  as long as nobody else was involved anyway. 

 

I'd look at a full boot lid and spoiler from a breakers see a few silver cars being broken might get lucky. 

And as Jay said have a look 1st see if you can push them out. 

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Thanks Jay. Your avatar car is a beauty. 

 

My car is 10 years old and there was a tiny bit of rust starting under the spoiler that needs attention, so the paint spray was on the cards anyway. That's life.

 

I am so annoyed with myself. I can't blame anyone else for this, although another petrolhead neighbour came to have a word about something else just as I got home and I told him what happened - turned out he had done exactly the same thing, in the same filling station.

 

I'll post updates on how it goes. I have been an absent friend, was on hols and been busy starting up new business - in powdercoating, ironically. Think we should look at spray painting too!

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Maybe you should get a written testiment from your neighbour with what happened to them and see if you can get something from the garage ?

May be a waste of time but you nver know if it's a known problem could get lucky

I managed to write of an a class merc once while reversing and i wasn't even in it but it was till my fault

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Gambit, that's my feelings on insurance too. They get you one way or the other, and even if you drive responsibly in a car like this it seems the law is gunning for you and will thrash you to within an inch of your life when they can. I take pride in disappointing them. Besides it's far classier to slow the traffic and flash a police car out of a side street. I do this on the bikes as well. And it's more fun to sit on their tail than have them sit on mine ;-)

 

Been looking at breakers for parts, will wait to hear from our contact whose laptop I am fixing (nice timing) before I make a move. As I said to Jay, I'll post how I get on with this. 

 

This forum is very supportive. When bikers meet each other in a car park we stop and chat. Same with Scooby drivers. I just don't think it would be the same in a Ford Fiesta owners club...

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Don't worry we've all done things like this.i once pulled up at the shop Facing my mate in his car, Reving my van flat out as if to drive into him.i put it in reverse and wrote off a cavalier which had parked right behind me second before.good luck with your repair, she looks nice and together for an older bird.

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Stanton, I had thought that the woman in the garage gave it up a bit quick re how many people had reversed into the same pillar but couldn't prove she said that. Not sure how I would go about claiming liability for a post being in the way of where I was backing up to, although the post clearly had old damage. Only possible grounds I could think of was the garage advertises superunleaded, or whatever the BP name for it is, but only has it at one pump. I just can't think of a way I could prove that someone negligently left a stansion in a silly place! I only went to this filling station because I was running on fumes*, but aside from the accident it has a layout I really don't like.

 

*That fuel level really goes down once it is past the quarter way mark!

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Exup, I wish it was my old cavalier you'd busted as it didn't make it's MoT and wasn't worth repairing! Thanks for the kind words, I feel a bit less rubbish given the responses from you guys x

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Just out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about National Lottery £5 scratchcards with 5 games? We never buy these things but my boyfriend just brought one back from the shop to cheer me up and it looks like we won £10 and got a ruby (£1000) in game 5. Does that really mean we have won £1000? If so then life doesn't suck quite so bad and he no longer needs to learn how to play You shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC on the guitar for me to accept his proposal ;-)

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I had a £5 scratch card bought for me at christmas and won nothing  :lol: so other than that I can't advise :D But massive bonus if you have pay for car repair at least :D

 

And I agree the Subaru is one of the closest things to being on bikes with 4 wheels I love how Subaru owners wave to each other when passing it's like a big family :)

And the Police are not to bad round here I've never been stopped yet I believe they see the car's maybe check details and think most of us that have these cars that are nice respect them and look after them so don't bother me. But that could be wishful thinking and a bit of luck. Might be waiting to prove me wrong :D And like you I do slow down and let the odd copper out on purpose ;)

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almost 23:00 several cervesa's with SC chasers and all I can say is - Diz you crack me up, some funny stuff there  :D especially the accadacca commitment before commitment pure class!!  

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A wee update...

 

Tonight BF and his buddy went off to visit a guy who knocks dinks out of cars and resprays them. Unfortunately he had bug-eyed off and didn't see it, but has requested we leave it with him tomorrow night and he'll repair it. The guy has a great reputation for working miracles, but under the circumstances I am keeping Gambit's info on breaking silver Scoobies in mind, thanks for that dude.

 

And FWIW you need a diamond to win whatever the amount noted underneath is, so BF is back to watching 'How to play AC/DC...' videos on YouTube. At least he tried, bless him, and we did win a tenner.

 

After photos by the weekend - I hope! Thanks again folks.

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Some good news :) I'm sure if he's good he will get that ding out with little effort I've seen some jobs done I didn't think was possible :D

And you're very much welcome as always :) 

And a tenner isn't bad as Tesco say "Every Little Helps" :D

And I'm sure your BF is better than me at playing a guitar I can break strings thats about it :lol:  

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Well guys, BF swapped me cars earlier today and the repairer says £700 as long as I supply the boot and the bumper. Ouch. It would appear I have slightly damaged the subframe, which the guy can pull out with a jig. I didn't think I'd hit the thing that !Removed! hard, although he suggested I'd done a wheel spin. Reversing in a petrol station? I think not.

 

For that amount he'll do the needful and spray paint it. There is also a wee bit of rust on the frame above the passenger door that he can tackle too, don't know if that's included. Curious to get a second opinion though...

 

Oh I really could just shoot myself. What a fud. But I only have an air rifle for taking out rats in the duck coup, so it wouldn't finish the job and the piddling injury would just add to my annoyance.

 

Ash, your cartoons are a tonic, thanks for a much needed laugh.

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Shame you didn't know someone else to have it re looked at. Did you price up a 2nd hand boot and spoiler ? 

 

I'm sure the bugeye boots would fit if it's pick up only just arrange a courier to pick it up. I wouldn't think be that much STI spoiler on the Blobeye was only about £40 P&P from Ireland.

BOOT LIDS 

SPOILER 

BUMPER

Bumpers a bit over priced but could make an offer or look for another one. The above was from just the 1st search. 

 

About what I paid for a spoiler £280 inc P&P as it was an auction and from Ireland as I said before. Just a matter of sorting the Subframe that might not even been damaged :) but could save pennies doing it this way.

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Those are great links Gambit, thanks for that. Wish I'd seen it before I went rampaging around the internet.

 

I did a bit of searching and found a boot lid for £40 and a bumper for £100. Postage is £80 total, so not too bad.

 

The spolier can be repaired, but I called local Subaru dealership and they are looking for a spoiler light replacement for me as all I could find were stickers. Stickers saying Subaru? WTF. Is it not already obvious what the car is?! As noted the boot needed a wee bit of rust touched up so overall that was on the cards anyway.

 

Car repair will be not this coming week but next. In the meantime I will do the Drive of Shame, you know, like the Walk of Shame when you are walking home from a party in your glad rags on a Sunday morning, only more embarassing.

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