 Crashed my car!
Just got back from ThinkMINI after having new front arm bushes fitted (who are extremely friendly and helpful - thanks Adrian!)...
After driving back from Worc to Nottingham, I was 2 minutes away from home, when I hit some oil or god knows what, on a roundabout. The car's back end slid away, and I was unable to control it fully - car slid left, right, up a kerb and into and onto a road sign. All airbags deployed and the windows dropped a couple of inches to allow the dust to clear (nice feature BMW!). I'm ok, just a bruised thumb / hand from the steering wheel, and no passengers.
Anyway, bumper was slightly mangled on the drivers side, passenger window pillar had cracked a piece off at the top (surely not a good sign...), passenger seat belt clip was crushed (another bad sign...), and car was sat on top of the signs concrete base.
I'm hoping the seat belt clip is crushed because of the tensioner which had pulled it downwards, and not because of some hidden issue...bit worried about the pillar cracking at the top though, as the only damage was bumper and underneath (whatever that may be).
Big thanks to the witness and passenger who stopped (only person to stop out of 10+ cars around), an off duty paramedic who stopped, the two people who asked if I was ok or needed a phone, whilst I was waiting for the police to arrive, and the Highway Agency who turned the electrics off to the sign! Big big thanks to the officer who attended site! Poor guy had to stand in the rain, as his car was parked on the roundabout to protect me / my car. And also to the recovery guy!
Not impressed with Elephant though...had me on the phone for 20 mins before even calling a recovery vehicle (this is after me telling them I was half on / off a busy roundabout. Even asked me if the police was charging me for the sign, and explained how much I had to shell out etc...I'm not bothered, I just need rescuing!!!
They also got the recovery guy to take me and the car to a bodyshop...which was shut. Then told the recovery guy to take the car to his depot, and to leave me to call a taxi!!! Recovery guy dropped me home though, where I called Elephant and asked for it to go to BMW instead...which it is on Monday. Unfortunately, it means I won't get a courtesy car until Monday. If I'd left the car to be taken to the insurance companies bodyshop, I would have had to wait until Monday AND only if the car was fixable...I'd get a hire car if it was a right off! Nice, thanks!
I think I might try and get BMW to quote for an Aero bumper...what do you reckon? Possible?
Ok, now the moment you've all been waiting for / dreading...the car doesn't look too bad, but worried about the underneath of it. Excess of £560 on whatever needs doing...including street sign! | 
Aug 9th, 2008, 01:41 PM
Never nice, but you are ok (which is the important thing) and hopefully your MCS is repairable! 
) and can be fixed.
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