Handbrake failure causes insurance claim

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:11
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
The scenario:

03 reg Vectra (ie still under warranty) rolls away backwards whilst parked on a sloping car park, causing damage to another car.

Handbrake fully on when parked and still on when it had hit the other car.

Handbrake actually had to be released to drive the Vectra away after the accident.

Are Vauxhall liable ??

DVD (and others): your comments please!!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:17
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - BazzaBear {P}
I would have thought the insurance company involved, given those details, would maybe be reluctant to pay out, it being damage theoretically caused by a mechanical failure?
Hmm... Now I read that back I'm less than sure, but perhaps the insurance company themselves might be interested in reclaiming costs from Vauxhall?
On the other hand, is it just that the handbrake does work, but not well enough for the steepness of the hill it was on? In which case is it just a case of a lack of maintenance?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:22
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
SWMBO (her car) advises that last service was 6000 miles ago. Vectras are on 20,000 interval.

Distance was only 2 car lengths, but car was moving enough to destroy Vectra rear bumper. Alarm went off as car started to move. Rolled across car park, hit R-reg Rover 800 Sterling and damaged bumper on that as well. Repair to Rover will exceed value no doubt.

Interesting to note that her Vectra also displays the clutch pedal return spring problem as described in What's Bad as well...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:18
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
I've just readt the Car-By-Car breakdown! HJ please amend the text under What's Bad to read MORE THAN ONE REPORT OF MULTIPLE PARKING BRAKE FAILURES!!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:21
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - L'escargot
03 reg Vectra (ie still under warranty) rolls away backwards whilst
parked on a sloping car park, causing damage to another car.
Handbrake fully on when parked and still on when it had
hit the other car.

Are Vauxhall liable ??


My guess is that Vauxhall are only liable to the extent of the warranty regarding any necessary rectification of the handbrake.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 14:50
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - smokie
A mate had exactly the same, his rolled away into a tree. Plenty of damage done, and the car was so new that they didn't have the right equipment to weld it. I'll send him this link, maybe he will add the story.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 15:16
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Truckersunite
Is this the same problem that Citreon had a few years ago? i.e. the handbrake applied on disc brakes when brakes are hot. Discs contract when they cool down so causing the brakes to be released enough for the car to roll on hills.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 20:17
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Dynamic Dave
Is this the same problem that Citreon had a few years
ago? i.e. the handbrake applied on disc brakes when brakes are
hot. Discs contract when they cool down so causing the brakes
to be released enough for the car to roll on hills.


Fraid not. The Vectra has a drum/disc set up on the rear. Drum for handbrake, disc for footbrake.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 15:17
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - GrahamF1
My boss's car did this once, but I didn't ask what the car was.

She was working from home one afternoon, and got a call from the fleet manager asking where her car was. She said outside her house, then checked and it had gone. The handbrake had failed and it rolled down the road into someone's garden. They phoned the Police, who traced the registration to the fleet, who then called her to ask what on earth was going on.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 16:09
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Dwight Van Driver
Are we not talking, despite still being under warranty, of a 2year old car that will have done mileage and a need for servicing including the handbrake. Cannot see how Vauxhall can be held to task in relation to service and maintenance of the handbrake, unless of course other incidents of the like show a defective part in make up.May well be poor workmanship at service.

As far as Plod is concerned - offence of quiting and not applying the handbrake/ fail to maintain would depend what a Vehicle Examiner came up with. Maybe holds when the disc/drums are warm but not when cold.

As far as Insurance goes they would pay out to the other vehicle and if defect proved in handbrake maybe a civil claim to claim back?

DVD
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 16:33
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
DVD, we are indeed, but we are also potentially talking about a vehicle with an inherent fault similar to that found in some Citroens??

As I said, I'm told the car couldn't be moved after it happened without releasing the handbrake.

SWMBO isn't having a good year with her Vectra so far - she only got it back from the repair shop two weeks ago after some little poured Nitromors all over it.

please don't use bad language, and please don't try and beat the swear filter by using special characters. Mark.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 20:16
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - blue_haddock
When i read the original post my first thought was of the handbrake being applied to hot discs which subsequently cooled and shrunk slightly but that would not explain the need to release the handbrake to move it afterwards.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 20:51
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - frazerjp
If parked up you should still put it in first gear has HJ still insists in his letters, otherwise the insurance company wont pay up!
--
Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Apr 2005 22:57
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - bax
If you've got to blame someone I'd be inclined to go for the Rover's owner.
Mrs LD parked her Vectra perhaps a little imprecisely - the kids were playing up or whatever - she took 'em indoors, parked 'em in front of the telly, came out to re-park and Reggie Rover had backed into her Luton Lovely.
Anyone who drives a Rover 800 must be over 70 and by definition a bit nervous...........simple.
To be fair, I haven't really thought it through but it makes more sense than listing the contents of a car's boot or the registration numbers of every car I've ever owned.
Must go. Mrs b's making the cocoa. bax
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 5 Apr 2005 08:56
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - L'escargot
Anyone who drives a Rover 800 must be over 70 and
by definition a bit nervous...........


Would you please explain how you came to that conclusion, and what you are implying?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 5 Apr 2005 09:11
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - P 2501
To be fair, I haven't really thought it through but it makes more sense than listing the contents of a car's boot or the registration numbers of every car I've ever owned.
Must go. Mrs b's making the cocoa. bax

LOL!

He's got a point.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 May 2005 14:31
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
UPDATE:

Handbrake failure was a warranty item, full replacement has been done by Vauxhall dealer under warranty.

Insurance company are in contact with Vauxhall regarding potential liability (and at least to remove claim from SWMBO's policy).

Cat and Emmissions sensor also replaced under warranty in same visit. The latter had resulted in failure of the former apparently.

SWMBO isn't having much luck (or judgement) with the Vextra though - on Friday a wagon's tyre blew out as she wa passing it on the M6 over Shap, the tyre casing hit the front of the car, damaging the bonnet (slight), grille (smashed), bumper (slight), number plate (smashed) and worst of all, pushed the bottom of the bumper into the radiator, which, although not leaking, is now curved with a 3 inch deflection in the middle!!!!

She didn't stop to get the lorry driver's details for a claim. D'OH!!!!!!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 May 2005 16:59
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Dynamic Dave
worst of all, pushed the bottom of the bumper into the radiator, which,
although not leaking, is now curved with a 3 inch deflection in the middle!!!!


I think you'll find that's actually the air-conditioning condenser. New ones cost over £250, call it £360 with fitting and a re-gas of the system. Fortunately for me I knew who owned the dog that ran out in front of me, and they paid up - eventually.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 May 2005 20:19
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - LongDriver {P}
Ouch!

It looks like a radiator to me and it's where they used to put the radiator???
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 May 2005 20:49
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Dynamic Dave
Yes, similar in design.

The radiator is behind the condenser though.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 1 May 2005 20:53
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - machika
If a car is parked facing downhill and left in reverse gear, then hit hard from behind (by a car with a faulty handbrake, say), would there be damage to the gearbox?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 11:04
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - dieseldogg
Perhaps I would be a trifle over-enthuastic in applying my handbrake ( or I was ) but I reckoned that the strain =stretch in the cables should be more than enough to compensate for the discs cooling.
btw I found the fronr disc handbrake on the BX Citroen to be very good.
Anyway if in doubt I put the lock on the front wheels so as to catch the kerb.
Cheers
M
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 12:04
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - brum

I always engage 1st gear when parking. However all 3 kids have almost had accidents when they attempted to start my car and it lurches forward almost hitting the object in front!

All 3 swear that they have not been taught anything about engaging gear when parking. Neither do they seem aware to check the gears before starting the car.

They still argue with me - "thats whats a handbrake's for Dad!". After reading this thread, I can now quote them the highway code....hehe....

I started using 1st gear to park a few years ago when, during a particularly cold winter, my car almost rolled into Ladybower dam after the rear discs cooled.

Edited by brum on 11/07/2011 at 12:09

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 13:26
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - FP

I thought it was accepted good practice to depress the clutch pedal when starting, even when the car is in neutral. Lightens the load on the starter, I was told.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 14:24
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Armstrong Sid
On some cars (recent experience includes Golf and Yaris) you simply can't start the car unless you fully depress the clutch.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 14:39
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - unthrottled

I can'r discern much difference in cranking speed with clutch in vs out. In very cold climes-the gearbox oil becauses very viscous and you need to keep the clutch in to start it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 14:45
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - unthrottled

my car almost rolled into Ladybower dam after the rear discs cooled.

Then make sure your next car has drums on the back axle- they work much better with handbrakes since shoes have more positive interaction with the drum when the cable is applied and a light pressure is sufficient to hold it!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 Jul 2011 15:03
Handbrake failure causes insurance claim - Paul G1pdc

thought the original problem on the vauxhalls where to do with the gear teeth next to the handbrake didn't mesh fully, ie just the top of the teeth engaged and over time and slight ware the handbrake would fail....they showed this on watchdog at the time...

.

ladybower, what a great part of the countryside, an amazing walk was had round there, and of course the photos/'postcards showing it as a practice sight for the dam busters raid...

(i was taught on my driving lessions in 1986/7 when parking downhill to stick it in gear with the wheels turned towards the kerb)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link