Some time ago I was following an oldish Ford Fiesta down the M4 in good weather but heavy traffic at about 45-50 mph. Suddenly and for no apparent reason the Fiesta just spun right in front of me, causing me to escape collision by violently steering onto the hard shoulder.
I have heard of this happening before years ago before the Fiesta was born, and was wondering why this should happen. Broken suspension component maybe ??
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Could have been a track rod - it happened to me once but, fortunately, I discovered it after I returned to my parked car.
Attempting to turn the steering wheel proved almost impossible and, when I investigated, I found one wheel at a completely different angle to the other.
Some half-a-hour earlier I'd been doing around 70mph on a long dual carriageway coming back from a town some 18 miles away.....
By the way it wasn't a VW...:-) The car in question was a Vauxhall Magnum 1800.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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By the way it wasn't a VW...:-) The car in question was a Vauxhall Magnum 1800.
Class car!
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A Viva with twin headlamps wasn't it?
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A Viva with twin headlamps wasn't it?
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If I recall back to those days, wasn't the 2.3 version a poor mans RS2000.
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I'd say so, I guess my favourite 'go faster' Vauxhall of that era was the Victor FE estate with the 3.3 straight 6 in it, think I only ever saw 2!
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>>Class car!>>
Excellent car for its time and the brakes (Lockheed disks front, Girling rear drums - or vice versa!) were quite superb as the front pads were competition standard.
Even after 50k the front disks, 10mm thick when new, were only down to 7mm on one side and 5mm on the other.
I'd had a new set ready after the car had reached 20k or so, but never needed to change them despite the mileage. Finally did them at just over 50k merely because it was something to do...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>> was a Vauxhall Magnum 1800. Class car!
Discreet and very quick for its day. One of the cars I fancied but never had.
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Fiestas did have a problem with the rear beam axle corroding in the area around the spring seat, and between there and the axle stub. At one point, welding these up was a regular source of work - the spring seats were available as seperate parts that you could weld onto the axle. I've seen some which were rotted so badly that I wouldn't feel safe in the car at 7mph, never mind 70!
Number_Cruncher
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Fiestas did have a problem with the rear beam axle corroding in the area around the spring seat, and between there and the axle stub. At one point, welding these up was a regular source of work - the spring seats were available as seperate parts that you could weld onto the axle. I've seen some which were rotted so badly that I wouldn't feel safe in the car at 7mph, never mind 70! Number_Cruncher
You mean, you didn't stop and help him?!
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You mean, you didn't stop and help him?!
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Under other circumstances I may have, but this was in extremely heavy traffic at rush hour, and it would have been difficult for me even to have got back to where he was after the near collision.
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Over the years I have seen many times in and around London and the home counties an old motor whose front suspension has torn out of its lacy-rust mountings causing, usually, an embarrassing graunching stop and a big scrape down the road. Must be most unpleasant.
So far this hasn't happened to me, although I have driven Morris 1000s, Austin and Morris 1100s and a Marina, all of which especially the 1100s I have seen in this terminal predicament.
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Two incidents.
Once I was driving behind one of our notorious minibus taxis, and the right rear wheel started coming out. Yes, OUT!
Driveshaft had separated, and the wheel was suddenly 6 inches outside the fender. Then lost completely. Fully laden minibus falls onto road ... lots of sparks etc! Wheel (with shaft attached) disapperaed into the bushes!
Another time, was driving somebody to the local airport. As we went down the approach road, there was a car pulling a trailer filled with rocks ahead of us (landscape gardener?). As I pulled out to pass, the wheel of the trailer came off, and we drove along with the damn thing bouncing along beside us!!!!
Obviously the trailer was down on the deck, showering rocks and bits of metal all over the show!
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It happened to my old 1984 Audi 80 quattro while I was driving home in rush hour traffic. It made a *big* clang then grinding noises with the car listing heavily to the front nearside. The bottom wishbone had snapped, the wheel was half hanging off and had been shunted backwards wrecking the wing and the sill. As it was 4 wheel drive I was able to lock the diffs and force it up the kerb to keep traffic moving. Luckily I was only doing about 20mph at the time; would not have fancied it happening at high speed...
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Once I was driving behind one of our notorious minibus taxis, and the right rear wheel started coming out. Yes, OUT! Driveshaft had separated, and the wheel was suddenly 6 inches outside the fender. Then lost completely. Fully laden minibus falls onto road ... lots of sparks etc! Wheel (with shaft attached) disappeared into the bushes!
For anyone who has ever known South African Black Taxis, this story comes as no surprise! Take a clapped-out Toyota Hi-Ace, fill it with twenty willing passengers and drive it at a breakneck speed in every direction at once and there you have driving at its wildest! They certainly liven up the streets of Johannesburg!
e Prof
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I nearly spun my Fiesta on the M56 once. I had to brake suddenly when the car passing me cut across me to expire on the hard shoulder, and I found myself skidding sideways down the road with a 38 tonner bearing down on me. After fighting the wheel for what felt like minutes got straigtened up, and able to carry on. The unoccupied child seat was thrown clear across the back seat.
Obviously I took the car to a garage the next day, who diagnosed a worn bottom ball joint which they changed for £50. Thankfully there were no recurrences of the half spin.
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Obviously I took the car to a garage the next day, who diagnosed a worn bottom ball joint which they changed for £50. Thankfully there were no recurrences of the half spin.
Ditto on my K reg Fiesta (company car!). Garage diagnosed it as worn universal joint. You would turn the wheel, get no steering, then suddenly far too much steering. Roundabouts were interesting!
Scary thing was, my firm insisted that i still turn up for work and refused to give me a replacement car until the garage could take the car. Once the service manager explained the severity to the fleet manager, a then brand new Mondeo appeared within 2 hours.....
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Coming home along the M62 Westbound past Warrington this evening (about half 5) there was a Citroen Xsara facing totally the opposite direction, tight to the armco on the hard shoulder with a bashed in front bumper.
Had obviously somehow spun and it had literally just happened as the driver was walking up the embankment on his mobile.
I didn't see it happen, but the traffic in front of me didn't slow down as we came up to it. There seeemed to be a little bit of debris on the carriageway.
No other vehicles around that could have been involved, either. It was fairly heavy rain though.
Most unusual thing to see, especially since the traffic carried on flowing as normal!
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