This is a long car

[freelunch]

The length of the Superb caught me out today. To make a short story long:

 

I drove a motorcycle for the first 25 years I lived in this country. Six years ago, I was given a Renault Laguna that would have otherwise gone to charity and liked it. Not the car, particularly, although it had enough character to deserve a name. This was followed by an Alfa Romeo Brera, my favourite car since I owned a 1969 Camaro in 1980. The point is, I drove relatively short vehicles. And, I did not have accidents. Well, at least ones where I was solely responsible.

 

A couple years ago, I hired a long moving van. On my second left turn, I ran the nearside rear quarter across a bollard on the curb. I had not accounted for the length of the vehicle. On a turn, the rear wheels track inside the front wheels. The lesson cost me £250.

 

Today, in my Superb, I pulled to the curb to let a passenger out. I cut across the front of a parked car (leaving plenty of room, I thought) and the rear, just ahead of the rear wheel arch, clipped the front bumper of the 1996 Merc. The most damage was caused by the tyre and wheel, as they scrapped by the bumper of the Merc, ultimately bringing it off.

 

Clearly, I have failed to learn this basic lesson. D'oh! I left a note, but don't yet know how much this is going to cost me.

 

I feel like Homer Simpson, reaching for that six-pack dangling from the electric wires. D'oh!

 

D'oh!

 

D'oh!

[silver1011]

These things happen, although I appreciate that doesn't make it any less annoying.

 

At least you did the right thing and left a note for the other driver, sit back and let your insurance company do the rest, that's what you pay them to do.

 

The biggest regret however might be admitting your failings as the 'best driver on the road' on a public forum! 

[ColinD]

Fair play posting  Good for leaving a note, not many '96 merc's left I suspect.

 

I was learning to drive, decided to reverse up a road. Dad said I really shouldn't but not why. Concrete post 1 Citroen Estate 0, lessons learnt 1, forgotten 0 well till I drove into a rock despite swmbo saying rock.

[freelunch]

Six weeks ago, I returned to my car in the Sainsburys car park to find a scrape on the front wheel arch. No note, of course. I went spare. So, when I scraped this car, I left a note. In the ten minutes it took to take photos and write the note, I saw not a soul, but...  karma.

 

Or, is that carma?

 

Still haven't heard anything. Been on AutoTrader. The car's probably worth £150. The bonnet's wired shut. I am presuming the bumper was actually on the car when I hit it...

 

@silver1011 I'm hoping to do this without bothering the insurance company. My policy expires in six days and I'm with a new company after that. Any excess I might have to pay in this circumstance is probably more than the car is worth. 

[silver1011]

No damage to the Superb?

[freelunch]

Already sorted. I rubbed out the scuffs, touched up the tiny paint chip, polished up the alloy, washed the tyre.

 

There are two very tiny dents, a couple inches apart, in the vertical body crease just after the door shut that I can see, but most probably no one else will.  Still...

 

Double d'oh!

[freelunch]

@ColinD And that's why parking sensors are such a blessing!

[ColinD]

@freelunch indeed, not invented in the 90's.. that said I do know someone; sadly, who with a hire car, asked what the beeping was, then what the crunch was...

 

Little dents like that, leave them till you have to sort, if at all. Chances are you sort and another prang will find the same spot

[daveo138]

Probably cheaper to buy the Merc 

[CheshireBumpkin]

4 hours ago, freelunch said:

The length of the Superb caught me out today. 

 

I feel for you, and hat-tip for leaving the note. 

 

For the first couple of weeks of having mine I drove over numerous (thankfully) low kerbs with the back wheels whilst taking sharp left turns. I still can't get it into a parking space without leaving a good couple of feet sticking out. It's bl**dy long.

 

1 hour ago, ColinD said:

 I do know someone; sadly, who with a hire car, asked what the beeping was, then what the crunch was...

 

I did that in my old Octavia when it was a couple of weeks old - showing off to my brother about the parking sensors.... 

[freelunch]

Thanks! 

[LordTyrion]

First of all very honest and honourable, as we all should be. I was worried about the length of the car, it is long after all, but I trust and live by the beeps. I dare not think how many bumps I'd have in car parks without them. Great invention.

[Bud]

I can now take up 4 parking slots

 

Offset a little to ensure there is space at the sides

 

And then leave it in the space at the front and with the tow bar extended it goes well into the slots at the back

[old newbie2]

I think i'm going  to keep my old Superb 2, it's only  a bit shorter than the Mk 3, but it is narrower !

 

[IJWS15]

I learned to drive in my father's 1971 Volvo 140 (and its successor a 1978 240).  To teach me how to handle tight left hand bends we went round and round a loop in Thornaby which included a 90 degree left turn with a sharp corner (Cobden Street/Westbury Street - been reprofiled now but it was all terraced street houses then and is etched on my memory).  I got told off every time I touched the kerb and we kept going round until I had done it several times in succession without touching the kerb.

 

10 years ago I borrowed a LWB sprinter - at 22ft they are long.  After that Superb is easy - just approach corners correctly and stick the nose well out before you start to turn.  My wife won't drive it.

 

 

[Fatso]

3 hours ago, IJWS15 said:

I learned to drive in my father's 1971 Volvo 140 (and its successor a 1978 240).  To teach me how to handle tight left hand bends we went round and round a loop in Thornaby which included a 90 degree left turn with a sharp corner (Cobden Street/Westbury Street - been reprofiled now but it was all terraced street houses then and is etched on my memory).  I got told off every time I touched the kerb and we kept going round until I had done it several times in succession without touching the kerb.

 

10 years ago I borrowed a LWB sprinter - at 22ft they are long.  After that Superb is easy - just approach corners correctly and stick the nose well out before you start to turn.  My wife won't drive it.

 

 

Like you I learned to drive in my father's Volvo 240, in the Teesside area too.

 

If I remember correctly the Volvo 240 was about 16 feet long, so about the same as a Superb?

 

Unfortunately I've spent the last 30 years driving Ford Fiesta and Focus sized cars so am a bit concerned that old habits will linger and I forget about the extra length of the Superb!

[MaddicIrl]

For a 5 seater it certainly is long, the hatch (combi is slightly shorter I believe) is the exact same length as a Renault Grand Espace! Kinda puts the cars length in perspective!

[PirateSyrett]

Completely agree on the Superb, but even my very short Yeti struggles to get round some corners when you do this to it! ;-)

 

[Warrior193]

2 hours ago, PirateSyrett said:

Completely agree on the Superb, but even my very short Yeti struggles to get round some corners when you do this to it! ;-)

 

Nice rig, what lives on that?

[PirateSyrett]

1 minute ago, Warrior193 said:

Nice rig, what lives on that?

 

This.... But it really is tricky round corners then!

 

Note: not wishing to go OT please let's not get into the rights and wrongs of this. It's legal, works surprisingly well, but is not sensible under most circumstances. There I've said it....so we can now go back to the reason why my Superb's rear alloys are so scarred!

[Warrior193]

1 minute ago, PirateSyrett said:

 

This.... But it really is tricky round corners then!

 

Note: not wishing to go OT please let's not get into the rights and wrongs of this. It's legal, works surprisingly well, but is not sensible under most circumstances. There I've said it....so we can now go back to the reason why my Superb's rear alloys are so scarred!

Nowt wrong with messing around in boats though.

I rather think If more people learned to manoeuvre something a little bigger than they are accustomed to they would find it generally improves their driving skills.  

[freelunch]

40 minutes ago, PirateSyrett said:

That must take "planning ahead" to a whole 'nuther level! 

[Bud]

@PirateSyrett Glad you found it again after seeing that first picture I thought "Some git's nicked his boat"

[kezwald]

On ‎25‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 19:14, freelunch said:

Today, in my Superb, I pulled to the curb to let a passenger out. I cut across the front of a parked car (leaving plenty of room, I thought) and the rear, just ahead of the rear wheel arch, clipped the front bumper of the 1996 Merc. The most damage was caused by the tyre and wheel, as they scrapped by the bumper of the Merc, ultimately bringing it off

Regardless how good of a driver we are or think we are, even the best of us can get caught off guard or make a slight error of misjudgement. It can happen to anyone of us at any time even those that drive for a living, but this does not make you any less of a driver!

I wish everyone had the conscious to leave a note as you did

 

ive just had my whole front garden dug out and tarmacked to make a humongous drive to park the S3 in when I pick it up Monday!

 

[freelunch]

*UPDATE*

 

Apparently, the price of honesty (and not considering the length of one's vehicle when attempting sharp left turns) is £250.

 

Coincidentally, £250 is my policy excess, so not involving the insurance boys at least saved me my 'no claims' and subsequent premium hikes.

 

I was fortunate that Keith (for that was his name) did not want his entire car painted or written off. Seemed a nice chap, though we never met face-to-face.

 

I don't pretend that this was painless, but still believe that "honesty is the best policy". I'll sleep better tonight, now that this is settled.