The worst car related things you've ever experienced

[Dyslexic Viking]

The worst car related things you've ever experienced.

The first is the car accident I had almost 15 years ago, the sun was low and the Hiace van in front came into shade and saw nothing and braked suddenly, then I got in the shade in my Kangoo van and saw nothing either and drove straight into him speed is uncertain but the speed limit was 70km/h. And when I got out of the van, my van was hit by a Corsa which in turn ran me down and I ended up partially under the Corsa. Came out of this surprisingly unscathed, no serious injuries except for painful knees as they hit the dashboard hard and back pain after being thrown into the asphalt. This is probably part of the reason why I now have bad knees and back.

The second one is 12 years ago. After work I started my Volvo 740 and heard a really loud noise, turned off the engine and opened the bonnet and found a feral kitten had been sleeping in the fan shroud, and when the engine started it was mutilated, I'll spare you the details but the kitten was badly injured but luckily there was a vet nearby who was able to euthanise it quickly.

What are yours?

[Barry Cade]

Putting my fingers through the spokes of the front wheel of an Aston DB9, just as it started to roll off  my truck. Sucked my fingers right in, between the caliper and wheel. I had to winch it forward to get my hand out, which basically amputated 3 fingers. Then had to get my paperwork signed and drive home from Edinburgh to the hospital, where an amazing surgeon welded them back together.

Many, many accident stories that still wake me up in a cold sweat some nights. And certain smells that set off PTSD.

[Matty]

Fucking hell lads. I fell off my Honda tl quite a lot as a kid riding trials. Couple of times it actually hurt. That's about it. Feel a bit of a soft arse now 😁

[hairnet]

headbutting the back of one at 30mph

😕

 

[High Jetter]

Being informed by a customer that the 1.3 Marina Coupe that I'd just fitted a radio/cassette into was smoking under the bonnet...

[grogee]

Being pinned to the wall by my neck by a customer whose wheelnuts I'd forgotten to tighten. 

The garage proprietor/my employer stood and watched. 

I haven't forgotten to tighten any wheelnuts since then (1992).

[reb]

Probably the time I was driving to work in the dark in the heaviest rain I can remember with about 6ft of visibility, hit a crater the size of wales and burst an alloy. Not the tyre, the alloy itself.

Limp it to a field gate and get the spare on, which was itself a pretty unpleasant experience, with the jack threatening to drop the car on me.

Back on the road, make it maybe 100ft... Another crater, burst another alloy.

Phoned work and told them I wouldn't be in, then phoned dad to get him to bring me another wheel (and to apologise for bursting two of the alloys I'd borrowed from him)

 

[Schaefft]

Wrecking my dream car after aquaplaning into the central divider on the day I was moving back from Austria. The car was a write-off(3rd party cover only as well) but many parts of it live on, including the gearbox I'm planning to put into my '95 Mark VIII.

Happened days before I would move to the UK.

[High Jetter]

7 minutes ago, grogee said:

Being pinned to the wall by my neck by a customer whose wheelnuts I'd forgotten to tighten. 

The garage proprietor/my employer stood and watched. 

I haven't forgotten to tighten any wheelnuts since then (1992).

Fair response from customer, and a life lesson learned.

[Matty]

15 minutes ago, grogee said:

Being pinned to the wall by my neck by a customer whose wheelnuts I'd forgotten to tighten. 

The garage proprietor/my employer stood and watched. 

I haven't forgotten to tighten any wheelnuts since then (1992).

Reminds me of the time, as a trainee on the overhead powerlines, that i missed a spike while swinging the big sledge hammer and caught the big Irish lad who was my foreman accross both forearms. He was holding the spike.

Haven't stopped running yet.

[Wibble]

On holiday in Scotland and rear ended by a cunt in an X5 in 2017. Claimed he was doing 3mph!

Both boys taken to hospital, I’ll never forget the “whoosh” sound as the rear screen exploded and the screaming, “what’s happening dad?”

[alcyonecorporation]

Rolling an MG Midget in 2015 and nearly losing my left eye. 

[Metal Guru]

Re-enacting an NCAP safety test (off set concrete block, 30 mph), on a small bridge on a single track road in the Scottish highlands. (Not deliberately)

“Luckily” it was only 30 mph (30-0 in less than a second hurts), and it was a strong modern car (2012 Passat).

Worst thing was the airbags went off ( only time I’d experienced them) and you could smell smoke. I thought the car was on fire for a second or two.

We escaped largely without injury although my wife had severe bruises clearly outlining the seat belt. I had a cracked sternum caused by the button of my shirt being directly under the seat belt. From then on I always check that nothing is in pockets etc under my seat belt .

[Split_Pin]

Bloody hell guys, I'm never driving again 😅

[Dobloseven]

You're all amateurs!

[Marina door handles]

Does being stuck in the motor trade for 25+ years count as a bad thing??

[TrabbieRonnie]

Years ago I rolled the work's Combo van into a field, three months into the job...  Not fast, but on a notorious stretch of road (I found out since).

I'll never forget the feeling as the front wheels just ignored steering inputs suddenly, she never came straight again out of a slight right hand bend.

I had time to think 'oh, I might be ok here', before the nearside wheels caught the offside kerb and flipped the thing over... through the fence and a good way into a field.  

Suddenly upside down (amazingly my glasses were on the grass in front of me, undamaged) with the windscreen gone, I turned the ignition off and undid the belt.  That let me get down to crawl out the driver's side window, which I'd helpfully smashed with my head. 

No pain then or afterwards, but must've looked bad to the guy who pulled up on the road... he rang an ambulance and took off, white as a sheet himself and obviously shocked at my bloody visage!

I rang my boss, who nearly lost it himself on the same patch of road, as he arrived just after the ambulance.  Thought I'd be out on my ear, but no he was great... I was taken to hospital but discharged quickly, and back at work on Monday with a brand new van!  

Apparently, the totally ruined Combo was in the scrapyard within the hour, he didn't want it looked at it seemed...

The only thing that's really stayed with me since is that feeling of 'oh shit, I've let everyone down here...'  I still love driving (obviously!), but am very careful about how and where I put my foot down, and I like to know the condition of what's underneath me in great detail.

Also, I didn't rate Vauxhall's much before that, I shudder at the thought of getting in a Combovan now🤣.

[beko1987]

Mine was collecting my green Citroen ZX TD, and having the front passenger side wheel fall off on the m25 on the way home 😂

 

It mostly taught me to not ignore vibrations THAT large. We'd pulled over and I'd checked everything for heat, pulled the wheel trims off even incase it was those but didn't check the wheel bolts... 

Carried on and it QUICKLY GOT MUCH  worse then BANG the front corner of the car dropped. I was already down to 55/60 in l1 and my immediate thought was I can't spin, I can't fucking spin.

I did hit the brakes which I think helped, as the other 3 worked well and the locked up disc making contact with the road just wore nicely away and I managed to slide it nicely onto the hard shoulder. Being a low car helped too. At the last stop mentioned above I'd offered to take eva with me (she was 3ish at the time)but Amy said no, and kept her with them (them being her now partner, the whole episode has taken me to very dark places over the years tbh 😂) and they were correct. Bless them though they spun round and drove 30 miles to come back to me and having eva in a pram on the hard shoulder made the traffic Wombles and AA come out fucking quick 👌 Once they arrived all 3 fucked off 😂

Now I always check bolts when buying (I did on the qq once I drove it 8 miles home 😂)

Still got the brake disc, I use it to hold the back gate open!

That's the white line paint 😂

Other than that I've led a thankfully boring and uneventful driving career. I've been driving alst just after some horrors have happened though, there are many places around my way that I subconsciously just slow down at. Highlights include:

The remains of 2 cars and someone did die from someone trying to reverse out of their house, only to have someone doing 70+ clip their back end on a very blind fast sweeping corner. I was maybe 20 minutes behind it on the way to work just before they closed the road but the ambo was there and it was grim.

The stereotypical small child falling off their trike just as I've come spanking round a corner ready to hit a nice straight and AAAAAH  hazards on the car behind barely skidded to a halt behind me etc, crying mother 😬 (now I'm the slow person doing 45 in a 40 through there when everyone else wants to do 60+ 🙄)

Most recently was a young lass standing infront of her dented yaris with a greyhound laying very still and crumpled a few foot infront of her... That one I nearly did stop but 3 other cars had so I carried on but did feel quite sad, she was breaking down fully poor lady, and that's again a well sighted fast straight road, the dog must have bolted across some fields to get there and it's next fence would have been the m40 😬

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Watching a Bini get launched across a roundabout into a crash barrier by a Passat when the latter changed lanes, at speed, without looking. The Bini driver (a young lassie), was stuck in the car as the door was absolutely fucked. I managed to help her get the door open. Could hear in my head her screaming for about a month or two after.

Passat driver, not a care in the world for an accident he'd caused.

 

Outside of that, it's been a mostly uneventful driving career...

[ProgRocker]

Quite a mild one. Just before Christmas 2009 it had snowed. I hadn't written out my Christmas cards and posted them so hastily done it and set out in my '99 SEAT Ibiza with summer Pirelli tyres. Put myself under a lot of psychological pressure to do it, being the people pleaser I was at the time. I should have just sent the cards by post and the recipients just accept them after Christmas day. Was very annoyed with myself.

Got round all the addresses without crashing. On the drive home driving out of a village from the last card delivery I was at the top of a hill. A mark 1 Ford Focus estate was at the bottom. My tyres lost traction and I slid into the Focus. Front end of my SEAT was destroyed but the Focus was unscathed bar some scratches on the number plate.

SEAT was written off. Got a decent insurance payout though.

[RayMK]

When @Dyslexic Viking started this thread I could not think of anything significant in my 50 years of car driving. Apart from coming off my 6 weeks old motor cycle in the early 1970s - bruised and suspected concussion, I've subsequently survived mopeds, motorcycles and cars relatively unscathed. Then a memory which I'd closed out of my mind began to emerge. Not me but my wife. About 18 years ago.  I was at work 25 miles away.  She was leaving her workplace mid afternoon to go home and prepare for a hospital appointment.  There was a phone call. It was my son.  Mum's had.....his voice broke. A policeman introduced himself and gave me the facts.  She had died at the scene of a car accident, her car being hit at about 70mph by a transit sized van when she had moved off a central reservation cross-over junction on a dual carriageway.   The air ambulance got there within minutes but nothing could be done.  I can remember saying NO, No, No before my voice broke.  That was bad but 3 hours later after my boss had taken me home, the policeman who had spoken on the phone arrived at my house to collect my son and I to identify my wife at the morgue.  That was grim.  Completely intact and normal on one side, very badly bruised on the other side.  We had been married for over 30 years.  I still flinch slightly when driving past the spot.  

Edited May 31, 2025 by RayMK
50 years, not 40.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, RayMK said:

Then a memory which I'd closed out of my mind began to emerge.

That must have been awful. Thanks for sharing, hope that wasn't too painful 

[bezzabsa]

Touch wood only accidents I have had have all been walk away able.... 1 escort Mk2 rolled (not me driving) getting rear ended by a Brand new megane - megane was about 3 foot shorter - my wagon had a black line on rear bumper, he had been watching Red arrows Training at RAF Scampton, id been passed there so many times it was becoming normal..

Worst thing was sheeting my wagon and I managed to step off the back landed flat on my back, sat there for a few seconds burst out laughing at how stupid it was, then noticed a group of workers watching me...Oh the shame!!!! still blush now when I think about it

[Dyslexic Viking]

2 hours ago, RayMK said:

When @Dyslexic Viking started this thread I could not think of anything significant in my 50 years of car driving. Apart from coming off my 6 weeks old motor cycle in the early 1970s - bruised and suspected concussion, I've subsequently survived mopeds, motorcycles and cars relatively unscathed. Then a memory which I'd closed out of my mind began to emerge. Not me but my wife. About 18 years ago.  I was at work 25 miles away.  She was leaving her workplace mid afternoon to go home and prepare for a hospital appointment.  There was a phone call. It was my son.  Mum's had.....his voice broke. A policeman introduced himself and gave me the facts.  She had died at the scene of a car accident, her car being hit at about 70mph by a transit sized van when she had moved off a central reservation cross-over junction on a dual carriageway.   The air ambulance got there within minutes but nothing could be done.  I can remember saying NO, No, No before my voice broke.  That was bad but 3 hours later after my boss had taken me home, the policeman who had spoken on the phone arrived at my house to collect my son and I to identify my wife at the morgue.  That was grim.  Completely intact and normal on one side, very badly bruised on the other side.  We had been married for over 30 years.  I still flinch slightly when driving past the spot.  

I really feel bad for starting this thread now and reminding you of this, I'm really sorry. 

[RayMK]

2 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I really feel bad for starting this thread now and reminding you of this, I'm really sorry. 

Don't be sorry.  Sometimes getting things like this off your chest helps.  Time heals.  Cars can be dangerous but I've resisted the temptation to buy a Daimler scout car.

[artdjones]

14 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

cracked sternum

I read that as a cracked scrotum first of all.

It's amazing the forces a sudden stop releases.

[artdjones]

2 hours ago, RayMK said:

a central reservation cross-over junction on a dual carriageway.

Those things are absolutely lethal.There used to be a really horrible one at Picket Post near Ringwood, which was the scene of a lot of accidents. My wife's parents lived in Dorset, and we had to use it a couple of times. It felt completely unsafe.

[RayMK]

1 minute ago, artdjones said:

Those things are absolutely lethal.There used to be a really horrible one at Picket Post near Ringwood, which was the scene of a lot of accidents. My wife's parents lived in Dorset, and we had to use it a couple of times. It felt completely unsafe.

True.  Nearly all of them are notorious for serious accidents.  There used to be a really treacherous one on the A1 near Stamford and there's still a few in Northants.  Thankfully, most of the old three lane major roads which had a central overtaking lane have gone.  They were fun before white line markings gave overtaking rights to one side or the other rather than being a free for all.

[artdjones]

41 minutes ago, RayMK said:

Thankfully, most of the old three lane major roads which had a central overtaking lane have gone.  

The A465 Heads of the Valleys road in South Wales had a terrible reputation.

[Missy Charm]

I once briefly owned an 'M' reg, 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa...