Urgent Please Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
08-15-2004, 03:47 PM
#28
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Hey... that is bad!! I would start compliling your data for a stern conversation with Mazda. Police reports, witness report, sketch the accident etc... Youre lucky the car did'nt flip.
- Irish
- Irish
08-15-2004, 04:48 PM
#30
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After looking at all of the pictures from the scene I would be interested to see pics from where the spin started. After looking at the provided pics it appears that the spin began from the shoulder and there are no pics that show a straight line lock-up. Traveling at that speed if the wheels locked up suddenly there would be some measure of straight line skid, instead all we see are skids from what appears to be an oversteer spin. I am not trying to say that the accident did not happen the way you describe it, I am merely stating that it does not "appear" from the pictures you have provided that this was a mechanical induced spin rather than a driver error spin. Again my opinion.
Either way it is sad to see an 8 with this sort of damage. It does not look to be totaled unless the frame is tweaked, but it appears the damage is forward enough to prevent totaling the car.
As for the front airbags, they only deploy in a frontal collision, even though your car suffered an impact to the front the impact was from the side and that is why the curtain and side airbags deployed and not the front.
Good luck on the repairs.
Either way it is sad to see an 8 with this sort of damage. It does not look to be totaled unless the frame is tweaked, but it appears the damage is forward enough to prevent totaling the car.
As for the front airbags, they only deploy in a frontal collision, even though your car suffered an impact to the front the impact was from the side and that is why the curtain and side airbags deployed and not the front.
Good luck on the repairs.
08-15-2004, 04:54 PM
#31
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Thats f'in crazy. Dude there is a serious electrical problem with your car. Somethings triggering the saftey futures on your car like dsc or something. You might have gotten a car that was a dud. I am sure this is not a common occurance, otherwise we would have read about this long ago. Glad your still here. Curious about the air bags did they all deploy?
08-15-2004, 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted by rob3379
What is also disturbing is that the front airbag did not deploy and the front suffered a big impact.
It looks like the side airbags deployed, and the damage on the side doesn't seem nearly as bad as on the front. The front airbags should have deployed!
I would say the car is definitely a total loss. You will be better off if the insurance company declares it a total loss, that's for sure.
08-15-2004, 05:09 PM
#33
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It does not look to be totaled unless the frame is tweaked, but it appears the damage is forward enough to prevent totaling the car.
Air Force...
I agree. However, the car was going around a right sweeping bend. My guess is he was heading for the curb in a straight line and immediately reacted and tried to componsate.
I also think the car will be totalled. The damage appears to be about the same as "maz maxs' " which ended up being totalled due to over $20k in damage. Once he airbags deploy...it's usually game over.
I'm the same...good luck with the repairs and be thankful your alive!!
- Irish
Air Force...
I agree. However, the car was going around a right sweeping bend. My guess is he was heading for the curb in a straight line and immediately reacted and tried to componsate.
I also think the car will be totalled. The damage appears to be about the same as "maz maxs' " which ended up being totalled due to over $20k in damage. Once he airbags deploy...it's usually game over.
I'm the same...good luck with the repairs and be thankful your alive!!
- Irish
08-15-2004, 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by irish8
It does not look to be totaled unless the frame is tweaked, but it appears the damage is forward enough to prevent totaling the car.
Air Force...
I agree. However, the car was going around a right sweeping bend. My guess is he was heading for the curb in a straight line and immediately reacted and tried to componsate.
I also think the car will be totalled. The damage appears to be about the same as "maz maxs' " which ended up being totalled due to over $20k in damage. Once he airbags deploy...it's usually game over.
I'm the same...good luck with the repairs and be thankful your alive!!
- Irish
Air Force...
I agree. However, the car was going around a right sweeping bend. My guess is he was heading for the curb in a straight line and immediately reacted and tried to componsate.
I also think the car will be totalled. The damage appears to be about the same as "maz maxs' " which ended up being totalled due to over $20k in damage. Once he airbags deploy...it's usually game over.
I'm the same...good luck with the repairs and be thankful your alive!!
- Irish
At first you say the damage is forward enough that it will prevent totalling the car, then you say you think the car will be totalled?
Anyway, I am guessing that the frame probably IS tweaked, at least a little!
Look at the picture that shows the damage to the rear portion of the car on the drivers side. There is more damage than to just the front of the car.
08-15-2004, 05:44 PM
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I still think the damage is forward enough to prevent significant frame damage. The area hit is designed to be a crumple zone and is fixable, had the 8 struck the cement pole rear of the wheel I would think significant frame bending would have occurred. As for the damage to the rear from the "plant entrance" sign it is cosmetic and would not have done any major damage. Yes this will be expensive, but will it be enough to consider it totalled? Let us know what the adjuster says...
08-15-2004, 05:46 PM
#37
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Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin
Aren't you being contradictory?
At first you say the damage is forward enough that it will prevent totalling the car, then you say you think the car will be totalled?
Anyway, I am guessing that the frame probably IS tweaked, at least a little!
Look at the picture that shows the damage to the rear portion of the car on the drivers side. There is more damage than to just the front of the car.
At first you say the damage is forward enough that it will prevent totalling the car, then you say you think the car will be totalled?
Anyway, I am guessing that the frame probably IS tweaked, at least a little!
Look at the picture that shows the damage to the rear portion of the car on the drivers side. There is more damage than to just the front of the car.
The first quote was actually from USAF..... I don't know why it did'nt load right!! I think it's totalled.
- Irish
08-15-2004, 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by rob3379
The picsof the car and the accident scene can be found here.
www.pictures.southernitsolutions.net
They are named RX the number and so on.
www.pictures.southernitsolutions.net
They are named RX the number and so on.
rx8cited
08-15-2004, 09:47 PM
#41
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Glad to c u are ok. Bob i think the car is no problem. maybe ur tired be locked cuz of something else. i think the #1 one is. u in some low rpm. when u driving 20mph. use 2 gear. and maybe u are not contraling the clutch very well. cuz when u let go the clutch very fast. may killed the engine. and the #2 is when u using cruising don't shift. cuz the rpm will be set. if u push the clutch
may locked the wheel. or do something weird thing just like happend to u.
hope they will fix ur car well.
Good luck
may locked the wheel. or do something weird thing just like happend to u.
hope they will fix ur car well.
Good luck
08-16-2004, 12:41 AM
#42
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First, glad to hear you are OK.
Second, I know what's coming from Mazda (i.e. the interrogation), so my advice to you is to calmly go over what you did before, after, and during the accident in your head. There are some good theories here already that may help you remember a bit better. The clearer you explain it to Mazda the more chance they will have of finding the cause, and believe me, they will want to find the cause!
One big question for me is was the transmission etc. still locked AFTER the accident? Or did you just pop the car out of gear, back into neutral and have it loaded on a tow truck. You may have to ask the tow truck drivers if they loaded it while you were still in shock.
I don't know what happened here, it sounds so rare that one instantly thinks "could it have been the driver?" Whatever, most important is whether you are sasitfied with Mazda's investigation or not. Let us know how it goes.
Oh, and there is no 'Black Box' recorder on automobiles. All the PCM records are error codes, and sensor values when the error occured. There is a separate tool dealers use to record live data, but that is manual (you push the 'record' button when the fault occurs and it records xy minutes of data).
Second, I know what's coming from Mazda (i.e. the interrogation), so my advice to you is to calmly go over what you did before, after, and during the accident in your head. There are some good theories here already that may help you remember a bit better. The clearer you explain it to Mazda the more chance they will have of finding the cause, and believe me, they will want to find the cause!
One big question for me is was the transmission etc. still locked AFTER the accident? Or did you just pop the car out of gear, back into neutral and have it loaded on a tow truck. You may have to ask the tow truck drivers if they loaded it while you were still in shock.
I don't know what happened here, it sounds so rare that one instantly thinks "could it have been the driver?" Whatever, most important is whether you are sasitfied with Mazda's investigation or not. Let us know how it goes.
Oh, and there is no 'Black Box' recorder on automobiles. All the PCM records are error codes, and sensor values when the error occured. There is a separate tool dealers use to record live data, but that is manual (you push the 'record' button when the fault occurs and it records xy minutes of data).
Last edited by Mr M; 08-16-2004 at 12:45 AM.
08-16-2004, 05:36 PM
#43
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Originally Posted by ptiemann
hard to believe.. he writes he was driving @ 50-55 mph and shifted into 5th.
If he was in 4th (sounds reasonable) and shifts up, at worst he would've gone into 3rd gear instead of 5th. I mean, going from 4th to 5th means you intend to move the stick to the RIGHT, I can see that you miss the move to the right and end up in 3rd but to 1st (the left!) ???
If he had been downshifting from 6th to 5th, again, one could make a mistake and pull to the left unintended and end up in 3rd.. but not in 1st.
55 mph can be handled perfectly well in any gear from 3rd to 6th, I believe even in 2nd gear.
My bet is that he shifted properly and something else was wrong and the computer log will prove it.
-Peter
If he was in 4th (sounds reasonable) and shifts up, at worst he would've gone into 3rd gear instead of 5th. I mean, going from 4th to 5th means you intend to move the stick to the RIGHT, I can see that you miss the move to the right and end up in 3rd but to 1st (the left!) ???
If he had been downshifting from 6th to 5th, again, one could make a mistake and pull to the left unintended and end up in 3rd.. but not in 1st.
55 mph can be handled perfectly well in any gear from 3rd to 6th, I believe even in 2nd gear.
My bet is that he shifted properly and something else was wrong and the computer log will prove it.
-Peter
Everyone can conjecture about this but if the insurance company or Mazda feels necessary, they will engage an accident reconstruction expert. The majority of unintentional acceleration incidents were proven to be operator error - standing on the gas despite the insistance by the driver that they were on the brakes.
08-16-2004, 06:18 PM
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If a person mistakenly downshifts from fourth, or sixth into first, and the rev limiter kicks in, what would be the car's reaction? My thought (but I know little, admittedly) would be that the car would dramatically slow, but not "lock up". I also know that when dramatically and mistakenly downshifting, as you release the clutch you have a lot of time to get the clutch back in before the engine revs too high - my thought on reading the original description was he hit the brakes, hard, in response to something gone wrong (like a bad shift). Or a problem with the ABS or TSC/DSC system. Curious, am looking forward to the resolution...
PS to Zoom - did you wait to be the 44th message in the thread, or was that a coincidence???
PS to Zoom - did you wait to be the 44th message in the thread, or was that a coincidence???
Last edited by affenage; 08-16-2004 at 06:21 PM.
08-16-2004, 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by affenage
If a person mistakenly downshifts from fourth, or sixth into first, and the rev limiter kicks in, what would be the car's reaction? My thought (but I know little, admittedly) would be that the car would dramatically slow, but not "lock up". I also know that when dramatically and mistakenly downshifting, as you release the clutch you have a lot of time to get the clutch back in before the engine revs too high - my thought on reading the original description was he hit the brakes, hard, in response to something gone wrong (like a bad shift). Or a problem with the ABS or TSC/DSC system. Curious, am looking forward to the resolution...
One question to the OP, how do you hold the shifter when you shift?
08-17-2004, 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin
People keep talking about downshifting, but I was under the impression that he was upshifting to 5th gear.
08-17-2004, 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by NomisR
That doesn't mean he can't misshift though, common rookie mistake even if they have experience with a manual before. 6 spd has closer shift gates than normal 5 spds do.