Reply With Quotecouldn't turn it off, downshift *OR* shift into neutral eh?
hmmm...
That poor b@stard...
UK man travels 60 miles at 130 mph with stuck accelerator
Posted Mar 13th 2006 5:00PM by John Neff
Filed under: Maintenance
Depending on your personality a 60-mile blitz at top speed on the highway might be a fun way to spend an afternoon, but for Kevin Nicolle, a 25-year-old UK gentleman, his experience at terminal velocity in a malfunctioning BMW 318 was anything but fun.
The accelerator pedal on Nicolle’s BMW became stuck to the floor while traveling on the A1 and because the engine kept bouncing off the rev-limiter he was unable to shift the car into neutral. The Bimmer’s brakes kept the car traveling at a reasonable rate of speed for a bit until they gave out under the stress and away Mr. Nicolle went.
Four police cars tried to keep up with the runaway 318 but couldn’t as a hysterical Nicolle tried to keep it together while swerving in and out of traffic. Unable to stop the vehicle he eventually rolled it trying to navigate a roundabout located nearly 60 miles after the ordeal began.
Nicole fortunately emerged from the wreck unharmed but severely shaken. Local police have decided not to charge the man (Gee, thanks) and BMW has requested to examine what’s left of the car.
S.
couldn't turn it off, downshift *OR* shift into neutral eh?
hmmm...
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I was thinking the same thing...I callOriginally Posted by rx7gslse
Hmm. The test pilot's mantra: Keep trying things.
1) Turn off the car. Maybe that causes steering issues, but done in a straight spot might work fine. And you could always turn it back on if it didn't work.
2) Take the car out of gear and let it blow itself up. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's less expensive (and less dangerous) than rolling it.
3) Smoke the brakes off it to get it slowed down enough to run off in the grass or hit something at a slow speed to stop it. Maybe use the emergency brake to work the rear brakes only to get it slowed down a bit, then use the fronts (that aren't as hot) to stop it.
4) Pull some fuses. It's a thought. ("Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?...Dave... I really think I'm entitled to an answer to that question...I know everything hasn't been quite right with me, but I can assure you now, very confidently, that it's going to be alright again...I feel much better now, I really do...Look, Dave, I can see you're really upset about this...I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over...I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal...I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission, and I want to help you...Dave...stop...stop, will you...stop, Dave...will you stop, Dave...stop, Dave...I'm afraid...I'm afraid, Dave...Dave...my mind is going...I can feel it...I can feel it...my mind is going...there is no question about it...I can feel it...")
5) Pray to your new God i-Drive to please, please, please let you out. Pretty please. With oil on top. Or money.
Yeah, I know. The computer might not let you do some of that. I just refuse to believe that in 60 minutes of driving the guy couldn't figure out ANY way to stop the car.
Chuck
There's not a single production car built today that can overpower it's brakes, i.e., that even with the engine stuck wide open the brakes won't bring the car to a very rapid halt. Not a Ferrari. Not a Porsche. Not a Viper, Lamborghini, Corvette, or Aston.
Certainly not a 1.8L, 4 banger Bimmer.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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