One less

[Driver Matt]

Just had a new clutch, cam belt service and fixed the aircon. Massive bill for just under £6,000. Took the car out yesterday in the dry and the rear end felt as though the rear tyres were soft but nothing too dramatic.

Today I was giving a lift home to a friend, pissing down but we were only going about 50. Pretty neutral throttle. Car leapt across the road and attacked the hedge on the other side of the road. Two or three complete revolutions. All four corners had a go at attacking the innocent hedge.
Most of the visible damage is to the near side, door, front and rear wings. I'm pretty sure that the underneath is pretty well rearranged. No airbag deployment.
Has anyone else ever had a similar incident ? I can still not believe the speed that this happened. I would say less than 1/2 second from driving straight and even to being buried in a hedge.

Will see what the insurers make of it but I'm not that confident that it can be fixed for a reasonable fee.

[Papalazarou]

Impossible to tell without having a look. Also obviously depends on the value of the car pre-accident.
My previous NSX had pretty minimal damage from the outside. But often, it's all the bits you've crushed behind the bodywork. It's been mentioned a lot before, but panels are shockingly expensive.
As a rough guide, an irrepairable panel will cost £2K+ to replace. Obviously if you've bent a chassis rail it's an automatic write-off.
However, if you you didn't hit it hard. For instance you spun it and it glanced off a couple of hedges, second hand panel repair might be an option.

Just remember it's just a car. A very nice car. But essentially a collection of metal and plastic. Oh and it didn't kill you. Lost mine in the wet too. Good luck with the insurance company.

Cheers,

James.

[nobby]

hi mate

really sorry to read the above ... in a word GUTTING :(

but at least you are alive and well and as James says the car can hopefully be reparied or replaced. lets not hope she is a total loss for you!

I had my car out the day in the wet, fortunately I had no such bother; tbh i find the car runs well in the wet, and i was doing slightly higher speeds than yourself, but nothing scary!

in terms of conditions etc do you think you hit oil or some other deposit on the road, cause it does appear to read that the car left the road a tad easy

hope you get the car sorted and we dont see another NSX assigned to the history books within this forum! :(

[PeteM]

Feel really sorry for you damaging a car is not a nice experience but glad you are both okay.

Sorry to ask this, but feel as drivers perhaps we could learn from this incident. Did this happen on a straight road or corner? the reason I ask is I know the rear suspension is dismantled to change the clutch and maybe this affected the handling/geometry after it was re-assembled?

Regards Pete.

[Driver Matt]

The engine and gear box were out for a cam belt change and new clutch.
The alignment was changed ( I do not know to what ) and the car felt soft at the back end in the dry on Saturday. Mid corner the back seemed to want to come round more as if the rear tyres were soft ( they were not ).
The road was straight and flat with a wet surface but no depth to the water. In the past the car has squirmed in standing water but this was instant and with less water than I've met in the past. I don't know if something broke or whether the rear suspension fired me across the road. In 20,000 miles of driving this car its never bitten before.

[SILVER BULLET]

Matt, really sorry to hear of your incident today and hope that you and your friend are ok,

We travelled up to near Bristol today and although wet I doubt that your hit standing water so have to agree with Nobby that maybe you hit an oily patch, also roads can be extremely greasey after long spells of dry weather as soon as they get their first wetting, either way sound like you have been extremely unlucky.

Hope the car can be repaired,

Cheers,

Ian

[Silver Surfer]

Really sorry to hear this and hope you guys are alright.
I supect the culprit is a combination of factors...not least precipitated by the change in geometry of the suspension from the mechanical works done.
Poor alignment and geometry has big impact on the NSX. I remember when I first got the NSX...the rear felt light at speed and squirm on braking at the rear in a straight line despite Honda saying it was spot on...this was sorted after Kaz treated it and told me the geometry and alignment was completely out!

Hope it is repairable...maybe worth getting secondhand panels and see if it can bring the cost down if the chassis is OK.

SS

[PeteM]

The road was straight and flat with a wet surface but no depth to the water. In the past the car has squirmed in standing water but this was instant and with less water than I've met in the past. I don't know if something broke or whether the rear suspension fired me across the road. In 20,000 miles of driving this car its never bitten before.

Crikey Matt ! to do that on a straight bit of wet road and not hard on the throttle is alarming. I would like to think that the cause is suspension related due to the speed at which it let go.

Well you both got out okay and that's whats important, gutted for you in respect of damaging your pride and joy but thanks for shedding some more light on it to benefit others.

Good luck with the insurers.

Regards Pete.

[goldnsx]

I'm sorry to hear that. One additional route would be going with Downforce parts to cut the costs down. That's what my friend did when he had his fender-bender-thingy.

[AR]

Sorry to hear that Matt, I know how that feels as my first NSX did a similar number on me but on cold weather.

The main thing is that you both are OK, I know is no consolation, but you can always replace the car.

[Sudesh]

Just have to echo what the rest said and sorry to hear.

Find it a tad strange myself and would like to hear who worked on the car?? My own NSX, [although not driven often] has been caught out in the odd wet spell; my car has no traction control and I have felt very comfortable driving in wet conditions, and to be honest unless really pushing it hard, never stepped out.


I'm sorry to hear that. One additional route would be going with Downforce parts to cut the costs down. That's what my friend did when he had his fender-bender-thingy.

This would only work if he was repairing himself/fitting the bill and not going through insurance.
If its an insurance claim, then they will insist on it being repaired with all new parts from Honda, hence why it could be written off after an inspection and parts valuation.

[forumadmin]

This is quite a well known occurance unfortunately. The NSX must have 4mm at least of rear tread on the tyres. Famously AutoCar had their test car start doing 360 spins while driving straight down a motorway. Over the years a few people here have had the same thing, and also guys in the States. The exact cause has never been known, some suggest the alignment of the wheels even if it is within factory spec. Maybe something else was a factor here, but everyone should remember this. Look through the old posts and you might find the previous incidents.

[214nsx]

Just had a new clutch, cam belt service and fixed the aircon. Massive bill for just under £6,000. Took the car out yesterday in the dry and the rear end felt as though the rear tyres were soft but nothing too dramatic.

Today I was giving a lift home to a friend, pissing down but we were only going about 50. Pretty neutral throttle. Car leapt across the road and attacked the hedge on the other side of the road. Two or three complete revolutions. All four corners had a go at attacking the innocent hedge.
Most of the visible damage is to the near side, door, front and rear wings. I'm pretty sure that the underneath is pretty well rearranged. No airbag deployment.
Has anyone else ever had a similar incident ? I can still not believe the speed that this happened. I would say less than 1/2 second from driving straight and even to being buried in a hedge.

Will see what the insurers make of it but I'm not that confident that it can be fixed for a reasonable fee.

sorry to hear this, just to let you know that i have the N/S door completed with glass if you need it.

regards
Phill

[batmobile]

Sorry - in my ignorance - what are downforce parts?

Regards
Leo

[NSX 2000]

Sorry - in my ignorance - what are downforce parts?

Regards
Leo

Hi Leo

Downforce are a company in the US that do aftermarket parts, mainly in carbon fibre.

http://downforce.biz/cart/home.php

Paul

[Nick Graves]

S hit, man - sorry to hear it.

It's what's known as an S2000-specific Diesel spill on the road. Only it must've been NSX-specific Diesel, if other cars weren't affected at the same spot.

1. The dealers have reduced your rear toe-in or camber settings (or have increased front grip) , so the car is twitchier than you are used to (before/after printouts?) and you didn't have long enough to adapt to it.
2. Dealers invariably let down my tyres, so probably do yours. That would make its responses less sharp.
3. The tyres are sensitive to wear; they tend to go 'off' once the sticky tread has gone.
4. It's very greasy, Auntie. Jenny! One gets used to throwing the car round like a toy in a dry spell and its limits are a lot lower in the wet. One needs to adjust until the roads clear of rubber/oil and you probably didn't.

If it's any consolation, I expect several hundred S2000s are being reversed through hedges as I type. They will all be blaming S2000-specific Diesel instead of greasy-road/driver error.

I hope you get it sorted painlessly. Especially after throwing so much dough at it of late.

[AR]

S hit, man - sorry to hear it.

It's what's known as an S2000-specific Diesel spill on the road. Only it must've been NSX-specific Diesel, if other cars weren't affected at the same spot.

1. The dealers have reduced your rear toe-in or camber settings (or have increased front grip) , so the car is twitchier than you are used to (before/after printouts?) and you didn't have long enough to adapt to it.
2. Dealers invariably let down my tyres, so probably do yours. That would make its responses less sharp.
3. The tyres are sensitive to wear; they tend to go 'off' once the sticky tread has gone.
4. It's very greasy, Auntie. Jenny! One gets used to throwing the car round like a toy in a dry spell and its limits are a lot lower in the wet. One needs to adjust until the roads clear of rubber/oil and you probably didn't.

If it's any consolation, I expect several hundred S2000s are being reversed through hedges as I type. They will all be blaming S2000-specific Diesel instead of greasy-road/driver error.

I hope you get it sorted painlessly. Especially after throwing so much dough at it of late.


I am almost 100 percent sure that something was not right as Matt has a lot of competitive driving experience AFAIK an is a good driver who will know what to do.

No doubt something was off with the car or the road.

[Rob_Fenn]

When my old man first got his NSX he had a massive moment in the wet. Tyres had loads of tread. That is, until we looked at the insides; they were through to the canvas!

Very sorry to hear the news, must be gutting. Sounds a bit suspicious that the car just had work on, but then it could be a combination of things that resulted in your bad luck.

[PeterW]

Argghh! This sounds horrible. I've just bought a car off PH (link below), and drove it home yesterday up the A14 and M6. It's my first NSX, so it would be an understatement to call me a novice NSX driver. At times it was chucking it down, and I wasn't taking any more care in the wet than I would in a "normal" car. Actually I have to admit there was the odd occasion when I drove a little harder than normal. But the car felt rock solid.

I love the car by the way, but am now relieved I got it home in one piece!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2797389.htm

[nobby]

hi Pete

welcome on board ... great to hear you have picked up a very nice NSX! Congrats :)

Also great to see you contributing to the owners forum

Don't get too concerned, I am only into a year of ownership and I myself have driven my NSX in all weather conditions even snow, and for this type of car she is very stable, so dont be too alarmed re above. Until Matt can get more of an idea of what happened, and maybe why it happened dont be scared to drive your new pride and joy, get out there and ENJOY it. :)

Good luck



Argghh! This sounds horrible. I've just bought a car off PH (link below), and drove it home yesterday up the A14 and M6. It's my first NSX, so it would be an understatement to call me a novice NSX driver. At times it was chucking it down, and I wasn't taking any more care in the wet than I would in a "normal" car. Actually I have to admit there was the odd occasion when I drove a little harder than normal. But the car felt rock solid.

I love the car by the way, but am now relieved I got it home in one piece!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2797389.htm

[mutley]

It morrir what has been said already, glad that you are OK.
Now as for the car, I am the same as Sudesh and have dissabled my TCS and I drive in all weathers, even ice and snow. Yes the car can be a little twitchy but nothing that can't be rectified.

I have also done the clutch myself a couple of times and I know exactly what has to come of te car to do this work. I would have to hazzard a guess that something wasn't quite right when your car was put back together again, its a bit too coincidental that the car behaved like this so soon as the work was carried out. After my last cluch replacement, I found that my car handled like a bag of spanners, and was all over the place, it transpired that 2 bolts from the rear upper wishbone had come loose and fell out!!

look here : http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?4570-handling-has-gone-to-rat-S**T&highlight=

[howellr]

Hi All,
When it was snowy over Christmas, I took the NSX out in the snow just to make sure the traction control was working as I have never had it come on in any type of weather condition. It was working fine.

I did once take the NSX into the famous 'Ronaldo' tunnel where the tunnel wall accidently jumped out to bump into Ronaldo's Ferarri, and I got a twitch from the backend, when I floored it to listen to my Tubi (!) but took foot off and all was ok.
f.y.i. the 'problem' with that 'Ronaldo' tunnel is, that being in the manchester area, the road before the tunnel is always wet but the tunnel is dry and straight. So you think to yourself, ah, a good time to listen to my "orchestra", forgetting that your tyres are still wet from the rain of the open road (well, I did).

Regards

[Rob_Fenn]

Argghh! This sounds horrible. I've just bought a car off PH (link below), and drove it home yesterday up the A14 and M6. It's my first NSX, so it would be an understatement to call me a novice NSX driver. At times it was chucking it down, and I wasn't taking any more care in the wet than I would in a "normal" car. Actually I have to admit there was the odd occasion when I drove a little harder than normal. But the car felt rock solid.

I love the car by the way, but am now relieved I got it home in one piece!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2797389.htm

Don't get too worried, its hardly a widow maker!

I would encourage you, and any NSX owner, to treat yourself to some instructed track activity so you get to learn the car, and enjoy it for what it was built for!

[328]

Sorry to hear the news Matt,

hoping you and your mate are well.

Cheers,

Andy

[Nick Graves]

Not sure about the -T, but the coupe is probably more forgiving than an S2000, which does need to be driven with an egg between foot & throttle in the wet. Actually, that's quite easily fixed in the S.

Obviously, if any ME car goes sideways, it takes a lot of room to get it back, but it normally warns you.

But like all fine-handling cars, even a small differential in pressures across the back tyres does some strange things to the handling. It's probably exacerbated by Honda's passive RWS.

[TheSebringOne]

Matt, sorry to hear about your accident.

The worst time I encountered was on the motorway to Bolton in a torrential downpour.
Back then, they were on OEM BS and as soon as I felt aqua-planing in a straight line and
could not see ahead with the fastest wiper setting, I literally slowed down to about 50mph.
Its was a bit scary!

[matpp]

Only just noticed this topic: sorry to hear the bad news.....thankfully no physical injuries apart from the car.

As you are an experienced NSX driver, I find it difficult to believe it was driver error at 50 mph.

Which garage undertook the work....or is it too early to lay blame?

Hopefully the insurance company will be able to find the truth after a thorough investigation.......just ensure the car isn't stored at the same garage that carried out the repairs!

Cheers,

Mathieu

[Nick Graves]

Insurance company WGAF - unless of course, the optional legal insurance cover shysters spot an opportunity for a (fraudulent) whiplash claim. Difficult against yourself, even today.

[Driver Matt]

The car has been written off :(
I used Amo's man in Wales, now called South Wales Tuning formally Hyeline.

I think it will be difficult to prove anything with the car now with the scrap man and seriously realigned.

Looks like I may be in for a tussle with the insurance as they have started by not honouring my no claims bonus guarantee for next year but they have yet to make an offer on the car value so we will see.
I was/am with Clegg Gifford on a fleet policy. Will let you all know the outcome.

Prices look pretty strong if one's buying a replacement, especially as I'd invested in bringing it up to scratch. Seems to me from what's available that I'd be looking at 23-25K.

Thanks hugely for all the kind words.

[Nick Graves]

Sorry it's worked out like that, Matt.

I'd start downloading some of those recent Pistonheads ads with prices, so you can duff up the ins. co. and their risible 1st offer.

Have you considered buying back your old one? It's still yours at the moment, I believe. Obviously, you've put some valuable stuff on it, so cannibalisation might be a good idea.

[nobby]

GUTTED for you mate!

Terrible news ... hpefully insurance company does not pi$$ you about too much

[Mark N]

Have you considered buying back your old one? It's still yours at the moment, I believe. Obviously, you've put some valuable stuff on it, so cannibalisation might be a good idea.[/QUOTE]

Hi matt
Not spoken before but i had a similar low speed accident so know how you feel .:(
Fortunatly my car was repaired although it took nearly a year :angry:

As Nick said buying the car back might be one option. Has the car been written off based on labour costs and parts ? or is the damage that bad ? Have you tried offering to contribute toward the labour cost in order to prevent the car not being written off ? as its often the labour cost that normally causes most cars to be deemed as uneconomically viable to repair , that may also be an option.

If you do decide to buy back the car and dismantle it their are lots of people looking for parts and these parts are only going to go up in value.
I am still looking for several parts for my aircon system and would be interested if buying them from you if you decide to go down that route.

Good luck with your insurance company some will negotiate some will not at the end of the day it all boils down to money.

Mark