Broke my leg trying to save my seat ibiza

abbotsmike

Active Member
Dec 17, 2011
418
1
Uxbridge
It's the extra weight, plus the movement on the suspension when people get in and out.
If the handbrake is abit weak the force can be enough to overcome it and start a roll.

On top of that there is heat.

If I give mine a good pasting and the brakes get hot, as they cool down overnight it seems everything contracts enough to loosen the handbrakes grip. I park on a rather steep hill so have to leave it in gear to guarantee it being in the same place! I've always put the clutch down before turning the key so no worries on that front.
 

ryanapc

Active Member
Dec 14, 2014
42
0
Yeah I've started doing that now too either that or remembering to take it out of gear at the last minute lol
 

MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
122
14
I wasn't hurt, but I was once run over by my own car!
I have owned, in my yoof, several Minis. The REAL ones, not those inferior German namesakes...
Having early on in my driving career realised that when you buy cheap cars with no service history, belt and braces is the best, so had always yanked the handbrake on and left the car in 1st gear to help ensure it's still parked where you left it when you return.
As most of them had starting problems too, I would always fit a manual starter solenoid so I could leave the ignition on and meddle about under the bonnet and then press the button to start the engine from there.
This particular day, which I remember well, was a Saturday, and I had as usual been messing about under the bonnet changing the inlet manifold and putting twin SUs on it. I finished up and decided something from the chippy was in order. So I drove the mile and a bit to the chippy. When I came back it wouldn't start. I forget what the reason was, but I knew what to poke, so out I leapt, up with the bonnet, poked the relevant part, pressed the solenoid and ran myself over!
Fortunately, as it lurched forwards it knocked my back onto my arse up over a quite tall curb which the car then hit and stalled.
I of course leapt to my feet, did a quick 360 to check nobody noticed the pillock who had just run himself over, leaned into the car, knocked it out of gear, poked the 'thing', pressed the solenoid, slammed the bonnet shut, jumped back in the car and sped away rubbing my bruised knees as I drove.
That little carpark with it's eight or so inch high curbs is no longer there. They've built a couple of small houses in it's place. The chippy still is though.
I hadn't thought about this incident for years. It must be about thirty years ago.
Glad to read your leg is on the mend.
I still get into any car and start it with my foot pressed to the floor on the clutch pedal, whether it's in gear or not.
 
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MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
122
14
Ahh, those were the days. One of my favourites was doing my first ton in my mum's sierra with my r plates on, naughty naughty.

I remember me and a mate going to south Wales in my first car, a Morris Marina 1.3 Coupe. At some point he asked how fast it could go. I floored it and for the next half an hour or so we waited to see if it would do the ton. It'd do 90 no problem, but that extra ten mph? BOY it was HARD :)
We did eventually just nudge 100 going down a long hill stretch of the M5 :)
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
8,093
1,110
South Scotland
I still get into any car and start it with my foot pressed to the floor on the clutch pedal, whether it's in gear or not.

This is also good preparation for when you end up with a "stop/start" car - no clutch floored = no starting, my Audi S4 also has that "feature" though luckily it is not "start/start".
 

Pimped up vario

Cordy Cruizer
Nov 20, 2009
1,291
0
Belfast N Ireland
I remember me and a mate going to south Wales in my first car, a Morris Marina 1.3 Coupe. At some point he asked how fast it could go. I floored it and for the next half an hour or so we waited to see if it would do the ton. It'd do 90 no problem, but that extra ten mph? BOY it was HARD :)
We did eventually just nudge 100 going down a long hill stretch of the M5 :)

Tiff Nydell had one of those. He said it was a gift to drift around wet roundabouts at 15mph. Cool.
 
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