Winter Tires/Wheels Question

[PuShAkOv]

Cost him $4500 in damage

Here is Mr.E's official post about the accident:

Hey,

So my friend who is home for the week-end (goes to college in Boston) came over today and we decided to go for a drive as he wanted to drive my car (Infiniti G35C 6MT for those of you who don't know). So he did his drive and then it was my turn and we were on some backroads. I was accelerating up this hill and it was a curvy road (25 zone, going about 30-35) and up ahead on the right was a dip in the road for one of those drainage vent things. Now being a car with stiff suspension, I hit the dip and it jolted me and I was in gear 1 and the jolt made my foot push down on the gas (I know it sounds so stupid, but this is honestly what happened). Now this instantaneous pedal to the metal made the back wheels spin and it put me sideways into like a power-slide. As soon as this started happening, I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could, but it was too late and I was well into a juicy slide and I had no control and it was the worst feeling in the world. So we slid completely and did a 180-degree turn and slid up onto the curb. As soon as it was over, I know there was damage. My friend and I were okay, but this guy who was outside across the street came running to us like a madman screaming "MOTHERF*CKERS!!" so I turned on the car, not knowing exactly what damage was done, and drove out of there. We drove for like a mile or two going 15mph and I know something was bad because all four tires were squealing and I had to keep the wheel turned to the right to keep it going straight. I would have stopped and approached the accident naturally, but that guy came running and scared the shit out of us, so we just bounced. Anyways, we found a spot to hide and we got out to look at the car, and I see that the bottom half of the left rear wheel is bent INWARDS!!!! Fortunately, we were not hurt and there was not much damage to the car. I looked under the car and the left rear axle was bent in (I guess it happened when it slammed up on the curb). So, I called up my mom and Infiniti Roadside Assistance. My mom showed up in a hot minute (I was only like a minute away from the house) and was really good about it but she saw I had everything under control and went back to the house (she had guests). A tow truck arrived in about 20 minutes after the phone call (impressively fast) and the guy was really nice, he helped me out real nice. I dropped my car off at my local Infiniti dealership and then went home (and here I am, typing this crap up). I am so so so depressed at what happened and at what I did. That was stupid of me to be in gear 1 going 30-35 because the car is REALLY raw in gear 1. My parents aren't too pissed, but I am sure they will be once the bill comes in. I really hope I have my car back ASAP, I was supposed to take it into NYC and I am missing it already.
I think in the end, though, I have learned a really valuable lesson: people are assholes, and don't expect them to help you out when you need it the most (referring to the angry guy running at us after it all happened), and watch out for those drainage dips in the road.
I am really glad I am okay and so is my friend... I was apologizing to him like crazy because I shouldn't have been doing what I did (my speed was okay, my gear was just too low and I did not have the control required in that situation) but he was totally okay with it.
Thanks for letting me vent.


http://bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2938&highlight=accident

 

[raiyu]

$4500 you definitely got r*ped by your dealership. The last accident my car was in, which wasnt caused by me (I was a passenger) had similar damage in a sense. Basically the front control arm for the left tire was bent, and in the rear one of the support arms was bent, both were replaced and I had damage all down the left side of my car, near the bottom. So basically my side skirt, the bottom of my door, and my fenders. All of that total cost me $2000. Gotta be careful with these dealerships. I also had a problem with my rear axle where one of the brackets broke, my dealership was quoting me something like $3600 including front strut work which wasnt even necessary, I got everything done for $550. And the front strut work that they said I needed was nothing more than a simple bolt that needed to be tightened (no kidding). Trust me find a body shop that you trust and stick with it, dealerships will always give it to you straight up the poop shoot unless its something that is entirely covered by the warranty or regular maintenance coverage.

 

[MrElussive]

I needed a new left rear rim ($882) and a new left rear suspension setup (spring, shock absorber, and other random parts). Labor was $1,900 and parts were $2,900 altogether.

As for the traction control, I pulled out onto the road in 1st gear today, 1st gear fully hooked up. I was at like 15mph and I just gunned it (I forgot the roads were still a bit wet). The rear tires spun like crazy and engine rpm's flew up to like 6K rpm (caught it just in time ). I don't think the traction control light blinked at all and it didn't seem like traction control was there at all. I dunno what to do.
I'm just going to call up the local dealership and bring the car in to them....when I had my accident, I specifically asked them to check over the traction control...check the sensors and make sure the system is working okay, and the guy said he will do it. I don't know why it's not working now, and the car isn't even telling me that the traction control isn't working...shouldn't the car give me a Check Engine light or something, at least???

 

[donmbmw]

G35 v 330i

I too was deciding between the G35 and the 330i, that is untill I test drove the infinity. I was really impressed with the power but I did not feel that the chassis was solid enough to handle it. I just did not have the solid feel of security in the infinity that I felt in the beemer. I admit that the road tests of the G35 had me looking at this quality because the mags all raved about the car except for its tendency to oversteer. Your gear selection aside, I think you were a victim of this flaw. Real sorry to hear about your accident and hope that you can get it back running right. Good luck

 

[raiyu]

A few things, firstly $890 for one rim (Im assuming + tire) is insane! I think you would have been better off finding one on ebay. I mean even BMW wheels and tires are hard to find for that price.

Secondly, I had similar issues with my DSC after it was worked on, however my DSC light was on telling me that it wasnt working. Then after driving the car for about 30-45 miles it started working properly again. Even my speedometer wasnt telling me the MPH for about the same 30 or so miles. I guess it just took a while for everything to get back in sync, but afterwards it was all working fine, and I tested it by trying to rip out in first and the car wheels wouldn't spin out.

Im telling you, if you have collision work done never goto the dealership it's a rip off and the mechanics plus workers there are complete morons. They can't explain how something happens, so why trust em.

Anyway, my last question is, is your gas pedal on a wire or a spring? Personally I hate wire gas pedals, I had one in a loaner BMW car and it really irritated me. My manual has a spring so I get a better sense of how I'm pushing it, and I think in your situation it would have been more difficult to press on the gas during the bump. Unless of course its also a spring, but for some reason I think its wire. Anyway Im against this entire wire gas pedal and in my next car Im 100% going to try and avoid it at all costs.