Chinny4290

My pride...my joy...my love....my passion...my life savings since I was 12...My first car...the loyal piece of engineering that I was going to keep for the rest of my life....is gone...it will never be the same

Clifs: Sunday morning, 1 AM, Hydroplaned on the Parkway, back end stepped out....was merging onto the GSP off of 78...accelerating softly cuz of rain...hit a heavy puddle, took several 100 feet trying to correct but kept fishtailing, tried applying power to regain but ASR kicked in, until finally i spun and hit the guard rail front first then back slammed against and slid for feet. Didn't even go faster than 45. Wasn't fidgeting with phone/iPod, radio, A/C, nothing. Wasn't talking to anyone, wasn't doing anything other than driving normally.

From the looks there was too much damage to repair....but will find out today.




Happy to be alive...happy my friends and I walked away completely unharmed.

I owe my life to over 100 years of German perfection.

Question: If it is repairable, there's a bit of body damage...I don't know about frame. But since it's fully covered, my uncle has a very good mechanic that specializes in european cars, both body and mechanical, my uncle swears by him (fixed his 300CE vert), should I take it to him or trust the guys at the stealership?

Riot Nrrrd

Bummer! What a pretty 300CE. Sorry, dude.

Fishtailing scares the crap out of me. Luckily I've never had it happen to me worse than a brief second or two, and the only time I fishtailed, opposite-lock corrected it. I felt very lucky in each instance.

The good thing is you made it out uninjured - that's what's most important.

Xander Crews

Have your uncle look at it. A regular shop will likely charge more and may end up recommending to just total it (depending on the $$$ amount of the damage).

Saijin_Naib

:C

Fix it dude! Or get another. I need another CE brother in NJ

rivcal4life

Most dealerships outsource their bodywork anyway, so you end up having to pay a premium for the middle man.

If he is reputable, and will stand by his work, go for it. I had a small issue with a local shop, and when I brought it up to the tech, he did everything he could to make sure it was corrected. Also, a $50 coupon for my next repair or paint. Service like this should be expected for your risk trusting them in the first place.

Chinny4290

I dont think this looks promising guys

jason3977

Damn sorry to hear that! Glad u ok though!! it looks pretty much finished to me!!!

Saijin_Naib

Is the frame still mostly straight?

ronmiller609

The left rear quarter panel damage means the car is probably gone. All the bent metal is better than a bent spine or head though! Be glad you are OK.

Sherman321

Bummer man, that car looks 100% totaled. Even if it weren't I don't think I'd want it back personally. The only part of the body without damage are the doors. As everyone else said, at least you are ok, thats all that really matters. Almost lost my BMW in a similar manner about a month ago in heavy rain, scary stuff.

kafklatsch

I am sorry to know this happened. You are here at the forum, so your health is intact which is the most important news.

we have two issues at work here. the car is easily "totalled" but that is not the end of it. An estimate should be made. Then you can access the feasibility of repair.

my 300E was hit at a red light by a dwi driver. the resultant front and rear damage was moderate, but involved all the light assemblies $$ and bumpers $$$. the side body was unscathed. The estimate went beyond the value which was $6500. I paid about $1000 more out of pocket and got it fixed anyway....

doesnt look good, but indeed, a "total loss" may not be a total loss for you.

good luck, hope you E returns to its previous splendor - with you in it.

pifcat2

Sorry to read/see the carnage. Decision should be based on what the insurance will pay for repair vs replacement. It's a buyers market so I'd look for a replacement...

i_am_amused

Xander Crews

x2. Regardless of the frame condition, that looks totaled to me. I had a similar front end impact with a $18k car and it was totaled out ($13k+ in damage). Even if they don't choose to regard it as a complete loss, I wouldn't want to have that rebuilt. :2cents:

RHW

Really glad you are okay...and as stated...machine did it's job protecting the most valuable contents.

Chinny4290

When the back end kicks out too much, there are two ways to get it back. Apply power and feather the throttle so you get a power slide going. Or you can pull the e-brake so that whips the back end around completely and you come to a stop facing the other direction.

The worst thing you want to do is hit the primary brakes because the weight shift and abs will muck things up

i_am_amused

or maybe just leave the throttle closed???

power slides and 180s are best left to professionals on closed courses

Chinny4290

After I applied power I left the throttle closed but it made it worse.

ronald7410

Dont apply throttle once youre hydroplaning. It makes things worse in most cases. Hope you find yourself another beaut. Sorry to see another CE go down