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Was on my way up to the Netherlands to see my parents.
Driving on the motorway in the rain - no extreme weather conditions and doing the speed limit.
Just like that the car started to aquaplane & cruise did NOT disengage.
Car did a 180°, then hit a slope on the side of the road which flipped the car on it's roof.
slid a few more meters, before coming to a stop, LUICKILY on the side of the road.
Was immediately called by the emergency system, while still upside down in the car.
Then got out without a scratch....
I was Very VERY lucky!
Stil no idea how this could have happened, though guess it was a combination of:
- poor road conditions / rain didn't flow away
- cruise control not disengaging (weird?) + rear wheel drive
- not paying enough attention to what tires & cruise were doing ...?
- and of course given the above, and even though was doing the speed limit; still driving too fast .
I learned a dangerous & expensive lesson...
"Fun" fact: at least 3 cars passed me while i was still in my car and at least 4 while i was standing next to it, before someone finally stopped to help....
Sorry to hear about your car but the fact you came through unscathed is all that really matters. Now you'll have to buy something new which is never a bad thing
2023 GLE450, 2021 E350 / Used to drive: 2019 E300, 2021 + 2020 GLE350, 2019 E450 Wagon(s), 2017 E300
Wow - very glad you are ok. I see you had the panoramic sunroof - especially glad you came out without a scratch given all the glass above your head. That was a good looking car - hopefully, you will have some fun looking for a replacement.
Wow, that was a wicked ordeal! Glad you walked away unscathed. Appears the passenger compartment is pretty intact which is good to see it protection functioned as expected.
It looks like a serious crash, good to hear you are ok!
It was still in France as it seems? What kind of road surface was it? And that tires does you car have? Did it happen under a crossing or bridge?
I did see a similar accident once on the German Highway, at normal speeds (100-120 km/h) with some rain, but a lot of water under a road crossing (viaduct) and there a rear wheel Mercedes (W211) was suddenly aquaplanning and making a 900(!) degrees spin, resulting in standing backwards.....happily also on the emergency strip, and without any personal injuries.... Back then I drove an Audi quattro, and had all ESP, etc lights come on, but the car happily kept driving straight ahead through the water. Since then I always am very aware and awake when rear-drive cars are driving in extreme wet weather....
One thing is MB still makes very safe vehicles. Thankful you are ok and the car can be replaced.
Interestingly the cruise not disengaging is not good, this is a fault that poses serious safety risk. MB needs to become aware of this.
I may be wrong, but I've been taught from my teens NOT to engage cruise control in the rain.
My 2016 manual doesn't specifically say no to cruise control in the rain. Instead, it says the following:
Do not use cruise control:
--in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
--on slippery road surfaces. Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
--when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or snow.
Here it is referred to as "too fast for conditions"
Speed limits are the allowed maximum speed when conditions are near perfect. It is up to the driver to control their speed to match the conditions. Lesson learned (and hopefully it sticks).
It looks like a serious crash, good to hear you are ok!
It was still in France as it seems? What kind of road surface was it? And that tires does you car have? Did it happen under a crossing or bridge?
I did see a similar accident once on the German Highway, at normal speeds (100-120 km/h) with some rain, but a lot of water under a road crossing (viaduct) and there a rear wheel Mercedes (W211) was suddenly aquaplanning and making a 900(!) degrees spin, resulting in standing backwards.....happily also on the emergency strip, and without any personal injuries.... Back then I drove an Audi quattro, and had all ESP, etc lights come on, but the car happily kept driving straight ahead through the water. Since then I always am very aware and awake when rear-drive cars are driving in extreme wet weather....
""daar kom je goed weg zeg!"" - Dat kan je wel zeggen ja!
A 31 (autoroute du soleil) just before Nancy.
If i was to have the accident this was the "perfect" place to have it.
Yesterday, on my way back (with a rental) i checked that stretch of road and many areas had a drop of 2/3 meters on the side of the road with ditches that would have stopped the car abruptly... (rather then letting it slide to a stop)
this autoroute is a "peage" (tollroad) so you would expect a perfect surface, but this is no the case everywhere.
in general the asphalt was "dry (IE the water sipped through the porous surface), but on certain stretches this was not the case
.
In general if it's just a few puddles then you sometimes feel a little aquaplaning, but usually only a split second.
But in my case i guess it was a bit worse than a "little puddle"....
i think i had bridgestones on the front and michelins on the back, but not sure . definitely not cheap tires
I may be wrong, but I've been taught from my teens NOT to engage cruise control in the rain.
My 2016 manual doesn't specifically say no to cruise control in the rain. Instead, it says the following:
Do not use cruise control:
--in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
--on slippery road surfaces. Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
--when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or snow.
Here it is referred to as "too fast for conditions"
Speed limits are the allowed maximum speed when conditions are near perfect. It is up to the driver to control their speed to match the conditions. Lesson learned (and hopefully it sticks).
I see you were near Rainville. What can you expect next to Rainville if not rain?
Good that you had not suffered injuries.
Are there any salvageable parts from the car or is it a 'total loss'?
insurance expert say it's "total loss", cost of repair are equal / maybe higher than the car's value (which i guess is around 20.000 euro)
now we're waiting for the lease company to confirm this
Because if the car's total loss then the lease contract ends.. But if they insist on repairing, then the contact continues...
so they could potentially screw me on that.
I'm sure the car itself will be great for parts as it's mainly the body that's damaged.
I think even the engine is almost fully intact
First, yes it's good that everything is ok with you and other drivers on the road. Just like we say in Bulgaria, it's just Tinplate.
Secondary, you are absolutely right, even i was going to ask a price for the rims.
03-27-2021, 06:11 PM
