Senior moment almost cost me my life
08-13-2016, 11:59 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior moment almost cost me my life
So, I purchased my 2016 BMW 228ix 6 weeks ago and absolutely love it. Very minor mods, black exhaust tips. blind spot detection that didn't come with it and thats it. I hated the ugly grey calipers so I decided to paint them black as the car is Estoril blue with black accents. I painted calipers on both S2000's and other cars I owned. Piece of cake, right. Wrong. I ordered a torque wrench as I don't have one that would go high enough and while waiting I painted the calipers on the drivers side. I put the lugs back on but didn't torque them as I planned on doing that when the wrench arrived. The wrench arrived so I painted the passenger side calipers and torqued them. I thought I was all set except for one thing. I forgot to torque the nuts on the drivers side (senior moment).
2 days later I had to drive to my dentist as I broke a tooth and needed a crown. His office is in Wilmington (50 miles) but I have had him for a long time and he gives me a nice discount. I also had a lot of other visits to make so while I was driving home on Rt.1 to Lewes (70 mph speed limit) I felt something strange going on. The car was acting very erratic and felt like it was going to go out of control. I thought it was a flat tire. It was rush hour and traffic was flowing around 75-80. I was in the left lane and knew I had to get off the road. A guy on my right saw my horror and let me in front of him. I did not think I was going to make it but I did get off to the side of the road. When I got out to see what was wrong my left rear wheel had lost all of it's lug nuts and the only thing keeping it on was the wheel well which hung down over the tire. I almost went into a state of shock realizing that if I had not gotten off I would have been in a serious accident and may have been badly injured or worse. I calmed myself down, put on the flashers and pressed the SOS button that comes with the car. I got an immediate response and the dispatcher got in touch with the closest towing company. He showed up in 1/2 hour and got the car on a flat bed. The driver could not believe that I was able to get the car off the road. The BMW dealer was close by so he towed it and I rode in thew cab with him. He looked at me and said buddy you need a couple of shots!!!
The service dept was closed but the sales dept arranged for a loaner BMW for me and the driver unloaded my car. The next day I called the dealer and told him this was not a vehicle issue and the reason for the breakdown was my fault. He called back and said the inner wheel was scored badly from the leading edge of the caliper hitting it and the rotor was scratched badly. The whole wheel, rotor, caliper etc had to be replaced. Luckily this was the only dame incurred. The front lugs were loose but did not come off. I contacted my insurance co. and got a claim started. I got home and my wife gave me a big hug as I must have looked shell shocked. Then I had those shots. It was a terrifying event and it effected me for several days and still does when I think about it. I am a Christian and I truly believe God was with me.
2 days later I had to drive to my dentist as I broke a tooth and needed a crown. His office is in Wilmington (50 miles) but I have had him for a long time and he gives me a nice discount. I also had a lot of other visits to make so while I was driving home on Rt.1 to Lewes (70 mph speed limit) I felt something strange going on. The car was acting very erratic and felt like it was going to go out of control. I thought it was a flat tire. It was rush hour and traffic was flowing around 75-80. I was in the left lane and knew I had to get off the road. A guy on my right saw my horror and let me in front of him. I did not think I was going to make it but I did get off to the side of the road. When I got out to see what was wrong my left rear wheel had lost all of it's lug nuts and the only thing keeping it on was the wheel well which hung down over the tire. I almost went into a state of shock realizing that if I had not gotten off I would have been in a serious accident and may have been badly injured or worse. I calmed myself down, put on the flashers and pressed the SOS button that comes with the car. I got an immediate response and the dispatcher got in touch with the closest towing company. He showed up in 1/2 hour and got the car on a flat bed. The driver could not believe that I was able to get the car off the road. The BMW dealer was close by so he towed it and I rode in thew cab with him. He looked at me and said buddy you need a couple of shots!!!
The service dept was closed but the sales dept arranged for a loaner BMW for me and the driver unloaded my car. The next day I called the dealer and told him this was not a vehicle issue and the reason for the breakdown was my fault. He called back and said the inner wheel was scored badly from the leading edge of the caliper hitting it and the rotor was scratched badly. The whole wheel, rotor, caliper etc had to be replaced. Luckily this was the only dame incurred. The front lugs were loose but did not come off. I contacted my insurance co. and got a claim started. I got home and my wife gave me a big hug as I must have looked shell shocked. Then I had those shots. It was a terrifying event and it effected me for several days and still does when I think about it. I am a Christian and I truly believe God was with me.
08-13-2016, 01:01 PM
#2
And here I thought I had a bad day when I didn't put the radiator cap on my daughters SUV and drove it back to her house (35 miles).....
Only lost less than a gallon, so no damage done, except to my pride!
Glad you were able to get off the road in time!
Only lost less than a gallon, so no damage done, except to my pride!
Glad you were able to get off the road in time!
08-13-2016, 01:02 PM
#3
You were indeed very, very lucky. 
I had a close call on the beltway some years ago when a piece of plywood flew off a truck in front of me. The corner hit the front about 1" below the hood on my side and flew over the car. If that thing had come through the windshield I wouldn't be here, either. Better a big dent in the car than in my head! I was so mad I caught up with the truck and pulled him over. His company paid for the damage.
08-13-2016, 01:17 PM
#5
Good driving Ray to get off the road quickly and safely. This kind of stuff happens more than you might think, consider it a learning experience.
When I bought my S2000 I asked the selling owner about the rear tires being more heavily worn than the front tires, and he told me that he had forgotten to rotate the wheels and that is all that is needed to even off the wear. I immediately brought my s2000 home and I swapped the rear wheels to the front and vice versa, and then I took it for an aggressive drive on a local highway. To this day I don't know how I didn't kill myself but the car drove perfectly. I had no idea the wheels were staggered and they had different hub bores, I still don't know how I even got them mounted with the different hub bores
I later found out about the S2000 having staggered wheels and all, very embarrassing and an unsafe move.
My sister brought over her Ford Edge recently and told me the rear end was making some strange noise since returning from the dealer after a brake job. First thing I did was check the rear wheels and all lugnuts were loose, I could tighten them with my fingers. I torqued them all down to spec and the noise went away. A short highway drive for her and she could have been seriously injured too. Even dealer techs make dumb mistakes, so it happens quite a bit.
Hope this makes you feel better, lol.
When I bought my S2000 I asked the selling owner about the rear tires being more heavily worn than the front tires, and he told me that he had forgotten to rotate the wheels and that is all that is needed to even off the wear. I immediately brought my s2000 home and I swapped the rear wheels to the front and vice versa, and then I took it for an aggressive drive on a local highway. To this day I don't know how I didn't kill myself but the car drove perfectly. I had no idea the wheels were staggered and they had different hub bores, I still don't know how I even got them mounted with the different hub bores
I later found out about the S2000 having staggered wheels and all, very embarrassing and an unsafe move. My sister brought over her Ford Edge recently and told me the rear end was making some strange noise since returning from the dealer after a brake job. First thing I did was check the rear wheels and all lugnuts were loose, I could tighten them with my fingers. I torqued them all down to spec and the noise went away. A short highway drive for her and she could have been seriously injured too. Even dealer techs make dumb mistakes, so it happens quite a bit.
Hope this makes you feel better, lol.
08-13-2016, 01:24 PM
#6
Community Organizer
08-13-2016, 01:41 PM
#7
Glad you are OK, Ray. That's scary stuff! When I was a teenager I had a 1962 Corvair Monza. (Ralph Nader was right.) On the San Diego Freeway one day, the luggage compartment lid (like a hood, but the engine was in the rear) flew up and off my car and sailed at a 45° angle through the passenger side of the windshield of a moving van behind me. Over a few feet and it woiuld have decapitated the driver. We both pulled over and I almost had to peel the driver's fingers off his steering wheel. He was frozen in shock.
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08-13-2016, 05:59 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Glad you are OK, Ray. That's scary stuff! When I was a teenager I had a 1962 Corvair Monza. (Ralph Nader was right.) On the San Diego Freeway one day, the luggage compartment lid (like a hood, but the engine was in the rear) flew up and off my car and sailed at a 45° angle through the passenger side of the windshield of a moving van behind me. Over a few feet and it woiuld have decapitated the driver. We both pulled over and I almost had to peel the driver's fingers off his steering wheel. He was frozen in shock.
08-13-2016, 06:43 PM
#9
Ray, thankfully you are still here to tell the tale. Damn near miss! But I guess the man upstairs said it wasn't your time. Actually what you did was a fear many of us who work on our own cars have. Right in the middle of doing something.... Honey, it's lunch time, etc. or you have a phone call, etc.... or what ever and you forget to finish up completely the project you were working on.
Since a number of others shared their stories, I'll toss in mine. Believe me, I'm not trying to top yours. I had a Nissan Maxima that I owned for 18 years and loved but it was at the end of it's life as rust had eaten away the jackup points. In any case, I was swapping out the winter tires for the summer tires. For some unknown reason the torque setting on my air gun did not work.... but I didn't know it. After the swap I drove into town about 3 miles away to get gas. To get there I jump onto a 70 mph road for most of it. I hit the first red light after the 55 mph with a green. When I entered the second light and stepped on the brakes ALL four wheels came off! Thank God it was Sunday and very little traffic at the intersection. One wheel went into the Shell station. One wheel went into a Target store parking lot. One wheel just hit a curb and was in the middle of the oncoming lane. And I've no idea where wheel four went. All I could think of was - Thank God It Didn't Happen a Couple Minutes Earlier when I was doing 70 mph. Believe it or not I sold the car on the spot. A couple people came out from their houses to help round up the wheels, and nuts that were all over the place, and a young guy said he had a jack. We jacked it up after its ride on the brake rotors and I drove it to his house. He commented he loved working on cars and I asked him if was interested in a project. I sold it to him the car for a couple hundred and made him sign a statement that he knew what he was buying. Ever since I have looked to see it back on the road around our town but I've never seen it. But, to this day I will still say it was the best car I ever owned.
Since a number of others shared their stories, I'll toss in mine. Believe me, I'm not trying to top yours. I had a Nissan Maxima that I owned for 18 years and loved but it was at the end of it's life as rust had eaten away the jackup points. In any case, I was swapping out the winter tires for the summer tires. For some unknown reason the torque setting on my air gun did not work.... but I didn't know it. After the swap I drove into town about 3 miles away to get gas. To get there I jump onto a 70 mph road for most of it. I hit the first red light after the 55 mph with a green. When I entered the second light and stepped on the brakes ALL four wheels came off! Thank God it was Sunday and very little traffic at the intersection. One wheel went into the Shell station. One wheel went into a Target store parking lot. One wheel just hit a curb and was in the middle of the oncoming lane. And I've no idea where wheel four went. All I could think of was - Thank God It Didn't Happen a Couple Minutes Earlier when I was doing 70 mph. Believe it or not I sold the car on the spot. A couple people came out from their houses to help round up the wheels, and nuts that were all over the place, and a young guy said he had a jack. We jacked it up after its ride on the brake rotors and I drove it to his house. He commented he loved working on cars and I asked him if was interested in a project. I sold it to him the car for a couple hundred and made him sign a statement that he knew what he was buying.
Ever since I have looked to see it back on the road around our town but I've never seen it. But, to this day I will still say it was the best car I ever owned.
08-13-2016, 06:44 PM
#10
Yikes, that is a scary one. Glad to hear you are ok. The car can be fixed.