Runaway BMW

[Howard]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4796264.stm

Anyone read about this?

The accelerator jammed on this guy's BMW and he was shooting along the motorway at 130mph (aparently... How a 318 got to those speeds I don't know) and did 60 miles in 23 minutes

Brake fade = couldn't stop after a while, although I don't see why he couldn't turn off the ignition.. It won't lock the steering till you take out the key. Or take it out of gear. It was stuck aparently. Lol

[Norky]

Although I'm prepared to be proved wrong, I call BS on him.

He called the AA before the police! He's on benefits as well.

[Stoo]

Apparently it was an automatic, hence the stuck in gear..

I can understand calling the AA first, if it's something that canbe resolved techinically, then there's no need to call in an emergency, but as it was soon apparent that there wasn't anything that could be done he was advised to call the Police.

If he was making it up just to speed, then why would he crash it when he got to a roundabout?

[XA04]

I don't see why he couldn't of just turned the engine off though... stick hazard lights on, brakes will still work... you'd eventually slow down.

[ctid]

I don't see why he couldn't of just turned the engine off though... stick hazard lights on, brakes will still work... you'd eventually slow down.

His brake pads actually burnt out. The car couldnt brake at all.

[Howard]

Yeah the brakes faded like crazy. Even if they hadn't have, the brakes would work with the engine off just not very well, there wouldn't be any vacuum in the brake cylinder for much longer afterward... Then you'd have to use all your might to floor the brake pedal

[XA04]

His brake pads actually burnt out. The car couldnt brake at all.

Well I'm talking about before he burned them out, and turning the engine off would stop the car from accelerating.

[Howard]

Depends if he left the ignition on or not

[XA04]

Well you could easily leave the key in and just turn the engine off, and as the key is in then the steering imobiliser shouldn't kick in either.. so he should be able to carry on travelling.. slowly, and then gradually stop.

[villarule]

Also, I know this would be considered highly dangerous, but all BMWs are rear wheel drive (Correct?), so if he had put the handbrake in (assuming it would hold off the power of the engine), then there would be no powered wheels, and he would have just spun to a stop?

[Konan555]

Handbrake grips on the rear wheels, but no way it'd hold the car.

And the auto thing? He'd have had to have developed two faults at once there, cause you can still shove an auto into neutral at any time.

Turning the engine off.... depends on the car. In most cases, switch it off then put the ignition back to 1 (where your radio comes on) and you'll have brakes.

[manwithnoname]

Good to read he used his hands-free phone to call the police, otherwise at that speed he might have c... oh he did crash.

Seriously, all the tips are useful, and I believe the police told him to turn the ignition key, to turn the engine off, but he thought this would lock the steering. He says he was in tears, I think he just panicked and didn't believe the police.

[5lab]

brakes in most cars will work all the time, but will only be servo'd with the engine RUNNING. engines not running, no brake servo. personally i'd have put the car into the central reservation at a subtle angle, dangerous, i grant you, but chances of surviving if you hit an unavoidable car at 130? nill.

[Jonny]

Surely he could have turned the engine off, and if it had locked the steering, just started it up again? At 130mph...
Is that not possible?

[dave87]

It must have been right on the redline to do 130mph - the top speed of one of them is 133 :S

Dave

oh btw - the 318 has a 2l 4 pot in it - the 320 has a 2l 6pot in it

[hitman67]

I hate BMWs numbering system... the 316 has a 1.9 and the 318 a 2.0? Crazy...