[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

My Punto got T-boned last month by an SX4. Accident happened around 6:30 AM at a intersection. Had slowed down,honked (there are fairly high 'island' dividers on all four sides,the kind municipal corp plants shrubs in) The guy driving in doesn't slow down and smacks me right between both the left doors. The car spun 360 deg and smashed into a divider on the direction I was driving in. Had my seat belt on so no injury as a result of the spin. The offender - if I may use the term - turned out to be someone known so asked 'bout his well being and asked him to pull over his car onto a side as it had extensive frontal damage. Both headlights gone,front bumper,fenders on either side,hissing sounds from the radiator,coolant leaking as well as the AC condensor.

Slowly eased my baby away from the divider,my face grimacing at the sound of metal against stone as I pulled her away :( No broken glasses on her,the doors still opened and closed well. Could see the outline of the side impact bars,metal draped against them. Thanked God that there was no two-wheeler or auto rickshaw in Punto's place. Neither would have stood a chance against the impact from SX4.

Have just got my car back from the dealer after over a month. Got an alloy replaced as the rear left had a chip on one of the spokes,both doors replaced,running board replaced,rear panel repaired.

Somewhat similar (but on a lesser magnitude) happened to me little over a month back. I was travelling in my Santro Xing with my wife & mother on one of the main roads of the Sector where I live. Just near to a popular hospital & market in the locality a Scorpio came out of the colony service lanes & banged (T-boned, rather L-boned) my car in the rear, despite me trying indicate & realise him my presence by blowing car horn .

Result my bumper (luckily the bumper was damaged only) got detached & I had to cancel all the scheduled tasks for the day & rush my car to service centre to get my car repaired. To rub salt to my wounds the Scorpio driver actually stopped his car besides mine not to say sorry but to ask could I have been faster to avoid the accident. I replied back to him in polished tone in proper English that he should have been slow & watchful in joining the traffic on busy roads. Hearing this he just nodded his head frustration (as if it was me who had banged the car at the rear) & moved ahead leaving me to collect my bumper.

I have moved from posh colonies in Delhi, where I have spent almost all my life till now, to outskirts & have realised that no matter how bad driver you encounter in a metro, you will get the worst driver (despite appearing as groomed as a metro guy) in non-metro towns, who have the money but no civil manners .

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by vina

It is not merely the "tank like build" but also the crumple zones on the other car (read SX4) that would have helped by absorbing a lot of the energy of the crash. If both the cars had a tank-like-build someone would have been dead.

on the usefulness of the crumple zones in the SX4 too. You ahve taken my 'tank-like' build quality literally, it seems. But the fact is Fiats are a class apart when it comes to build quality. Elsewhere in this thread, you will find the proof wherein a Linea was smashed by a truck carrying boulders and the car took all the impact with the occupants unscathed. The owner apparently went ahead, realized that he and his family was still alive only because of Linea's build quality and bought another brand-new Linea.

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Can you post the photos of the SX4 if you can?
And if you don't mind, what was the cost of restoring your baby back to her original shape?

Sorry,no pix of the SX4 taken, I felt it would have been rude and insensitive. Each owner loves their car no matter what brand or condition. Forgot to mention, even the bonnet on the SX4 had folded up,forming a small tent like shape in the area where it slopes downwards.

As for the costs,was very very apprehensive about future generali (had got free insurance from fiat) Took the car to dealer's workshop and was told they'll co-ordinate with the supervisor. Didi not hear from the guy even once,just got an SMS from FG saying claim has been taken for processing. When I went to pick up the car was asked to pay INR500 as processing fees and INR2000 for "salvage deduction" at first refused to pay anything beyond INR500,but the guy said "Sir,our company does not collect salvage,if you want I can arrange for some scrap dealer to pick it up and pay you the money."
I figured I'll sell the 2 doors for more than 2K and keep the chipped alloy as a spare as the company sells the alloy for INR9900 / piece !! Told the works manager to pop the alloy in the boot and I'll have the doors collected by my rickshaw guy later.

Originally Posted by autoenthusiast

You mentioned that you slammed into a divider, was that on the left side itself ?

Yes the car spun around and slammed into the divider on it's left, in fact more of the damage to the running board was caused by the divider than the SX4.

[autoenthusiast]

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

I figured I'll sell the 2 doors for more than 2K and keep the chipped alloy as a spare as the company sells the alloy for INR9900 / piece !!

9900/piece you gotta be kidding me. I bought a spare 15'' alloy for my Fiesta 1.6S for the spare wheel (the spare used to be the standard steel wheel) and paid Ford only 5200 for the alloy wheel.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by autoenthusiast

9900/piece you gotta be kidding me. I bought a spare 15'' alloy for my Fiesta 1.6S for the spare wheel (the spare used to be the standard steel wheel) and paid Ford only 5200 for the alloy wheel.

Its indeed 9900/- per wheel. screenshot from the fiat website attached below


I'm really curious to know what is it that which is making these fiat alloys so costly. till now I've not got the answer

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

My Punto got T-boned last month by an SX4.

Dang! Hate it when accidents happen and beautiful babes take a beating. Talking about your (until then) superbly maintained Punto.

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

The car spun 360 deg and smashed into a divider on the direction I was driving in. Had my seat belt on so no injury as a result of the spin.

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

Yes the car spun around and slammed into the divider on it's left, in fact more of the damage to the running board was caused by the divider than the SX4.

360 or 180? Seatbelts save lives. I have to remind my parents every time they get in the car, and fight with my Father in Law (well, almost) to get them to wear theirs.

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

I figured I'll sell the 2 doors for more than 2K and keep the chipped alloy as a spare as the company sells the alloy for INR9900 / piece !! Told the works manager to pop the alloy in the boot and I'll have the doors collected by my rickshaw guy later.

This had me . And that price is robbery! But then they are gorgeous alloys.

PS. You write really well!

[vina]

31 killed in train-bus collision in UP - The Economic Times

YouTube - ‪UP accident: Bus-Train crash kills 33‬‏

Video stories indicate about 100 people were in the bus - some were on the roof. The train driver applied brakes but couldn't stop in time.


33 people dead so far.

[shyn]

Here's a totaled brand new (unregistered) Swift. It was lying outside the Jubilee Hills PS, right opposite the Porsche showroom.
I don't think anyone must have survived this crash! The whole engine was crumbled like paper!

[phamilyman]

The speedo is still stuck at 120 or is it 140. What were those fool(s) doing at those speeds in an unregistered car? Jesus christ.

EDIT: Seems to have hit a pole just to the left of the RHS tyre.

[Ramon]

It doesnt seem to be a unregitered car. After market seat covers and dealer stickers at the rear along with a "JBL" badge can be ssen at the rear.

[ExtremeTorque]

Here's a totaled brand new (unregistered) Swift. It was lying outside the Jubilee Hills PS, right opposite the Porsche showroom.
I don't think anyone must have survived this crash! The whole engine was crumbled like paper!

God! Should be a very high speed hit. Absolutely no way one can survive this magnitude crash. The impact was such that the rear bench is also bent.

The speedo is still stuck at 120 or is it 140. What were those fool(s) doing at those speeds in an unregistered car? Jesus christ.

EDIT: Seems to have hit a pole just to the left of the RHS tyre.

good observation. But man, 100+ in city roads is just suicide.

[motor spirit]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Its indeed 9900/- per wheel. screenshot from the fiat website attached below
Attachment 573361

I'm really curious to know what is it that which is making these fiat alloys so costly. till now I've not got the answer

1) to maintain exclusivity among high end & low end models
2) Their supply chain in long : taiwan to Europe to India

Goodnews : Punto alloys are getting localized through a very distinguished manf in india who is also a supplier for all major OE manufacturers & exports too. But i dont see fiat would lower its prices

[autoenthusiast]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

The speedo is still stuck at 120 or is it 140.

Looking at a swift speedo setup, that speedo is stuck at 120kph, looking at the angle of the speed needle in the snap, it would be a bit more at around 125Kph.
Also there is the possibility that the speed was lower but the speedo needle got thrown to that position as part of the crash impact and the damage to the speedometer ? Whichever way it was this car must have been just too fast to have suffered such damage.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by ExtremeTorque

good observation. But man, 100+ in city roads is just suicide.

Originally Posted by autoenthusiast

Looking at a swift speedo setup, that speedo is stuck at 120kph, looking at the angle of the speed needle in the snap, it would be a bit more at around 125Kph

Cannot really comment on the speed looking at the speedo. AFAIK, speedo's are connected to front tyres, and if the car was thrown up and the driver has his foot on the pedal, you know how much the speed will increase.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Cannot really comment on the speed looking at the speedo. AFAIK, speedo's are connected to front tyres, and if the car was thrown up and the driver has his foot on the pedal, you know how much the speed will increase.

Speedo's are not connected to the front tyres. They are connected to the gearbox which houses a vehicle speed sensor. This is true in most cars.