My Swift accident - damages

emkay456 · 14th August 2007, 11:51

Sunday before last, my Swift met with an accident. To avoid a motorcyclist who cut in dangerously from the left, I had to make abrupt right turn hitting the divider ( the flat type ones) after losing control in the middle of the road. Luckily the road was relatively empty.
The car's right wheel met the divider first and then the bumper crashed into. Then the vehicle jumped over the divider before coming to rest exactly with the centre resting on the divider with the front wheels on opposite lane and the rear ones on the other side. It was a sight indeed !!
After recovering from the shock, with help of some good folks, lifted the rear and pushed the car onto opposite lane.
Preliminary damage was the crushed right side of the bumper with the vertical depression. The rim of the wheel dented and the tubeless leaking air.
As it didnt look very serious, I immediately started the engine and rushed it to the nearby tyre shop to replace the tyre. After replacing it, I rushed to the nearest Maruti Service Centre. I was imagining some small damages as the car was running fine.
Immediately they raised the vehicle on the ramp and the gravity of the damage unfolded.
- Radiator bottom plastic cracked (leaking coolant)
(Radiator replacement required)
- Lower left arm bent, the gap between the right wheel and the flap behind reduced by a finger width in comparison to left wheel.
- A/c belt broken
- Right fog lamp reflector cracked
- Cross member - rear front cut
- Dented Wheel rim
-

Insurance has been claimed.
Replacement of these along with a/c gas filling, labour charges etc. has cost me Rs. 20 grand to get back the vehicle. The insurance process is on.

Remarks on the Swift build quality : I feel the damages higher in proportion to the impact point. Outer metal body of the car was not dented. The bumper crushed into the radiator and also cut the cross member. The impact taken by the wheel rim absorbed the shock and saved the apron. The quality of the metal on the swift is of concern, looking at the cut piece of the cross member.
To get the cosmetics on the front side back in precision (headlight, bonnet gap etc) after replacement of the bumper and other parts, the service staff were stuggling, indicating quite a complicated build to the vehicle.

madan80 · 14th August 2007, 11:57

man -that must have been quite an impact. did you manage to get that biker?

benbsb29 · 14th August 2007, 12:13

Thats quite shocking, all for some lousy moron on two wheels who doesnt know if he's on his private grounds or out on the roads. Obviously, the guy must have fled the scene, right?

Sad to hear about the damage to the car. Was 20K the total value estimated, or was that the amount you need to fish out?

praveencr85 · 14th August 2007, 12:19

hey stay ther and get the alignment of the front bumper, headlights along the flow of the bonnet ,one of my friend had a small accident at the front after replacing the the front bumper they were really struggling to get things aligned the mechanic started to try some crude method to fit it in which really hurted us so we stopped him from doing further & we went straightly to the owner of the service center (it all happened in suraksha in hosur road) & then they called someone from outside he fitted it within 30mins everything was properly aligned ... so be cautious abt this .

rishibravo · 14th August 2007, 12:21

That was indeed a bad accident. I hope no one was hurt..

akroy · 14th August 2007, 12:34

Thats Sad ! How much did you shell out for the repairs (after claiming insurance)?

Abhi

emkay456 · 14th August 2007, 13:02

The biker was nowhere to be seen !!
The total bill of the MASS was Rs. 20,000 all included.
I hope to recover about Rs. 13,000 from Insurance. Sad to hear that Radiator assembly is considered plastic so 50 % gone there along with the bumper 50 %.
Inside the vehicle we didnt feel much impact except for the Rim hitting the kerb. It was astounding to see that with so much damage to the vehicle, the divider did not even have its paint peeled !! ( Probably built by a Gandhian contractor !! )
> Praveencr85 : Yes I am a bit concerned with the crude methods to get the headlight flow aligned. My final free service is due by next week. I intend to take it to M/s Automotive from where I purchased the vehicle for a recheck. The MASS guys were loosening nuts, jumping on top of the cross member on the front top ( where the bonnet locking mechanism is situated) to get the bonnet cover to align.
I have just driven the vehicle a bit after taking the car out of the service centre yesterday night. I am praying that the vehicle performs as it was before.

kuttapan · 14th August 2007, 17:22

@emkay - this is exactly what might have happened to me the other day. In my case, it would have been a total loss kind of scenario as the divider was pretty high and car could not have climbed over it.

Details on the Bad Drivers thread What might have been. Sorry to hear about your car. Hope it gets back on road soon.

kjdesigns_2000 · 23rd October 2007, 22:44

Most of the corrections would be easy to spot by you, just make sure that the Camber setting is done properly. a misalligned wheel would ruin the whole thing.

I sent my car for a repair after an accident and everything was done spot on, but only thing left was the camber setting. it was a stroke of luck that i was cleaning the wheels and undercar and could spot a little offset in the alignment.

Be 100% sure of all the corrections they do. Remember its your money

emkay456 · 24th October 2007, 14:21

[quote=kjdesigns_2000;604346]Most of the corrections would be easy to spot by you, just make sure that the Camber setting is done properly. a misalligned wheel would ruin the whole thing.

Can u explain what exactly is the Camber setting ?

kjdesigns_2000 · 24th October 2007, 18:33

Well even i am not 100% sure but i think it is allignment and setup of the suspension rods. Not sure though.

See i tell you, when i saw my one tyre was a bit misalligned i took it back to the A.S.S. He said he will get it rechecked.

After an hour of work he brought back the car and said that now the wheel is in proper position and it was the camber setting which he had to get adjusted (something about 0.3). Basically my wheel had moved back after the accident and they fixed all the side fender and area around it but didnt fix this.

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 24th October 2007, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by emkay456

It was astounding to see that with so much damage to the vehicle, the divider did not even have its paint peeled !! ( Probably built by a Gandhian contractor !! )

It was built by Fiat, the makers of Palio!!!

(Just finished going through the thread on the Swift gifted to cricketers)

FERRO · 24th October 2007, 20:34

lol nice joke backseatdriver Fiat is among the worst manufacturers till date and its good u r giving it publicity ...

Firebird · 24th October 2007, 21:44

You need to give strong evidence for calling Fiat worst manufacturer.

The manufacturing does not involve A S S.

The manufacturing involves the process of assemlbying the Car on line, inspection of the spares, manufacturing of spares in machine shop.

Then after that the car gets ready, which is taken to the test track and all aspects are verified to certify the quality. Fiat is well known for build quality.

Now tell me what aspect of manufacturing are you referring. Are you suggesting that the way of assemplying is not correct or the line balancing not done or they have to work on timings. What exactly are you referring

Please I am waiting for the evidence so that I will stop using Palio and will switch over to a bicycle.

bblost · 25th October 2007, 11:14

riding my bike in the left lane for a oncoming left turn.
This car guy wants me to ride closer to the curb so he is trying to overtake me first from the left, then the right.
I ride in the middle of my lane. His intimidation, lights/ horn don’t work on me.

all this is going on within just 20 meters.

The car guy really desperate to pass and all I want is safe turn and then to let him pass on my right.
The car now decides to make a break for it on my left, his idea that I will get scared and let him go.

I do let him go, but after
lean bike to the left -- lean to the right --gunning the engine--lean to the left and finish the turn.

What we never realized was that between the road and the pavement was a 1 feet drop.

all I heard as I rode away, was the crunch of his metal on the road.
Would I turn back and talk to him, NEVER.

always remember there are more than two sides to a story.
Am sure the car driver would have a diff view of this incident.
His opinion would be, stupid biker cut me off.
Mine, you get what you sow.

I am not trying to judge what happened in the thread main story.
No offense, intended. I also drive a car and have driven for enough time to know how irritating others on the road can be.

14th August 2007, 11:51	#1
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	My Swift accident - damages Sunday before last, my Swift met with an accident. To avoid a motorcyclist who cut in dangerously from the left, I had to make abrupt right turn hitting the divider ( the flat type ones) after losing control in the middle of the road. Luckily the road was relatively empty. The car's right wheel met the divider first and then the bumper crashed into. Then the vehicle jumped over the divider before coming to rest exactly with the centre resting on the divider with the front wheels on opposite lane and the rear ones on the other side. It was a sight indeed !! After recovering from the shock, with help of some good folks, lifted the rear and pushed the car onto opposite lane. Preliminary damage was the crushed right side of the bumper with the vertical depression. The rim of the wheel dented and the tubeless leaking air. As it didnt look very serious, I immediately started the engine and rushed it to the nearby tyre shop to replace the tyre. After replacing it, I rushed to the nearest Maruti Service Centre. I was imagining some small damages as the car was running fine. Immediately they raised the vehicle on the ramp and the gravity of the damage unfolded. - Radiator bottom plastic cracked (leaking coolant) (Radiator replacement required) - Lower left arm bent, the gap between the right wheel and the flap behind reduced by a finger width in comparison to left wheel. - A/c belt broken - Right fog lamp reflector cracked - Cross member - rear front cut - Dented Wheel rim - Insurance has been claimed. Replacement of these along with a/c gas filling, labour charges etc. has cost me Rs. 20 grand to get back the vehicle. The insurance process is on. Remarks on the Swift build quality : I feel the damages higher in proportion to the impact point. Outer metal body of the car was not dented. The bumper crushed into the radiator and also cut the cross member. The impact taken by the wheel rim absorbed the shock and saved the apron. The quality of the metal on the swift is of concern, looking at the cut piece of the cross member. To get the cosmetics on the front side back in precision (headlight, bonnet gap etc) after replacement of the bumper and other parts, the service staff were stuggling, indicating quite a complicated build to the vehicle.
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 11:57	#2
madan80 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 1,360 Thanked: 80 Times View My Garage	man -that must have been quite an impact. did you manage to get that biker?
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 12:13	#3
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,968 Thanked: 13,222 Times View My Garage	Thats quite shocking, all for some lousy moron on two wheels who doesnt know if he's on his private grounds or out on the roads. Obviously, the guy must have fled the scene, right? Sad to hear about the damage to the car. Was 20K the total value estimated, or was that the amount you need to fish out?
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 12:19	#4
praveencr85 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 75 Thanked: 0 Times	hey stay ther and get the alignment of the front bumper, headlights along the flow of the bonnet ,one of my friend had a small accident at the front after replacing the the front bumper they were really struggling to get things aligned the mechanic started to try some crude method to fit it in which really hurted us so we stopped him from doing further & we went straightly to the owner of the service center (it all happened in suraksha in hosur road) & then they called someone from outside he fitted it within 30mins everything was properly aligned ... so be cautious abt this .
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 12:21	#5
rishibravo BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 579 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	That was indeed a bad accident. I hope no one was hurt..
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 12:34	#6
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	Thats Sad ! How much did you shell out for the repairs (after claiming insurance)? Abhi
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 13:02	#7
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	The biker was nowhere to be seen !! The total bill of the MASS was Rs. 20,000 all included. I hope to recover about Rs. 13,000 from Insurance. Sad to hear that Radiator assembly is considered plastic so 50 % gone there along with the bumper 50 %. Inside the vehicle we didnt feel much impact except for the Rim hitting the kerb. It was astounding to see that with so much damage to the vehicle, the divider did not even have its paint peeled !! ( Probably built by a Gandhian contractor !! ) > Praveencr85 : Yes I am a bit concerned with the crude methods to get the headlight flow aligned. My final free service is due by next week. I intend to take it to M/s Automotive from where I purchased the vehicle for a recheck. The MASS guys were loosening nuts, jumping on top of the cross member on the front top ( where the bonnet locking mechanism is situated) to get the bonnet cover to align. I have just driven the vehicle a bit after taking the car out of the service centre yesterday night. I am praying that the vehicle performs as it was before.
	() Thanks

14th August 2007, 17:22	#8
kuttapan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 22 Times View My Garage	@emkay - this is exactly what might have happened to me the other day. In my case, it would have been a total loss kind of scenario as the divider was pretty high and car could not have climbed over it. Details on the Bad Drivers thread What might have been. Sorry to hear about your car. Hope it gets back on road soon. Last edited by kuttapan : 14th August 2007 at 17:27.
	() Thanks

23rd October 2007, 22:44	#9
kjdesigns_2000 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 160 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Most of the corrections would be easy to spot by you, just make sure that the Camber setting is done properly. a misalligned wheel would ruin the whole thing. I sent my car for a repair after an accident and everything was done spot on, but only thing left was the camber setting. it was a stroke of luck that i was cleaning the wheels and undercar and could spot a little offset in the alignment. Be 100% sure of all the corrections they do. Remember its your money
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 14:21	#10
emkay456 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 388 Thanked: 7 Times	[quote=kjdesigns_2000;604346]Most of the corrections would be easy to spot by you, just make sure that the Camber setting is done properly. a misalligned wheel would ruin the whole thing. Can u explain what exactly is the Camber setting ?
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 18:33	#11
kjdesigns_2000 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 160 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Well even i am not 100% sure but i think it is allignment and setup of the suspension rods. Not sure though. See i tell you, when i saw my one tyre was a bit misalligned i took it back to the A.S.S. He said he will get it rechecked. After an hour of work he brought back the car and said that now the wheel is in proper position and it was the camber setting which he had to get adjusted (something about 0.3). Basically my wheel had moved back after the accident and they fixed all the side fender and area around it but didnt fix this.
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 20:34	#13
FERRO BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 313 Thanked: 2 Times	lol nice joke backseatdriver Fiat is among the worst manufacturers till date and its good u r giving it publicity ...
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 21:44	#14
Firebird BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai / EC1M 3NH Posts: 470 Thanked: 65 Times View My Garage	You need to give strong evidence for calling Fiat worst manufacturer. The manufacturing does not involve A S S. The manufacturing involves the process of assemlbying the Car on line, inspection of the spares, manufacturing of spares in machine shop. Then after that the car gets ready, which is taken to the test track and all aspects are verified to certify the quality. Fiat is well known for build quality. Now tell me what aspect of manufacturing are you referring. Are you suggesting that the way of assemplying is not correct or the line balancing not done or they have to work on timings. What exactly are you referring Please I am waiting for the evidence so that I will stop using Palio and will switch over to a bicycle.
	() Thanks

25th October 2007, 11:14	#15
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,353 Times View My Garage	In defense of a motorcyclist. riding my bike in the left lane for a oncoming left turn. This car guy wants me to ride closer to the curb so he is trying to overtake me first from the left, then the right. I ride in the middle of my lane. His intimidation, lights/ horn don’t work on me. all this is going on within just 20 meters. The car guy really desperate to pass and all I want is safe turn and then to let him pass on my right. The car now decides to make a break for it on my left, his idea that I will get scared and let him go. I do let him go, but after lean bike to the left -- lean to the right --gunning the engine--lean to the left and finish the turn. What we never realized was that between the road and the pavement was a 1 feet drop. all I heard as I rode away, was the crunch of his metal on the road. Would I turn back and talk to him, NEVER. always remember there are more than two sides to a story. Am sure the car driver would have a diff view of this incident. His opinion would be, stupid biker cut me off. Mine, you get what you sow. I am not trying to judge what happened in the thread main story. No offense, intended. I also drive a car and have driven for enough time to know how irritating others on the road can be.
	() Thanks