i need some advice please - I'm gutted

[banx22]

I lost control of my Elise today on the road between pickering and whitby (a169). and i'm gutted.

Lucky for me i wasn't travelling very fast (about 40mph) but the back end lost all grip while going round a left hander and i skidded on the grass, hit a pile of gravel and ended up in the ditch at the side of the road. no other cars or parties are involved and I was the only person in the car.

The front clam has a big hole in it on the drivers side around the headlights and the drivers wheel has a slight buckle in it where it took the full force of the gravel pile. The coolant pipe has also split.

I'm really gutted (I can't begin to explain how gutted i am to be honest). It was (still is) my pride and joy. I keep trying to tell myself that it's only a car and that i should be thankful that I'm ok but it's tricky!

I'm after some advice as to what to do next as I've never been in this kind of situation and I've a real big fear that they could write the car off and if possible i really want to try and avoid that at all costs as the car means a lot to me.

It has been recovered to a garage in scarborough and i'd really like it a bit closer to home (i live in wetherby).

I rang my insurance company and they arranged for it to be recovered, and said they would call me tomorrow to discuss further. This is all i know at the moment.

From the quick look I took the damage appears to be:
new front clam
new front undertray
new coolant pipe
new front wheel

I didn't take any photos of the damage as I was to busy replaying it all over in my head (what if i hadn't gone out, what if i hadn't turned so much, etc, etc) to think about getting any.

It runs fine, all the electrics still work, it didn't feel like anything was miss aligned or broken when i drove it out of the main road and waited for recovery.

I'd really like some advice on what the best course of action should be.

Can i ask for the car to be moved to a garage of my choice (probably pure lotus as they are the nearest specialist) and ask them to assess the damage and fix it?

Do i need to be doing this through the insurance company at all? (even though they arrange for the recovery?).

NYLOC - i need your help as i'm worried that my Lotus is about to be declared dead and that is the last thing i want!

[Paul H]

If the damage is as you describe then I would guess the repair will be around £2000. (this would be for a new clam: if the clam can be repaired it'll be much less)
So car unlikely to be written off, assuming an S1 111s to be aroung £10k

It'll smart for months but really any one you walk away from is not a bad one. Cars can be fixed and/or replaced very easily, humans need much more care.

Did you go into the corner too quick and brake and/or lift off in the bend? When did you last check your tyre pressures?

[Matt R]

Glad you're okay, cars can be mended

hate the "shouldn't have gone out feeling" - get some mods on order to Pure Lotus to be done at the same time

[softlips]

Hi sorry to hear of your misfortune. As above the car can be fixed.

In the same boat id prefer a repair at a body work specialist like Central Garage Birdwell. They may even be able to repair the clam.

[banx22]

thanks for your comments guys.

It smarts a bit and like you say 'cars can be replaced' but I'm just gutted (I honestly nearly cried!) the corner in question is just after that little bridge if you are going from Whitby back toward Pickering down the A169. You go down the hill past the goathland turn off, right hander over the bridge and then a left kink before the straight up the hill.

it was the left hander that took me out, I was accelerating away and it just swapped ends, the couple who helped me pull it out of the ditch said it look like it slid on something.

I've picked up the bits of clam that came off and put them in the boot. I'll need to speak to the insurance company first and see what's going

[SimonE]

Sounds like a mere flesh wound

So long as no chassis damage - as above repair will be circa £2-£2.5k.

I know that bend well - if remember correctly there's a bit of adverse camber - the roads are v slippy at the moment - all that winter salt has increased the polish on the road surfaces.

You are ok - nobody hurt - the Elise will get over it

[normski]

Sorry to hear about the incident, I 360'd my first Elise (after only 4 months of ownership) down a country lane once so know that feeling you're having.

Mine was a Cat D write-off, which meant that it was only just beyond economic repair for the insurer, but they did offer to give e £5k cash to get it repaired myself, hopefully yours won't be written off and it all can be put right for £2/£2.5k.

As you're in Wetherby and want to move the car to a closer to home garage you could use Pure Lotus, have helped me many times and I'd recommend them.

[Dennis]

I would go through insurance and require a new clam as they are paying.

But first step is get it moved to where you wan tit repairing. DO NOT let it go to an approved repairer

[Doug]

you wan tit repairing

You wan what ??????? Dennis.

Note to PT please put a spell check on here for Dennis

Doug

[banx22]

I've spoken to the insurance company. They are going to send out an engineer in the next few days to take a look at it. I've asked to be informed when this is going to be so I can hopefully be present when it happens.

If it is not written off I need to get it moved to a garage to get it repaired. Any recommendations? central garage has been mentioned by softlips.

Fingers crossed!

[Dennis]

Doug and I both use Central, mine is in at the moment

[yasmar]

I thought this was amother Albutch thread

[albutch]

I thought this was amother Albutch thread

Very funny

[banx22]

UPDATE

The insurance inspectors are going out on Thursday or Friday to take a look. Then it needs to be moved to get fixed (fingers crossed).

Would anybody recommend JCT600? Central garage has been mentioned, and I'm sure they are fantastic but it's difficult for me to get to them so I might have to give them a miss. The only thing putting me off JCT600 is that it's going to be expensive, but I'm thinking that they might have access to bits a bit quicker that other garages (being a main dealer) and that might sway it to written off status

[albutch]

I would be very surprised from what you say that it will be a write-off, and even if it does turn out that way, it will be repairable Cat C or D.

The insurance will pay out and offer the car to you as salvage for you to get repaired, the downside being that the re-sale value will be affected. No problem if like a lot of Lotus owners, you intend to keep the car forever.

There are loads of us in NYLOC who have been through this pain, its not nice at all but at least you're OK and your situation is quite simple with no third party involvement.

'Keep calm and carry on'