I Nearly Died etc-Update for those interested.

[wallabyhouse]

Well congratulations to John and JBerks-you were both right!

Went to the garage which was quoting for the bodywork today and asked if the engineer had been to look for the cause of the crash to be told "no he was only here to look at the bodywork because we already put back what caused the problem"

The Mercedes mechanic had not replaced one of the fuel injectors (I am guesing the new one they fitted) correctly.It had therefore been spraying diesel throughout the engine and onto the tyres-had even reached the back axle apparently.
This guy told me they had to steam clean the underneath of the car before they could work on it because it was soaked and too dangerous for them.

SO,mystery solved-he said he and his two colleagues would be happy to make a statement to the fact.....just need to work out what to do now.

Thank you all again for your advice-and John,your wife should be happy all you get up to is sniffing furniture polish

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

I would have though what to do now is easy....sue them for every penny you can get. Not just for the car but for all the anguish it has put you through.

 

[anyweb]

well done jberks nicely spotted,

please keep us informed of what the outcome is and I assume you will not be driving this car again ? or was it NOT a write off ?

cheers
anyweb

 

[Rory]

The Mercedes mechanic had not replaced one of the fuel injectors (I am guesing the new one they fitted) correctly.

If you had died then that mechanic could have been looking at a manslaughter charge.

If you want to pursue action against the dealer then it might be worth talking to Trading Standards, although that could complicate your own action against them.

 

[television]

What ever you do, I think it is always best to see what offer is made, this is always the best approach when dealing with insurance companies.

They have more money than you, plus all of the legal back up, though I have not claimed im 30 years the same rules apply. There is little point in fighting from the word go, see what is on offer. I have advised people to take it gently pointing out issues ,etc and they have ended up with double the original offer.
there is little point in winning anything if all of the rewards are used on legal fee's.

MB will pass it over to their insurures. Sad to think that the engine was not started in the workshop after the completion of the work..

Malcolm

 

[johnmc]

Hi,
Great! I'm glad you got to the bottom of it. That is serious a serious problem, and I'm sure you'll get compensation for stress, pain inconvenience etc. Milk it if you can.

I felt strangely happy after sniffing the diesel and polish, must remember not to make a habit of it

Bye!
John

 

[Parrot of Doom]

In lieu of sueing them, I'd want a new car. After all, its their fault your current car crashed.

 

[IAN MAC]

That sounds like a good way to go, replacement car and a healthy cheque in the glove box. Quite sure the dealer won't want all the bad publicity.

 

[Stevie A]

For Wallabyhouse - The moral of the story is if you suspect something strange eg smells, knocks, rattles etc stop the vehicle immediately and check under the bonnet etc.

I'm not trying to be on a high horse here so don't take it the wrong way please.

 

[television]

For Wallabyhouse - The moral of the story is if you suspect something strange eg smells, knocks, rattles etc stop the vehicle immediately and check under the bonnet etc.

I'm not trying to be on a high horse here so don't take it the wrong way please.

Very good point,infact the best point raised so far, it almost says as much in the handbooks. Also without taking it the wrong way, it makes no difference as to who is driving - male or female.

On meeting a lady in a narrow lane last week with a passing place 10 meters behind her, she got out and said " I am no good at reversing, and you must reverse" my answer was "now you will have a chance to practice", after 25 attempts, I managed to get by.
This has no reflection on the woman concerned in this thread.

Malcolm

 

[mioba]

Well congratulations to John and JBerks-you were both right!

Went to the garage which was quoting for the bodywork today and asked if the engineer had been to look for the cause of the crash to be told "no he was only here to look at the bodywork because we already put back what caused the problem"

The Mercedes mechanic had not replaced one of the fuel injectors (I am guesing the new one they fitted) correctly.It had therefore been spraying diesel throughout the engine and onto the tyres-had even reached the back axle apparently.
This guy told me they had to steam clean the underneath of the car before they could work on it because it was soaked and too dangerous for them.

SO,mystery solved-he said he and his two colleagues would be happy to make a statement to the fact.....just need to work out what to do now.

Thank you all again for your advice-and John,your wife should be happy all you get up to is sniffing furniture polish

i hope you have bben taking photos of all this and are documenting EVERYTHING

 

[wallabyhouse]

Anyweb-it wasn't a write off but to be honest,I don't really want to drive it again.
As for insurers-all they are interested in is recovering their costs-they have stated that my legal cover with my policy is not for claims such as these...note to self,check policy next time and see if it's worth it.I may have legal cover with my house policy though.
New car is a great idea-someone suggested I ring the dealer,explain what happened and give them 7 days to give me a brand new ML and I will sign a waiver and if not-go the legal route.Still not sure what to do.

I spoke to the garage today to ask the guy who said he would write a statement for me and he said he would.I sent someone to pick it up and funnily enough they guy was out and the letter had not been typed.......cold feet I fear.
Stevie A-good advice of course and if the mechanic/driver hadn't driven it back to me from the garage after paying £750 for the service and parts I probably would have stopped.
At least I now know what diesel smells like!

 

[wallabyhouse]

Update again-got a letter from the recovery garage-it is incorrectly dated but I reckon says all I need it to....

 

[anyweb]

what does it say exactly ?

do NOT accept the old car back

demand a new one (i would)

a crashed car will never be the same no matter how nicely they fix it up, and as they are accepting responsibility for the crash in the first place, do not accept the old one back.

cheers
anyweb

 

[television]

what does it say exactly ?

dont accept the old car back

demand a new one (i would)

cheers
anyweb

You cant demand anything in cases like this, all of us traders have public liability insurance that handle these things. The MB garage will have filled out their claim form and the insurers will take over, as in a road accident.
I know that stress has been incurred here, but why do people want to get rich out of all perportion.
The Adds "have you fallen over or tripped on a matchstick, we can get you mega bucks" The effect from all of this is that it cost us all while this goes on.

Malcolm

 

[anyweb]

one other point that no one has mentioned yet,

well done to the engineering of mercedes that she survived the crash in the first place with little injuries to speak of,

i wonder what the outcome would be if it was say a ford mondeo *shudder*

 

[anyweb]

You cant demand anything in cases like this, all of us traders have public liability insurance that handle these things. The MB garage will have filled out their claim form and the insurers will take over, as in a road accident.
I know that stress has been incurred here, but why do people want to get rich out of all perportion.
The Adds "have you fallen over or tripped on a matchstick, we can get you mega bucks" The effect from all of this is that it cost us all while this goes on.

Malcolm

hi malcolm

i'm not suggesting that she gets rich out of this at all, i just dont think it's acceptable to put your car in for a service and they do such a bad job that it CAUSES an accident and near death experience,

the resulting damage to the car (which only went in for a service) would not be accetable to me whether they would fix it or not.

and as far as I can tell, it doesnt hurt to ask anyway,

perhaps 'demand' is too strong a word, but that's the way i feel about it if it (god forbid) happened to me,

cheers
anyweb

 

[television]

hi malcolm

i'm not suggesting that she gets rich out of this at all, i just dont think it's acceptable to put your car in for a service and they do such a bad job that it CAUSES an accident and near death experience,

I think that if you had to be cut out of the wreck, that would be nearer a near death stuation

the resulting damage to the car (which only went in for a service) would not be accetable to me whether they would fix it or not.

it would be unreasonable to expect a new car,if only the bumper or front was slightly damaged and any claim above this would be said to be unreasonable.


and as far as I can tell, it doesnt hurt to ask anyway,

No I agree, without photo's or seeing the car hard to say

perhaps 'demand' is too strong a word, but that's the way i feel about it if it (god forbid) happened to me,

Time is a big healer, like in a divorce, as time passes so the anger and hurt become less. I trade on fair tirms, and I expect others to do the same, I am not anti anything, its just that at times I have found myself in the same position. Going back to earlier parts of the thread, it is no excuse to say that I am a woman and there for I do not have to read the hand book or stop the car when something is wrong, the engines was missing and viabrating also smelling


cheers
anyweb

I can assure you that I am a carring person, but fairness must prevail from all sides. Accidents do happen and always will, people do make mistakes.
Malcolm

 

[wallabyhouse]

I can assure you that I am not seeking to demand anything from anyone over and above what I see as fair compensation for the horrendous crash (and after effects)I experienced due to MB negligence.
I have pins and needles down one side,very sore back and neck but to be honest,the not sleeping and anxiety attacks,coupled with not wanting to drive (and I need to drive as I do 30k a year in my job)are concerning me more.
For me it was actually a near death experience-may not be by your definition Television but it was in mine.
As for being a woman not being an excuse for not reading the handbook-I agree and hindsight is a wonderful thing.
However,I would like to point out that a MB employee delivered my car back to me,a distance of 12 miles,8 of which are motorway and HE didn't think to stop or question the smell of diesel......

 

[television]

I can assure you that I am not seeking to demand
However,I would like to point out that a MB employee delivered my car back to me,a distance of 12 miles,8 of which are motorway and HE didn't think to stop or question the smell of diesel......

This piece is your saviour, and I endorse what you say, as it could always be said that the driver should know better than you, he has had experience of driving these cars and would know instantly that something was wrong, he should have used his common sense and returned it to the workshop for missing,running rough and the smell. the really makes two of the MB employee's at fault, the mechanic that did the job, and the driver. As I said that the engine could not have been run with the bonnet up, and it is hard to know how anyone,no matter how experianced could do this, the last thing you do on any job is to leave it running up to the correct temperture to check for leaks, the dangers encountered when working with fuel lines is clearly laid out on every job within the MB workshop info and service bulitens.
before any fuel repairs can be accessed, the dangers have to be read and acknowledged before the information can be read.
If you need any help with this at a later stage I will provide it for you.
I am on your side, I just did not want things to become unrealistic. MB know that they are in the wrong, and they will be negotiating with their insurures.

The best thing that you could do is to drive a car as soon as possible, that helps so much in these cases, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Malcolm