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the death of my WRX

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
faithful readers will note that a lot of my time and energy (among other things) have been invested into my car, a Subaru WRX. well, that car is no more, i fear, after today's unpleasant wreck on the freeway.

the wreck happened at the start of hwy 16, as it branches off from interstate 5 in tacoma, washington. chris han and i were driving through a downpour in tacoma on our way to the season-ending autocross in bremerton. there is a 40 mph section from the onramp extending for about 1/2 mile, and i dutifully slowed down to 40.

at the end of the onramp is a right turn. as the turn begins an additional lane appears to the right, and i switched into that lane in what i believe to be a smooth fashion. in doing so the car's balance was somehow upset and the tail stepped out. thanks to much practice spinning and recovering from spins at autocross events i countersteered by instinct. unfortunately, my instinct was to countersteer too much, and as the tires regained traction the car's tail swung back from the left to the right. i now found myself headed left in a right turn, with scant feet left between the car's nose and the wall.

the impact was at a 60 degree angle, approximately, with the origin pointing straight down the road. it was a loud bang, both from the sound of crunching metal and carbon and from the deployment of the two front airbags. incidentally, airbags smell of gunpowder after they've gone off, and leave a fine dust floating in the air for several minutes.

as we surveyed the damage another car spun at the same spot. an image of a white camry travelling backwards towards chris and me is now marked indelibly in my mind. it slid to a halt mere inches from the wall, and about 10 feet from my car, but in the process forced me to jump out of the way, literally, and caused chris to leap over the guardrail into the median. luckily, he leaped at a point below which there was solid ground, rather than the 15 foot dropoff found a few more feet down the road. (as a side note, 4 additional cars after this camry spun at the same spot in the road during the hour in which we were waiting for a tow truck. was there oil on the road? i don't know, but having 6 cars, including mine, spin in such a short amount of time either suggests a road hazard or mass incompetence. i'm hoping it's not the latter.)

the damage to the car seems quite extensive to my eye-of-limited-expertise: the bumper, hood, quarter panels, intercooler, radiator, horns, and headlights are definitely in need of replacement. the frame is possibly bent, given that my door was difficult to open at first. the gearbox and engine are also screwed up in all likelihood, as i was unable to shift the car out of gear after the accident.

on the upside: neither chris nor i were seriously injured. chris got a few scrapes in jumping over the median, and a small laceration on his pinky. furthermore, no other cars were involved, so there will be no monkey business with 3rd party insurance, medical claims, lawsuits, and the like. also, my carbon hood collapsed as it is supposed to do, rather than decapitating me and chris, as has been claimed in some urban legends within the car community.

on the downside: my car is probably gone, marking the end of yet another era. i was also issued a ticket for "speed too high for conditions" (note that i was not speeding technically, and given the remarkable coincidence of 5 other cars spinning at the same turn within the hour i am going to contest this ticket).

stay tuned to this channel for updates in the future of the fate of my wrx, the possible process of parting it out after buying it back from insurance, and what its replacement might be. in the meantime my parents are going to give me their 1996 Ford Expedition, a true hulk of a vehicle, so i might actually be freed up by this to get a more impractical car as a second vehicle. we shall see. (a Spec Miata? hmm.)

a pic or two, see the gallery (wrecked wrx) for the rest:



 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Ouch man. Sorry to hear but it's good you're OK. Hope you can fight the ticket successfully.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
My condolences, looks like it was a nice car. It may not be a total loss. I hope you win contesting the ticket, it sounds like the road more at fault than anything else.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
alexis, if the car is totaled then i'll probably buy it back and part it out, seriously.

R, i wasn't speeding! i am a very courteous driver on the freeway, always merging as far to the right as possible (as in this unfortunate incident), staying with 3ish mph of the limit, signaling lane changes, actually looking before merging over, etc. :D

splat, yes that is a game boy. my boost controller uses it as the interface for both the gauge display and for setting parameters (boost and wastegate solenoid duty in each of the gears at various rpm). it's brilliant engineering imo -- where else are you going to find a good screen and interface for $80, off the shelf?

Potroast, did you read the text of my long initial post, specifically the section on what is damaged?

Reactor, thanks. i do hope i can get this ticket dropped so that my insurance company can't sock it to me. i was looking forward to my rates dropping in a month when i turn 25, too... :(

D, thanks, but if it is totaled i'm heading away from the subaru world. since i'm getting an expedition dropped in my lap thanks to my wonderful parents i have to do some thinking about what to do with the insurance payout.
 

cannondalejunky

ease dropper
Jun 19, 2005
2,924
2
Arkansas
if you have any parts that would be compatible with my outback (and if i have any money at the time) i would be seriously interested in buying a couple parts
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
if it comes down to parting the car out i'll be sure to cross post my FS thread here on RM. :D
 

Mani_UT

Monkey
Nov 25, 2001
644
0
SLC, UT
Sooo basically you are saying you got out-driven by a guy in a camry?

;)

Just messing. Seriously that WRX was nice!
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
bummer toshi, but surely glad to hear that you and yr passenger were unharmed.

maybe you can sell the rest of the WRX remains to brian ;)

and invest the rest of the $ into another DH bike. :D
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
not only did that camry spin, but 4 other cars as well, within the hour. ridiculous.

tim, i think your "narlus" playlist was churning away at the time of the accident. perhaps you are at fault?! heh. i don't think i'll be getting back into dh anytime soon (or ever)...
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
damn, i just read the whole thing. you ate it hard. glad you are ok.

but with blown airbargs, and all that damage... its probably gonna be written off.

if the engine is fine, my bet? rollcage the mofo and turn it into a full time toy, already got the electronics, which is the trickiest stuff.
switch the front end for a 04+, a fuel cell and a couple omp seats and you got yourself a group n.
 

splat

Nam I am
splat, yes that is a game boy. my boost controller uses it as the interface for both the gauge display and for setting parameters (boost and wastegate solenoid duty in each of the gears at various rpm). it's brilliant engineering imo -- where else are you going to find a good screen and interface for $80, off the shelf?
sweet , do you have a URL I can get some more info about that ?
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554

brungeman

I give a shirt
Jan 17, 2006
5,170
0
da Burgh
thats a shame Toshi, I am glad you weren't hurt though!

I don't know that this is the case but often times trucks busses etc, drop fuel, oil, and even coolant as they round those entrance and exit ramps, and often the rain will draw that up off the pavement making it super extra slick, compound that with the nature of a subies all wheel drive, and sometimes the rear ends like to get "squirly" (have had the same thing happen in my Forester luckily nothing to bump, and just rode it out!)
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
going from memory, search under my name, results "by post", with "vf34" to see the whole list:

FMIC
VF34
EWG (tial 38mm)
UTEC
DTEC-BC Pro with 2 solenoids for the EWG
RA gears
ACT street disc clutch
Aquamist D2 water injection, 100% water
stainless lines, aftermarket pads/rotors, etc.
wheels/tires (BBS/Nokian WR for snow season)
stereo work
D2 racing coilovers (single adjustable but camber plates all around!)

she put down 291 whp on PDX Tuning's dyno on 9/28/06.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
i just found out from a tow truck driver who happened to be on the scene that another car had done the same thing right before me, this a kia minivan. that's 7 cars spun on the same corner, including mine, within an hour and a half.
 

mobius

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
2,158
0
Around DC
**** Toshi that's a shame i really liked the look of your car. Sorry to hear about the loss. I say get a wrx sti wagon when they come out. My next car that im hoping to get in the next 6-12 months will be a wrx wagon for sure.

In terms of the tow truck driver i'd have him write out what he said to you in an official letter and use it in court.
 

merrrrjig

Turbo Monkey
Dec 24, 2003
1,726
0
Mammoth Lakes, Ca
Pretty crazy crashing huh? I also oversteered when I crashed, and if the situation happened again I would have done the same thing since it is natural reaction. Glad that you and your buddy are fine. IMO that car is gunna be claimed totaled
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
good thought, andrew. i just asked the tow truck driver to write something official looking up.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Do you think stability control would have helped you? Subaru is starting to add that safety feature to more and more models. Other brands are making it standard across their product line.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
Do you think stability control would have helped you? Subaru is starting to add that safety feature to more and more models.
my buddy and i were discussing this while waiting for the tow truck, and yes, i think it would have helped. stability control can do things that drivers cannot physically do, such as apply the brake selectively to one wheel at a time.
 

COmtbiker12

Turbo Monkey
Dec 17, 2003
2,577
0
Colorado Springs
Man that sucks Toshi. :( Glad to hear you're alright though.

If the car's sitting at a lot somewhere I'd recommend going and pulling out the stereo or any other high value things on it. When my stepbrother totaled his car a year or so ago, he went there about a week later to pull out the stereo to stick it in his new car, and it had already been stolen.


Keep us updated on what you decide to get. :D
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
the extras on the car are largely insured ($4k in additional coverage). it's not worth my time to go and pull them by hand. thanks for the suggestion tho.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
my buddy and i were discussing this while waiting for the tow truck, and yes, i think it would have helped. stability control can do things that drivers cannot physically do, such as apply the brake selectively to one wheel at a time.
Yeah as long as it isn't as bad as the Toyota/Lexus electro nanny w/multi step process not really intended to be disabled often, it would be a great feature. My Nissan has a button on the dash to turn stability control off, but I don't really need to - it doesn't seem so intrusive so far, but I'm not racing autocross either.
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
:disgust1: A cop gave you a ticket after you crashed?

like your day isnt bad enough. you have to pay a ticket.

where does the money from fines go anyway??
i think he got the ticket because his car its a wrx, looks racey, and because of the white strip on the steering wheel.
the cop just went by the stereotype. that white strip is the cause!
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
i think he got the ticket because his car its a wrx, looks racey, and because of the white strip on the steering wheel.
the cop just went by the stereotype. that white strip is the cause!
if the 6 (! the 6th being the kia added since the writing of the original post) other cars that spun didn't get tickets of the same nature i think i have a very valid grievance, and should be able to get the ticket tossed.
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
Glad to hear you and your pal are ok. Terrible sound to hear, when you're involved in a crash. Sounds like for the most part you got everything covered, good luck on your ticket.
 

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
alexis, if the car is totaled then i'll probably buy it back and part it out, seriously.
t.
Glad to hear yer alright. From what my sister says the worse thing that can happen to a doctor is to get sent to the same ED that they work at. Pranks galore while under sedation.

Tha'ts something I don't get..you gotta buy back your own car to part it out? WTF? I remember when my sister crashed her BMW she was only allowed to take out her personal items...which I thought was BS so I took my tool set with me and disassembled the car as much as possible.

By the way how do you turn your gameboy into an interface? My buddy has a Banks kit for his diesel truck and was wanting to get their PDA interface but costs a couple hundred bucks. You got a link for that?
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
i posted links wrt the gameboy up top in response to splat. don't know anything further than that, unfortunately.

as far as swapping out parts to stock, i've heard various things on whether it's kosher to do so before the insurance appraisers get their hands on the car. given that the extra parts are covered i think i'll just wait and let them do their thing, pay out for the car, then consider buying it back if the price is right.