Runaway BMW??

The 'Kev' behind the wheel.

why didn't he turn the ignition off?

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

Couldn't get it into neutral - just possible. Couldn't switch it off - bollocks.

In

the driver is quoted as saying "Icouldn't turn off the ignition because it would have disabledthe power steering and made it even more dangerous." He's also reported to have been in mobile phone contact with the police through most of this.

Something doesn't add up here.

John

He said he didnt want to because he would lose the power steering....

*boggle eyed* 130 MPH from a 318 Auto?

Tom.

Yup, agree with the neutral - *some* autos won't let you do that if it'll over-rev the engine.

Well, as has been pointed out elsewhere.... speedo error would bring that down to the manufacturer's clamed 124mph. But that's still maxing out a 100k mile old car. Which is highly unlikely.

Had a similar incident once luckily in 1st gear .... still with a 2.5v6 that was scary enough for one day.

Switching off didn't kill the power steering as leaving the car in gear meant the engine was still spinning the power steering pump.

Not sure how that would work with a BMW auto but at the end of the day - you can still steer a car when the power steering is dead .... not easy but its doable.

You're odd you are. My Volvo would do Vmax at 115k, my Sierra would at 160k as would my old Rover also at 160k

Modern engines properly maintained don't lose power with age.

I don't think the E36 has 'fly by wire'.

Heh - I love this quote:

"I'd buy another BMW because, although there was a problem, it saved my life in that crash."

I'd avoid any car that I'd known to have an electronically-controlled throttle jam up on me in the first place, myself......

Was one of the main reasons for me buying a second volvo.

Aye - it's not that bloody difficult either - especially not at that sort of speed. My first thought would be to turn the ignition off, and if you're not quick in slipping it into neutral after that, then it may end up damaging the autobox, but it's cheaper than a written-off car. Also, the engine may well not be spinning the PAS pump in an auto as the transfer of motion from wheels to flywheel may well not be as simple in an auto as a manual, or you'd be able to bump-start automatic cars.

Well, even so, you'd think that someone who's had that happen to them would avoid that model as a result of what happened following a random failure, not actively go out and buy something similar because they survived a crash in it....

The message from John Henderson contains these words:

Not if he'd done it on a straight bit.

The message from "DougP" contains these words:

I suspect since the internal pump would still be running it'd stay turning the engine over till it got quite slow - but with electronically controlled boxes, who knows.

Apparently he was driving it along the hard shoulder for a considerable number of miles, which I would have thought would have been a safe enough place to have turned the ignition off and let it run down in a straight line to a standstill.

It's exactly the same as a lorry driver tried a few years before and was prosecuted for when no fault was found. He just fancied driving fast and getting on the news. It's a bit mad to make an insurance claim by going to all that trouble.

Ignoring the fact that the brakes where so faulty they couldn't stop it.