One less AU Fairlane

genebaby · 18-02-2007, 06:19 PM

My wife was at a local Horse Riding School and I dropped something over and she told me about an incident that had just happened on the property next door.

The lady had parked her Fairlane at the top of a hill to go for a ride. She had left her children inside listening to music, something which she's done before. Putting WAY too much faith in the Ford handbrake, yesterday was not her lucky day. The car began rolling and barged through a couple of fences and ended up stranded on some rocks, very much the worse for wear.

We thought the kids had released the handbrake but it was still up. The gearbox was completely bashed up and was in reverse when they got to it.

The kids jumped out very early on in the piece, when it had just started rolling, a very lucky thing for them.

This all happened while the lady was away on her ride so she had no idea about it yet. My wife told the kids not to worry, at least your safe, the car is replaceable, it will be ok. Lo and behold, mother returns and is cranky at the kids for killing the car!!!!

Some people.

Here's a pic I got on my camera phone. It was a bit far from the road, but I'm sure she noticed me slowing down to take it, lol.

GXL078 · 18-02-2007, 09:06 PM

Gees, unlike my XC those things have a relatively normal handbrake. Been there, done that, when the discs cooled down + worn T bar bushes.

Casper · 18-02-2007, 09:09 PM

AU IRS + Handbrake = joke. I wouldn't trust mine to hold, EVER! Lets just say its more unreliable than an E Series head gasket or a BA CV joint.. and thats saying something!

davocol · 18-02-2007, 10:22 PM

Couldn't agree more, one of the only things on my AU I truly dispised, it was adjusted every single service and within about a week of being adjusted needed readjustment. Bloody awful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casper

AU IRS + Handbrake = joke. I wouldn't trust mine to hold, EVER! Lets just say its more unreliable than an E Series head gasket or a BA CV joint.. and thats saying something!

LUXO_8 · 18-02-2007, 10:28 PM

bugger..... very lucky for the kids to have gotten out, that could have been nasty

outback_ute · 18-02-2007, 10:28 PM

Don't worry, the big rocks seem to have taken over the handbrake's job pretty effectively!

ltd · 18-02-2007, 11:11 PM

BA handbrakes aren't much better, unless of course you like the constant screeching noise coming from them when they're adjusted to actually work.
The AU handbrake is an absolute joke though 100% agreed there.

Lukeyson · 19-02-2007, 01:14 AM

Lucky the kids bailed and are ok.

But .... Im waiting for it ................... that illusive comment that comes along with crash pics

Zed7fiddy · 19-02-2007, 01:27 AM

ahh the good ol ford handbake meets tree trick, done this with 2 XF's and a XD, Luckily neither have had enough speed to cause damage

castek · 19-02-2007, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR8fella

Lucky the kids bailed and are ok.

But .... Im waiting for it ................... that illusive comment that comes along with crash pics

it just has to be said.... that'll buff out

agreed with the AU handbrakes. dads old fairmont ghia never used to hold. i've even had some problems with mine in the EL.

Steffo · 19-02-2007, 07:09 AM

I don't get it... wouldn't you leave the car in park also? Every automatic car I've ever owned and every automatic car I've ever seen holds perfectly well in park... what kind of retard leaves their auto in neutral with the handbrake alone holding it?

: (The latter would be required for this to happen)

sammi anderson · 19-02-2007, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steffo

what kind of retard leaves their auto in neutral with the handbrake alone holding it?

: (The latter would be required for this to happen)

What retard leaves their kids in the car and goes horse riding....

Steffo · 19-02-2007, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammi anderson

What retard leaves their kids in the car and goes horse riding....

Yeah... that's the other question that begs to be asked.

Lets see this recipe for something to go well...

AU Fairlane, kids inside, left in presumeably neutral with the handbrake up, mother gone riding horses... that's gonna turn out well...

genebaby · 19-02-2007, 07:23 AM

It looked a lot funnier seeing the car on the rocks in real life, and I knew the thread would be useless without pics. This is once I knew nobody was hurt and that a stupid person had wrecked their car of course.

I spoke to the wife again, nobody knows how it got rolling, as she left it in Park with the brake on. The force of running down hill shredded the gears in the box and as I said before, it was in reverse by the end of it, but was probably bouncing through every gear.

But yes, who leaves their kids in the car to go horse riding? Obviously not the sharpest knife in the family drawer.

Steffo · 19-02-2007, 07:28 AM

If the car was in park then there are two possible causes...

1. (More likely) - One of the kids moved it out of park, and the handbrake failed.

2. (Unlikely) - Both Park and handbrake failed at the same time.

sbutler · 19-02-2007, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steffo

If the car was in park then there are two possible causes...

1. (More likely) - One of the kids moved it out of park, and the handbrake failed.

2. (Unlikely) - Both Park and handbrake failed at the same time.

Yeah Steffo has done the investigation & they are his findings, & Ivé gotta agree. Figure 1 is the most likely cause of Fairlanes being parked on rocks.. :Reverend:

ltd · 19-02-2007, 08:00 AM

Here's my diagnosis of probable causes of the crash.

1/ The mother
2/ The mother
3/ The mother
4/ The mother

That being said it is highly likely that one of the kids moved the car out of park and could not get it back in once it started to move. I sure as anything can remember being left alone in a car on a trip plenty of times; when some would go to the toilet on a trip and others didn't need to go etc. None of it ended up on a rock though.
Silly as it sounds we have all been left/left kids in a car before, as children you don't tend to mind at all. By leaving children in a car I don't mean in the carpark at an RSL or casino where kids have been left for 20 odd hours whilst the parents gamble. That's despicable.

mustang70 · 19-02-2007, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltd

Here's my diagnosis of probable causes of the crash.

1/ The mother
2/ The mother
3/ The mother
4/ The mother

.

good investigative skills !
yeah i'd bet she left it in reverse, or 'nearly' put it in park,not clicking in properly.she had the keys in the ignition so would not have known if it wasnt clicked into park properly,as she wasnt trying to remove the keys.as someone else stated,yeah sure the handbrake might have been crap but you'd think the 'park' would hold it.

Rodp · 19-02-2007, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davocol

Couldn't agree more, one of the only things on my AU I truly dispised, it was adjusted every single service and within about a week of being adjusted needed readjustment. Bloody awful!

Same with my BA. Though, it might actually last about 2 weeks.

Valet parking almost planted it backwards into a wall while having to wait on a ramp for the car infront to move just last week. Stalled it 3 times and missed backing it into the wall by about a metre. Few of the other guys standing around were commenting, glad that's not my car. :\ Yeah, it was mine!

Finally gets up the ramp and says, mate.. your handbrake doesn't work. I point at the floor and suggest the pedal in the middle works fine. Sadly, one of those all care no responsibility places. If he did put it into the wall, I'd be wearing the excess.

:

**Mechan1k** · 19-02-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammi anderson

What retard leaves their kids in the car and goes horse riding....

I know from first hand experience ... horse people are strange creatures indeed ... some are OK ... but 95% of them are not living on this planet.

needaXYGT · 19-02-2007, 09:18 AM

an AU handbrake is the most **** weak mechanism invented by man!

**Mechan1k** · 19-02-2007, 09:20 AM

One reason why all AU owners should carry a brick in the boot at all times.

genebaby · 19-02-2007, 09:25 AM

Got some more info from the wife. It's a strange situation indeed that landed this car on the rocks.

It was parked horizontally on the hill, with the rear wheels in a bit of a ditch even. The youngest child was playing outside of the car and the elder girl was in the car at the time. She told my wife she was worried that she couldn't close her door as the car was going too fast. She was running after the car to catch it and close the door. My wife told her the door was the least of the cars problems by then.

Most of the damage was on the passengers side, with major panel damage and the front wheel just about horizontal. There were quite a few obstacles in it's path, but it's mass and speed kept it going.

GXL078 · 19-02-2007, 10:58 AM

This retard keeps returning to his wife's car to find he has left it parked in drive with the handbrake on. He thinks he is still driving his old manual car.

Hunter · 19-02-2007, 11:32 AM

I'm pretty sure its actually illegal to leave kids in a car. And if it isn't, its certainly illegal to leave the keys in the car.

I agree with the comments re handbrakes... my ELs handbrake is crap, its constantly needing adjusting. That said, thus far its held the car. And park seems to hold my car just dandy.

I know of a guy who's Commodore's handbrake failed whilst he was washing it on a hill. Car went flying backwards down the hill and destroyed a rear quarter panel.

:

**Mechan1k** · 19-02-2007, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

I'm pretty sure its actually illegal to leave kids in a car. And if it isn't, its certainly illegal to leave the keys in the car.

In NSW it is illegal to leave a car unsecured (ie: unlocked/unattended) at least ... but I presume it is on private property ... so there's nothing you can do about it really.

Only illegal if this occurs on a public road/carpark.

By the sounds of it it was on a person's property that has horse riding/agistment ... so it comes nder being on a private property.

EA2BA · 19-02-2007, 11:44 AM

I think the kids got more and more bored with just sitting there, and started to get a little more game in playing around in the car till they took it to far and look at the damage.

Bill_R · 19-02-2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammi anderson

What retard leaves their kids in the car and goes horse riding....

Agree. She's a fool!

sgt_doofey · 19-02-2007, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

my ELs handbrake is crap, its constantly needing adjusting. That said, thus far its held the car. And park seems to hold my car just dandy.

My EL's handbrake is fine. Only ever been adjusted once in the 8 years I've had it.
I always park the car in neutral, put the hand brake on, take my foot off the brake to ensure that the handbrake is engaged properly, and then put the car in park. That way, all the weight of the car is on the rear brakes and not the gearbox.
Couple of times, I've forgotten that last step only to find the car exactly where I've left it the previous time I drove it.

LUXO_8 · 19-02-2007, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genebaby

Got some more info from the wife. It's a strange situation indeed that landed this car on the rocks.

It was parked horizontally on the hill, with the rear wheels in a bit of a ditch even. The youngest child was playing outside of the car and the elder girl was in the car at the time. She told my wife she was worried that she couldn't close her door as the car was going too fast. She was running after the car to catch it and close the door. My wife told her the door was the least of the cars problems by then.

Most of the damage was on the passengers side, with major panel damage and the front wheel just about horizontal. There were quite a few obstacles in it's path, but it's mass and speed kept it going.

is the front bar any good?........i want it