Accident

[capt jack]

OK, so maybe I was daft to do it, but I got my S90 insured so that my eldest daughter could have some driving practice prior to taking her driving test. Sad to say, she's managed to have a bit of a prang today.

Most importantly no-one is hurt, although we're both a little shaken. The driver of the other car was hugely gracious and very understanding.

On my car The OSF indicator lens is smashed, the bumper is scraped, and the very top leading edge of the wing is a little distorted.

The Renault she hit on the other hand is significantly gashed along its offside doors. You would be hard-pushed to believe that the two cars had actually been involved in the same accident, such is the difference between the two in terms of the damage done.

I reckon I can sort the bumper, and replacing the indicator lens is a breeze. The damage to the wing is a little more problematical, but I'll need a closer look in the full daylight.

I've reported it to my insurers of course, and there is no argument that the accident was caused by my daughter. She misjudged a turn, clipped a nearside kerb, over-compensated the steering and veered across the road. It all happened in an instant and there was nothing that could be done. Everyone has to learn sometime, and I do believe that a minor bump is actually a positive experience for a new driver.

In my mind, I'm thinking of sourcing a replacement wing, but is it any easy job to unbolt the old and bolt on the new? I did this once with our S70, and the S90 does look to be of a very similar basic construction.

The other thing is, does anyone know where I can get a pristine S90 OSF wing in dark blue.......?

Heigh-ho, such are the joys of parenthood - even when your kids are big enough to tell you what to do!

Thanks

Cheers

Jack

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by capt jack

OK, so maybe I was daft to do it, but I got my S90 insured so that my eldest daughter could have some driving practice prior to taking her driving test. Sad to say, she's managed to have a bit of a prang today.

Most importantly no-one is hurt, although we're both a little shaken. The driver of the other car was hugely gracious and very understanding.

On my car The OSF indicator lens is smashed, the bumper is scraped, and the very top leading edge of the wing is a little distorted.

The Renault she hit on the other hand is significantly gashed along its offside doors. You would be hard-pushed to believe that the two cars had actually been involved in the same accident, such is the difference between the two in terms of the damage done.

I reckon I can sort the bumper, and replacing the indicator lens is a breeze. The damage to the wing is a little more problematical, but I'll need a closer look in the full daylight.

I've reported it to my insurers of course, and there is no argument that the accident was caused by my daughter. She misjudged a turn, clipped a nearside kerb, over-compensated the steering and veered across the road. It all happened in an instant and there was nothing that could be done. Everyone has to learn sometime, and I do believe that a minor bump is actually a positive experience for a new driver.

In my mind, I'm thinking of sourcing a replacement wing, but is it any easy job to unbolt the old and bolt on the new? I did this once with our S70, and the S90 does look to be of a very similar basic construction.

The other thing is, does anyone know where I can get a pristine S90 OSF wing in dark blue.......?

Heigh-ho, such are the joys of parenthood - even when your kids are big enough to tell you what to do!

Thanks

Cheers

Jack

Sorry to hear of the prang Jack, at least you seem to be taking it philosophically though!

I belive Luke (360beast) is soon to be taking delivery of a V90 in blue (right shade or not i don't know) and as far as i'm aware, the V90 wings will be the same as the S90. They're probably very similar to or the same as 960 Mk2 wings but i can't be sure on that.

Anyway, although this isn't the right thread, it will still put you in touch with Luke so you can make enquireies about the wig :

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=306803

Hope i've remembered the colour correctly, another option might be PDR but it depends how bad the damage is to your wing.

On the bright side, be glad your daughter wasn't driving a Renault!

[volvo always]

The main thing is your all fine.

Before I passed my driving test In 1999 I drove my Nans Volvo 340 1.4 in Porthleven, Cornwall and I turned right into a side road and clipped and mounted a high kerb by about 1ft in. No damage done to the Volvo. Passed in Quinton, Birmingham.
To date, touch wood no accidents or bumps.

James

[360beast]

Sorry to hear about your S90 but glad everyone is okay.

Yes I will be getting a V90 soon, sadly it has been pushed back for delivery as the Alfa Romeo I was breaking was an absolute pain in the backside to take apart due to rusty bolts and captive nuts no longer being captive... due to rust haha.

It is a dark metallic blue I believe, I can't remember the condition of the wing but if it is dent free it will be best to get a respray as I doubt many 2and hand wings for S/V90 wings will be pristine.

[capt jack]

Thanks All

Have now had a chance for a better look in the daylight, and it's nowhere near as bad as it first looked. I will need a new indicator lens, but the wing is fine. The very leading edge, where it narrows down to almost a point, had been pushed under the bonnet lip. I got a broom handle, laid it along the gutter that's formed where the wing bolts to the inner wing, and gently pulled outwards. The wing popped back to its original shape absolutely perfectly. It'll need a bit of a paint and polish, but not much. The bonnet now closes perfectly, and the shut line is spot on.

The bumper has pulled out of it's mount on the wing, so I'm going to remove the bumper completely, line it all up and put it back straight.

The bumper itself is pretty scuffed, but I can see for sure that it's well within my capabilities to refurbish .

All this made me think back to that infamous "Volvo vs Renault" YouTube video that did the rounds a few years ago. Well in this particular contest it's a clear win for the old Volvo. I reckon the extent of the damage is a new lens (£20 on Ebay) and a couple of hours of my time. The Renault we hit is going to need two new doors.

So now it's a quick brew, out with the spanners and off with that bumper!

Cheers

Jack

PS: Alfa Romeo? Rust? Surely not!

[svensktoppen]

Ouch... Don't worry about it, we've all been there, though most wouldn't be honest enough to admit to it. Doesn't sound too bad, not nice but these things happen. Just get it fixed and move on.

I remember the day I passed my own test I took my parents car out on my own for the first time. Yes, a Volvo of course, a white 144 auto. Met another car on a narrow road, got too lose to the edge and hit a letter box. Scraped up the front corner pretty well.

Didn't have the balls to fess up, lol, but everyone knew it was me!

[capt jack]

Things are moving on. The bumper has been removed, re-aligned and popped back into place. The indicator lens is temporarily repaired with some tape and clear polythene, and it will do until the new lens arrives on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The scratches in the bumper have been sanded back, filled and primed. The top leading edge of the wing has also been similarly prepped.

When I took it all apart I found that the plastic bracket that holds both the headlight assembly and the indicator lens had fractured, but some ingenuity and pop rivets have restored that to good health.

I had to adjust the bonnet as it had been pushed back a little, but by undoing the bolts on the hinge a little, and then some pushing and pulling I've got that all lined up again. Also, the very extreme corner of the bonnet had been bent back a little. I've managed to straighten it some, but it's not quite perfect. It'll need to be repainted at some point.

On the insurance front, I reported the accident to Aviva, and I have to say they have been brilliant. I'm not claiming from them for the damage to my car, but I understand that they were in touch with the driver of the other car first thing this morning, and are getting her car sorted for her very quickly. I guess it goes to show that these 5-star ratings do actually mean something when it comes to the crunch.

I'm just waiting for the primer coat to dry now, then I'll get back out there with my wet-and-dry!

One thing we will do differently is to buy another Volvo for my daughter's lessons. An old S40 or V40 probably. So if anyone knows of a decent old auto then I'm interested!

Jack