A lucky escape
- mnde
- Meteor Man
- Posts: 1453
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- Location: Aldershot, Hants
- My Cars: 2007 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 16V VTX
1982 Citroen GSA Spécial Estate - gone to a new home
1991 Citroen BX16 TGS Meteor - still out there somewhere!
A lucky escape
Went shopping this lunchtime in't BX, parked it in a multistorey carpark, bought my ticket, applied it to the windscreen and went on my merry way.
Imagine my horror when I came back to discover my car had moved!!
It was resting against the front bumper of the car opposite where I'd parked, with two parking attendants waving cars around it.
I'd only left the blimming handbrake off. How embarrassing! Luckily there was no damage done, and the parking attendants were very nice about it. Freaky though, cos it could only have been the gentlest of slopes and it obviously stayed put long enough for me to lock it up and leave the carpark. It probably moved v slowly, but a car coming up the ramp and round the corner could have ploughed straight into the side of it....
Mark.
Imagine my horror when I came back to discover my car had moved!!
It was resting against the front bumper of the car opposite where I'd parked, with two parking attendants waving cars around it.
I'd only left the blimming handbrake off. How embarrassing! Luckily there was no damage done, and the parking attendants were very nice about it. Freaky though, cos it could only have been the gentlest of slopes and it obviously stayed put long enough for me to lock it up and leave the carpark. It probably moved v slowly, but a car coming up the ramp and round the corner could have ploughed straight into the side of it....
Mark.
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- 1K Away
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- Location: North Wales
Could have been worse, I returned to my Mk1 one time and it had rolled down a slope and was resting against an orion with a woman and some kids in it (I was visiting a scrapyard) It must have happened very slowly but the woman must have scented blood and was starting to get excitable talking about bodyshop repairs, whiplash, emotional damage etc etc (remember the car it hit was a scruffy old orion) then Hubby returns from the scrapper, says its all right the bit it hit was dented before my BX attacked it, I bought him a beer and we shook hands. I tend to leave them in gear now too.
Stewart
Stewart
TZD 19 TD one of the few
Xantia Td estate, going soft
Xantia Td estate, going soft
My first ever BX, 1990 16TZS did the same thing, I went to a mates house and as I turned round whilst waiting for the door to be answered imagine my horror to see the car rolling down the hill! Fortunatly it rollw onto someones lawn and stopped with no harm done.
The handbarke needed adjustment, plus also im also told that with the handbrake being on the front, the discs expand and contract when they get hot then cool? hence when the cool they contract and mean the brakes are pulled on as hard as you once thought. I sthere any truth in this?
The handbarke needed adjustment, plus also im also told that with the handbrake being on the front, the discs expand and contract when they get hot then cool? hence when the cool they contract and mean the brakes are pulled on as hard as you once thought. I sthere any truth in this?
- stuart_hedges
- 1K Away
- Posts: 1679
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:35 am
- Location: Surrey
mnde, this kind of thing could have happened to anyone but I'm surprised that it would happen to a GSA owner!
After my G's, I always leave cars in gear. The handbrake is not enough.
After my G's, I always leave cars in gear. The handbrake is not enough.
I've heard this too, and I'm inclined to believe it.tim leech wrote:The handbarke needed adjustment, plus also im also told that with the handbrake being on the front, the discs expand and contract when they get hot then cool? hence when the cool they contract and mean the brakes are pulled on as hard as you once thought. I sthere any truth in this?
- mnde
- Meteor Man
- Posts: 1453
- Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2005 5:10 pm
- Location: Aldershot, Hants
- My Cars: 2007 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 16V VTX
1982 Citroen GSA Spécial Estate - gone to a new home
1991 Citroen BX16 TGS Meteor - still out there somewhere!
Yes you would think so, and I habitually leave the G in gear when I park it on a slope. The embarrassing bit is that I'd left the BX's handbrake fully released - it's very rare for me to do that.stuart_hedges wrote:mnde, this kind of thing could have happened to anyone but I'm surprised that it would happen to a GSA owner!
Mark.
I had my BX Estate run away with me in it one day - pulled up with the brakes hot and applied the handbrake enough to hold it stationary - and after 10 minutes suddenly we were moving! Stopped it somehow before it hit the bank of earth in front. I always leve it in gear now - and the ZX for that matter.
What's curious is even with a working handbrake and the thing parked on the flat - often the gear lever is tight. - I can only think the engine creeps round due to compression.
What's curious is even with a working handbrake and the thing parked on the flat - often the gear lever is tight. - I can only think the engine creeps round due to compression.
A lucky escape indeed ! It's definitely worth developing the habit of putting it in 1st gear as well as applying the handbrake so that it eventually becomes a reflex action. I even do it when I lock it away in the garage.
David
BX19TRS 118K E Reg 1992-2008
BX19TRS auto abs 96k F Reg
BX19TXD 150k K Reg
BX19TRS 118K E Reg 1992-2008
BX19TRS auto abs 96k F Reg
BX19TXD 150k K Reg
Self driving BX's seems commmon then, I always leave them in gear plus handbrake, but with my first BX i once left it neutral and only with handbrake on, whilst looking at a caravan for sale, came out of the caravan and to my horror saw my BX trying to make love to another caravan lower down the line! New wing required to BX, and fibreglass repairs required to caravan.
RED 1993 TZD Turbo EST. 182,661miles
My everyday car for last 9 years, about to be seperated {July 2008}, and then i'll be Bx'less first time in 18 years....
My everyday car for last 9 years, about to be seperated {July 2008}, and then i'll be Bx'less first time in 18 years....
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- Northern Moderator
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- Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 12:32 pm
- Location: On a sofa, up the road from Marty!
True. It was a big problem on early Xantia's, they had to have a mod done on the handbrake pawl to remove the first 5 notches so you have to tug the lever more.tim leech wrote:im also told that with the handbrake being on the front, the discs expand and contract when they get hot then cool? hence when the cool they contract and mean the brakes are pulled on as hard as you once thought. I sthere any truth in this?
I leave the BX in gear
- MULLEY
- Over 2k
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- My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN - x 8
& the moral of this tale is? Always leave it in gear, guess what i do??? sorry didnt mean to come across as smug, just i know cars can role otherwise. I even have a habit of leaving the car in 1st gear when facing up a hill & in reverse when facing down a hill & on a flat, 1st gear.
So touch wood, i havent forgotten to do it yet.....
So touch wood, i havent forgotten to do it yet.....