A lucky escape

[mnde]

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.

[Way2go]

Alls well that ends well!

[Stewart (oily!)]

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

[tim leech]

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?

[stuart_hedges]

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.

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?

I've heard this too, and I'm inclined to believe it.

[Way2go]

I tend to leave them in gear now too.
Stewart

That's where it's safer with a BX Auto. The selector is like a ships "engine telegraph", you move it to park when you have "finished with engines" and hey presto, you have engaged a tranmission lock!

[mnde]

mnde, this kind of thing could have happened to anyone but I'm surprised that it would happen to a GSA owner!

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.

Mark.

[jeremy]

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.

[ellevie]

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.

[Bxaholic]

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.

[cavmad]

Mark, glad to hear no-one was hurt and the only possible damage was your pride.
Look at this way, it was a gentle reminder for the future and has hopefully prevented you from doing it again. As perfect as I so obviously am even I`ve made the odd mistake before

[Mr B]

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?

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.

I leave the BX in gear

[tim leech]

Yep my dads Xantia had that Mod done in 1995 as their was a incident when one car roled down a hill and impaled itself on a lamp-post and was a write off.

[MULLEY]

& 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.....

[Bxaholic]

And turn steering towards pavement for the full works!