Porsche 1 hour Crashed Unsure Why Can you help?

[ginge]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

I'm not clear on what advice you're looking for.

If you're wondering how you could have caused that much damage from a simple spin out, it's quite possible. You don't say how fast you were going at the time of the spin, but even a "slow" 15mph would be enough to do that much damage. Porsches were not designed to stop sideways into curbs using the wheels as the stopping mechanism.

There are plenty of threads here about people who lost their Boxsters on wet or damp roads. It happens. With the amount of damage you've listed, you may have totaled your car. You may want to look into a 987 with PSM - Porsche Stability Mgnt, which is a computer system to assist when things get going sideways. It's also known as Please Save Me!

Good luck with your situation.

I would envisage about 15mph, I understand Porsches aren't designed to go sideways, just wandering how on earth, I could total the car only driving slow. Thanks for the advice though, truly appreciated, at least in my head now I know this can happen. TBH I posted as my mate, whom I had the car on test drive from blatantly thinks I was speeding and I know I wasn't.

[Frodo]

What kind of shape are your rear tires in? Good tread or not? Sort of irrelevant at this point I guess, but I just wonder if wet road + balding tires + accelerating in a turn all conspired to do you in. Sorry for your predicament---with that damage in a '99, it would seem dangerously close to totaled. Have you gotten estimates?

[ginge]

Originally Posted by Frodo

What kind of shape are your rear tires in? Good tread or not? Sort of irrelevant at this point I guess, but I just wonder if wet road + balding tires + accelerating in a turn all conspired to do you in. Sorry for your predicament---with that damage in a '99, it would seem dangerously close to totaled. Have you gotten estimates?

£3k up to now, so I think it is totalled. I don't think anything was wrong with the tread.

[Spinnaker]

Just a guess, but from your list of broken items, I notice that you state that both drive shafts are broken. Not sure if it is possible to break both drive shafts from only getting hit on one side, so I theorize that a drive shaft may have broken as you were exiting the roundabout and that is what caused you to slide into the curb.

[ginge]

Originally Posted by Spinnaker

Just a guess, but from your list of broken items, I notice that you state that both drive shafts are broken. Not sure if it is possible to break both drive shafts from only getting hit on one side, so I theorize that a drive shaft may have broken as you were exiting the roundabout and that is what caused you to slide into the curb.

I have to be honest and say I do not know much about cars, especially Porsches do they have more than one driveshaft (I know I have listed this but I have listed what the garage has said). How common is it for a drive shaft to break, bearing in mind the Porsche was 12 years old? I would also like to Thank you for your response.

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by ginge

I have to be honest and say I do not know much about cars, especially Porsches do they have more than one driveshaft (I know I have listed this but I have listed what the garage has said). How common is it for a drive shaft to break, bearing in mind the Porsche was 12 years old? I would also like to Thank you for your response.

I believe that your mechanic is referring to the axle shafts on your car as the tranny is a one piece trans-axle. The drive between the differential and transmission that we normally think of as a drive shaft is inside the transmission case.

[ginge]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

I believe that your mechanic is referring to the axle shafts on your car as the tranny is a one piece trans-axle. The drive between the differential and transmission that we normally think of as a drive shaft is inside the transmission case.

Is this possible for it too snap just driving around a roundabout?

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by ginge

Is this possible for it too snap just driving around a roundabout?

Doubtful, but anything's possible. I doubt the shaft itself is snapped, likely the joint at one end. I would have likely started making quite a racket long before it broke. Even if it was something internal to the trans-axle, it would have likely given an aural warning.

The majority of these cars do not have limited slip diffs, which makes them even more of a handful in the wet. It is not hard at all to break the rear end loose in damp/wet conditions. once it goes, if the driver gets off the gas, it just exacerbates the issue. The only chance of saving it is to modulate the throttle and steer into the slide. Not an easy task in a split second and not something you think about. It has to be a natural/muscle memory type of reaction and that only comes from practicing...in an area that is curb and obstacle free.

[Ghostrider 310]

shadrach74 Is on point, I lost an X19 on an off ramp at 19, (had all different brands of tires on it for those interested). Once you lose a mid engine you never forget it, it spins in a unique way and recovery is twitchy. I stored that experience and have always been gentle with all Porsche cars in the wet. I have also not pushed the spyder anywhere near as hard as the 986 in a corner yet as I am still learning the car characteristics.

Based on the accident you described it doesn't sound totaled if you get a roller donor car and do the work.

[shadrach74]

Boxsters are built to be light weight and handle curves. The are not that stout in terms of durability. I have learned this the hard way as well. I bottomed my car out on an unfamiliar back road. It did not feel that bad, but when I went to shift, I realized something was not right. In my case both lower tranny mount bosses cracked. The tranny came to rest on top of the rear sub frame. Porcshe in it's infinite wisdom cast the bosses into the case, and do not make that part of the case available so the only option is to install a new/used tranny. The impact also destroyed all 4 CV boots. So I here ya, I had my Box for all of 2 months when it happened. The only good thing is that it forced my hand on the IMS as it did not make sense not to do it when the tranny was being replace. Keep in mind that my Tranny was never impacted, it was strictly inertia that did the damage.

What you did was a blunt impact to the car in an area and from an angle in which it was not designed to take a blow. I am not surprised at all that it suffered the damage you mentioned.

Light weight, rear drive cars should be driven with care in anything but bone dry conditions. A quick light rain will make the roads very slick because it's just enough to release some oil from the surface of the pavement but not enought to wash it away. Be careful out there!

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by ginge

TBH I posted as my mate, whom I had the car on test drive from blatantly thinks I was speeding and I know I wasn't.

this is probably the most painful part. took the car on a test drive and possibly totaled it. hopefully your friend is a good one...