[RPM90]

I have no excuse for my utter stupidity today and what happened. ALL my fault, ALL the time. Driving tired is not good.
The only mitigating factor is that I was really tired at work at all day, and on the drive to my doctors visit I kept telling myself to take it slow and safe so as to not hit the median wall on the highway or the median curb in front of the hospital. I told this to myself a number of times and even cranked up the radio to help keep me alert.

Result: FAIL!

Due to my own idiotic fault I solidly hit a center concrete median that was about at least 4"-5" high. I was stopped at a light. Light turned green I proceeded slowly and cautiously as I knew I was tired. On my peripheral vision on my right I thought I saw a truck or SUV turning into me, and so I swerved left to avoid the vehicle on my right that I thought was coming into my lane. Oh but yes, I swerved a good amount and I overcompensated and swerved heavily straight into and onto that concrete median. Damn what a LOUD bang and sound that causes, obviously. I hit the concrete median nearly head on, went on top of it with all tires, and then came back down to my lane.

The drivetrain failure light came on stating to drive slowly and safely and to get to dealer asap. The rear tire went fault, and I lost all power steering, and I mean ALL power assist. The steering was extremely heavy, much more than any car I've ever driven that didn't have power assisted steerirng. It was VERY heavy to steer. Engine was still running great, and it felt like the trans was working fine too, but I keep my speed very low. The right rear tire was flat, as I am running AS tires for the season. Along with all the there was a LOT of scraping and scratching sounds coming from under the car, which I figured were the torn up covers and bit of the aero panels BMW puts under the chassis.

The road had too much traffic to stop. It's a 4 land with 2 lanes going each way along with turning lanes both left and right, and of course in front of a hospital. I wanted to stop right away but no good place to stop given the traffic. My doctors office was just about 2 blocks away so I decide that what's done is done and his office parking lot would be a safer place to stop, plus that's where I was headed anyway.

After putting the car in park, I noted the engine still purring like a kitten. So, that was a comfort. I shut the engine off and then went outside and waked around the car. Amazingly there is no visible exterior damage. I thought given all the scraping noise plus hitting the median head on it would have cracked or ripped open the lower front air dam on an Msport, but nothing.
The right rear tire was flat but luckily no damage to the OEM wheel at all except for rubber scuffs round teh outer lip.

Then I looked under the front end of my 2016 340i and that's when I saw that damage. I could easily see what looked like either a small starter motor with a small gear set coming of of a shaft, or maybe it was the power steer motor as I had lost all power assist. The small coffee can looking device with a gear was lying on the ground attached by it's wiring harness, which is what was holding it it place. It didn't fall off even during the very slow 2 block drive.

However, looking farther back I did see the under carriage shield that BMW uses and it was seriously tore up, pushed from the front to the middle of the car. Didn't look good at all of course, and I couldn't tell if anything else was broken, but I didn't see any oil, fluid, or water so that was a good sign.
I think it was the very smashed shield that is what was causing all the scraping noises. As I said the car never stopped or shut down, just that there 'drive line malfunction' warning and to drive cautiously, along with a low pressure tire warning. The power steering was gong and turning the wheel was VERY hard. I think the part I saw hanging may have been the PS electric assist pump. It couldn't be the starter because I started the engine a few times an it started and ran just fine.

No external cosmetic damage, but there are scraps obviously under the front air darn, but nothing that be seen by looking at it from outside.
I really hope I didn't tear up the trans and steering rack cause I'm sure those parts are not cheap.
Of course this is being covered by my insurance under collision with a $1000 deductible, which I just raised from $500 last year when I picked up my 340i.
DOH! I haven't had an accident since 1991 when I got into an accident in a company car. Oh well, it happens. And it so happens it was my turn.
I"m just glad no on got hurt and I didn't hit anyone.

I called my State Farm insurance and BMW roadside. BMW had a flatbed there VERY quickly within 20 minutes. The lady from State Farm stated that if my BMW dealer was no on their "preferred" list, then it would take longer to get my car fixed. I told here since this was a not even a 1 year old BMW, then I wanted BMW to fix it. She said that would be no problem just that they would need to send out their own adjuster to make the assessment with BMW.
Honestly I was pleased with the initial response. I was not pressured nor told no, and was assured that I can get my BMW fixed wherever I wanted. She also make a positive comment by saying that since I did not have an accident in the past 10 years that that would be to my benefit. Unfortunately over a year ago I decided to go with a $1000 collision deductible due to my great driving recorded, which is now not flawless anymore.
And I don't have rental car coverage either.
I'm very glad that no on else was involved and on on get hurt. Parts can be fixed.

Now I need to find a car to use or get a rental, and get to work with my State Farm claims agent to get moving on getting my 340i back on the road.
I want to do a 4th of July road trip, so there's is till time but I ain't putting up with no lollygagging.

Good luck out there and be careful.

[cmplaya]

sounds rough...i thought bmw dealership would give you loaner car usually though even if your insurance doesnt have rental coverage

[ronanz]

Bummer, this is why I always have at least one 5hr Energy in the glove box...



.

[raqautle]

Originally Posted by cmplaya

sounds rough...i thought bmw dealership would give you loaner car usually though even if your insurance doesnt have rental coverage

No, they give out loaner cars for service but since it's not service but repairs, you'll have to get set up with a rental company
Plus repairs tend to take about 2+ weeks if panels need to be changed, service takes a few days tops

[rolltidef32]

Whoa RPM90. I really appreciate the taking of personal responsibility; shows strong character. However, mistakes do sometimes just happen man.

Don't beat yourself up too bad about it. You were working too hard and sometimes the body just needs rest.

Sounds like you could use some time to unplug from work a bit to catch up on sleep and take some r&r; not a vacation because that can be work too, just a day or two off to just sit at home on your ass and catch up on Netflix.

Then, your 340i will be fixed like new and that 4th of July road trip will be awesome!

[Beowulf65]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. The car is damaged and can be fixed...now stop damaging yourself and take it easy. Carl Jung put it very well:

"The individual may strive after perfection but must suffer from the opposite of his intentions for the sake of his completeness."

We all have lapses, lacunae and luna(tic) moments...thankfully you and others are okay.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by RPM90

I have no excuse for my utter stupidity today and what happened.

Look, it sucks, but you're fine, that's all it matters.
Don't beat yourself too much, we all make mistakes, car will be fixed, whatever the damage.

Good luck.

[chiefneil]

Sucks man, so sorry to hear about your accident. Good news is that nobody was injured, and no other cars were involved. Unfortunately these types of self-inflicted incidents tend to stick in the mind for a while, but hopefully once you get your car back in ship-shape condition the stress from the accident will go away.

Hopefully this is a wake-up call to get more sleep (see what I did there ). There was an article in Car and Driver comparing sleep deprivation to blood alcohol level - one's as bad as the other. It's not pretty, as you experienced.

[goj]

Ahh, unfortunate turn of events, but you are healthy safe and not injured. All will be returned to normal soon.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by rolltidef32

Whoa RPM90. I really appreciate the taking of personal responsibility; shows strong character. However, mistakes do sometimes just happen man.

Don't beat yourself up too bad about it. You were working too hard and sometimes the body just needs rest.

Sounds like you could use some time to unplug from work a bit to catch up on sleep and take some r&r; not a vacation because that can be work too, just a day or two off to just sit at home on your ass and catch up on Netflix.

Then, your 340i will be fixed like new and that 4th of July road trip will be awesome!

Thanks man. Positive words and thoughts are very much appreciated.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Beowulf65

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. The car is damaged and can be fixed...now stop damaging yourself and take it easy. Carl Jung put it very well:

"The individual may strive after perfection but must suffer from the opposite of his intentions for the sake of his completeness."

We all have lapses, lacunae and luna(tic) moments...thankfully you and others are okay.

Yes, good words of wisdom.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Look, it sucks, but you're fine, that's all it matters.
Don't beat yourself too much, we all make mistakes, car will be fixed, whatever the damage.

Good luck.

Yes.
Thanks!

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by chiefneil

Sucks man, so sorry to hear about your accident. Good news is that nobody was injured, and no other cars were involved. Unfortunately these types of self-inflicted incidents tend to stick in the mind for a while, but hopefully once you get your car back in ship-shape condition the stress from the accident will go away.

Hopefully this is a wake-up call to get more sleep (see what I did there ). There was an article in Car and Driver comparing sleep deprivation to blood alcohol level - one's as bad as the other. It's not pretty, as you experienced.

I see that. LOL.

[RPM90]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

I'm sure BMW techs will do a great job at fixing what needs fixing.

[MforLove]

No pictures?

[NightWriter]

Sorry to hear, but don't beat yourself up too much over it. Like you said, no one was hurt, and the damage sounds far from catastrophic. This is what insurance is for. If I were you, I'd rent the crappiest econobox you can find, to (1) save money, and (2) appreciate your 340i when you finally get her back.

[//M]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

I'm sure BMW techs will do a great job at fixing what needs fixing.

Very very few U.S. dealers do body work inhouse. They do mechanical work in house but most likely all paint and body work will be outsourced to a body shop. A few dealers do have inhouse collision repair though.

[Livetodrive]

You're not an idiot, you're just human, like the rest of us. No one was hurt, so just try to give yourself a break and move on.

[Beek]

Driving a motor vehicle is a constant series of judgement calls and no ones judgement is always correct. This helps explain why the best drivers in the world ... crash from time to time. Relax, your in good company. There are several ways to look at a thousand dollar deductible and one would be to think of it as the best grand you'll ever spend, it's the grand that gets your repaired 340 back to you, money well spent I'd say. Good luck.

[AMDG]

Really sorry to hear RPM90... you're being a taught a very expensive lesson about the dangers of driving while tired, and I for one appreciate you sharing your story. As Livetodrive says... you're not an idiot, only human. I pray that repairs are speedy and complete with minimal inconvenience to you as possible. Happily there are no injuries to either yourself or anyone else... always a silver lining.

[tturedraider]

Well, that just sucks. Just fyi- Knauz has the only BMW Certified Collision Center in Chicagoland. They might provide a loaner along with their repair service. Good luck with the repair.

[Mauricio Palacios. MD]

Just saw this... Another tired driver: