Hey - I was just about to start a new topic and then I saw this. It must be open season on Golf Vs. I just pranged mine as well - 1 week before Xmas, up in the wilds of Northern Scotland.
...and I must say, whilst with other conditions the V has superb handling, on snow -it is pants!
Also have to add that my driving was pretty pants as well which led to the prang.
Was early evening and the temp had dropped from about 0 degress Cent. at sunset to -16C (yes that's right! - the farmer who pulled me out of the field confirmed it) - that temp drop in about 2 hours! Anyhow, it had been snowing all day but the snow had been slushing on the roads due to the gritters being out and about.
I was going back home down a little country lane (which had not been gritted too much) and could feel car getting jittery (little orange steering wheel icon flashing). Was doing about 10mph in 2nd when came to a steep descending off-camber right hander. Stupidly braked instead of dropping down into 1st. Car immediately started sliding and "tobogganing" out of the back of the curve in a straight line. Orange steering wheel icon went crazy and I could feel ESP trying to brake various wheels with no success.
Tried releasing brakes and pointing wheels into curve and gunning the engine but absolutely no effect.... except when I hit the verge when it suddenly gripped and threw the car round a bit. But by this time the car had so much straight line inertia, that it only went round by about 45 degrees but still continued on, up and over verge/bank and ploughed into the fence posts of field beside.
Damage: my pride (no accidents for last 20 years - now busted!), baseball sized dent in left wing. Sill bent up towards passenger door (but amazingly no damage at all to the door or mirror!?!) Scratches on left valance and skirt. Bust foglight and LHS grill around foglight, Broken spoiler.
Also managed to break RHS foglight grill when trying to pull it out to put towing eye in. Needed a tow off the verge by local friendly farmer, who wouldn't take any money for the tow nor for the two or three fence posts that I had demolished - nice guys up north aren't they?
Went into dealer and asked for a quote: ?702. Ouch! Then I declared to insruance only to be told my excess was ?400! Ouch! Ouch! (Apparently when I asked for my excess to be raised TO ?250 to cut premium they have taken that to mean raise it BY ?250 - and guess who didn't read the smallprint - !*&%?$!)
Now wondering whether to try and get a lower quote, hopefully getting it nearer the ?400 mark, and tell insurers that I am not claiming (thus still retaining my NCB Protection), or just give in and lose my 1 NCB Protected life for 12 months, just to save myself the ?300 difference between the bill and my excess. What do ya reckon?
Anyhow, I know that the accident was mostly my fault. (I don't know if the car would have skidded out anyway, coz the curve that I went off on was like the cresta run - when I went back to check I almost ended up sliding back down to my car on my bum from standing at the top.) However, I had to go back up North to this area again on the (next) Xmas weekend. Conditions were even worse (2 to 6 inches of snow over Xmas Eve / Xmas Day and NO gritters.) Even though I was only doing 20mph max everywhere in these conditions and NEVER touched the brakes, the car slid out twice more that day (luckilly without hitting anything this time) It also completely lost traction many many more times that day (It did not like uphill starts.) Ended up borrowing my sister's Polo with snow tyres on for rest of Xmas & Boxing day. No cred but great grip. Anyone else been out in their Golf V in these kind of conditions yet and , if so, did they suffer the same?
Cheers, H.
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