So I am sliding sideways right,

[The Big Stu]

Took a left a little too fast...nothing I don't usually do, and the rear end broke free and swung on around. I managed to catch it and send the rear end the other way before I hit a sign and a curb, and then back around counter clockwise one last time when my rear passenger tire/wheel was given a solid introduction to the curb, bringing my front wheel in next so it would not feel left out. I had enough momentum to get off the street, which is good because the engine was dead. I was in a bit of shock at this time but I remembered the fuel cut off switch, which I reset. I started it up with the check engine light still on, I was going to go to autozone to get them to run a free test on it. A few seconds down the road I heard a sound and pulled off into a gas station. Turns out my rear end is sitting on the tires and the whole thing got kicked over toword the driver side. Plus the rims on the passenger side are trashed around the edges and I think the front end got pretty hammered in the process. No pictures, but the car is at the shop and I will hear from my insurance claims adjuster tomorrow. For now I am driving an old P.O.S. van that my dad has for backup. Life is sucking.

[LeviEA]

Similar thing happened to me. I broke my rear axle against the curb and scratched my rim really bad. The whole rear end was also moved more toward the driver side. Insurance handled it though. I did 2200 worth of damage i think.the rim was 700 though.

[The Big Stu]

Nice to know I am not alone in this boat.

[RCSignals]

Back in 2002 a guy had that happen on a test drive in a new MM. Rainy wet road, he was flooring it, spun off the road into a field. Not sure what they did with the car after.

[Ryans PI]

Back in 2002 a guy had that happen on a test drive in a new MM. Rainy wet road, he was flooring it, spun off the road into a field. Not sure what they did with the car after.

You break it...you buy it.

[Bluerauder]

Took a left a little too fast...nothing I don't usually do, and the rear end broke free and swung on around.
I had a similar incident not long ago. Fortunately, I was able to catch it with the assistance of T/C before she swung around completely. Sorry to hear about the damage to your ride.

[The Big Stu]

I definitely see the good of T/C after this incident without it. I believe I have a 300A...no T/C.

[dreydin]

a few months ago, i was taking a left turn and went up on the median as the rear end left me too. front rims are a little scathed but no real damage. sorry to hear about your misfortune =(

[Topher]

I feel your pain. I had a similar incident, minus the curbs, just last month- left turn too fast, rear end swung out right on downshift, then back left & off the road & through an "adapt a highway" sign.
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31034
Impact was at the drivers rear wheel & quarter panel & shifted the axle towards the passenger side a couple inches. A bent lateral control arm on the rear watts link assembly needed replacing to line it back up. I also had a good chip in the wheel. The body shop sent it out for a repair attempt (required by insurance) but it came back less than perfect so a new one was ordered ($640 on the repair invoice), and I kept the old one. With all the other body & mechanical work involved my repair took 3-4 weeks & totaled $7500.

Good luck with your repairs & keep us posted.

Chris

[Badger]

I intentionally broke the back end out of my car after reading peoples posts in a deserted parking lot with fresh blacktop and wet leaves. Amazing how fast a 4200 Lb sedan can swap ends!!!!!!

[Dragcity]

Ouch, what a drag.

Go for 31 spline repalcements.....

Just three days ago, in the rain, I passed another car. Tranny downshifted to first when I hammered it. That was not a problem, but the screaming snap into second got me a bit out of shape. Nothing I couldn't handle, but a reminder of how wet roads offer challenges...

Gl;ad no one else was involved...

[The Big Stu]

I remember your post Chris. Fortunately there was no body damage that i could determine, everything is underneath. I am not even sure if I took my foot off the gas when it happened, I was so busy trying not to hit the curb or a sign. It was a strong learning experience, and if it ever happens again the foot will definitely be coming off the gas...had I done it this time I probably could have saved it...chalk one up to young, dumb, and inexperienced.

Dragcity, would 31 spline's cost more? it will be hard enough to afford the insurance deductible alone.

[Topher]

I am not even sure if I took my foot off the gas when it happened, I was so busy trying not to hit the curb or a sign.

Same here. It happened so fast I can't say for sure, but I have to believe my foot stayed on the gas which is why the rear end swung back around to the left & pointed me towards the shoulder. That's when I stood on the brakes, but didn't work well on gravel & grass. I think I saw the sign for just a split second before hearing it crunch into the side of the car.

I just got back from traffic court for this incident- 4 months supervision & $80 fine (ticket was for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident).

Chris

[Bluerauder]

I am not even sure if I took my foot off the gas when it happened, I was so busy trying not to hit the curb or a sign. It was a strong learning experience, and if it ever happens again the foot will definitely be coming off the gas...
I thought that coming off the gas when the rear broke loose was an "involuntary reaction". :rolleyes: I know when my problem started ... I was off the go pedal immediately. Same thing happens when I see LEO vehicles on the highway .... it's an involuntary response even if I am well within the speed limit. :rofl:

[MENINBLK]

Send your wheels out to WHEELS AMERICA.
They will fix them and ship them back to you.
Cost is about $150 plus shipping / wheel.

They will look like they were never touched.

I've been there too.
Just didn't hit the curb as had as you did, but hard enough
to scratch up the wheels pretty bad.

[Dragcity]

Yeah. I think 31 Spline are a bit more. Needs a new 31 spline carrier as well, but that has to be replaced too I guess.

I suppose you should take what you can get, as insurance ponies up.

Good luck with the repairs.

Is this a good time for 4.10:1 gears.????

[OneBADLsE]

From my experience with a marauder, it takes a lot to make that rear come out. i had it matted on a hard right turn at about 15 mph. It definatly had a near death experience after pulling a stunt like that

[HwyCruiser]

What brand tires are you running? Mileage? I ran mine around a wet autocross track a few times and I was surprised how much I could push the OEM tires took before the rear end started to get loose - and that was pretty near the end of their 24k mile life. I pushed it more then than I would ever try on public roads and still never even came close to turning the car around. I already had the Addco rear sway bar and Z&M control arms though.

[The Big Stu]

Almost 45k miles...not sure of the tire brand but it is not OEM, as the rear has 255/55 - 18, I am pretty sure the passenger tire was getting a little worn though, so i am sure that helped me get loose.

Thanks MENINBLK for the info about wheels america, if insurance does not fix them I will have to save up and send them there, the lip of both passenger side rims got chewed up pretty bad from the curb, but if you say they can fix it I wuill turn to them if I have to.

Blue, I know about comming off the gas when you spot a Leo, I have always done that...I love to laugh at the people that hit the brake...as if that were not a dead give away that you were speeding. I don't know how I held the pedal down through my drifting practice...I just had a moment of air headdedness I guess.

Topher, no Leo's were around to see it happen and no witnesses stopped, so i chose not to call the local Leo and tell him to come find me so he could give me a ticket...I will have to miss out on the courts and fines.


And thank you all for the kind words and support

[Topher]

Topher, no Leo's were around to see it happen and no witnesses stopped, so i chose not to call the local Leo and tell him to come find me so he could give me a ticket...I will have to miss out on the courts and fines.


Yeah, I would not have called it in if I could have just driven away, but the sign post I clobbered wedged itself between the rear tire and inner fender, extending under & out the back of the car, and the sign itself was sticking out of the wheel well. It took a wrecker driver about 10 minutes of prying & bouncing to free it. Plus there was enough damage that I assumed the insurance company would want a police accident report to support their reimbursement. I thought maybe the LEO would have given me a break since no other cars were involved, but I guess not.

Chris

[mercfirst]

It's cold comfort when you do damage, but, despite a lot of folks' complaints about the torque of the engine, at least in stock setup, these anecdotes belie that it does have some b*lls, especially given the size and weight of the car.

My 300A is bone stock, and I like to punch it every once in awhile when there's no one around, like this AM, on the way to work, at 5:00. The highway on-ramp is almost parallel to the road I drive to get onto it, and all I have to do is jog a little to the left, then back to the right. I punched it hard in the middle of the maneuver, and, sure enough, she tried to run sideways to the right, but I anticiapted that and got her right back. Heck, I've even had her scamper to the side from a striaght line standing start when I mashed the pedal. It is kind of fun, though.

[MarauderMark]

That was why i took off the drags.Came outta the mall and took off just a lil hard like i allways do and she turned around facing traffic they stopped to let me turn around and i waved and left..

[Bradley G]

I have gotten a lot braver(stupid) with the go pedal, around corners.
As long as I am about two thirds the way around the corner I have tried punching the go pedal.
Last night;
I had to correct steer, two or three times, to keep from falling off the pavement.:drive:
Thanks for your post, I could stand a reality check.

[Glenn]

If you think you have to be careful driving a stock MM think how you have to concentrate driving a S/C not to run yourself off the road. NO strong acceleration unless your straight and true on the road. If you have the slightless turn on the car you will feel the rear come around real fast on you. You also drive like Granny when the road is damp or wet. But, when your straight and dry you bury the loud petal and just hang on to the unreal continuous acceleration and blower whine that just doesn't stop.

Glenn :burnout: