Technical Blow out + new wheel trashed

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Technical Blow out + new wheel trashed

dtimmins1985

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So then guys, just got home on foot patrol!

Had a blow out in the mj at around 1am this morning.

Pissed off and fuming is not the least i want to say... but the whiskey and beer is helping me calm down...

Driving home and i hear a big bang... then i see a wheel overtake me and lots of sparks in my n/s mirror...

I pulled over and got out... to find that my front n/s wheel had shot off completely lesving behind half a brake caliper and brake disc completely chewed by the road...

Now what gets me... i cant find my wheel anywhere and the hub bit of the alloy is still bolted to the car... so i have the middle bit but no wheel and tyre and its completely broke off so not fixable...

How the **** is this possible? i didnt hit anything... just a bang and all hell broke loose... i was in the middle of the road..

I will have to replace brake disc, caliper, pad and wheel... thinking i should go through insurance... but... not sure.

I need to remove half the caliper that remains and plug it till i get home (half a mile) then replace the whole side or... just call insurance and hopefully get courtesy car... got work tomorrow and no transport and its sunday so no parts store open to get parts and fix myself...

Gutted and worried... hope its not a sign of many more issues to come.

Ideas?
 
Arent these the wheels you've only just bought? I'd be giving the seller a hard time about selling you a duff wheel and starting paypal claims and things!

Least you're alright mate but that's the most random thing ever!

Just use the spare in the boot to get it home I guess and go from there. I've not got any front end parts that I could help you out with. See if you've got a breakers yard close by that's got a compatible front caliper in?

Also check that the lower ball joint and suspension arm haven't received any damage.
 
So then guys, just got home on foot patrol!

Had a blow out in the mj at around 1am this morning.

Pissed off and fuming is not the least i want to say... but the whiskey and beer is helping me calm down...

Driving home and i hear a big bang... then i see a wheel overtake me and lots of sparks in my n/s mirror...

I pulled over and got out... to find that my front n/s wheel had shot off completely lesving behind half a brake caliper and brake disc completely chewed by the road...

Now what gets me... i cant find my wheel anywhere and the hub bit of the alloy is still bolted to the car...
I need to remove half the caliper that remains and plug it till i get home (half a mile) then replace the whole side or... just call insurance and hopefully get courtesy car... got work tomorrow and no transport and its sunday so no parts store open to get parts and fix myself...

Gutted and worried... hope its not a sign of many more issues to come.

Ideas?

Ok. So the 4 x wheel bolts are still holding the remnants of the wheel in place..

Sounds like a structural failure.

Contact the seller of the rims
 
Arent these the wheels you've only just bought? I'd be giving the seller a hard time about selling you a duff wheel and starting paypal claims and things!

Least you're alright mate but that's the most random thing ever!

Just use the spare in the boot to get it home I guess and go from there. I've not got any front end parts that I could help you out with. See if you've got a breakers yard close by that's got a compatible front caliper in?

Also check that the lower ball joint and suspension arm haven't received any damage.

Ok. So the 4 x wheel bolts are still holding the remnants of the wheel in place..

Sounds like a structural failure.

Contact the seller of the rims

Ok - So I have contacted the ebay seller, along with two pictures of whats left of the wheel - still unable to find the rim and tyre.

I inspected the car more yesterday and then had a few beers, im still in shock from it and gutted about my car, i loved this thing and I dont think it will feel the same anymore :(

Anyhow - I have removed the caliper, blocked off the brake line then I drove her home very very slowly as I had no brakes...

So far - from another inspection on the driveway, im going to need...

1x Brake Caliper
Set of Discs and Pads
1x Under tray (below the airbox / gearbox)
1x Shock absorber
1x Spring
1x Top mount

That's just visible to the eye and I could feel a grinding when turning a quater of a turn, the suspension is shot.
I am hoping that the drop link, track rod, driveshaft is fine - i wont know more until the weekend now.

I am hoping to have it back on the road by end of next week - lots to do, lots to spend again!!! and barley any time to do it :(
 
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So then guys, just got home on foot patrol!

Had a blow out in the mj at around 1am this morning.

Pissed off and fuming is not the least i want to say... but the whiskey and beer is helping me calm down...

Driving home and i hear a big bang... then i see a wheel overtake me and lots of sparks in my n/s mirror...

I pulled over and got out... to find that my front n/s wheel had shot off completely lesving behind half a brake caliper and brake disc completely chewed by the road...

Now what gets me... i cant find my wheel anywhere and the hub bit of the alloy is still bolted to the car... so i have the middle bit but no wheel and tyre and its completely broke off so not fixable...

How the **** is this possible? i didnt hit anything... just a bang and all hell broke loose... i was in the middle of the road..

I will have to replace brake disc, caliper, pad and wheel... thinking i should go through insurance... but... not sure.

I need to remove half the caliper that remains and plug it till i get home (half a mile) then replace the whole side or... just call insurance and hopefully get courtesy car... got work tomorrow and no transport and its sunday so no parts store open to get parts and fix myself...

Gutted and worried... hope its not a sign of many more issues to come.

Ideas?

Hi,
Hard to tell without pictures but sounds like a serious defect in the wheel. The tracking issues you had may be related. Is the seller UK based? Do they still list the wheels, if so what is the ebay number? I'd be looking for a full refund for all 4 weels as a minimum and be looking for some wheels elsewhere. Whatever the seller does you should report this to trading standards, a recall may be required. This failure could have killed you or another road user. Imagine if the broken section hit a pedestrian. To can inform trading standards on-line now, you don't have to find the sellers local council..

Robert G8RPI.
 
Ok. I didnt think of that. I will do that tonight. Going to take more pics as the seller has requested more pics.

Im hoping they dont fight me and not pay out because the rim and tyre is no where to be found... unless a neighbouring house has picked it up or a scrap man :(
 
best of luck getting a decent resolution to this..,

at least at that time of day you didn't pose a risk to people nearby,

a pic of the damage - at least we will know what we are discussing here.

Charlie

Here is some images...

Will take some more of the suspension and upload them this evening.

I took loads more images on the misses phone last night, from what I can see - the suspension looks like its jumped out of line at the top - don't think it's snapped, is it possible for a spring to dislodge? it also looks out of line at the bottom but... im no expert and the spring catcher is all twisted etc.

I am thinking... do i replace one side at the cost of around £160 (including tools) or... shall i buy the german coil over kit that i've been watching for £200 and swap all 4 corners... in fairness - i was going to lower her in the next coming months after the downpipe and mid section is done but thats going on hold as i need to fix all this now and im struggling to find a decently priced 35mm kit, the coilover kit is on a 50% saving or thereabouts.

Also, I have contacted trading standards online and the ebay seller is wanting to involve fiat which i have no problem with at all, i have given him my registration and was asked if the suspension was stock or had any upgrades - to which it did not, it was completley stock and in very good condition - looked almost new.

Oh the joys!
 

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I had another quick inspection last night when i got home from work..

Wishbone is going to need replacing, another part to definitely add to the list, the small ball joint that goes under the strut has scraped on the floor and looks twisted.

I am going to replace the whole lot in this corner, wishbone, drop link, track rod, strut, spring, caliper - hopefully that should cover it.

I am a bit worried though - i need another opinion on the chassis leg that the wishbone bolts into near the gearbox - its scrapped on the floor too and the metal looks a bit distorted - not bent but chipped a little (as if someone has had tin snips on the edges of the pillar and gnawed away at it) - looks structurally sound but im no expert and don't want to be at risk if it is not.

I will take a picture this evening if I can get a good shot without removing the wheel again, i seriously don't have the energy right now and my head is seriously stressed out, i keep having flash backs of the moment it went bang and i was dragged off the road... a very traumatic moment, i can't seem to think straight with anything at the moment.

Anyhow - on another note... I will be doing all the work at home on the drive.
Will be ordering the rest of the parts next Wednesday evening, hoping for most of it to have arrived by Saturday so I can get cracking on and I have the full weekend then, there is also a wilco moto save near me that's open on sat/sun so if i need a tool ill be able to pop round the corner and buy or borrow one.

Will also be purchasing some new sockets, spring compressors and a new stronger torque wrench.

Oh the joys :(
 
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Another update.

Received a notification from eBay yesterday - seller has initiated the return process, my return labels should be with me by the 22nd August.

As I am at work right now - i am unable to call the seller and I do not have his direct email address to email him, i did supply my phone number for him to call me the other day but he hasn't... we have since communicated and i exchanged photo's.

This morning, I received another notification - the seller has made the refund which will be refunded into my paypal account, now i didnt use paypal, i paid via ebay using a direct debit card, i have read up on this and its fine - paypal apparently still processes the payments and the refund will be done to the card via paypal. All good!

So now it's a waiting game, it can take a few days for it to show, im hoping its not too long as im not in a great financial situation now (forking out for taxi's every day is killing my wallet).

Anyhow, when the refund does return - i will have to start on buying the replacement parts, im also thinking that in the end - i may just get the garage to do the C.V boot - i know its not a hard a job, its just fiddly and splitting the C.V to take off the boot cant be a real pain, i really don't want to remove the drive shaft as this will involve draining some gearbox oil and filling it back up - hate doing this, its too fiddly and ill end up spilling the stuff all over - so maybe that job is for the garage or maybe the complete job.

I am also thinking - the cost of replacing a shock, spring and drop link is around £150 in parts, i might aswell buy a coilover kit that im watching and just do all 4 corners, but then again im worried that the chassis leg might not be ok so it would be a waste of time.

As said before - i will post an image of the scrape on the chassis.
 
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For filling up the gearbox oil, I would buy the amount of oil you need to replace all the gearbox oil.

Tip one of the gear oil bottles into a clean container (or old 1 ltr oil bottle.. everyone has one of those lying around.. :D ).

Cut the bottom off the gear oil bottle... remove the cap and pull out the long dingle-dangle... and you now have a funnel.

Shove the dingle dangle into the oil filler hole. The bottle should wedge itself between the inlet pipes .. or you might have to let it rest in the hole as normal.. but now you can use the other bottle (with its own long dingle-dangle) to feed the "funnel". You won't spill a drop.

After the first bottle has gone in (Stilo uses 1.7 - 2.0 ltrs depending on model) tip the first bottle's contents from the clean container into the empty second bottle.. and repeat until the gear oil comes out of the inspection plug hole.


Ralf S.
 
Thanks for that...

But... panic over. A neighbour behind me is an ex hgv mechanic. He has everything in terms of tools, jacks and axel stands, welding gear, basically a mobile fully fledge mechanic.

He regularly maintains his own discovery 300tdi and familys cars but is getting to an age where brawn is too much.

So my stilo is now round the side of his house on axel stands with passenger side wheel off.

Damage isnt half as bad as i suspected but still needs work.

Needs new spring and shock but... we are 50/50 on that, obviously new discs and pads and calliper.. (got another calliper already). Will know more tomorrow when i get the shock on the bench, drop link and anti roll bar is fine, chassis leg and wish bone look fine but going to remove wishbone on both sides to compare

So glad i have a neighbour who knows his stuff... this stilo will be saved :) feeling a bit better now.
 
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Anyhow, when the refund does return - i will have to start on buying the replacement parts, im also thinking that in the end - i may just get the garage to do the C.V boot - i know its not a hard a job, its just fiddly and splitting the C.V to take off the boot cant be a real pain, i really don't want to remove the drive shaft as this will involve draining some gearbox oil and filling it back up - hate doing this, its too fiddly and ill end up spilling the stuff all over - so maybe that job is for the garage or maybe the complete job.

Just buy one of the universal glue on CV boots mate. They stick good and strong - dont get any of the glue on your fingers!! And watch as the knives are sharp as hell too!
 
Will look into that.

Good news, refund has arrived and ive just purchased some black evoloution supersport coilovers off eBay, brand new for £200... absoloute bargain and it was the last set.. apologies if the other person watching was a member on here..

Its coming together in my head now... piece by piece, now need to source part numbers for brake shield (tin plate that goes behind the disc) got all other part numbers and ordering the rest of the bits today.

Im on lates next week which is a pain in the arse... no time free to work on her unless i can get the rota changed today...

Oh the joys
 
Another quick update :)

EBC Greenstuff Pads (ordered, will be here tomorrow)
Brembo Line Coated Discs (super shiny, hardly ever reacts to moisture and rusts on the surface)

Supersport Coilovers (ordered).

One last part to find - well two, a break flexi as I have clamped up mine and it might be damaged, a CV boot (got grease already) and the dust shield that goes behind the brake disc.

I need part numbers, i can find the part in ePer :(
 
Got the part numbers...

Progress yesterday.

Also removed strut and hub and compressed spring, stripped shock on the bench and its bent... had to twist it to get it to go down and rebound fully and can see its bent, luckily the coilovers are in the way.

Today, we are stripping the offside to compare wishbones, need to order a new one or just a rear bush for wishbone if the ball joint isnt bent.

Nearside top mount felt a little rough when rotating the bearing, going to clean it out with wd40 and the air line then re-grease it... so it should be like new... gee-wiz this mechanic who is helping knows his stuff and my car (now named Daniella) will be going on his garage calendar with notes of all work done.

Hoping today is more productive as we have more time, may even strip the rear end as it all needs doing for coilovers.

Poly bushes in october ;) just need to get measurments for the oem ones, if anyone can help or has done it already then feel free to reply.

Final jobs this year on the MJ will be downpipe, copper break lines (depending on how the oem ones look).

Next year, complete removal of egr (i mean 100%) so its not even bolted to the car anymore... and relocation of intercooler with 25% bigger intercooler and a hybrid turbo with a new tune and stainless exhaust)

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