Just popped outside my house to fit some new smoked side marker lights to Vilma and saw that this had happened.... (see photos)... A Citroen Xantia parked further up the road had decided to disengage its hand brake and get a closer look at Vilma..... :hissyfit: Looks like it'll need a new bumper, lights, wing and possibly bonnet (I hope so because there are some little dents in the existing one...) Scary thing was just an hour earlier I'd been underneath the car doing an oil change.... that could have resulted in very squashed snail..... :snail: I've got the details off the owner of the xantia, am just debating what to do next.... I'd prefer to leave my own insurance company out of it if I can, and just deal with the third party insurers... I may give helphire a ring later and see if they can help. Any suggestions welcome :)

WTF! Timmy you lucky snail....Helphire arent that brilliant timmy as you may have already read from paul Storers thread...but i suppose there arent many other choices you got....whos your insurance with?..if its RBS,pru or churchill you may as well use helphire as they will get car repaired like mines from their own people who are absolutly crap..what was damage to Xantia?

Sorry to hear about this Tim; it does indeed look like all the parts you've mentioned need to be changed which will all add up unfortunately - Xenon lamps for the X40 range don't come cheap! :( Anyway, hope you get it sorted. Given you were not even in the car at the time, I fail to see how you can be penalised by your insurers, but I'm sure that won't stop them trying!!! I've actually heard about similar problems with some Citroen cars where the handbrake mechanism actually works off the front discs. Its all OK when you're parked on level ground but when you park on a steep incline and don't fully engage the handbrake, things start to go wrong when the initially hot discs cool down and hence shrink in size. That apparently was the suspected cause of several "runaway" Citroens but I thought that it had been addressed.

Yes I remember reading about the handbrake issue with xantia's - there was a safety recall which involved fitting 6 extra notches to the handbrake ratchet but presumably this one slipped through the net. The owner said that it had happened before and he normally left the car in gear, but had forgotten on this occasion. I didn't see what the damage to the xantia was - spoke to the owner on the phone later. I'm with Highway insurance through Keith Micheals.... I know they are good for Modified car owners although I don't know what they're like if you need to make a claim. Last year I was hit from behind when stationary in my Vectra and claimed off my insurance (Zurich at the time) and ended up losing my NCB for 6 months - even though the other drivers insurance admitted full liability. Eventually I did get a refund for the additional premiums I paid, but I'm pretty sure I ended up paying a higher premium when I had to renew. I also used helphire (who are actually based in bath) just to get a hire care on that occasion and they where pretty good so I might try them again.

Hi Tim, sorry to hear about the accident, as you've said you could have been under the car.....

Hi Tim, what a bummer, I'm sorry to hear about the attack of the French and I do hope it all gets sorted out without too much pain, inconvenience and Vilma is restorted to her former glory ;) On the bright side though thankfully you were away from your car when it happened. The Xanita's brakes shrink back after cooling down and then the handbrake can become well useless really, as unfortunately you've just found out. I found out to my own cost one night but my car didn't hit another car but did manage to roll out of my friends drive, across upper oldfield park road and ended up in a bit of wasteland up against at telecom exchange box :( Best of luck mate Ali

handbrakes volvo yup ring a bell with me my first 240 estate parked outside my dads house, we came out my dad said you parked that kinda close to my van you have cracked the number plate dont rember that as we walked round the back of the volvo:angry2: bits of lights trim bumper what the :angry2: phoned the police they arrived ,not much we can do he said hit and run ,enter collumbo [my mum] knocked on every door in the street found out what happened and who .ready for this a transit van parked up the hill 400 yards away handbrake relesed itsself and missing at least 20 cars plowed into my volvo then when he noticed the van missing he retreved it not saying a :angry2: word to me ,gotcha cost him an arm and a leg ,i would never hit anybodys car and :angry2: off its happened to me twice since hanging to good for these people