Just a few minutes ago. It appears to have rolled down the hill oppossite and smashed through my wall / railing. Luckily it stopped before hitting the house 😯

The car is empty, and no one has yet come along to claim it. I’ve taken some pics to document it, now I’m just sitting waiting for the owner. The hill is snowy, but judging the tracks it has rolled, as opposed to skidded. Checked in the car, hand brake is on, but it’s in neutral.

What happens next? I’m guessing he’ll have to pay me from his car insurance?

EDIT: Please move to chat forum.

check outside in case anyone hurt. doh I guess you did. glad you’re ok.

I’ve been outside, the car is empty. My front yard, all six feet of it is empty, the road is empty.

I’d contact the police non-emergency number – it’s an offence to let a car roll away and if you’ve got a crime number it’ll help your insurance claim.

Oh, and claim ‘finders keepers’ if someone does turn up to claim it.

I’d give the Police a ring to get recovered/removed. They should also be able to tell you who the insurer is so you can contact them direct. I’d not bother reporting to your own home insurer unless the vehicle isn’t insured.

EDIT: Photo or it didn’t happen.

handbrake was probably not fully engaged and shoes or pads contracted in cold overnight. Hope all’s ok.

Police…NOW! Don’t sit and wait, the owner could be on a 2 week holiday.

Insurance would expect you to report it.

Definitely get in touch with the police. Just to help the claim along and they will get in touch with the owner.

handbrake was probably not fully engaged and shoes or pads contracted in cold overnight. Hope all’s ok.

May just be like my car, I just put the handbrake on for show. It doesn’t actually do anything.

Lucky I live in York where there’s no hills. 8)

My car rolled downhill one morning into my neighbours car. Insurance co said its common accident, and normally happens in the morning. I keep the kar in gear on hills now as I am terrified that someone could have been hurt.

Photos…NOW! Don’t sit and wait, I’m bored.

Lol. In San Francisco it’s illegal to park your car on a slope without the wheels turned into the curb. $58 instant fine.

Fact of the day.

Police definitely.

And put the pics up here 🙂

Lucky it’s the fence and not your car!

😀

Get teadrinker’s daughter round, see if she can spot the driver.

It’s a reportable road traffic collision for the Police as your property has been damaged, so they will document it.

The cops would usually locate / contact the registered keeper to get the vehicle recovered and get their insurance details before then giving you a collision reference number for your insurance.

I find it amazing that folks park cars out of gear.

That happened to me many moons ago: I’d parked my month-old Ford Focus at the bottom of a hill and went to the local fair. When we got back my car was partially on the pavement, and the local police were asking questions about the owner. I thought for a second I’d parked it illegally, then saw the damage to the rear end 🙁 Some idiot parked her 207 a bit further up the hill without properly engaging the handbrake…

Good job it wasn’t a few more feet to the left 😯

Follow the tracks in the snow to where they came from and knock on the door?

First thing I would have done.

^^ this, surely theres only 5/6 houses it could have come from

sharkattack
Follow the tracks in the snow to where they came from and knock on the door?

First thing I would have done.

Two toddlers in the house, so I can’t be wondering about in the snow today. Cops called anyway.

what, even before posting a thread on the internet sharkattack?

Make loads of snowballs for when the owner turns up

Make loads of snowballs for when the owner turns up

But don’t get confused and throw them at the police.

This is the best thread in ages!

OP
Was there a small child in the car going ,BrrOOOOoooom ,broom? 🙂

Lucky it was only the wall

get the kids to help you make a rocket?

what, even before posting a thread on the internet sharkattack?

You’re right, sorry. I always get my priorities mixed up in a crisis.

i have experience of this at at an oem. Generally these days is the rear brakes are disk, and have combined handbrake/footbrake calipers. You pull the handbrake on, lock up and walk off. Some time later the disk cools down, the pressure on the pad reduces a bit, the car rolls away. Happens a lot.

Way to tell if your car has a combined caliper and not a drum in disk like a volvo etc. Is to apply the handbrake normally, and then with engine running and footbrake applied firmly, re apply the handbrake. If the lever comes up more for the same force then its a shared caliper. If you look in your handbook and it recommends applying the footbrake whilst applying the handbrake then odds are the oem has had had field issues with rollaway.

Pull the handbrake on fully, leave it in gear on a hill, and wheels in.

Drums are better as a handbrake because as the drum cools it gets smaller and the brake shoe pressure increases

Years ago I had a Xantia, the handbrake used separate calipers on the rear discs and when they cooled…

The recall fix basically took a load of the ratchet teeth off.

Looks like quite a well used road – good luck identifying the specific tracks!

porter_jamie, very precisely put as likely cause 😉

Xantia use front handbrake but it was discs

The windscreen has been cleared so it has been used fairly recently.
They are probably sat in their house completely oblivious to the whole thing.

They are probably sat in their house completely oblivious to the whole thing.

I really hope they first see it posted on here rather than by going outside and spotting it has rolled off. 😀

Years ago I had a Xantia, the handbrake used separate calipers on the rear discs and when they cooled.

even more years ago rolled a citreon BX (my dads, whoops) having left on a hill on a hot day. calipers cool down just enough to set it moving. Probably the same system

The sun could have cleared the snow

The sun could have cleared the snow

Possibly, but the car further up the street still has plenty of snow on it.