TESTIMONY! 505, A Life Saver!

[Ikenna]

There was an incident i skipped to mention in the other thread about my trip with my 505 2 weeks ago.

I set out for the trip on Saturday 03/09/11 & got to my parents house peacefully. I stayed with them for 3 days & decided to visit other people on Tuesday 06/09/11 before i would return back to Abuja the next day 07/09/11, to continue my annual Leave. I drove out in the morning of Tuesday 06/09/11 & went to Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where i did & got my B.Sc (Political Science) in 2005, to visit an Uncle of mine there whom is a Staff there & have been looking forward to see my newly acquired 505 V6. I got there & he was amazed & liked how good my 505 look. He said it didnt look as clean as it was is in my Facebook Album. A lecturer i knew then, whom used to have 505 then came & was admiring mine. He said he had sold his 505, but after seeing mine, he would be ready to purchase/pay for a 505 in such a clean condition like mine if i could link him to the source i got it from, even if it would cost more than the amount i paid for mine. Well, i was relunctant to promise him of that help, knowing what i went through with the "Source". I finshed with my Uncle & drove out to visit other relations of mine at Enugu, which is about 90km, about 1hr drive on a highway. Half way, something terrible, a near death experience, happened to me.

The highway was a single lane. I was speeding 150 k/h. There was this on coming vehicle from afar, a Truck/lorry, & a 18 seater Toyota mini Bus, full with passengers, was following the truck behind, wanting to overtake the truck. All of a sudden, the Bus driver lost patience in waiting for me to pass before it would overtake the truck. The Bus entered my lane trying to overtake the Truck before i would reach them. But i was already so close for the Bus driver to have made that move. It was as if it was a joke. We were both facing each other (both our vehicles). we were few meters from colliding/clashing face to face. He couldnt go back to the back of the Lorry & at my speed, the Bus wont make it. Some feets away to collide with the Bus, I steered out of the road, from colliding with the Bus & Hell was let loosed! The two tyres on the passengers side (front & rear) jump onto the side of the road (the tared road was too high from the untared side of the road) which was full with gravels & the car lost control at the 150 kph. The tail moved by the side, the front pushed back the tail & moved the to the other side. The car was moving sideways, to & fro. The tryes were making screeching loud sounds, passengers in the Bus were screeming. I thought the car would somersault. The same time, there was an explosion! The car, all of sudden on its own, became stable again. I steered back to the road & the speed by then had started to reduce. All those while, i didnt touch the brake. I allowed the steering wheel & it was turning the car sideways by itself & it returned the car to stability again by itself. The car came to halt when i finally applied brake. I parked & came out. Went round the car. The passenger front tyre was the cause of that explosion i heard. It was flat. The edge of the road must have punctured the tyre when it jumped from the road to the untared roads, full with piece of small stones/gravels. All these happened in seconds. In seconds, my car would have somersaulted. In seconds, i would have lost the car. In seconds, i would have been a History! All, if not for PEUGEOT 505, would have happened!

I could hear the occupants of the Bus wailing inside the Bus as the Bus was fading, believing that something terrible must have happened to the 505 & whomever was driving it. The noise from the screeching of the tyres was too loud for any living being around to hear when it was happening. myself in the car, thought it was my end. The Driver of the Bus didnt stopped. He was too scared to face what he caused, if something had happened.

I waited for my spirit to come back after some mins, jacked the car, removed & put the spare tyre. Continued the journey, got to my destination, Enugu town, bought another brand new tyre & replaced the damaged one with it, as you can see in the pic. These were brand new Tyres i replaced 3 days before I set out for the trip. The next day, i drove off again, back to Abuja, which was 7 hrs highspeed highway drive (532 km). Hmm! Life!

It was when i got back from the trip, to Abuja, that i reflected on what really happened that day. First, God played a role that day in the event (Gods miracle). Two, 505 miracle. Then 3, my long experience with our highway driving. If I wasnt experience enough, I would have touched brake pedal when the car lost control for a while & that would have made the car to completely lose control. But like I said, God made it possible by taking control of the steering wheel, the tyres, the complete car while it was moving side by side.

That day, that afternoon, it was face to face with death, prevent by God & my 505. A life saver! I have driven so many cars & knew how they behave, even on a little incident, with low speed. But this, i cant think of what would have happened if it wasnt 505. I know what i have suffered in the hands of this car since i owned it, trying to fix numerious issues it came with. But that day made me realised its all worth it! I heard had accident twice before. One, i was the one driving, a Volkswagen Bug. I wasnt even speeding the car that day & a small gravel on the made car to skid of the road & rendered the car undrivable. The second accident, i was a passenger in a Mistubishi. The car lost control & hit another vehicle, but nothing happened to us the occupants in the car. But the incident of the 06/09/11 made me realised one thing " i sowed & reaped something valuable".

My 505, though a convert, has all V6 mechanicalls in the front: the engine, the unrebuildable V6 front struts/shock absobers, bar, vented brake discs,etc. They transfered all the mechanicals from the donor car to mine when they did the conversion. Except that the didnt install the ABS front wheel sensors & ABS control unit, which i dont have problem. I have heard that V6 cross bar handles well. It would have contributed to what save me & my BABY that day. Or it could just be that road handling of 505 generally is just outstanding to prevent such accidents from happening.

My experience with our highways was what made me to change my mind from purchasing 505 GTI (ZDJL) & going quick accelerating 505 (ZN3J), that will be quick enough, when needed, to overtake a long truck on a highway. If the Bus had fast accelerating engine, that incident wouldnt have happened. But a driver should be experience enough to know how good the engine of a car he is driving is in acceleration before he makes such move to overtake a long truck or queue of trucks when there is an on-coming vehicle. Patience is what & all it takes for a driver to keep himself alive whenever on a highway. Not everyone driving a car on a highway knows this. Besides, not everyone on a steering wheel is a Driver.

My advice to eveyone: Try as much as you can to keep your 505 on the road as long as you can. Not every car , even the modern ones, can handle as good & be predictable as 505 in an unpredictable situation. I understand that maintaining 505 in US is becoming a problem due to unavailability or high cost of parts. But always remember that you need to stay alive. Even if you must get rid of your 505 & get anothercar that is not Peugeot known for good chasis, at least, get a good car that handles well, even it cost more to maintain. I use to believe "Always go for a Reliable car". But now, I will choose a performance car, anyday, anytime, over the so called "relaible car", No matter the cost of maintenance.

Ikenna.

[Mike T]

"Bolex Tires" Made in China?!?

I would recommend any well known western brand, Michelin, Goodyear etc. That Chinese tire probably was the reason for the blowout.

However, I am glad that you are still OK after this.

[Ikenna]

Mike, can you still point at any product that is not made in China? After all, even the new Peugeot products, 408 & 508, are Chinese production. Every damn electronics, both the well known & unknown are made in China. Where do I start?!

Anyway, you are right. I should have bought a well known name. But finding one produce in Europe is what am not sure of. What i had wanted to buy was Dunlop. But when i got to new tyre shops, i was told that Dunlop plant in Nigeria has folded 4 years ago. The ony Dunlop tyres i was seeing in the shops were made in South Africa. It kind of discouraged me from buying them. I cant vouch for quality of South African products. But the main reason why i bought that brand was because i couldnt get the size of tyre (195/60) i was looking for in the well knowned. Mostly, they all have 195/65, but i needed 60. Only very few Chinese Tyres here have the size i wanted (195/60). Maybe next time, i will go for 205/60. Another problem is that almost all the well known tyres are Asians production, apart from the Dunlop. Name them, Bridgestone, Firestone, Pirelli, etc. Though, most of them are made in Thailand, not China. The Thailand ones cost more. Maybe thay are of better quality than the Chinese.They dont sell European production here. But the only one i did not check is Michelin. They use to have plant in Nigeria, but they folded longtime before Dunlop did, due to harsh Federal govenment policies. So i wouldnt know the ones imported are produced. But since all the new Peugeots produced in Nigeria all have Michelin tyres made in France on them, the ones in shops might also be all made in Fance.. Besides, the price of a Michelin tyre is very scarely. It cost double the price of the Bolex trye i bought.

Ikenna.

[andrethx]

drive a good car and keep your wits about you -- always good advice. glad you're okay, ikenna...

andré

[N9TE]

Then there's the Japanese tires. This is where branding shows its real value. I'd buy a Chinese or S. African Michelin because certain quality standards must be met before the name goes on. No matter where its made. A Michelin is a Michelin. I know "Bolex" is not a name anybody here has ever heard of.

But I agree with you that the 505 is the best car no matter what the tire and a driver with his wits about him is also crucial. Glad you only have an exciting story from that!

[Bean]

Glad you were OK as well! I have a few stories of avoiding accidents in my Peugeots - and yes, each time makes me happy I drive a Peugeot.

I'd also agree with Koll on buying the brand - companies that produce in China or anywhere else will do a much better job with quality control and ensuring proper design. I'd also recommend buying speed rated tires - with the speeds you do - I would say at least an S rated tire, but preferably a H rated tire.

Rabin

[norcal505]

Accidents are truly terrible. There's nothing worse than the sound of crunching metal and breaking glass replaying in your head over and over...

That said, glad you're okay man. Another 505 and its owner kept on the road.

[Ikenna]

Thanks all. I guess, this a story i will live to tell to my grandchildren. Oh! When will i marry? This thing call Bachelor. Never wanting to let go!

Rabin, I will go for a better brand next time. Either Michelin or Dunlop. Fortunately, most of tyres in tyre shops here are H-rated. I only saw one V-rated once. But i will stick with H-rated as you suggested, since it has a stiffer walls, longer tread life & its for all weather.

Ikenna.

[Ikenna]

Thanks Rob. Am sorry that yours have not been sorted out yet. At least, you still have your BMW to cruise the city with. It kind of sounds funny to me when you guys over there source for parts online, unlike here where what you need is few poles away from where one is, especially the body & mechanical parts. Well, Nigerians are not ready to let go of Peugeot, even though Japanese autos have taken over the auto markets all over the world.

Ikenna.