Hit large Roo...

[Canaussie]

Well had to make the trip from emerald to Townsville last Thursday. Stopped at belyando crossing for a drink, well 50 km down the road a very large grey decides to jump out in front of the Disco! Well I had the cruise set at 110 and I had my foo hovering over the brake due to all the wild life that was out that evening. I barely had time to tap the brake when bam, hit him on the passenger side!! Well the airbags decided to deploy, that scared the living you know what out of my wife and I. Glad I had a bull bar on as that took most of the impact. The roo must have went up and over as the windshield was shattered. The head light plastic broke. The car was making a funny clicking noise and said gearbox fault bu went away after a restart. Did not think the vehicle would be. Drivable after that but drivable it was. We still had 270 kms to go to the ville. My 10 week old baby who is in the rear on passenger side didn't even wake up, my daughter on the other side was watching the ipad(best device ever) just asked a million questions which made us laugh and took the edge off. My wife unfortunately was in a state of shock. She froze up and could not even move really, I had to sit her on the ground and get both kids out of car to get away from the powder of the bags.

I'm glad I drive a large capable 4x4 that is up to the task, also glad I kept he wheel straight and my head together.

Bull bar is twisted and will need replacing!

Just thought I'd share

Cheers Billy55484554855548655487

[CSBrisie]

Billy, thank goodness you are all ok!

[Blknight.aus]

the powder in the bag is either cornstarch or talc

[scarry]

Billy, thank goodness you are all ok!

X2

But also shows that bars are needed and it did its job:)

I recon you will need more than just the bar replaced.

[Ashes]

Looks like everything did its job and the outcome was all you could wish for. Nice to read a good news story.:)

[Graeme]

I'm glad I drive a large capable 4x4 that is up to the task, also glad I kept he wheel straight and my head together.
:BigThumb:
Good that the roo stayed on the outside too.

[sheerluck]

X2

But also shows that bars are needed and it did its job:)

I recon you will need more than just the bar replaced.

A couple of airbags and a windscreen at least!

[AGRO]

Billy,

I am so pleased everything went well for you, your family and the vehicle.

I've fitted one of those bars and am so pleased to have done so after seeing the great result for you.

Travelling at at ideal times is not always possible and even here in Perth I've seen and have had to brake to avoid a roo bounding across the freeway at about 11am between Perth and Mandurah.

Thanks for the pictures

[Canaussie]

Thanks all for the kind wishes!
Ill post more mid week when I find out from the crash repairs what the assessor has decided. I hope it won't be a long long wait for a bull bar. Nothing really seems bent with chassis as all seams looked good on initial inspection!

Billy

[Canaussie]

Oh ya I also meant to say that on a road that sees very little traffic, thanks to the truckies that stopped and to the fella in a 200 series that offered to give us a ride if needed.

I'm not sure but I thought for sure if the airbags deployed the vehicle would go into limp mode. But all we did is tuck the airbags out of the way and continued our drive with normal power.

I also want to say thanks to LR Townsville, I called early in the morning to cancel our scheduled service, no one was there but receptionist and she said she would pass it on. Well an hour later the service manager called to see if we were all ok and if there was anything she could do for us. This vehicle was not purchased there but based on that genuine phone call they have my business from now on!!

Also Youi insurance has been top notch as well!

Billy

[AnD3rew]

Very pleased you are all ok.

I am a bit surprised the airbags went off. As I understand it (and my understanding is pretty limited) it requires a very significant deceleration to set off an airbag (as well as other corroborating data sensed by the ECU's.). I wouldn't have thought even a decent sized roo could cause that much deceleration.

[Canaussie]

He was a big roo, I've hit plenty in my work ute but this one takes it, I did some research as well. If this was a full grown alpha male could weigh 80kgs. The assessor said the same thing as well about the airbags going off. I asked is it by impact or deceleration that causes them to deploy, he said impact. To my understanding the bull bar does not have any sensors mounted on them?

[AnD3rew]

He was a big roo, I've hit plenty in my work ute but this one takes it, I did some research as well. If this was a full grown alpha male could weigh 80kgs. The assessor said the same thing as well about the airbags going off. I asked is it by impact or deceleration that causes them to deploy, he said impact. To my understanding the bull bar does not have any sensors mounted on them?

I don't think the bar has sensors in it, but I think the assessor may be wrong, again my understanding is all Internet based and may be dodgy, but I think deceleration is the main trigger and then the ECU'S use other data as confirmation.

[sheerluck]

............I asked is it by impact or deceleration that causes them to deploy, he said impact. To my understanding the bull bar does not have any sensors mounted on them?

There are sensors at the front of the chassis rails. The impact would have gone through the bar and set off the sensor.

Everything did it's job just right, and everyone, except the roo, came out in one piece.

[Barefoot Dave]

Billy, also glad to hear you are all ok.
thanks for the photos.
Another tick in the box for Bar work, and more importantly, Airbag compatible barwork. If big mate came for a visit to your wife, I am sure the bag would have helped significantly!
Cheers, Dave.

[Disco44]

the powder in the bag is either cornstarch or talc

Didn't used to be Dave .It used to be something else I cannot remember the name (something oxide).It knocked over an accident investigator in Canada.That's why it was changed.
John.

[ozscott]

Very pleased you are all ok.

I am a bit surprised the airbags went off. As I understand it (and my understanding is pretty limited) it requires a very significant deceleration to set off an airbag (as well as other corroborating data sensed by the ECU's.). I wouldn't have thought even a decent sized roo could cause that much deceleration.

Seems odd to me also. If there was very little deformation and if you didn't hit the bags they were not required in that scenario... Wonder if that is simply an accident not foreseen by the programmers. I would have air bag deployment in that scenario might have caused an accident. Glad you're all ok.
Cheers

[AnD3rew]

Seems odd to me also. If there was very little deformation and if you didn't hit the bags they were not required in that scenario... Wonder if that is simply an accident not foreseen by the programmers. I would have air bag deployment in that scenario might have caused an accident. Glad you're all ok.
Cheers

I agree, I guess it is impossible or at least extremely difficult to set it up so that the airbags will go off correctly in every situation where they are needed and never when they are not and when you have only a few milliseconds to make that decision, but in this situation they were definitely not needed and are likely to do more harm than good, with a very good chance of causing a fatality if the deployment resulted in the driver losing control of the car at speed.

It definitely should have been conceived as a possibility hitting an 80kg non fixed weight at speed as animal strikes like deer are common in many places in the world including Europe and North America. I wonder if the bar actually contributes to this as it will likely distribute the impact and tell t sensors you have hit something across the full width of the car rather than a single point?

[murray073]

The substance used in airbags is "Sodium Azide" which is used to deploy the airbag,ie. when the sensors activate it, an electrical signal ignites the Sodium Azide which burns (for want of a better word) producing an inert gas which is not detrimental to our health. The white powder is like a talc and is there simply to lubricate the bag as it unfolds when deploying. It is not detrimental to our health as such, however it can be an irritant to the respiratory system particularly for asthmatics etc. I'm not completely sure on this next point but I believe the sensors pickup the amount of deformation that occurs at the crush cans that are located within the mounts of he Bull bar or the intrusion beam behind the bumper cover (when no bull bar is fitted), therefore I believe it activates on impact. Some vehicles also have sensors that trigger on deceleration as well.

I may be wrong, this is just my understanding.

Murray

[Plane Fixer]

Canaussie, I am glad you are OK with the family.
I recently hit a roo early morning several weeks ago but he was not as big as yours. The ARB bar took the impact and the bags did not blow.
I have sadly hit several roos in my Patrol and now the D4 and the bars have saved any damage, but we hit one with the VW Golf and it caused a lot of damage, yet the bags did not blow.
When I bought the D4 my wife would not allow me to go beyond the city limits until the bar was fitted. That and the side steps and cargo barrier are the only mods I have.

[CaverD3]

The substance used in airbags is "Sodium Azide" which is used to deploy the airbag,

Makes a big bang and smells like cordite.

A tree jumped out and hit my bull bar :angel:
You will probably find the screen was cracked by the passenger air bag from the inside.
Mke sure the repair is done properly ask for the dealer to do the airbags as it is a dash out job.
I had a shocker of a repair done by the first repairer and it cost GIO more to rectify than the original repair.
Also decide not to replace the brackets (deformation connections) and just stick a new bar on the old. :mad:

A big fright but the car looked after you. :D

PS anyone else having touble with page display? I am getting a window in the middle of the page and my curser is not showing when I reply. :confused:

[Graeme]

PS anyone else having touble with page display? I am getting a window in the middle of the page and my curser is not showing when I reply. :confused:
No trouble with this reply.

[gps-au]

Everything did it's job just right, and everyone, except the roo, came out in one piece.


Actually, there has been no final report on the roo !!

Did it survive or was classed as roadkill ?

[discotwinturbo]

Good to see the bar did its job and you are all ok....

Have hit 3 roos in my patrol and no air bag deployment. Always concerned that an airbag deployment would disable car....maybe not in a disco it appears.

Was surprised that they did deploy though...but if you can drive and were not injured by the bags, then all is good.

I hope the disco is just as good when fixed.

Brett....

[BobD]

Makes a big bang and smells like cordite.

PS anyone else having touble with page display? I am getting a window in the middle of the page and my curser is not showing when I reply. :confused:

Mine is the same althought the cursor has sort of appeared in this reply. It didn't when I replied last night.

Bob

[baldivistribe]

Glad all ok, hitting roos is no fun even worse when its your own vehicle.
yep got a square in the middle of the page says something like webpage can not be displayed. The cursor is working just fine though.
cheers
Steve

[rodjam]

Having had the misfortune to hit several of our flag emblems over many years, I suspect 100 kgs for a good one x 100-110 k's.
You came out great!

The deceleration impact forces are immense but short and that's what the airbags do, corn flour is a bigger surprise but all good.

Great vehicle, typical roo, and you drove home. Lucky!

All things worked as advertised but it us a HELL of A SHOCK and BANG!

It's ok if you see the buggers but when they line you up...fright!

Rest easy and thank you LD.

[Canaussie]

Well the roo was definitely dead as the truckie pulled it off the road for me, but when I returned home Sunday it was no where to be found! He did mention he was a big suckka

[Disco4_tech]

Pigs would have been into it for sure. Seen some big pigs and Roos down that way....

Glad to hear everyone in the disco was unhurt. The Bullbar you have on it, is it the new genuine one? - whoops just saw the photos. Is she an ARB bar?

Lookin forward to seeing your car when she's all fixed up here in LR Townsville :)

[Disco4_tech]

Always good to hear some positive feedback about work :)

[Disco4pilot]

My brother in law hit a huge roo when he first got his Disco 3 in 2005. He was still waiting for ARB to release the bar so not fitted yet. He went over a crest and hit it doing 110 without touching the brakes. The bags went off and he said the car applied max braking. He said it was amazing how quickly they went from 110 to 0!! Only problem was the car was now stopped in the middle of the road and wouldnt go anywhere. He had to recycle the ignition to get it to work again. Not what you want on the other side of a crest on a highway. It was back in 2005 so maybe land rover have re thought automatically disabling the car after impact...

[Canaussie]

Always good to hear some positive feedback about work :)

Ya it'll be in soon to still get service done, not sure if the airbags will have to be fitted at LR or the crash repairers will do it?

Please look after my baby as I love this vehicle!!!

Cheers Billy

[FenianEel]

Glad to see everything worked as it should've. Poor skippy:D

Hope the insurers and repairs work out as well too. ;)

[Canaussie]

Wonder if there is anyway to get the service included in the insurance quote? Lol

[Disco4_tech]

Ya it'll be in soon to still get service done, not sure if the airbags will have to be fitted at LR or the crash repairers will do it?

Please look after my baby as I love this vehicle!!!

Cheers Billy

Will it be getting a new dash do you know? I can't Rememeber if we fit it all back together or if the cars repairs do, we haven't had one in for so long. Would be years now.

Haha no need to worry mate, ill give her a bit of Lovin, what service will it be in for do you think, and how's my clicks on the clock

[Canaussie]

Coming in for its first year service, I did have you guys do an oil service at 11K. JLZ 95 is the number plate so look out for it. And cheers I know it'll be in capable hands!! D they also replace the whole steering wheels as well?

[kaz11]

Hi Billy,

Not a great way to start the year, but very glad you and your family are ok.

Hope all goes well with the repairs, though it sounds like you're in good hands.

At least you now know that bub will sleep through anything. That'll come in handy when you're on some rough tracks:D

Good Luck

Karen
(gclan)

[Disco4_tech]

From memory it gets the new middle trim of the steering wheel, don't quote me though, like I said its been agggggess since we did one haha.

[SBD4]

Coming in for its first year service, I did have you guys do an oil service at 11K. JLZ 95 is the number plate so look out for it. And cheers I know it'll be in capable hands!! D they also replace the whole steering wheels as well?

If the steering wheel itself is undamaged then I would expect just the air bag would be changed. It is a self contained unit.

This video of D3 steering wheel replacement shows it well:
How to change the steering wheel on Landrover Discovery 3/ LR3 - YouTube

[CaverD3]

The airbag unit in the steering wheel gets replaced.
I inisted that the passenger airbag was done by dealer as the whole dash has to come out to replace the top.
I am glad i did given the hash they made of the rest.

[Canaussie]

Well got the quote the other day for the repairs!

Not bad really as. Expected it to be higher, all up approx. 12K worth of repairs to be done.
Windscreen
Bullbar
Light
Grill
Airbags
Dash
Seatbelts
Sensors

Hopefully he bull bar does not take forever!
Oh ya the replacement rental car, Hyundai I 20, worst little car ever!

[Canaussie]

From memory it gets the new middle trim of the steering wheel, don't quote me though, like I said its been agggggess since we did one haha.

Looks like it will be coming there to have all the airbags and sensors fitted as well as seatbelts!

Hope it all goes back together good

[Canaussie]

Well it's just about finished, can't wait to get it back from the crash repairs!!

I missed my D4 so much, it's just so nice to drive!

[herrBlick]

Glad you and your family are all OK
Did insurgence cover all the costs...if so who are you with?

[Canaussie]

Glad you and your family are all OK
Did insurgence cover all the costs...if so who are you with?

Yes we were all ok thanks. Insurance did cover all costs which came to about 12k. The biggest thing is waiting to get my awesome ride back. 5 weeks to repair wow. YOUi insurance is who I'm with were great, can't say much for the crash repair mob it's at as they are hopeless at organising getting the vehicle fixed. It's being fixed in Townsville and all parts needed to be ordered in. I was surprised to get the bull bar as quickly as they did!

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I know what being without the D4 is about, I've been without mine for 2 weeks and it will be at least another before I get it back. :BigCry: At least I'm driving my old '85 classic, don't know how I would have coped with an i20, you're a brave man putting up with it for 5 weeks!

[Piddler]

I know what being without the D4 is about, I've been without mine for 2 weeks and it will be at least another before I get it back. :BigCry: At least I'm driving my old '85 classic, don't know how I would have coped with an i20, you're a brave man putting up with it for 5 weeks!


What was wrong with yours in the end Diana?
Cheers

[scarry]

What was wrong with yours in the end Diana?
Cheers

X2,

Where did the thread go about the failure?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Don't know yet, they need to do a necropsy on the engine, all I can say is that LRA are coming to the party with repair under warranty and Purnell's are/were waiting for a new crated engine to arrive.

The thread is parked not to upset the warranty claim.

Diana

[Canaussie]

Finally my D4 is on the way home!!! 5 weeks with out my pride and joy has been to long! I'm so happy ill will give Vinnie a Nice wax when he gets home!!

[Tombie]

Finally my D4 is on the way home!!! 5 weeks with out my pride and joy has been to long! I'm so happy ill will give Vinnie a Nice wax when he gets home!!

Leave it a couple of weeks to let new paint age a bit...