I came close to having my v6 abandoned the other day, I went to pick up a tv that didn't fit in the car in the slightest, so the guy got his father in law to follow me back to camp with the tv in his van. It was only about 10 miles but this was when the snow was at its worst, and satnav took me a different way back for some reason lol.
It brought me out onto a t-junction that emerged slightly up a BIG, STEEP hill, I was bricking it because when you see cars on the news that failed to get up icy hills, well, this one was much worse :-( So I set off, making the turn easy enough, but with no momentum it was never going to be easy! The TCS on my car has never worked so hard in its life! I was creeping up at around maybe 1/2 a mile an hour in 3rd gear with the TCS light going mental and what sounded like a steel pole jammed in an electric pencil sharpener. I really thought it was a no-hoper but with a little luck, switching between full left and full right lock to keep the car going straight I made it up the hill :-D only to be faced with the downhill!
Now it wasn't a daunting task in itself but at the bottom was a sweeping right hand bend with what looked like a very slow moving car manouvering it, as I got closer (remeber the snow was so big ad heavy that visibility was very poor) it dawned on me that the car, half way round the outside of the bend, was actually abandoned with it's lights on (arse!). So I knew I would have to turn even harder right but as I got closer and closer it became apparent that I couldn't turn that much right in that space of time so "left it is!"
Luckily to the left (all around the outside of the bend) was a nice sized grassed area that didn't even have a kerb, the ABS was earning its supper this time as I couldn't even hope to stop behind the car yet still managed to slow enought and steer onto the grass. Now take into account this grass area is under a good few inches of snow I thought I did a fantastic job of slowing, making a good snap decision, steering away while maintaining enough momentum to navigate the grass too and not get stuck on that, find traction on the grass and get the coupe back on the road ahead of the car... essentially passing the car on the outside of a right hand bend using a grassy area.
There was no damage to the coupe and looking back it was funny, I'm richer for the experience and it has chaged my outlook. I mean I considder myself to be a very capable driver in all conditions including ice, and in the past I have laughed at cars stranded where I feel I would 't have personally gotten stuck, but now I realise that even with all the safety gadgets of the v6 no driver can say "I won't get stranded!" or "I won't crash" when driving on snow and ice because sometimes there is literally nothing that ca be done, and every time that ABS rumble kicks in and I steer out from going into the back of someone I don't see it as "I had it under control, the car helped" I see it as "Frig me that was close!" lol.
However if you are going to abandon a car in the ice don't leave it on a bend, don't just leave your lights on, either use just hazard lights or both or you just look like a stopped/slow car! and if there is a safe place to ditch like a grassy area... then stick it there, not on a bend!! Lol, some people have no sense!
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