I posted this on PPBB, and thought I'd share the pain with my local PCA brothers and sisters, too.
OK, so I'm parked on a steep hill, nose first, kinda perpendicular at an angle to the curb. My wife and I have a nice dinner at our favorite local Thai place. We come back out and get in the car. I release the parking brake, throw it in reverse, look behind me, let my foot off the brake, and quickly apply the gas and let out the clutch, confident that I will have no problem reversing up the hill and out of the parking spot. Any guesses on what happened next, anyone? Well, turns out I only THOUGHT I was in reverse. I was actually still in first.
Granted, I've done this a couple of times, but always with no consequences because I'm not usually applying the gas much and when I realize it I have time to stop before I hit something. Well, not this time. Gravity and a steep hill were enough to amplify the mistake into an expensive repair job, because I managed to plow the front end into a very high curb. I crushed the right front bumper and also the radiator that sits just behind it, flooding the gutter with coolant. All of this to the great amusement of everyone sitting at the outdoor terrace of the pub I was parked in front of.
To add insult to injury, the tow truck that Porsche Roadside Assistance sent did not have any wheel straps, I found out after the fact, and they secured my car to the flat bed by hooking chains to the suspension! No word yet on whether that caused any additional damage.
Anyway, my baby is now sitting in the repair center at Pioneer in San Diego, awaiting a verdict on the damage. I talked to a really nice Service Rep. there named Daniel, who seemed very cool and understanding. I just hope the final bill will not be too much, because I'd rather not have to explain this one to my insurance company...
Anyway care to make a guess what it's going to cost in the end? Replace front bumper, radiator, clips, and who knows what else? I didn't hit the wheels when i went into the curb, by the way. Just the bumper.
If anyone has any other dumb Porsche (driver) stories to console me with, I'm all eyes and ears!