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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Adam Wareing  & Courtney Pochin

Man's de-icing hack for car fails as he ends up causing £750 worth of damage

When the weather gets particularly chilly, standing outside and de-icing your car in the cold is the last thing you want to do.

So many of us resort to simple hacks to try and get the job done quicker.

Car salesman Daniel Johnston recently tried this - but it didn't end well for him.

The 19-year-old from Bingham, Nottingham, had turned on his hatchback's heated windscreen and left the car on in order to speed up the de-icing process before work on January 12.

However, he was left in a 'blind panic' when the hack disastrously backfired and his car reversed and smashed into his neighbour's garage door.

Daniel couldn't believe it backfired (Kennedy News and Media)

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It turned out Daniel had left the car in gear and the incident caused an eye-watering £750 worth of damage to his neighbour's door and his vehicle.

Viral CCTV footage from neighbour Nick Langstaff's house shows stunned Daniel desperately trying to grab the wheel as the car careers backwards.

The 2015 Ford Fiesta Zetec only stops when it smashes into the metal garage door causing a loud crunch that sounds 'like an explosion' as parents on the school run look on in shock.

Daniel then puts his hands on his head in disbelief before immediately knocking on retired police officer Nick's door to admit his destructive blunder.

The 67-year-old, who lives with his wife Jules Langstaff, had allowed Daniel to park on his drive because his house next door doesn't have as much room.

Luckily Nick wasn't too angry with Daniel as he himself admits he'd done something similar previously.

The car hit the garage, causing £750 of damage (Kennedy News/danieljohnston.1)
It also made a mess inside Nick's home (Kennedy News and Media)

Car salesman Daniel says his vehicle doesn't need a foot on the clutch to start its engine, so accidentally leaving the car in reverse with the handbrake not fully on meant it moved on its own.

He explained: "I got in late the night before, so I must have put the car in reverse and turned the car off straight after. It's usually always in neutral.

"The car was iced up so I was going to turn my engine on and then go to the boot to get the de-icer and obviously as soon as I turned the key it just reversed.

"My handbrake was up but not fully locked up. Usually, if something happens you can push it out of gear, but I was too shocked to react and my hand stayed on my key.

"I grabbed my steering wheel but I didn't know what I was trying to do. It was just blind panic and it was early in the morning so I was tired.

"The car was two metres inside the garage and I just thought 'what have I done?'. The bang sounded like an explosion."

Daniel owned up to what he had done (Kennedy News/danieljohnston.1)

He adds that Nick and his wife were "very understanding and calm" about the whole mess.

"I had to go and knock [on Nick's door] straight away, but when they answered they said 'don't worry we already know'.

"They were very understanding and calm about it, I was grateful for that, they're nice people.

"I knew I'd have to pay up. You have savings for a reason, I guess.

"I'm going to park on the roads because I don't need to be on the driveway.

"I never start my car [when I'm] outside and make sure it's in neutral. I keep moving the gear stick left to right, left to right."

His neighbours, Nick and Jules, were very understanding (Kennedy News and Media)


Daniel's bumper was ripped off in the incident and he was left with a dent in the side of the car, but luckily he had the £400 worth of damage fixed at his work for £120.

Nick heard the crash from his kitchen while he was making a brew and says he immediately knew what had happened.

The car even pushed wheels from a bike inside the garage through the wall into Jules' sewing room.

However, forgiving Nick, who had the door straightened on the day, understands the collision was an accident and he'll pay for the replacement until Daniel has the money to pay him back.

Nick said: "We couldn't get cross with the lad because the first thing he did was come straight to the front door.

"I think I'd have legged it down the street. Accidents happen.

"I was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee when I heard a great bang and I said 'what the f**king hell is that', then thought I knew the sounds from what I'd done it myself.

"It sounded like metal crumpling. Behind the garage door is my bike and the wheel went straight through the inner wall, so that'll need fixing as well. I can't get in there to fix it because I can't get the door open yet.

"His brother parks there now because he's got an automatic and apparently that sort of thing can't happen again."

The regretful teen insists he's learned his lesson and has sent a message to fellow drivers looking to quickly de-ice their car on bitter mornings.

Daniel adds: "Always double check it's in neutral or you'll have a big bill on your hands."

Daniel shared the CCTV footage on TikTok, writing: "I don't think I'll be parking on the neighbour's drive again anytime soon".

The clip has been liked more than 140,00 times and attracted almost 3,500 comments.

One person joked: "You can't park that there mate."

Another wrote: "This is why the insurance for new drivers is so high."

A third commented: "Ffs u can see the devastation when he puts his hand on his head."

Do you have a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk

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