Pothole Damage
Discussion
Last night, SWMBO hit this in the MX-5:
resulting in a flat rear tyre and this damage:
to this alloy:
Front alloy hit it too, but I've taken it off and had a look and it seems OK. Hopefully no suspension damage.
My feeling is that both the rear tyre and alloy are f
d. Agree?
On the bright side, February and March are the two months of the year that we don't have a council tax payment, so I can spend the money repairing the effects of our quality road maintenance...
resulting in a flat rear tyre and this damage:
to this alloy:
Front alloy hit it too, but I've taken it off and had a look and it seems OK. Hopefully no suspension damage.
My feeling is that both the rear tyre and alloy are f
d. Agree?On the bright side, February and March are the two months of the year that we don't have a council tax payment, so I can spend the money repairing the effects of our quality road maintenance...
Kozy said:
and I can send the bill for a new wheel to County Hall...
I would send it anyway, including the tyre along with suspension check.There is a road, which I use every day, where I seem to be spending playing "dodge the holes" on every trip.
Getting quite good at remebering where they are now !
Problem appears that the road has been repaired before, for the same thing, and not very well.
mightymouse said:
Kozy said:
and I can send the bill for a new wheel to County Hall...
I would send it anyway, including the tyre along with suspension check.There is a road, which I use every day, where I seem to be spending playing "dodge the holes" on every trip.
Getting quite good at remebering where they are now !
Problem appears that the road has been repaired before, for the same thing, and not very well.
Have a road near me that is exactly the same, its like offroading, and absolute disgrace. BMW guy told me the bushes are now knackered could you actually get the council to pay for repairs?
I successfully made a claim against the Scottish Executive for two bust tyres and a damaged alloy. I got full replacement costs of a Porsche GT3 18" Wheel and two Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.
Gather enough evidence. Take lots of photographs. Write down and account of exactly what happened and when.
Photocopy the lot several times. In my experience when you hand over evidence it will be lost. Possibly several times over. I had to provide the same evidence pack three times.
Keep notes of all telephone calls and copies of all letters written...yours AND theirs. They WILL attempt to say you did not do that which you did, they will lose evidence, they will claim they did not recieve your letters - send them REGISTERED.
Do everything on paper...so there is a record. You will need to supply this record of communication back to the fkers who were making it on a regular basis and if you can't do it? They will believe you aren't serious and you will have no chance.
I had one smarmy lawyer type tell me that the photograph I had that showed two flat tyres did not actually show two flat tyres! This wasn't a realistic objection and I was able to counter it with the fact that these were low-profile sports tyres and perhaps he wasn't used to seeing them!
You CAN be adequately compensated for this....and it is your CIVIC DUTY to dish out a SPANKING to the buggers who'll spend the roads maintenance budget on speed humps if given half a chance. MAKE THEM PAY for not doing their job.
All the best.
Gather enough evidence. Take lots of photographs. Write down and account of exactly what happened and when.
Photocopy the lot several times. In my experience when you hand over evidence it will be lost. Possibly several times over. I had to provide the same evidence pack three times.
Keep notes of all telephone calls and copies of all letters written...yours AND theirs. They WILL attempt to say you did not do that which you did, they will lose evidence, they will claim they did not recieve your letters - send them REGISTERED.
Do everything on paper...so there is a record. You will need to supply this record of communication back to the f
kers who were making it on a regular basis and if you can't do it? They will believe you aren't serious and you will have no chance.I had one smarmy lawyer type tell me that the photograph I had that showed two flat tyres did not actually show two flat tyres! This wasn't a realistic objection and I was able to counter it with the fact that these were low-profile sports tyres and perhaps he wasn't used to seeing them!
You CAN be adequately compensated for this....and it is your CIVIC DUTY to dish out a SPANKING to the buggers who'll spend the roads maintenance budget on speed humps if given half a chance. MAKE THEM PAY for not doing their job.
All the best.
Edited by Don on Tuesday 27th January 13:56
Oh... and you will require witnesses.
I had every last member of staff of the Recovery Company and also the Garage that fitted two new tyres for me listed. (They were a little Scots business and most helpful.) They came and got me from next to the pothole so they were perfect.
If necessary take a mate down to the pothole. Get him to measure it independently. Get him to note the damage to your car. If ANYONE saw it happen...see if you can contact them and if they'd agree to write you a letter, and answer any questions the third party you are claiming from might have. This will also help.
I had every last member of staff of the Recovery Company and also the Garage that fitted two new tyres for me listed. (They were a little Scots business and most helpful.) They came and got me from next to the pothole so they were perfect.
If necessary take a mate down to the pothole. Get him to measure it independently. Get him to note the damage to your car. If ANYONE saw it happen...see if you can contact them and if they'd agree to write you a letter, and answer any questions the third party you are claiming from might have. This will also help.
planetdave said:
otolith said:
Get a metre rule (or someones foot) in the picture to give it scale. It looks like a biggie from here - but to a pencilpusher in city hall?
To be honest, I expect that they'll just wave their maintenance schedule at us and say it's not their fault.
otolith said:
planetdave said:
otolith said:
Get a metre rule (or someones foot) in the picture to give it scale. It looks like a biggie from here - but to a pencilpusher in city hall?
To be honest, I expect that they'll just wave their maintenance schedule at us and say it's not their fault.
Mazda want 140 quid for a single new 15 inch OEM alloy, which I suspect is nothing special. It would appear that aftermarket alloys can be had from around 200 quid a set. All the wheels on her car are looking a tad scruffy (previous owner's work), and she's not adverse to the idea of buying a new set. Hmm... 
Might need a new thread in the MX5 section - don't want to buy something made of osmium/lead alloy.
Might need a new thread in the MX5 section - don't want to buy something made of osmium/lead alloy.
Raffles said:
You sure the tyre is ruined? I have hit potholes in the past where the wheel was bent but the tyre was fine and lived on to go onto a new rim.
Take it to a tyre specialist who can break the bead and check the inside for damage. Often a knock like that will result in little visible damage to the outside of the tyre, but the threads in the carcass might be torn in places, which can only be seen from the inside, and could cause a blowout eventualy.Ravell said:
Raffles said:
You sure the tyre is ruined? I have hit potholes in the past where the wheel was bent but the tyre was fine and lived on to go onto a new rim.
Take it to a tyre specialist who can break the bead and check the inside for damage. Often a knock like that will result in little visible damage to the outside of the tyre, but the threads in the carcass might be torn in places, which can only be seen from the inside, and could cause a blowout eventualy.Raffles said:
You sure the tyre is ruined? I have hit potholes in the past where the wheel was bent but the tyre was fine and lived on to go onto a new rim.
I've just ordered a new tyre from Camskill for 36 quid delivered. For that price, it's not worth the worry. If it had been one of the 150 quid jobs on the RX-8, I might have been more tempted (but would probably still have replaced it).I claimed against Cardiff Council for damage to the front valance on my car when I hit a big pothole. It took a few months to sort out mind, they sent out an assessor to see the car and then paid out about £500 for the repair this was 10 years a go.
Its their legal obligation to maintain the roads so put a claim in and keep chassing them.
P.S where is this pothole I could do with some new wheels & tyres (Joke, thats fraud)
Its their legal obligation to maintain the roads so put a claim in and keep chassing them.
P.S where is this pothole I could do with some new wheels & tyres (Joke, thats fraud)
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