Car damaged by speedbump
Discussion
I had my car in for a service last week and it turns out that scraping on speedbumps has resulted in corrosion on one of the chassis rails. It is at the point that a screwdriver goes straight through.
I've lost count of the amount of times I have bottomed out despite being very careful and avoiding speedbumps where possible. My car isn't even ridiculously low.
Question is, can anything be done to claim the cost of repair?
If the speedbump fits within guidelines (I believe the max height is 100mm), then are the councils responsible completely in the clear? My car has been lowered, however I remember my old car (ST24) used to bottom out and that was completely standard.
I know of one specific speedbump that I have bottomed out on which may not fit into the above guidelines, but it is on an industrial estate. I guess I need to find out who owns that particular road and is therefore responsible for the hump?
I've lost count of the amount of times I have bottomed out despite being very careful and avoiding speedbumps where possible. My car isn't even ridiculously low.
Question is, can anything be done to claim the cost of repair?
If the speedbump fits within guidelines (I believe the max height is 100mm), then are the councils responsible completely in the clear? My car has been lowered, however I remember my old car (ST24) used to bottom out and that was completely standard.
I know of one specific speedbump that I have bottomed out on which may not fit into the above guidelines, but it is on an industrial estate. I guess I need to find out who owns that particular road and is therefore responsible for the hump?
not a chance.
Which council were you going to claim from ? The one that governs where you live or the one where your mate/family does ? both of them ? where else have you been ?
can you identify the speedbump that did the damage ? Can you then prove it was that speedbump that caused the damage ?
Even they you'd still have to argue that the speedbump was unreasonably high and thus caused the damage.
Ultimately its the fact your car is too low and the weather has caused the corrosion.
Not the fault of the council (or multiple thereof).
Which council were you going to claim from ? The one that governs where you live or the one where your mate/family does ? both of them ? where else have you been ?
can you identify the speedbump that did the damage ? Can you then prove it was that speedbump that caused the damage ?
Even they you'd still have to argue that the speedbump was unreasonably high and thus caused the damage.
Ultimately its the fact your car is too low and the weather has caused the corrosion.
Not the fault of the council (or multiple thereof).
Am i reading this correctly? You have lowered your car to the point it scrapes on speedbumps, but you want some sort of compensation?
Are you honestly trying to tell us you couldnt hear it scraping? And that it never crossed your mind to raise it back up?
Come on here looking for sympathy that you have a big bill coming your way by all means, but really? Expecting the tax payer to fork out because you wanted a lower car? Naa..
Are you honestly trying to tell us you couldnt hear it scraping? And that it never crossed your mind to raise it back up?
Come on here looking for sympathy that you have a big bill coming your way by all means, but really? Expecting the tax payer to fork out because you wanted a lower car? Naa..
GC8 said:
It is a rather low car, but it isnt any lower than any other factory spec 944 Turbo. Even 20mph over most bumps will cause it to catch, which grates...
I don't suppose it is, and I'm sure its a lovely car (I love 944s BTW), but a lot of our roads are so shocking, you've almost got to have stilts to cover some of our crater covered roads at even fairly normal rates at times. My 172 Phase 1, stock Eunos RS Ltd and Puma are all great for this but all look like they're riding too high!
Years ago the council closed a road near to where I live to fit speed bumps (the full length bolted down type).
The next morning the third one I went over ripped the back box (classic mini, straight through pipe, centred back box) off the car. I picked it up put it in the boot and drove to work.
At work I phoned the council and had a moan, they said they would inspect it (at no point did I mention compensation). By the time I was driving home that night, said speed bump had been removed
All the speed bumps were later changed for concrete ones that you can go around
The next morning the third one I went over ripped the back box (classic mini, straight through pipe, centred back box) off the car. I picked it up put it in the boot and drove to work.
At work I phoned the council and had a moan, they said they would inspect it (at no point did I mention compensation). By the time I was driving home that night, said speed bump had been removed
All the speed bumps were later changed for concrete ones that you can go around
I doubt it - although if I were in charge I'd let you. 
I had a low car which was fine with normal speed bumps but the bolt down ones are too steep and would hit the front spoiler.
Local hospital had a huge one AFTER the entrance barrier (Pay car park).
I just had to stop and wait for them to raise the barrier and let me reverse out.
WTF do they need huge ramps in a hospital car park ?
I had a low car which was fine with normal speed bumps but the bolt down ones are too steep and would hit the front spoiler.
Local hospital had a huge one AFTER the entrance barrier (Pay car park).
I just had to stop and wait for them to raise the barrier and let me reverse out.
WTF do they need huge ramps in a hospital car park ?
currybum said:
Take some responsibility man, it's your fault, you lowered the car, you continued to drive on a bit of road that you know your car scrapes on, you didn't fix the damage when it first happened and you left it so long that if got a chance to rust through.
Its like head butting a wall and trying to blame the builder for putting the wall up...
Chalk it up to experience and stop trying to get the rest of us to pay for your mistake.
Wow, calm down. It's not just one speedbump that is scrapes on, its happened a number of times on separate one off occasions when I go out of town. If it scrapes once, then I know to avoid the speedbump. It's not just speedbumps either, it has scraped on narrow country lanes before where the middle of the road is higher than the sides.Its like head butting a wall and trying to blame the builder for putting the wall up...
Chalk it up to experience and stop trying to get the rest of us to pay for your mistake.
I had no idea that the chassis rail had been damaged, I've been told previously that the decat pipe has the scrape marks, the first I knew of the damage to the chassis rail was 2 weeks ago.
Fair comments in the rest of the thread, I guess it is just something I have to put up with having a low car (and no I didn't lower it, the ride height was the same when I purchased it). Fortunately the costs of repairing aren't ridiculous, it's just the hassle involved as the one person I trust to do the work is nearly 100 miles away.
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