Pothole Damage

[HuckingFell]

This is what happened when I hit a pot-hole at 55 to 60mph on a dark country lane at 11.30pm last night! Absolutely gutted as I'm assuming new wheel, new tyre and wheel alignment, just hoping the suspensions all well and good, though felt as it should when driving on the spare the rest of the way home.

First the hole, which is about 6'' deep and 5' long, pictures taken today in the light:

And the damage to the front passenger side wheel!

 

[jake]

yikes, gutted mate,

 

[LeonFR07DSG]

pissed. get onto the council and claim claim claim...

 

[andycupra]

you will be lucky to get a claim through unless the council are already aware of the pot holes. Which is unlikely.

As if they have completed the check required for the road type. (eg annual check) then they have forfilled their requirements.
If someone had reported the pot holes so the council were aware and they had not taken action then they would be liable. If not then im afraid you will be likely to fail in any claim.

 

[LeonFR07DSG]

well hertfordshire county council dont have to know about a pothole before a claim can be made.... at the end of the day its the highways agency who should keep the roads in check...

i would push for all its worth...as long as you have pictures etc as you do then you should be able to claim... or take it through small claims court...

 

[HuckingFell]

well i plan on having a go at claiming but i'm not holding my breath

 

[cuprakemp]

well thats a bit worse than mine was hope u get it sorted mate

 

[andycupra]

well hertfordshire county council dont have to know about a pothole before a claim can be made.... at the end of the day its the highways agency who should keep the roads in check...

i would push for all its worth...as long as you have pictures etc as you do then you should be able to claim... or take it through small claims court...

interesting, - not my experience of hertfordshire council regarding pot holes.


mind you they also charge more than £3,000 if someone knocks over one of those white plastic kept left signs on central reservations..

 

[HotHatchSteve]

I feel for you mate.
For some pointers about claiming watch this Fifth gear video,

http://fwd.five.tv/fifth-gear/videos/consumer-info/potholes

plus check this web site recomended on the vid.

http://www.potholes.co.uk/

Good luck if you claim, you never know.

 

[HuckingFell]

well i've had another look at the tyre and to my very unprofessional eyes look ok, so fingers crossed that won't need replacing.

Anyone know how much a new wheel might set me back from the dealer??

 

[Haddock]

well i've had another look at the tyre and to my very unprofessional eyes look ok, so fingers crossed that won't need replacing.

Anyone know how much a new wheel might set me back from the dealer??

Gutted for you, but I wouldn't chance re-fitting the tyre - the reinforcing in the sidewall is likely to be shot...

 

[M6TT F]

you will be lucky to get a claim through unless the council are already aware of the pot holes. Which is unlikely.

As if they have completed the check required for the road type. (eg annual check) then they have forfilled their requirements.
If someone had reported the pot holes so the council were aware and they had not taken action then they would be liable. If not then im afraid you will be likely to fail in any claim.

agreed - had exactly the same response from my local council. They said the same, that they had checked the road condition inline with the rules - I threatened with legal action, they said go ahead. The cost of a solicitors letter was the price of a new tyre.

game over

 

[Tam]

well i've had another look at the tyre and to my very unprofessional eyes look ok, so fingers crossed that won't need replacing.

Anyone know how much a new wheel might set me back from the dealer??

Replace the tyre ... last thing you need is it going bang on you at 70 as your going to replace the whole car then

 

[/dev/null]

Bloody hell, a lot of damage there from 55/60 mph! Must be one hell of a hole, lol!

 

[realneal00_0]

I did less damage on a kerb in icy weather. Cost me £230 for a new cupra wheel, £40 for alignment, £275 for a new lower suspension arm and apparently the 'cradle' if now off by 2mm which means I'll have to take it to the stealers. still likely to be cheaper than an insurance claim!

 

[HuckingFell]

Well I’m hoping the suspension is ok, feels fine driving on the space saver! Just ordered a new wheel from Dave at Sere for £203, new tyres going to be about £135 and another £30 for alignment, so £368 all in, oh well!!

 

[phizzandlil]

Sorry to hear that mate, just been hobbled by a massive pothole on Rook Lane in Surrey.
I'm in the same boat as you, alloy dented and will have to be replaced, tyre wall on mine is defo damaged and has a slight bubble.
I've taken photos like yours, this beast of a pit is 70cm+long x 42cm wide x 12.5cm deep!
Definitely deeper than the required 40mm
I'm stunned the tyre didn't pop, was doing about 40mph as it's a narrow windy road.
The noise was unbelievable thought I'd ripped the wheel off.
So far suspension seems ok but will have to get everything checked over.

From what I've researched if it's not yet been reported and they have performed inspections as per the national code you may not be successful.
However there are exceptions:
If there was only a driver and no inspector this has previously been considered insufficient to spot all potholes.
Speed of surveying vehicle.

If someone has already reported it you may stand a better chance as the local council have to repair it within a defined timescale if it's of a certain size.
You will need to submit a freedom of information request to the council to find out if it's been inspected etc but these are free.
If you haven't already get onto potholes.co.uk some useful info on there.

I'm going to be a persistent but polite pain in the a**e and see if I can claim on mine.

Good luck mate.

 

[Mobo]

i went over a similar pot hole but luckly i got away wiv a little mark on my alloy
u could try claiming but not very likly you will win and not worth the hassle.
u mite just have to bit the bullet and buy a new alloy