Fosters

Am I probably okay then? checked the wheels and inside and outside rims look fine.

cheers for the camera idea - I do carry one in the boot for accident purposes, but didn't think of it this morning.

will still visit the dealer though.

sunilp

Make sure u get the wheels rebalanced as well as the geometry/alignment check you already have booked.

Sunil

Steve Howat

Well, it must be something in the air, or maybe the time of year but.... Last night, turning right out of a junction in the pi55ing rain I hit a kerb on an island (I didn't know the road I was on). Didn't see it cos of the weather conditions and because someone else had hit it previously and removed the glowing bollard that should have shown me it was there. No significant damage to the wheels (speedline ST2's, strong aint they ) but completely trashed the nearly new toyo rear tyre on what was left of the bollard .

Anyone know if I can claim the cost of the new tyre from the responsible council. Or have I just been a prat??!

Ta

Steve.

NITO

I've had this happen to me on numerous occasions with the ****ty roads around where I live. The council, I wouldn't waste your time. They'll send you a letter to say thanks for pointing it out to them and then tell you that they are under a duty to repair potholes within a reasonable period of time after thet have been alerted to it and therefore they are not responsible etc...bla bla bla. The pothole was fixed two days later.

My girlfriend was recently driving out of London and hit a pothole on both nearside wheels, both were buckled and one went flat instantly as the buckle was so severe. After removing the tyre the next day, the whole inside rim had a long crack only visible from the inside. I had to send both wheels off to be repaired!! Cost me around £300!! I went to take a picture of the pothole immediately after it happened as I too keep a digital camera in the car in case of anything but the pothole didn't look very big at all!! Strange! Worst thing was driving all the way home in a fully loaded car at 50mph!!!

Nito

Fosters

drove over a really big hole this morning - one that had a drain cover on it - but didn't when I got to it!

anyway, both left hand wheels made BIG thuds, but the steering was fine, no judders on smooth tarmac and no pulling to either side when let go of the wheel.

I've booked it in for tracking & geometry check, but that's not til next monday.

Am I being paranoid?

cwal1

No. I did the same on a big bump over Holme Moss in Yorkshire and squared off the 2 left hand wheels.

Gave me a good excuse to get 4 new ones though !

CW.

Mulder

Take a picture of the pothole, if theres any damage to your car send the photos and bills to the council and demand they pay for it due to poor road conditions. They will ask you to take them to the site where your car was damaged if they agree they will pay for the repairs to your car.

PaulL

Scooby suspension is pretty strong - I got forced into a kerb last year. Hit it so hard I got lifted out of my seat and hit my head on the roof!!

Feared the worst, and drove very cautiously (ie. slowly) to my local dealer for a check.

2 wheels were damaged (although I was able to get them repaired). The suspension and tracking were all fine.

330sapp

nito,

i disagree. I drove over a pothole and severly bent a rim. I took photos of the rim and pothole, got an estimate for the repairs and sent them off to the council. They said (eventually) "no probs, get it fixed and send us the bill"

bren

Fosters

would you adam and eve it - it's been filled in before I got to take a picture!

I've been driving at normal speeds, ie; not too much boost and not more than 75/80 and the steering is as per normal and I checked the tyres too - they're not scrubbing at all.

sunilp

re my local council, a mate in a E30 M3 cabrio went quickly round a local bend near Selhurst Park one night and they had put a new series of speed humps after it. He grounded his sump and cracked it and knocked his suspension alignment out a bit. The Council paid up after sending an assesor to look at his car.

mutant_matt

Chaps that have had damage - the coucil are liable regardless of whether or not they "knew" about the pothole. Due to the fact that councils are investing less and less in roads these days this is an increasing problem. In fact, someone I know that works for a council has told me that they put several million into a fund purly to pay for the damages people claim from them.

Presumably it would be a waste of time to point out to them that this money could go towards keeping the roads in a reasonable state in the first place!!

KenG

Same here as Bren. Must be the councils in West Yorkshire, my incident was near Brighouse! A few years back I bent the rim on a Renault turbo (hangs head in shame at this point) and the council paid up without any argument. I did take picture of pothole and bent rim as evidence.

Ken

Fosters

Help! I've been fobbed off by the council.

I actually have a slow puncture from this episode, so that's 2 new tyres and the cost of the tracking/geometry check.

I phoned the council insurance dept and they say that as long as there is a regular inspection process carried out (under section 41 & 58 of the highways act) that there's no guarantee that'll I'll get me money back!

I can't take a photo coz they've already filled it in!

They suggested I write in to them explaining the whats and wheres and they'd look into it!

what do I do? suggestions please.

[This message has been edited by Fosters (edited 20 October 2000).]

NITO

IMHO, you should find out who is in charge at the local council, gag and bind him, throw him in the boot of your car and drive to a deserted warehouse, preferably taking the route that has the most speed bumps and traffic calming chicanes where you should of course make full use of your scoobs abilites. Make sure his head is right above the exhaust too!!

Once you arrive, strap him to a chair in the middle of the warehouse, douse him in petrol, start dancing like an idiot to the tune of "Stuck in the middle with you", pull out a blade, and go to work on his ear, tell him you tried but they didn't listen, throw his ear away....douse his open wound with some more petrol and then threaten to set him on fire.......or you could just write a letter and get fobbed off with the usual template letter sent out to all law abiding/tax paying suckers.

Nito
(Previously tried the civil approach but got nowhere!)

PeteT

Steve Howart,
check the documents you got with your Toyo's, I seem to remember they have an accidental damage warranty on them. Claim off the council as well and you could make a profit on the deal (except that would be dishonest wouldn't it )

GaryC

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Fosters:
<B>would you adam and eve it - it's been filled in before I got to take a picture!

[/quote]

Recent repair gives you case more strength - proves it was bad enough to warrant repair!

Speak from experience - from Manchester CC - did have to work for it though, and threaten legal action. They are (alledgedly) only liable if the hole has been reported and they haven't repaired it. But stick to your guns and you have a good chance of getting compo! I got £450 quid for wheel and tyre