The results of 1000 miles of driving... and a pothole (!)

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 2:30 pm

I've spent the last week in Scotland and the Lake District with the missus, had a great time, seen some stunning scenery and driven some superb roads.

We covered 1000 miles between us without any mishap, the car ran perfectly, couldn't be better...

...except for one incident with a pothole in Muirkirk on the way out of Ayrshire to the M74.

Here is the result:

And all this only a few days before I was going to remove the wheels and get my winters on!!

You can clearly see two marks that indicate the start and finish of the flattened rim. Thankfully the car remains perfectly driveable and we were able to continue our journey South without any mishap.

However I will be getting the winter wheels put on as a matter of urgency as I'm not 100% happy driving about with a damaged wheel

I am going to be submitting a letter and a claim to the authority responsible for the road there and will claim for the cost of repairing the outer rim, or if it is unrepairable, a new rim!

Bloody potholes

polo_gti21 · Post by **polo_gti21** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:20 pm

sods law mate feel sorry for ya, you can try claiming but you might not get the result you want good luck

mk4 glx 1.6 · Post by **mk4 glx 1.6** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:31 pm

Glad you had a good time Si, it's nice to get away and spend some quality some with the missus.

Good luck with your claim, it is always good to get a photo or two of the pothole as evidence to present to the council, but I guess that is out of the question now. I successfully claimed for a new alloy a few years back, providing photgraphic evidence that A) the pothole was within the boundries of the road i.e. within the white lines marking the side of the road & B) the depth and width of the pothole using a tape measure.

I guess it's pot luck if they are willing to play ball, at the end of the day that is what you pay your road tax for.

1 GTI · Post by **1 GTI** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:50 pm

That happend to one of my BBS RX's about a year ago now and it cost me a tenner to fix. Took it to the guy and he said thats nothing. Apparantly he heated the rim up with the tyre on and used a special mallet to knock it back in place. It took about an hour cause my car was on a jack outside his workshop. I couldn't believe at such a good job he done. He marked the tyre with chalk to show where the damage was and it was like new. Well worth a tenner.

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:23 pm

where was this place???

sorry to hear about that si, hopefully you will get it sorted for not too much!, maybe an excuse to get some wider rims?

ModifiedMadness · Post by **ModifiedMadness** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:24 pm

He's after a new Polo GTi mate so I shouldn't think he'll be wanting to spend too much on it

Post by **alexperkins** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:50 pm

shantybeater wrote: maybe an excuse to get some wider rims?

wider rims

lol whats the status on yours anyhow?

charlievwp · Post by **charlievwp** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:03 pm

Hiya Si,
Not sure if this helps but I work for our local water board and have to deal with complaints and claims for damages (including potholes) that we are responsible for leaving in the road. The general ruling is that if the authority have been made aware of the 'defect' before any incident has occured, then they are liable for costs incurred.
I dealt with oe just last week where a leak in a road had made a pothole and a car had damaged the wheel going over it. The claim is with our loss adjusters now.
Photo's, invoices. exact location and as much detail will speed things up for you.
Good luck, Charlie

ModifiedMadness · Post by **ModifiedMadness** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:43 pm

Would that be Thames Valley or Anglian Charlie?

charlievwp · Post by **charlievwp** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:11 pm

Anglian Water matie, so yes I am responsible for any problems you may have!
Gulp

...should I have revealed that information?! lol

ModifiedMadness · Post by **ModifiedMadness** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:21 pm

lol No problems

Me my dad and my oldest bro all work for them

charlievwp · Post by **charlievwp** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:22 pm

Nooo way! Who are you all...pm me if preferred?!

DanDiesel · Post by **DanDiesel** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:56 am

sorry to see the damage on the rim Si, hope u get it sorted soon!
i'm gonna check all my rims when they come off the car for the winter as i have hit some fairly hefty pot holes over the summer!

andyniceday · Post by **andyniceday** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:18 am

that damage sucks!

I'd definately try and make a claim through the council, surely its gotta be up to them to maintain their roads?!

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:45 pm

Thanks for the support and advice all!

My uncle has been extremely helpful with all this as he travels a huge amount of miles in his work, and passed the same spot I walloped my alloy just yesterday.

He has given me all the contact numbers to call and the exact location of the pothole. He hit the same spot but it didn't have an effect on his car (Vectra riding on 15" alloys with a 65-profile tyre and standard suspension) but on my lowered FK coilovers there is much less travel on the dampers to soak up any impact!

@ charlievwp, thanks - as I understand it I will be in the same position in that if the 'defect' has been previously reported they will pay up without question. Fingers crossed!

@ shantybeater, its a no-no for wider rims mate as like Tom says I'll be selling up soonish

Cheers