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Went to Cardiff today (from Hereford) on a shopping trip...was my first journey on the motorway...I expect a lot of you can see where this is going!

Well, it's probably not what you think. Got to Cardiff fine, parked up, went shopping, left car park, had a little trouble negotiating Cardiff again, but got there eventually, and was home and hour or so later.

So what's the big deal? Well, a few mates went on the train as well, so I went to pick one up from the station in the evening (from Hereford, when they returned) as she couldn't get home otherwise, and THAT'S when the trouble occured. I'd almost got her home, when we were going along an A-road at about 60 (certainly weren't speeding), I looked over at her for a split second as we went round a slight bend (and I mean slight) and BANG! I'd mounted the kerb (which was sloped anyway), popped the tyre and bounced back onto the road. Car was pulling BADLY to the left, so I pulled over asap. At first I was horrified by what I saw, but on closer inspection realised things weren't so bad. Type has several holes in it, and the wheel had a bit of dirt on it but...miraculously...the wheel was still in pristine condition! Not a single scratch!

So, I'll be getting the tyre changed tomorrow and will also probably have to have the tracking done, as it was still pulling to the left with the spare wheel on.

It's nice to know the car can be put right for a relatively small cost...it's just I'm so disappointed in myself. I've already decided that I'm just gonna drive on my own for a while...learn to drive properly!

So she blew you out?

Don't worry, same thing happened to me, only my accident was ALLOT worse!! Your extremely lucky you didn't damage the wheel, especially with 205/45/R16's

It wasn't a blowout as such, just punctured the tire in several places, resulting in the tyre deflating rather quickly!

I know...I'm SO lucky that I haven't even marked the wheel...especially when you consider I drove a further 100m or so down the road on this flat tyre!

The wheel went off last night to my tyre man, and I'm hoping I can get it sorted, tracking and all, today. Just depends if he can get hold of the same make of tyre for me.

Just ensure you get exactly the same tyre manufacturer and tread pattern. I had one goodyear tyre replaced on my old Golf but the tread pattern was different to the others. It played havoc with my handling and braking performance.

Doh Well your lucky everything is ok, I met a kurb and bent one of my alloys

Oh dear...oh dear...

Got my wheel back this evening, complete with new tyre, but things just seem to be getting worse!

First off, the wheel comes wrapped in Avon rubber, different to the other three, but I already knew this was just a temporary solution until the proper tyre arrived on Monday. No big deal.

However, I soon noticed the alloy had been chipped (not just scratched here, people) on opposite sides, supposely where they fitted the new tyre. I was getting so fed up with the whole ordeal that at this point I had simply stopped caring. What's the point in fitting another tyre on Monday, when they're likely to damage the wheel even more??

Anyway, I proceeded to swap the spare wheel with my alloy, no problems there. But literally 10 mins ago I decided to take her for a quick spin down the lane, just to see how bad the alignment was.

Having done so, I no longer know what to feel...the car felt HORRIBLE! Not only was it still pulling to the left, but the whole steering was far less responsive and the handling was lifeless and...just...horrible!

So, I've got to have the tyre replaced on Monday, but I see little point as the wheels knackered already so I'll need a new one of those too. And then it's got to have the tracking done aswell, but I get the feeling the steering problem is a little more serious than first anticipated.

I simply don't know what to think anymore...I really want to cry. The car is in such a s**t state at the moment that I can't believe it'll ever be the same again! Where's that gun...

right ok then let me make a suggestion do NOT drive that car again you have no idea whats wrong under there. a lot of the parts to do with suspension and sttering are cast. this is for several reasons, cost and ease of manufacture, relative precission(some parts are later machined) and strength. it is the strength that i want you to think about, generally the stonger a material is the less malleable* it is so it it tales a big hit then you can end up with a fracture (partial or complete), imagine hitting a piece of copper (malleable) with a hammer, if 'squishes' but then hit a small stone with the same force and it cracks or turns to powder. allow me to list a few of the parts in most suspensions that are made of non malleable materials (cast items)
track rod ends
some ball joints use cast lower sections
the hub housing ( i forget the name)
etc
so from this you can see that even though the car may still steer and the like it may be on the verge of falling apart **
what you want to do is raise the area of the car that is damaged, remove the wheel, and look for any bent materials*** then replace the wheel and check for any play (if you need a hand doing tis then just say so and ill post it up) then raise the other side of the car so that both front wheels are clear of the ground and turn the road wheel from lock to lock and feel for any rough spots. then look up at the shock and see if it looks benty or if its leaking.
the terrible handleing could be caused by a very bad alignment because the tyres are fighting each other and thus its tring to turn kleft and right at the same time.
if the tyere that you have been given is only a loan to get you through the weekend then put as few miles on it as possible as the bad alignment can cause abnormal wear****
however if the tyre that has been wrecked was only average and especially if it was getting a little thin then nopw would be the perfect opertunaty to upgrade your tyres (front 2)
could you please decribe the damage on the wheel or get a pic of it and where it is on the wheel ( im planning a post on tyre fitting and balencing and how its done but i dont know where to put it ) then i can explain what caused the damage and this gives you some ammo when you confront them (i.e. if there is a scratch in the surface round the edge then its the "foot" that has been set too close, this is the item that 'peels' the tyre over the edge of the rim)

please remember that your car can be fixed and theese things happen *****
and one last thing
your suspension is the most important system on a car and any malfiunctions within it can cause adverse effects in other areas such as brakes and steering because if the suspension isnt operating properly then the wheel may not track the road properly and thus the tyre cannot grip, which is a bad thing



*the term malleable is used to describe the moulding or deforming properties of a material and low maleability means it cracks instead of bending
** i have had customers come to places where i have worked complaining of steering problems after touching a kerb and upon inspection there are huge cracks in some vital elements of the suspension so much so that i once took off a track rod end and snapped it with my hands
*** on a malleable item theese can be found by looking for cracked paint
**** i have seen cars on performance tyres (read : soft) with terrible alignment eat up a pair of tyres in less than 200 miles of normal driving
***** on the second day i had my licence it snowed and i figured id have a little play but i choose to do it on a back road and ended up hitting a kerb rather hard (changed the wheel fron straight to a 45 degree angle) althought all that needed to be replaced was the wheel (not the tyre) this was at about 35 mph and a 2" kerb. the second time i killed a wheel i hit a patch of diesel on a round about while it was raining and hit a 4"kerb at aroud 15mph however this time i needed to replace the bottom arm, ball joint, wheel, tyre, and the upper half of the strut bearing, and get an alignment (i didnt the last time)

Ratty: Unlucky mate, annoyingly these things happen, BUT at least both you and your pasanger are alive and unhurt. The alst thing we want is one of our members injured.

I would also be heated if that happened to my car, but it can be fixed and I'm sure it will be and it'll be ok. As i said at least your still here!

I agree with Polo2k don't drive it, you don't know what may be wrong with it, get it into the garage.

Hope you manage to get it sorted mate.

Thanks for the advice lads.

Polo2k, I have to drive the car to work this morning, but I might well leave it there, as they'll be looking at it on Monday anyway (I work at VW).
The marks on the wheels are on the edges and are at opposite sides to one another. Will take a pic later, if I remember!

I don't think the problem is as serious as I first thought, as that little drive was done on a lane by me, with all sorts of dips, potholes and nasty cambers. I suppose it would only be normal for the car to keep wanting to go in the ditch, especially with low profile tyres. Still, I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Thats my track control arm (meant to be straight of course)

What suprised me was how weak it looked (was also rediculously light) so I wouldn't be supprised if you've slightly bent either the arm, anti roll bar or track rod end (I did all three at once )