Potholes are evil

Blinkz

Blinkz

Blinkz

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,183
Location
Frimley, Surrey or 38,000ft
So I was driving back from work on Saturday, Iphone says the M25 is at a stand-still with bank holiday traffic. Ah no problem I think, handy GPS takes me the back way home! Half way there, hidden underneath a tree canopy and with the bright sunshine hidden from view waited the pothole of doom.

BANG

oh $&%, stereo goes silent. Then starts making loud clicking noise and then totally jams up! Doh! Sadly it didn't stop there, 5 mins down the road approaching a round about as I slowed down the car start to slew slightly. Ah crap again! There was a carpark just ahead so pulled in and voila a totally flat tyre! Changed the wheel to space saver and sadly noticed a bloody big dent in the alloy at the sametime! Had it checked and it seems the wheel is fairly buckled as well and is looking to be unrepairable!! So for now I'm stuck with just a space-saver wheel, limited to 50mph!! Not cool :mad:
 
Should get photos along with a tape measure showing the size and depth of the pothole and claim for damages from the council. Good luck though as I've heard they'd try and use any excuse not to pay out.
 
Yup I plan to go back to the scene and take pics and measurements. Also got a pic of the bent alloy. Problem is I don't really want to drive back at the moment since as I understand it the space-savers are limited to like 200miles and 50mph. As such don't want to wear it out. Anyone know if this is true? I commute 70 miles a day and so am gonna be screwed if I can't get it fixed/replaced by friday.
 
peterattheboro said:
Should get photos along with a tape measure showing the size and depth of the pothole and claim for damages from the council. Good luck though as I've heard they'd try and use any excuse not to pay out.
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Mum hit a pothole and needed a new steering column, new tyre and new alloy.
Council made up some crap about it is their duty to check twice a year and they do not except liability.
Mum went back 2 days later to photograph said pothole and the council (Staffordshire) had already filled in it due to another road user complaining previously. Surely that is accepting liability?
Either way, the steering column, new tyre and new alloy cost £800 all fitted. Insurance had to be claimed on and many NCB lost.
Potholes are evil, you just have to keep your eyes peeled for them. Even so, in the dark there is little you can do.

By all means take photos and make a good case, I hope you get some money for repairs but I would be gobsmacked if you did.
 
Yep, totally feel for ya, i had my DC5 2 days and i hit a pothole and needed a new tyre which was 115quid, luckily the alloy was ok.
 
Why are potholes so bad in the UK?

I constantly see people blaming the weather but where I am in Switzerland right now their roads are near perfect. Even right up in the mountains where they have terrible weather their roads are far better than ours.
 
GSDog said:
Why are potholes so bad in the UK?

I constantly see people blaming the weather but where I am in Switzerland right now their roads are near perfect. Even right up in the mountains where they have terrible weather their roads are far better than ours.
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I guess because British roads are constantly bodge fixed, never really getting rid of any water so eventually cracks and holes will just appear again.
 
Because of the quality of the roads. They use a high stone content and dont flatten the road with a roller, they let us do it. So they are crap, and they just fill the holes and bodge them.
 
Cripple said:
They use a high stone content and dont flatten the road with a roller, they let us do it.
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They flattened my road with a roller when they re-layed the whole road a few years ago. In-fact they've used rollers on all the new roads near the Olympic site. I saw them myself.
 
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They have to flatten the road with a roller . . . . otherwise it would be loose tarmac and looks like soil on the road.

However, they are constantly bodging roads. What doesn;t help is they will lay tarmac ontop of concrete, or fill concrete gaps with tarmac which wears away in no time at all, leaving the existing hole, and no tarmac. Or like it is around here, cobbles underneath, with 3 layers of tarmac on top.
 
They have "dressed" several roads over here without a roller. They just chuck a load of stones and crap down on the road - let road users flatten it whilst suffering stonechips and 20mph limits for a week, then come back and hoover up the excess stones.
 
MikeHiow said:
They have "dressed" several roads over here without a roller. They just chuck a load of stones and crap down on the road - let road users flatten it whilst suffering stonechips and 20mph limits for a week, then come back and hoover up the excess stones.
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as much as i hate that, its probably the grippiest surface that we have. that black tarmac what they have to flatten with a roller is like ice when it drizzles
 
GSDog said:
Why are potholes so bad in the UK?

I constantly see people blaming the weather but where I am in Switzerland right now their roads are near perfect. Even right up in the mountains where they have terrible weather their roads are far better than ours.
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Because the entire transportation network in the UK has been neglected for decades.
 
When you take pictures of the pothole, make sure you get yourself in there pointing at the hole with a big serious frown on your face. :D

I tried claiming for pothole damage in 2004. I'm still waiting. Good luck.

BTW what car is it? If it's somethign fairly common, have a look on ebay or go to a breakers yard and pick up a wheel if you're stuck.
 
Friend of mine had this a while ago, they would only cover the cost of a new tyre. Ignored the buckled alloy and screwed suspension.
 
youll be running out of time. limitation on monetary claims is 6 years

Scuzi said:
When you take pictures of the pothole, make sure you get yourself in there pointing at the hole with a big serious frown on your face. :D

I tried claiming for pothole damage in 2004. I'm still waiting. Good luck.

BTW what car is it? If it's somethign fairly common, have a look on ebay or go to a breakers yard and pick up a wheel if you're stuck.
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