Stupid Pothole

[Parthiban]

Parth,

Sorry to hear about this - but really well done on the photo's - without those (especially the one with the tape meassure) you haven't a hope in hell of getting any cash back. Happened to me and I couldn't take photos as it was on a busy dual carriageway and taking photos with a tape meassure would have been the end of me. Needless to say the council didn't pay out.

Get the claim in asap - and the council will send round assesors to check it out - if the road is local to you keep an eye out for them trying to repair it beforehand.

With those photo's and a quote for new rims - I'd hope you'll have some success.

u can get the alloys repaired no problem

Really Rob? When mine was buckled (about the same as parth's) everyone I took it to said it could be repaired but the repaired rims were dangerous - any truth in this? I know Ahmet had his repaired when he hit some debris on a motorway though.

I've still got my buckled rim in the shed so if it could be repaired it'd be handy as a spare. Anyone know of places in uk that do this? (I tried to find somewhere at the time but had no luck)

Cheers mate, yeah it's a right pain but I've got on to the council today and hopefully will have a claim form soon. Also got Lexus Woodford sending me an estimate for all the replacement parts so all that is sorted - we've now got to wait and see what happens. And yes, it's literally 2 minutes from my parents house, and they said the pothole's been there for months, slowly getting bigger and bigger so they've clearly not done anything about it. I'm planning to escalate it to the local MP if my initial claim is not successful.

With regards to the repair, I've already spoken to a wheel refurbishers in Hertfordshire (BJV Engineering) who are quite highly regarded among wheel refurbishers and they said as long as the damage is not serious, and hasn't buckled the actual hub, then it should be repairable and will be fine, but they said they'd have to spin it up on their machine before they could say for sure. Obviously that's plan B if the claim doesn't work, but you should try them out, they have a free collection and delivery service as well so there isn't too much hassle if the wheels are just lying around anyway........

[Boxbrownie]

Just a thought....why the claim for two wheels from your Lexus dealer, are they just piling on the costs.....if so it is more likely the council insurance company will see it as a blatant attempt to squeeze more from what should be a legitimate claim!

When I phoned my local highways authority (Essex CC) about my wifes KA wheel they were very helpful and sent a claim form very quickly.....I just had to send the bill for a new alloy and tyre from my local Dealer and Tyre supplier, it wa sa simple claim and dare I say an honest and fair claim for compensation....I am not in any way implying YOUR trying to claim over the odds, but a "puffed up" estimate from your main dealer might be a deal breaker for the council insurance company.

If the dealer is saying you should replace the rear wheel "just in case" (if there is no visual evidence) then I suspect the council will spot a moody claim attempt and rightly refuse compensation.

Ah yes....that tyre.....if the impact was hard enough to bend the rim then the tyre WILL have been demaged internally, even if it has just delaminated a few strands of Rayon/Nylon/Kevlar/Steel from the casing it could still manifest itself as a failure mode at any time in the future, I would certainly not trust that tyre again.

Best regards David

[Parthiban]

Just a thought....why the claim for two wheels from your Lexus dealer, are they just piling on the costs.....if so it is more likely the council insurance company will see it as a blatant attempt to squeeze more from what should be a legitimate claim!

Ah yes....that tyre.....if the impact was hard enough to bend the rim then the tyre WILL have been demaged internally, even if it has just delaminated a few strands of Rayon/Nylon/Kevlar/Steel from the casing it could still manifest itself as a failure mode at any time in the future, I would certainly not trust that tyre again.

Best regards David

Not sure if the pics I put up at the start of the thread weren't entirely clear, but both the front and rear wheel on the left side are buckled - I'm not sure yet if either can be repaired, but in the eyes of the dealer, they both need to be replaced. He also said exactly the same thing about the tyres, so those were a complete waste..........

[Boxbrownie]

Aha I see....both wheels...OUCH!

Well I hope you get success as I did with the local authority.....secret is to be polite and NEED thier help.....if you lucky you'll get someone that wants to help you out.

[WylieCoyote]

if you lucky you'll get someone that wants to help you out.

And if unlucky, you get some butch woman who harbours a deep-seated hatred and loathing of the british motorist! Listen for the tell-tale words - 'computer says no!' lol

[dazz32]

Hi matey sorry to hear about your wheel and tyres...somes the highways and council up really TBH :tsktsk:

I had the same problem mate when i had my old car..ballsed up wheel and tyre...i had taken photos, measurements,etc...the highways didnt want to do much and said well basicaly tuff sh*t...so i then resent my letter stating that if they did not cough up they would be taken to a small claims court...well 3 weeks later i got all the money back for new wheel and tyre... :)

I also have those styling kit alloys on my new car and had to get a new one ( my fault hit a curb ....OUCH ) the wheels with 10% LOC discount were £171 each and arived in couple of days.

hope it helps a bit but still if the road was maintained properly then this would of never of happened...and you wouldnt have to go to all the trouble to get the claim of new wheels and tyres..

[Unregistered_User]

Gutted to be reading this topic and seeing those pics - the UK roads really are in a horrendous state in line with what we pay for road tax etc.

I hope your claim for repair / replacement comes through successfully...

All the best,

Jamie

[widnes_is200]

hi mate, sorry too hear, i have the identical wheeld on my lexus, they came on the car and all 4 had that same damage on them i got money nocked off with a veiw 2 get new wheels, but a place in widnes totaly debuckled and restored them for 35 pound a corner, ther look great and saved me a packet, i think they were called national alloy repair.

[VVProtocolVV]

I feel ur pain, must hurt when u heard the 2 loud thump. I drive through the countryside to work and i know every single pothole and yes they do repair them after a few weeks, but like mentioned b4 it just reappears again after a month or 2 same place (sometimes even worse)! Hope u get this sorted as probably in due time i be going through the same proceedure when it happens to me...which is very likely the way i see it!

[Parthiban]

hi mate, sorry too hear, i have the identical wheeld on my lexus, they came on the car and all 4 had that same damage on them i got money nocked off with a veiw 2 get new wheels, but a place in widnes totaly debuckled and restored them for 35 pound a corner, ther look great and saved me a packet, i think they were called national alloy repair.

Wow £35 a corner? I'd expect it to cost at least twice that much down in London, some places charge £70 just for a simple refurb! Hopefully the claim works and I get a new set of wheels, but I'll look at repairing if that doesn't work.

I feel ur pain, must hurt when u heard the 2 loud thump. I drive through the countryside to work and i know every single pothole and yes they do repair them after a few weeks, but like mentioned b4 it just reappears again after a month or 2 same place (sometimes even worse)! Hope u get this sorted as probably in due time i be going through the same proceedure when it happens to me...which is very likely the way i see it!

Yeah I'm wondering how long it'll be before it happens again...........it has got me wondering though, I can't remember ever hitting a pothole that deep before, but I've been through loads with my old alloys and they've never bent like this. Have I just been unlucky, or are the 18" alloys weaker?

[widnes_is200]

hi mate, sorry too hear, i have the identical wheeld on my lexus, they came on the car and all 4 had that same damage on them i got money nocked off with a veiw 2 get new wheels, but a place in widnes totaly debuckled and restored them for 35 pound a corner, ther look great and saved me a packet, i think they were called national alloy repair.

Wow £35 a corner? I'd expect it to cost at least twice that much down in London, some places charge £70 just for a simple refurb! Hopefully the claim works and I get a new set of wheels, but I'll look at repairing if that doesn't work.

I feel ur pain, must hurt when u heard the 2 loud thump. I drive through the countryside to work and i know every single pothole and yes they do repair them after a few weeks, but like mentioned b4 it just reappears again after a month or 2 same place (sometimes even worse)! Hope u get this sorted as probably in due time i be going through the same proceedure when it happens to me...which is very likely the way i see it!

Yeah I'm wondering how long it'll be before it happens again...........it has got me wondering though, I can't remember ever hitting a pothole that deep before, but I've been through loads with my old alloys and they've never bent like this. Have I just been unlucky, or are the 18" alloys weaker?

heres what they done 4 me. if u need a number i will get you 1 im sure it would be cheaper too send up too them than get them done in london, let me know if you need any help,

[Parthiban]

Cheers mate, not really sure where Widnes is but you might be right........gonna try to get a quote for repairs tomorrow so will see how much they want for it, i'll be in touch if it looks like the cost will be silly :)

[widnes_is200]

http://www.nationalalloys.co.uk/ heres there website if u emailed the pics they could let u know,

[Parthiban]

Decided to visit BJV Engineering today to get them to have a look at my alloys, they said they can repair them no problem, obviously won't be 100% but it will be pretty much perfect. Best part was the price, they said they'd repair the damage and refurb all four wheels for £200 - which in my view is a result!

Only thing I'm still unsure about is the tyres. Both Protyre (who fitted them) and now these guys, have both said that if there's no bulge in the tyre, there's no need to replace them - he even mentioned that the damage to the wheel was so bad because the sidewalls are so stiff on performance tyres and therefore the tyre should be fine.

Does anyone know whether this is correct or is there a way to check? I'd like to save the £200 on new tyres if this is true, but I don't want to risk a blow out so in those terms it might be better to change the tyres too.......

[shake]

the tyre shop could easily said you need new tyres and taken your money. instead they are being honest!

[Parthiban]

the tyre shop could easily said you need new tyres and taken your money. instead they are being honest!

That's a fair point, does add confidence that they may have been telling the truth :)

[Rikos]

That is true mate, if there are no bulges the tyres should be fine.

This is really weird though as i hit a pot hole recently and didnt even notice until i saw bulges on the two passenger side tryes but no wheel damage. It definately shows that some tyres can cope better than others.

[Rob]

have a read of this - might influence your choice of paint finish.... http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=66223

[Parthiban]

have a read of this - might influence your choice of paint finish.... http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=66223

Hmm, I'm glad to have seen that as I'd only read great reviews up till now..........however, I did see a few wheels that they were working on yesterday and they looked fantastic, just like new so I'm not sure if this was just a one-off?

There was also a guy who came to collect his alloys and they looked great too, they even had a polished lip and the work couldn't be faulted. I'll definitely do a little more googling before going ahead though :)

[Parthiban]

Ok after spending a while chasing the council this afternoon, they've finally said that they've reached a conclusion and they'll be sending me a letter in the post tomorrow. Annoyingly though, when I asked what the contents of this letter was they said they couldn't tell me over the phone and I'd have to wait for the letter as it hasn't been signed off by the manager yet

Obviously I'm just being impatient but what does this sound like to all of you? My gut instinct tells me they didn't say anything as it's bad news but here's hoping..................

[DJ Wozza]

I think they will be paying.... fingers crossed mate :D

[TUFF1]

Same thing im thinking wozza, good luck mate :)

[Mark W]

sounds positive due to the fact it needs signing off by a manager... Good luck

[Parthiban]

Well it's Tuesday now, and still no letter

Anyway, after a lot of chasing yesterday, they finally told me on the phone that they won't be paying out, but I need to wait for the letter to get a full explanation..........

The person on the phone was too retarded to actually explain, first of all she said that the hole I hit was repaired on the 15th of March. I said, hmm, that's funny as I hit it in April!

It was only then that she went on to say that if 'any' hole was repaired on 15th March, they only have to inspect every 6 months, so anything that happens within the next 6 months they aren't liable for

Either way it's going to be a long drawn out battle so I dropped the wheels off at WIM to be refurbed while I decide on a plan of attack.

Basically what's the best way forward? Has anyone followed this up and won? I'm currently trying to arrange an appointment with my local MP and I will be seeking legal advice on how to take this issue to court as well.

Any advice would be much appreciated :)

[Hando]

Sorry to hear this mate.

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