Pothole Damage - Claiming

[555_Si]

Well last night my daily Merc suffered an attack from two rather deep pot holes, on the face of it doesn't seem too bad, tracking might be slightly out, but more annoyingly I only put 4 new tyres to the tune of £750 on the car a few days ago, also the wheels on there are £4500 worth of AMG E63 wheels.

So...

I am getting the wheels and tyres physical checked and rebalanced today and tracking done. also will check suspension for any issues. but as I am slightly fuming at the incident, is there anything I have forgotten?

I have photo's of pothole with a 50p coin next to it as reference, though size of the hole you can hardly see the coin! and am going back later today to get some pictures in daylight, I have reported to Council and will noe look at claiming back any out of pocket expenses, firstly my balancing and geo check, but also if any damage is done I will get a quote from Mercedes and a tyre place.

Has anyone successfully claimed for pot hole damage and if so what was the process and outcome. The pot hole in question has some paint marking on it as it had obviously been highlighted in the distant past, but was very faint. which I think is good as council should have a record of it.


The BMW 3 series behing me with M sport wheels on wasn't so lucky at all, and this morning I am getting reports of many AA/RAC trucks in the layby nearby with cars being loaded on!

oh and if anyone is going North out of Forest Row on the A22, becareful just before you get to the pedestrian crossing just past the River Medway bridge!

thanks in advance for any help.

[Red Baron]

It's a bit of a pain but do some research beforehand and you should be able to get some money back. There is a website that gives you lots of detail on getting road inspection reports etc through the Freedom of Information act. AA, Which, Money Saving Expert and www.potholes.co.uk are all useful. The fact that it has been identified with paint but not repaired should work in your favour, the repair time would have been based on the severity of the hole.

I logged 3 on the East Sussex Highways website last night. Clouted one in the morning, same front left wheel that I damaged before Christmas.

[555_Si]

cheers Shane.

well i have confirmed damage of front tyre, remarkably the wheels are fine, shows AMG quality! but suspension shock is slightly bent strangely.

so new tyre ordered and i am getting a quote for 2 genuine mercedes front shocks which will be presented to the council.

in the mean time i have ordered a bilstein b12/eibach suspension kit, needs firming up as even though it is a sport it actually has the optional soft avantagarde suspension fitted, i think the b12 kit will be similar setup to the sport kit.

[Red Baron]

If you take the other route through Sharpethorne there's a nasty one at the beginning of Hindhead where you turn up from Wych Cross.

[555_Si]

cheers, i try to stick to the main roads as the merc is a bit of a tanker.

[555_Si]

Originally Posted by Red Baron

If you take the other route through Sharpethorne there's a nasty one at the beginning of Hindhead where you turn up from Wych Cross.

Wasn't quite sure where that was, until last night! Luckily just missed it..

[Frenchie]

Can't believe that your having to put up posts as to where to avoid potholes.Something needs to be done,the governement that enough money from motorists!

[Red Baron]

I typed Hindleap but it auto corrected, it had been filled this morning. Other bad bit is near the junction that goes to Sharpethorne or Ardingly, road surface is really broken up.

2 of the 3 I reported on Tuesday have been done and I've just reported another one in Battle. The one that hasn't been done was being inspected at 8pm last night when I drove past, someone is getting some overtime.

[Rdlangy1]

was probably the biggest difference for me when we went to the ring was how good the roads in Germany were...no pot holes, dead flat - were lovely to drive on...

[555_Si]

To be honest we have had some pretty rubbish weather last few days, but if we laid the roads in the forst place like France and Germany, then we probably wouldn't have this issue.

We lay our roads without enough foundation and then just smother them in stones every 10 to 20 years and in between fill the holes, then wonder why we get pot holes.

I am of the opinion that the motorist is just a tax maker and no real investment goes back into the roads. I do wonder where all our tax money goes to be honest, we seem to pay more and more and seem to get less and less back. we have to pay for our garden rubbish to be collected now on top of council tax, which is what the b***dy tax is for in the first place!

Just realised the amount I have spent this week I could have got an ok clio 172/182 for Germany trip!

[555_Si]

Originally Posted by Rdlangy1

was probably the biggest difference for me when we went to the ring was how good the roads in Germany were...no pot holes, dead flat - were lovely to drive on...

yeah shocking when you get back off the tunnel this end isn't it. and that is after going through Belgium!

[Frenchie]

I have to say that here the roads are great and a peasure to drive on. Their seems to be a regular schedule for resurfacing all roads, its a shock to see a pothole. The few times we have returned to the UK its frightening to see the state of the roads. I saw one on the A27!! the people were slowing and driving around.

[Bolesroor]

Originally Posted by Frenchie

I have to say that here the roads are great and a peasure to drive on. Their seems to be a regular schedule for resurfacing all roads, its a shock to see a pothole. The few times we have returned to the UK its frightening to see the state of the roads. I saw one on the A27!! the people were slowing and driving around.

We go to France every year and agree the roads are so much better than ours and Germany is at another level.
Also I've noticed when in France in the towns when roadworks are in progress there are actually people working on them not like ours,either empty of workers or its brew time again!

[555_Si]

I believe in France all the road workers are government employed and not outsourced and then sub outsourced and then sub sub outsourced.... you get the drift.