Potholes

[mynci]

With the unusually high volume of rain here in Southern California lately, a lot of roads have become littered with potholes. Of course, the best thing to do is to try to avoid them, if possible. Ocassionally, you don't see them or are unable avoid potholes. I'm just wondering, when you do hit a pothole, what are the immediate signs (other than the obvious blown tire or unusual noises) that your car may have taken on damage? What parts should be visually inspected for damage?

 

[crobinso]

Argh, that's a tough question to answer, because so many different things could go wrong with a car when it hits a pothole.

If you notice play in the steering wheel, you may have front-end damage. If the car pulls to one side, the tie-rod may have been bent. If when you go over other potholes or bumps and you get a bone-jarring CRASHing or SLAMing sound, you might have a blown shock absorber.

Visually inspect for leakage in the shocks. I'm no expert in most other front-end parts, so I'm not really able to tell what could be bent or what could be normal. Take it to a reputable shop and describe the problem. They can better tell you if any parts are bent.

Oh, and there's always the possibility of wheel damage. Visually inspect your wheels for dents in the edges. If you find one, replace the wheel immediately.

Charles

 

[Bob]

With the unusually high volume of rain here in Southern California lately, a lot of roads have become littered with potholes. Of course, the best thing to do is to try to avoid them, if possible. Ocassionally, you don't see them or are unable avoid potholes. I'm just wondering, when you do hit a pothole, what are the immediate signs (other than the obvious blown tire or unusual noises) that your car may have taken on damage? What parts should be visually inspected for damage?

Car or steering wheel shaking or vibrating would be a good sign.

 

[TDMAN]

If you hit a pothole and it immediately drives differently? Probably have some damage. If your tire blows? Probably have some damage. If you have some sort of leak that you didn't have before? Probably have some damage. If you have a leak and it gets worse? Probably have some damage. If it pulls to one side more than the other and it never did that before? Probably have some damage. If you hear a strange noise that you didn't hear before? Probably have some damage. If the outside visually looks different than it did before you hit the pothole? Probably have some damage. If your wife or significant other drives it and tell you that it the car is driving different? Probably have some damage. If your significant other drives it and tells you their is a leak that wasn't there before you hit the pothole? Probably have some damage. If your significant other.................................. Probably have some damage. Now, I know its hard to tell, but I am no expert. That should help you. My advice: DON'T HIT ANY POTHOLES!!! USE YOUR HEAD!!!

 

[kimwallace]

Look also for uneven tire wear. If you hit any of them very hard, a four wheel alignment should be performed to make sure everything is OK.

 

[bigron62]

if you hit an extremely large one you may be able to file a claim with the state or county that the road belongs to... take pictures of the damage and where it happened ...

 

[rabbi]

Hey Bigron that doesn't fly in Cincinnati. Try to get the county or city to pay for damage caused by a pothole will only result in great laughter.

 

[Poorboy]

the most common result is a ruined tire...watch for a small bulge on the tire...one other thing to check is your tire pressure as the impact will allow air to escape and driving on under-inflated tires is very dangerous and can cause blowouts:eek

 

[tubafeak]

When I was learning to drive I hit a big pothole in my mom's car pretty hard. It changed the alignment so much that you had to cut the wheel almost a half turn to go straight. Potholes are bad on the streets around me, I think I've blown a shock in my taurus, but the shocks are so soft that it's hard to tell. I've bent a tie rod too, it's crazy how much damage a hole can do. My advice would be to drive around them. Don't try to straddle the hole unless you're VERY aware of your car's width, you'll prbably miss at least once. If you hit one really bad you should definetly stop, cut the wheel all the way to one side, and check the tire and suspension components, check your front bumper if your car's low. That should cover everything.