Pot hole 1 - M3 0

[Ghosn]

As the title suggests, I hit a pot hole.

So I exited the freeway onto a main rd, in the motion of turning, there was a nice chunky pothole that I collected with my left front wheel.

It was dark, raining and a car in front hampered my view and I didn't have enough time to pull out as soon as I saw it.

There was a loud bang and I felt two hard objects collide, I knew straight away the rim made contact and my heart sank.

I pulled over to find my worst fears realised. My rim and tire took a good hit.

So tomorrow I will lodge a claim with the council/vicroads and ask for compensation for the damages that incurred but for those who have had similar situations(in Australia), what kind of outcome is generally expected? Do the councils play hardball or are they pretty lenient when it comes to these types of circumstances?

My other issue is I am very anal about my car. Is it unreasonable for me to request a new rim rather than get it repaired? I don't want my wheel repaired/repainted, as I will struggle to deal with a wheel that will look slightly different to the other 3 especially being a brand new car? I haven't even hit run in service yet.

FYI, I had my dashcam running thankfully which showed me hitting the pot hole, so proof of incident shouldn't be an issue.

Thoughts?

Pics taken during the day:

[im_dave]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

As the title suggests, I hit a pot hole.

So I exited the freeway onto a main rd, in the motion of turning, there was a nice chunky pothole that I collected with my left front wheel.

It was dark, raining and a car in front hampered my view and I didn't have enough time to pull out as soon as I saw it.

There was a loud bang and I felt two hard objects collide, I knew straight away the rim made contact and my heart sank.

I pulled over to find my worst fears realised. My rim and tire took a good hit.

So tomorrow I will lodge a claim with the council/vicroads and ask for compensation for the damages that incurred but for those who have had similar situations(in Australia), what kind of outcome is generally expected? Do the councils play hardball or are they pretty lenient when it comes to these types of circumstances?

My other issue is I am very anal about my car. Is it unreasonable for me to request a new rim rather than get it repaired? I don't want my wheel repaired/repainted, as I will struggle to deal with a wheel that will look slightly different to the other 3 especially being a brand new car? I haven't even hit run in service yet.

FYI, I had my dashcam running thankfully which showed me hitting the pot hole, so proof of incident shouldn't be an issue.

Thoughts?

Pics taken during the day:

Crap all the best with the claim. The condition of some of the roads near me is bad as well. FWIW I had the same rim repaired at Wheel Solutions in Richmond for $250. I did read about the black 666 being difficult to repair/colour match. Couldn't tell the difference at all...

[mhxyltslmt@163.com]

Feel sorry to hear about ur story. I believe they will cover the costs since we paid road fees annually for road condition maintenance. I always keep proper distance with the front car and keep watching the road condition, the only road I don't need to worry about are toll ways haha.

[Scootah]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

As the title suggests, I hit a pot hole.

So I exited the freeway onto a main rd, in the motion of turning, there was a nice chunky pothole that I collected with my left front wheel.

It was dark, raining and a car in front hampered my view and I didn't have enough time to pull out as soon as I saw it.

There was a loud bang and I felt two hard objects collide, I knew straight away the rim made contact and my heart sank.

I pulled over to find my worst fears realised. My rim and tire took a good hit.

So tomorrow I will lodge a claim with the council/vicroads and ask for compensation for the damages that incurred but for those who have had similar situations(in Australia), what kind of outcome is generally expected? Do the councils play hardball or are they pretty lenient when it comes to these types of circumstances?

My other issue is I am very anal about my car. Is it unreasonable for me to request a new rim rather than get it repaired? I don't want my wheel repaired/repainted, as I will struggle to deal with a wheel that will look slightly different to the other 3 especially being a brand new car? I haven't even hit run in service yet.

FYI, I had my dashcam running thankfully which showed me hitting the pot hole, so proof of incident shouldn't be an issue.

Thoughts?

Pics taken during the day:

Do a bit of research before you lodge your claim , having been down this path before , most councils will not pay a claim unless the damage is greater than $1400 ( From memory)

They are masters at not paying claims , in your case they will say rim is repairable , but you clearly need a new tyre , however claim will be less than $1400 - so claim denied .....

Still worth a try ....good luck

[domino_z]

claim through your insurer, let them try seek recovery from council

[MOSTRO]

Originally Posted by domino_z

claim through your insurer, let them try seek recovery from council

But then he'll have a claim against his insurance which will affect his claims history.....At fault or Not, it'll affect his future premiums (even with a rating protection)

Am I mistaken?

[drgmt]

Originally Posted by MOSTRO

But then he'll have a claim against his insurance which will affect his claims history.....At fault or Not, it'll affect his future premiums (even with a rating protection)

Am I mistaken?

Bet you the excess is roughly equivalent.

Best thing is to where it on the chin and move on.

[soulcrft]

Originally Posted by MOSTRO

But then he'll have a claim against his insurance which will affect his claims history.....At fault or Not, it'll affect his future premiums (even with a rating protection)

Am I mistaken?

Agree. Had similar situation. Tried collecting from the city and fell on deaf ears. Went through my insurance and now they are having a ball with my premiums. I recommend eating the cost.

[ruley74]

Regards claiming I know for people that have gone down that road here in Qld (hahha pun fully intended) the council needs to be aware of the road condition which I think is fair... potholes can form in a matter of a couple of hours.

You can't always lay blame, we don't want to become the US...

[Ghosn]

Originally Posted by ruley74

Regards claiming I know for people that have gone down that road here in Qld (hahha pun fully intended) the council needs to be aware of the road condition which I think is fair... potholes can form in a matter of a couple of hours.

You can't always lay blame, we don't want to become the US...

Look at the pics again. You can clearly see the road has been patched up numerous times. They have failed to do it properly and make the road safe for road users. You think that is satisfactory?



So I called the council and it turns out the off ramp is their jurisdiction but the main road is Vicroads. So it technically falls under Vicroads and now I KNOW I will have a fight on my hands. The lady on the phone also said it can take up to 2-3 months to get it settled with Vicroads. FML


I also called BMW and they quoted $2435 for a brand new rim and 2-3 week wait so they can order from Germany ..

Anyone know a reliable place I can get a quote for the tire and I can trust to fit it?

Cheers

[im_dave]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

Look at the pics again. You can clearly see the road has been patched up numerous times. They have failed to do it properly and make the road safe for road users. You think that is satisfactory?



So I called the council and it turns out the off ramp is their jurisdiction but the main road is Vicroads. So it technically falls under Vicroads and now I KNOW I will have a fight on my hands. The lady on the phone also said it can take up to 2-3 months to get it settled with Vicroads. FML


I also called BMW and they quoted $2435 for a brand new rim and 2-3 week wait so they can order from Germany ..

Anyone know a reliable place I can get a quote for the tire and I can trust to fit it?

Cheers

I had the rim replaced under insurance too - it was way longer than 2-3 weeks. More like 2-3 months ex Germany. The repair was fine I have kept the replacement as a spare.

[drgmt]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

Look at the pics again. You can clearly see the road has been patched up numerous times. They have failed to do it properly and make the road safe for road users. You think that is satisfactory?



So I called the council and it turns out the off ramp is their jurisdiction but the main road is Vicroads. So it technically falls under Vicroads and now I KNOW I will have a fight on my hands. The lady on the phone also said it can take up to 2-3 months to get it settled with Vicroads. FML


I also called BMW and they quoted $2435 for a brand new rim and 2-3 week wait so they can order from Germany ..

Anyone know a reliable place I can get a quote for the tire and I can trust to fit it?

Cheers

Mate honestly a good wheel repairer will match it very very close.

Why bother changing the rim when the same thing could very well happen again ?

You have to ask yourself the question - how much is your time worth to chase this ?

[mfurse]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

Look at the pics again. You can clearly see the road has been patched up numerous times. They have failed to do it properly and make the road safe for road users. You think that is satisfactory?



So I called the council and it turns out the off ramp is their jurisdiction but the main road is Vicroads. So it technically falls under Vicroads and now I KNOW I will have a fight on my hands. The lady on the phone also said it can take up to 2-3 months to get it settled with Vicroads. FML


I also called BMW and they quoted $2435 for a brand new rim and 2-3 week wait so they can order from Germany ..

Anyone know a reliable place I can get a quote for the tire and I can trust to fit it?

Cheers

That's half way to a new aftermarket set...got to ask yourself if it's worth it to you? Personally I've found Wheel Solutions in Richmond do a great repair and they tend to be fixing much more expensive wheels than mine! A few hundred a wheel and you're golden.

I'd still write a snotty letter to the authorities claiming the whole wheel + tyre (~$3000), get yours repaired anyway, new tyre(s) and should the claim come to fruition later you'll either have a cheque or a spare wheel you can sell to someone who had the same misfortune

[Heyeug]

That looks like Palmers rd. Very bad with all the road construction.... GL with repairs/replacement.

[///M-pressed]

Don't waste your time fighting it, I'm sure that you have better things to do. In principle it sucks, but it's not worth the effort.

Just take your care to wheel solutions in Richmond an they will fix the wheel as good as OEM. I have the exact same wheels with the exact same finish and they did a much better job than BMW did went attempting to repair the wheel on my M2 (Although they outsource it anyway).

[robbo mcs]

First thing to do is take the rim off and have a better look, and/or get an expert to have a look. I know from experience in racing and rallying, that damage to the rim and tyre can often be significant on the inside of the wheel, which is hidden from view. Don’t make the mistake of assuming what you see is the only damage. Sometimes you need to take the tyre off the rim to better assess the damage.

For me, if it is cosmetic damage to the rim like in the pic, then it is easily fixable. If the rim is bent, especially on the inner edge, then that can be fixed, but the rim has probably lost some strength in the process, and I personally wouldn’t accept that

BTW, I have bent a lot of rims Too many kerbs on circuits, and cutting too many apexes on rallies

[TestySpice]

This the hole you hit ?

[MR RIZK]

Have a mate lodge a complaint first that the road requires repair. Lodge your claim a couple days later. They cannot be obliged to pay if they are not aware that the hole was there in the first place.

Good luck!!

[MPoweRo]

Sorry to hear man. I have bent a 1M rim by clipping a heavily deformed/degraded kerb in fading light, also damaged my shock which needed rebuilding.

I figured council would be way to much work.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

these aren't 437...a good wheel refinisher should make it back to good as new.

[Ghosn]

When you think things couldn't get any worse.

I got my car back from run in service few days ago and when I arrived home I found both right hand side wheels marked/scratched. The wheels were in perfect condition the day I dropped it off(took pics the same morning).

After notifying the dealership and them doing their investigation, they agreed to repair the 2 wheels but refused to admit fault. But now, not only do I have to get my left front repaired and refinished, I now have to get both right hand side wheels repaired as well due to BMW incompetence.

So, is it worth requesting replacement wheels rather than a repair considering the car is basically brand new from BMW? Wheels were in perfect condition before I took the car in. Or should I accept the repairs and request another form of compensation like some free parts? They need to be held accountable for ruining my wheels and the headaches that go with it.

[mfurse]

Originally Posted by Ghosn

When you think things couldn't get any worse.

I got my car back from run in service few days ago and when I arrived home I found both right hand side wheels marked/scratched. The wheels were in perfect condition the day I dropped it off(took pics the same morning).

After notifying the dealership and them doing their investigation, they agreed to repair the 2 wheels but refused to admit fault. But now, not only do I have to get my left front repaired and refinished, I now have to get both right hand side wheels repaired as well due to BMW incompetence.

So, is it worth requesting replacement wheels rather than a repair considering the car is basically brand new from BMW? Wheels were in perfect condition before I took the car in. Or should I accept the repairs and request another form of compensation like some free parts? They need to be held accountable for ruining my wheels and the headaches that go with it.

Doesn't cost anything to go to VCAT and get advice. I reckon you might struggle to prove they did a use damage and they would struggle to prove they didn't cause damage. It might devolve into a she-said-he-said case. Worth a crack though, even the threat of vcat is often enough to get the resolution you want.