...and partially succeeded. Front right tire is dead, wheel is destroyed. Insurance will cover the rim, but I doubt it'll be more than my deductible so I'll probably just suck it up and pay it out of pocket.

But, I was wondering if anyone else has run into this before-

1)this happened on a major interstate (64, for those of you in VA) and we didn't even see the pothole until we hit it. A few minutes later, I discovered, a friend behind us hit the same thing and knocked his truck out of alignment. If I call VDOT and bitch, do I have a chance of getting them to pay for my rim? We can't have been the only people who hit the damn thing tonight. It's huge and it's right on the side of the right lane. We didn't file a police report, but I'm wondering if we should have, or if I should call it in now, after the fact.

2)I'm assuming I should have it towed to Mazda, just in case there's other damage we can't see. Am I just being paranoid, and should I just take it to wherever my insurance recommends instead?

3) I needed new tires anyway. Is Mazda going to complain if I order the tires, bring them to them, and have them mount them? I don't want them giving me a hard time because I'm not buying them through Mazda.

 

Many cities do reimburse people for pothole damage on city streets, so I see no reason that VDOT wouldn't have a similar program.

You should definitely take the car to Mazda in order to determine if any suspension components were damaged. If the rim was destroyed, that sounds like at the very least your alignment is trashed and you could have damaged a tie rod and/or control arm as well. I would think you would have the ability to take the car wherever YOU want, not where your insurance company dictates.

If you need new tires anyway, you probably won't get reimbursed much for the one that blew out. I think that tires are pro-rated for wear when insurance companies have to pay for them, so if it was already close to worn out you aren't likely to get paid for it. Mazda has no right to bitch if you bring in your own tires for mounting and balancing, but keep in mind that you might actually be better off going to a performance tire/wheel shop for this -- most techs at dealerships aren't going to be careful with your wheels and will gouge them with the tire mounting machine, overtorque the lug nuts with air wrenches, and won't balance them as carefully as a specialty shop. Your alignment will also have to be re-done, I'm sure.

 

No, insurance is not going to pay for the tires, which I already knew. I just don't want to have to pay a tow truck to drag the car all over the universe. They've (Mazda) already done an alignment and several rotations on my car with no damage, so it might be okay. This is just such a pain in the ***, and not what I needed right now.

 

It happened to my sister.. destroyed her rim and her tire went flat. Did the tire(s) get damaged also? Sorry about the pothole!

 

Aritinga's advice sounds good. As she knows, here in So. California this winter we have potholes that are better categorized as sink holes, so you are not alone. I would also suggest a specialty shop unless you have a high level of confidence in your dealership.

 

Didn't look like the tire was damaged, but I'm sure it is. Just going to use it as a reason to buy the Pirellis everyone's raving about.

I'm going to do some checking around for shops tomorrow per Aratinga's and Grabitquick's advice.
Glad I'm not alone- I'm just so pissed off about this.

 

Im hating these potholes in CA...
Some weird weather we have this year...

Elara keep us posted on how the Mazda dealership takes care of ya. Might be something ill need know too with these potholes as well.

Hope everything comes out just fine for ya.

 

Hm, this is a HUGE problem here in Massachusetts..... Last weekend I ended up on a road, which had holes like a piece of Swiss cheese... And you know, they put "Caution - Pothole" signs everywhere.... What a waste, having just one or two "Warning - NO Potholes" for the very rare pieces of existing road surface would have much more efficient...

 

The local newspaper has a column devoted to road problems. They discussed potholes and the damage they cause today. Specifically, they said that the highway department might take responsibility if it can be proven that they were already aware that the pothole existed and had caused previous damage.

They also suggested speaking with the risk assessment department. You need to get everything officially reported. Witnesses would help too.

Good luck.

 

Elara:
Do you know the mile marker of the pothole, or can you give some other location?

 

Yup- we drove by it to see it after the car was towed.

 

I am an attorney in NJ. Our state has a "Tort Claim Act" which limits to a certain extent what type of claims can be brought against State and local governing bodies. Prompt notice of a potential claim is essential. You may be required to first the submit the claim to your insurance carrier. In NJ if the claim is accepted, they will only pay what is not covered by insurance. I found a link for your to check out Virginia's Tort Claim Act. Go to www.trs.virginia.gov/drm/claims.asp. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Thanks everyone.

I'm about to go start my calling rounds now. Hopefully I won't have to argue with anything too much.

 

I would call............... we have a pot hole on my street. Well let me not say pot hole its more like a man hole. I swear every time I go pass theres someone on the side of the road putting their spare on. It looks to be 3x3 and like 1 1/2 Deep! Its HUGE! I guess the bad thing about my street we have so many dump trucks coming up and down our street. Do when they try and patch it up and dont do it right, its back to the same way in a couple of weeks. I hope those people are complaining. Go for it Elara!

 

You might want to check into your state's laws. Here in AZ the city can be held responsible for damage but only if it equals $1000+, hopefully your state is better at taking responsibility. At the very least please report the damaged road to the city. Pot holes are scary on bikes, I almost got taken out on the 17 a couple days ago.

Boxcar

 

My brother had a wheel and tire destroyed by a pothole in Columbus, Ohio, this winter. He contacted the city about the damages. The city claimed that they were not responsible for damages unless they had known about the pothole for some time and had not repaired it despite having the available resources. Basically, they'll never cover your damages unless you can prove negligence.

 

I second that, I live in Boston as well and the pot holes here are horrible this year. This is the worst I have seen in years because we had such a bad winter. You can't drive a mile without hitting a bone jarring pothole. I usually swerve to avoid them but its not even worth the effort, you swerve to avoid one pothole and you drive right into a bigger one. I just bought my car 2 months ago and I'm amazed that it hasn't rattled apart yet. Some roads here are seriously like driving on an unpaved mountain trail.

A little more on topic, I had a friend who hit a huge pot hole and destroyed her rim and blew out her tire. I think there might have been other damage too. She went back and took a picture of the pothole and filed a complaint with the city, they covered all repair costs. I suggest going back and getting a picture of the pothole before they fix it, it will help you if they try to fight you.

 

I believe VDOT does reimburse damages caused by potholes on VA roads, see if you can dig anything up.

speaking of potholes in VA, i have noticed that there are a lot more potholes popping up on VA roads (even on recently repaved roads!) than compared to the Maryland side of the DC Beltway, is VDOT cutting corners and using inferior material/techniques for road pavement???

 

Havn't managed to get VDOT yet, but it looks like all I need is a new rim (and probably an alignment). Insurance guy didn't even think he needed to come out, and says he'll look at the appraisal Mazda is doing and unless it's completely off, just go with that.

On the happy side, my new Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S tires are on the way, and as long as nothing weird pops up, I'll have new tires AND a new rim soon. And it's only going to cost me $1,100 (tires + insurance deductible). $500 more than I had planned to be spending, but at least my car seems to be okay.

 

Hey Elara, sorry I didnt share the pain better last night. You know I'm rooting for ya!

Make sure to get a good alignment done and not the stock one while yer at it It will be much nicer

 

You would think that with all of the taxes they take out that they could maintain the roads better. You will probably find out real quick when dealing with them that most government agencies suck. Good Luck.