Pothole 1 - Stinger 0

[GT2InSeattle]

I figured I'd share my pain here.. I was on a highway in Washington this last weekend (for lack of a better term) going the limit (in that area 35MPH) and noticed what I thought was a 'worn' spot in the pavement. When my car made a loud SLAM sound I realized that was in error. The tire lost pressure, and I had to put the spare on and take the car to the dealership. The 'worn' area on the highway was actually about 5 inches deep (clouds and lighting were just bad enough to make it deceptive). Here's the result.. replacing one wheel and one tire only a little more than a year old. Wheel was bent and the tire was damaged. Fortunately the car suffered no other damage.. and the alignment was fine.

Now before you start thinking "gee what a dumbass" when I went back to get photos of the pothole for a claim against DOT and Pierce County a late model Audi did the exact same thing while I was there.. and they blew their tire too. A security guard watching me get the measurements and photographs said that pothole had 'eaten a lot of cars' that weekend.

Be careful if you live in Washington - some of these roads after the snows and rains are a minefield right now.

My dealership did a great job getting the new wheel and tire for me quickly..

On another note KIA Roadside Assist is hot trash any more. They were zero help.. they used to be amazing.. but getting help now? "Can I send a link to your phone so you can file a claim and we can get someone to your location sometime today?" I'll just add roadside assist to my car insurance.

 

[Djltoronto]

That's sucks...

Potholes suck...
I know the feeling

 

[TurboTx]

I definitely feel your pain, same thing happened to me last summer. The sound it makes when you hit a pothole big enough to blow a tire is sickening.

The only bright side in my case was it happened near a tire shop, and they mounted the spare for me for free. I did NOT want to have to do it in 100 degree heat.

 

[BeachMetal]

Ugh, been there done that, it sucks. By some miracle my tire still held air and I brought it to dealer since I already had an appointment for something else. Between the tire, rim, and alignment I ended up filing an insurance claim. Dealership worked with my insurance and actually gave me a loaner.

 

[GT2InSeattle]

Dealership worked with my insurance and actually gave me a loaner.

I paid out of pocket and turned a claim into WSDOT.. a couple of reasons:

- I have a higher deductible (and I keep the deductible in savings in the event I need it).
- In Washington hitting a pothole is considered by insurance to be a single-party at fault accident. You have an inherent responsibility in Washington to avoid obstacles in the road or stationary objects. Avoiding a pedestrian or a fire hydrant I understand.. but a pothole that you don't realize IS a pothole until you're almost on top of it?

Regardless I don't want the incident on my insurance CLU report so I took care of it myself and filed a claim with the city.