Anyone successfully claimed on council for damages?

[EssexZed]

Driving along the A14 in Suffolk recently I went over quite a high ridge of tarmac left over from roadworks. No warning signs, no possibility of avoiding. The car hit this with quite an alarming bang (worse than any pothole I’ve driven over) and I thought “that has got to have done some damage” and so it proved. Later that day I started my drive home in the dark to discover the headlights pointing straight at the ground about 3 yards in front of the car. Others on this forum who have experienced this sudden change will know it’s a problem with the ride height sensor on the rear suspension.

Taking the car into my local dealer discovered the sensor to be broken and the actuating arm badly bent. The bill to fix it wasn’t as bad as imagined but even so it shouldn’t have happened! I’ve thought of reporting the issue to Suffolk County Council and also submitting a claim for damages but I’m guessing it’s going to be difficult, if not impossible to get them to pay out. Has anyone successfully made a claim against a local authority for this type of damage and what resistance do they typically put up.

[jabber]

I claimed successfully for damage from Hampshire council but it took over 10 months

[Crazy Harry]

Good luck getting anything from Suffolk!

I had a screen go from gravel on the road by a building site in Norfolk and highways there sent me a claim form the first time I called. The form looked a real 'mare to fill in so I decided to leave it and try the contractors who had the building site - who sent me a cheque by return

Did you take a photo of the surface and report it to the council?

[Himi]

I managed to claim money back too... issue I had was confirming ownership of the road, council blamed highway England but eventually paid out.

[EssexZed]

Good luck getting anything from Suffolk!

I had a screen go from gravel on the road by a building site in Norfolk and highways there sent me a claim form the first time I called. The form looked a real 'mare to fill in so I decided to leave it and try the contractors who had the building site - who sent me a cheque by return

Did you take a photo of the surface and report it to the council?

No, it’s a busy dual carriageway with nowhere to stop safely. I might go back (in a different car!) and get a precise location and perhaps some dash cam footage.

[Smartbear]

Good luck getting anything from Suffolk!

I had a screen go from gravel on the road by a building site in Norfolk and highways there sent me a claim form the first time I called. The form looked a real 'mare to fill in so I decided to leave it and try the contractors who had the building site - who sent me a cheque by return

Did you take a photo of the surface and report it to the council?

No, it’s a busy dual carriageway with nowhere to stop safely. I might go back (in a different car!) and get a precise location and perhaps some dash cam footage.

I’d go back as soon as possible, if you damaged your car I bet others have too & the road might be fixed swiftly
Rob

[mcbutler]

You need to raise the issue, road defects are dangerous to vulnerable road users. You may well save the life of a motorcyclist.....

[Zed Baron]

About 12 years ago I clipped an unlit island on a narrow road at night during a heavy rainstorm, damaged by front suspension and wheel. The light that was on the island had already been taken out by a lorry, I reported it to the police (as it was a hazard) and then contacted my insurance, they tried to make a claim against the council who denied any responsibility. Funny enough shortly after, the curbs on the island were reduced in height and a new highly visible lighting system installed!

[Thunderous One]

I live in Northampton and can assure you, we have 3rd world road conditions here.
I dont regret a moment of buying the Z4, but i do have to admit that there are days driving in my town where I think to myself that perhaps I should have purchased something not so nice.

Some roads I have to actually navigate as though going through a slalom and now take a different route to work.

So what sort of damage can a person make a claim for?
Damaged wheels?
Suspension?

Has anyone got experience when dealing with councils and pot holes?

[BRC]

I live in Surrey, pot hole capital of the south and consequently it's not just your car you put at risk when driving but also your life. The Z4 doesn't take kindly to Surrey and it's always a relative pleasure driving out of the richest county that has the worst roads bar none and absolutely no idea how to repair them. Their "repair" process consists of a bucket of tarmac which is then trodden in and is as good as it gets. Usually lasts a matter of days if you are lucky. They also waffle on about their "new repair systems" but frankly it's all one big piss take.

I've taken them to task twice, once was many years ago and to claim for a new wheel and tyre. This was a hard fought case but in the end I prevailed but I had to threaten to take them to court. The second and more recent time was on behalf of my son, this was a little easier because crucially just days before his collision with one of Surrey's finest craters I had reported the offending pot hole and SCC could not claim they knew nothing about it. This tends to be their usual defence but quite often it can be blown out of the water by certain web sites such as "Fill that hole" who physically show reported pot holes whilst also advising the local council responsible for repairing it. Pretty well much once it’s been reported the council is on a hiding to nothing and unable to claim ignorance of the fact. I always urge people to report what they see simply to make future claimants lives that much easier and of course force our council into actually doing something.

Without this is proof then it becomes very difficult to challenge a council but not impossible. They'll make you jump through all sorts of hoops and be as difficult as they can be and even invite you to go and stand in the middle of traffic to photograph/measure the offending hole(s)! You have nothing to lose and if you can stand dealing with irresponsible councils then go for it and keep making a nuisance of yourself.

Sorry about the rant but you can probably gather I'm less than impressed being forced to drive on roads that would embarass third world countries! Meanwhile our beloved coucil leaders pay themselves outrageous sums for doing nothing whilst bleating about how it's all the goverments fault, yeah right.

[Smartbear]

Due to the already fragile nature of 326 alloys I’d go over the inner rims with a fine tooth comb, after an impact that heavy i wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve developed cracks
Rob

[EssexZed]

Due to the already fragile nature of 326 alloys I’d go over the inner rims with a fine tooth comb, after an impact that heavy i wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve developed cracks
Rob

I asked the dealer to check those when it went in for repair and they didn’t report any problems but I don’t know how carefully they inspected them. It was something I was expecting to be discovered!

[Smartbear]

Due to the already fragile nature of 326 alloys I’d go over the inner rims with a fine tooth comb, after an impact that heavy i wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve developed cracks
Rob

I asked the dealer to check those when it went in for repair and they didn’t report any problems but I don’t know how carefully they inspected them. It was something I was expecting to be discovered!

I’d remove the wheels & have a good look yourself, the claim’s going to be a lot bigger if new wheels are needed!
Rob

[EssexZed]

By way of an update.....it turned out that the offending road is managed by Highways England so that’s who I submitted a claim to. A quick email to them brought a multi-page form in the post to be completed. It was pretty straightforward and I sent this off with evidence of the damage and the cost of repairs. I got a reply to say it could take up to 90 days for their investigation to be completed. Today I received a letter to say they’ve accepted my claim and will reimburse me in full

So I’d say always claim for poor road surface damage to your car - it might not always be successful but has to be worth the price of a stamp

[Smartbear]

By way of an update.....it turned out that the offending road is managed by Highways England so that’s who I submitted a claim to. A quick email to them brought a multi-page form in the post to be completed. It was pretty straightforward and I sent this off with evidence of the damage and the cost of repairs. I got a reply to say it could take up to 90 days for their investigation to be completed. Today I received a letter to say they’ve accepted my claim and will reimburse me in full

So I’d say always claim for poor road surface damage to your car - it might not always be successful but has to be worth the price of a stamp

Good news, it’s such a shame our roads have been allowed to deteriorate so badly!
Rob