If you’ve driven on South African roads, congratulations! You can officially handle anything, anywhere, anytime! Whether it’s dodging trucks, taxis, pedestrians, a herd of cows or goats, we think we can all agree that there is one prevailing issue that takes the cake on car damage: pothole wheel damage.
What are potholes?
We’re sure you have a pretty good idea but just in case, potholes are a product of road erosion caused by extreme weather conditions.
Either heavy rains or extremely high temperatures and luckily for us in tropical South Africa, we have both. Our soaring temperatures cause cracks in the tar that are worsened when water seeps into the cracks and affects the underlying gravel and rock. Poor road maintenance doesn’t help the cause either. To put things in perspective:
1000 potholes are reported in Johannesburg every month and Cape Town spends a whopping R110 million per year repairing 250 potholes per week.
The problem, however, is still as relevant as ever and we’re here to help you understand the impact driving into a pothole could have on your car.
Has my car been damaged by potholes?
Given the vast majority of them? Most probably.
You know the feeling before impact: You’ve seen the pothole ahead, but there’s pretty much no other option but to grin (grimace) and bear it: the scrunched up face and white-knuckled hands on the wheel as you hear that all too familiar THUNK of your poor car scraping into the offensive lack of road.
Most people will find themselves relieved that no immediate damage was caused, but this is where the danger lies: sometimes the pothole wheel damage is not immediately noticeable, but rather affects parts of your car that may be easier to miss or ignore.
Here are a few noteworthy signs that your car has been affected by pothole wheel damage:
Alignment
You’ll know the alignment of your wheels is off if you feel your steering wheel pulling towards one side of the car when it should be aligned towards the front. Hitting a pothole can skew the alignment of your wheels, ultimately leading to tyre wear and tear.
Steering
If you find that your vehicle is swaying during routine turns, it’s possible that your steering has been thrown off by a dreaded pothole. Your steering wheel should always align with your wheels and should be inspected regularly regardless of pothole wheel damage.
Suspension
Unless you’ve souped up your car to bounce up and down on command, bouncing whilst driving on rough terrains is not a sign of healthy suspension. If you find that your car often bottoms out or that you feel like you don’t have proper control over the movements of your car. The suspension is a really important part of your vehicle and can have damaging knock-on effects on your shocks, tie rods, bearings and your steering rack.
Tyres and Wheels
Low tyre pressure and bulges on the side walls are both signs of tyres having been damaged by potholes. Tyres are expensive to replace and should be evaluated regularly to avoid any emergency expenses when you don’t expect them. Your wheels and rims can also be badly damaged by potholes, so keep an eye on those too!
Undercarriage
Remember the “THUNK” we spoke about? This is usually where that’s coming from. The undercarriage of your car is vulnerable to pothole damage and can lead to dents, leaks and long term rusting.
Avoiding Potholes
Okay, so we’ve emphasised the fact that potholes are scattered throughout South Africa and avoiding them is pretty tough, but vigilance makes a big difference. This is also why we offer flexible car insurance that you can find out more about by visiting our website here.
Here are a few ways you can protect yourself from pothole-related accidents:
Driving conditions
The conditions you drive in are important and often out of your control. Wet, rainy weather can make potholes look like puddles. The nighttime and areas with poor lighting/power outages (nudge, nudge Eskom) are also not ideal conditions because oncoming car lights and shadows make it hard for us to see potholes in the road. Just remember to go slow and keep your gaze far ahead of you.
Driving technique
Unless you decide in an act of responsible citizenship to fill these menacing dangers, potholes are pretty out of your control. What is in your control is your driving technique:
Be aware of where other drivers are before you swerve to miss a pothole. Rather take the risk of a pothole than a disastrous car accident.
Drive slow, Lewis Hamilton. If you’re going to make an impact with the pothole, the less speed the better.
Forced to face it? Have both hands firmly on the wheel to avoid losing control. Slow down and avoid using your breaks smack bang in the middle of the pothole, this will only cause more damage.
In the event that you do hit a pothole, claiming with us is easy, because trust us when we say we’ve all been there with some sort of pothole wheel damage. Chat to somebody from our fantastic team to get car insurance that is flexible, affordable and that has your best interest at hearts.
Read next: Is it time to swap my car for a smaller one? Cutting back on your car expenses by downsizing
Yours in comprehensive and hassle-free car insurance,
Oneplan
