I think a pothole once cost me a car. No kidding. I can't prove it, and I never made any claim. See what you think.
In January 2011, driving at night, I drove over a particularly deep and nasty hole, evidently left over from recent wintry weather. The jar went right through the car: no question about it. I couldn't do much about it, and the car didn't appear to have suffered damage, so I continued home.
Next time I went to use the car (a week or two later: I don't use the car much
), I noticed a front tyre was flat. Closer inspection revealed the wheel itself was dented. So I went and got a new wheel. At the garage, when I explained the cause, they offered to check the tracking. They told me it was out of adjustment but said they'd fixed it.
More than a year later, in good weather, I lost control of the car, twice in two days, for no apparent reason. The second time, the car spun off the road, luckily without hitting anything or anyone. I was terrified, and drove it home very gingerly at low speed. It had just passed its 100,000, and I decided to trade it in then and there, although if this hadn't happened I was planning to hold on to it for a few years more. When you lose faith in your car, that's it.
So there we have it. I can't prove the incidents were connected, it's just a hunch.
But there's this comforting thought. If I'd hit that same pothole
on my bike, it might have cost me my life, not just my car.
The pothole in question has since been repaired. It was over 3 years ago. But there are many about that haven't. And if this is the budget, they won't. Take care, folks!
