Pot holes are a nightmare for any car driver. They seem to appear out of nowhere and have you and the passengers in your vehicle bouncing around inside the car. They are one of the biggest causes of damage to cars from uneven road surfaces and is why Tarmac Contractors Yorkshire and in other large towns work tirelessly to fix these annoying holes.
Pot holes tend to start appearing at this time of year (Spring) as a result of imperfections in the road surface and the soil underneath become compacted and weakened, perhaps due to colder weather spells or heavy vehicles travelling on them for larger periods of time. Ice and water cause issues with the lower levels of the road surface and the soil and ground that is underneath and as vehicle drive over the road surface the top layer starts to crack and become eroded away, leaving behind the tell-tale holes. Potholes start off incredible small, so much so that you can’t se them but over time, and as more and more vehicle drive over them, they become much larger and can causes issues with numerous parts of a car.
If you hit a pot hole with any kind of force you really should check the following areas of your car when you either arrive your destination or back home.
Tyres – this is most obvious place to check first as the jagged and uneven edges of a pot hole can cause holes and rips in your tyres. This can cause sidewall bulging, tread issues and even a flat tyre. If your tyre has been badly damaged, you should seek the advice of a mechanic and look to have your tyre replaced completely.
Wheels – the wheels on your car as a whole can become affected by potholes and you can find that chips, cracks and bends in the wheels occur if you hit a pothole with any kind of speed or if the hole is deep. These issues should always be checked out by a qualified mechanic to ensure that no further damage has occurred to the integrity of your wheel structures.
Suspension – all that sudden bouncing around can wreak havoc with your car’s suspension. This is designed to absorb and impact and shocks from the road, but sudden jolts will cause issues such as alignment problems, damaged shocks and even broken ball joints. These can be costly to replace but again should be looked at sooner rather than later to prevent further damage from occurring.