Damned be that Pothole!

ritzzzzzwik · 03-19-2015, 06:03 PM

It so happens that while driving back from work, right on an exit onramp, a massive pothole presented itself. I swerved to the left in a last "ditch" effort to avoid it, alas, I failed. The right wheel smashed into that blessed lunar crater, sending shudders down the cars spine, and mine.
For a brief moment the car seemed to have taken it its stride, still soldering on; braving the horrible roads that the DC area subjects its tax-paying vehicles to.

But as is in so many cases of this nature- the sense of relief was soon gone. After driving for about 100 yards I realised that I now have to hold a steering about 5 degrees to the left to make it go right. The German drives on but there is a sense of a strange limp to it otherwise fine looking canter. As it stands not I am unsure of what has befallen my dear friend German, so here I am hoping some of you can perhaps shed some light on whats possibly gone on. I have made an appointment with the car doctors next week, but this worrying.

Feel free to chime in...

Jec1 · 03-19-2015, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ritzzzzzwik

Feel free to chime in...

Are you drunk lol?

But yes, living in the NYC Metro area, I am very used to the shudders to which you refer. Likely needs an alignment.

CJ421 · 03-20-2015, 06:06 PM

Best case is the alignment was thrown off; if the shop you take the car to can align it to within factory recommended specs, it's fine. If not it's likely you bent a control arm or some other component. It's also possible when hitting that pothole that you damaged/bent the wheel, damaged the damper, bubbled a tire or a combination of the aforementioned. Have the car mechanically inspected for peace of mind.

If I lived with a lot of potholes, I'd be running some strong 17" stock wheels with nice big and soft tires that can take a beating. Tire sidewall and proper tire pressure is your #1 defense against bad roads (besides of course, avoiding the bad roads altogether which just isn't always possible on the east coast).

ritzzzzzwik · 03-21-2015, 05:42 PM

oh well, so its a bent wheel!...I hate DC roads! What I dont understand is- when they block most of the traffic, for most of the day pretending to work. How is it that there are still so many potholes!?!

PS: I saw another poor motorist stop at the same place with his hazards on.

bmw325i · 03-22-2015, 12:05 AM

Something similar happened to me last week. I went over a bridge on the interstate and (practically) fell off a cliff on the other side lol. My front right wheel bearing messed up and the car was shaking and grinding over 45. I barely made it off the interstate and limped it home. I usually slow down on bridges because they are almost always uneven, but this one was particularly bad. I'm just glad it was fairly easy to fix and no bent wheels.

03-19-2015, 06:03 PM	#1
ritzzzzzwik Captain 232 Rep 723 Posts Drives: SO M4 MT Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: NOVA iTrader: (0)	Damned be that Pothole! It so happens that while driving back from work, right on an exit onramp, a massive pothole presented itself. I swerved to the left in a last "ditch" effort to avoid it, alas, I failed. The right wheel smashed into that blessed lunar crater, sending shudders down the cars spine, and mine. For a brief moment the car seemed to have taken it its stride, still soldering on; braving the horrible roads that the DC area subjects its tax-paying vehicles to. But as is in so many cases of this nature- the sense of relief was soon gone. After driving for about 100 yards I realised that I now have to hold a steering about 5 degrees to the left to make it go right. The German drives on but there is a sense of a strange limp to it otherwise fine looking canter. As it stands not I am unsure of what has befallen my dear friend German, so here I am hoping some of you can perhaps shed some light on whats possibly gone on. I have made an appointment with the car doctors next week, but this worrying. Feel free to chime in...
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03-20-2015, 06:06 PM	#3
CJ421 Brigadier General 1529 Rep 4,101 Posts Drives: BMW M3 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Blue Bell, PA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2024 BMW M3 Sedan [9.50]	Best case is the alignment was thrown off; if the shop you take the car to can align it to within factory recommended specs, it's fine. If not it's likely you bent a control arm or some other component. It's also possible when hitting that pothole that you damaged/bent the wheel, damaged the damper, bubbled a tire or a combination of the aforementioned. Have the car mechanically inspected for peace of mind. If I lived with a lot of potholes, I'd be running some strong 17" stock wheels with nice big and soft tires that can take a beating. Tire sidewall and proper tire pressure is your #1 defense against bad roads (besides of course, avoiding the bad roads altogether which just isn't always possible on the east coast). __________________ 2024 BMW M3 Sedan Frozen Pure Grey II/Fjord Blue, 6MT Past: 2021 Z4 M40i Frozen Grey II/Black Alcantara \| 2017 F30 340i Mineral Gray/Coral Red, 6MT \| 2011 E92 335i Le Mans Blue/Black, 6MT
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03-21-2015, 05:42 PM	#4
ritzzzzzwik Captain 232 Rep 723 Posts Drives: SO M4 MT Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: NOVA iTrader: (0)	oh well, so its a bent wheel!...I hate DC roads! What I dont understand is- when they block most of the traffic, for most of the day pretending to work. How is it that there are still so many potholes!?! PS: I saw another poor motorist stop at the same place with his hazards on.
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03-22-2015, 12:05 AM	#5
bmw325i Major General 223 Rep 5,120 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: United States iTrader: (8)	Something similar happened to me last week. I went over a bridge on the interstate and (practically) fell off a cliff on the other side lol. My front right wheel bearing messed up and the car was shaking and grinding over 45. I barely made it off the interstate and limped it home. I usually slow down on bridges because they are almost always uneven, but this one was particularly bad. I'm just glad it was fairly easy to fix and no bent wheels.
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