Got to work this morning, and when I got out of the car noticed the tyre was well and truly flat. Put some air in it and drove to the nearest tyre place with the diagnosis of a cracked inside rim :eek:

The tyre looks fine, so hopefully I wont need to change that, but a new wheel is

Another thing, I would love to claim from the council for the cost, as I remember hitting a pothole on the roundabout on the way in, made an almighty bang. Only problem is that I work for highways - could there be a problem with claiming?

proving it was that pothole that made the fatal blow may be more difficult, get pictures before you report it as they tend to be filled pretty quickly

More likeley a flaw in the material has caused that (Albeit amplified by the pothole)

From past experience, the council will quickly pay out a reasonable amount to rectify damage caused by one of their potholes and then fix the pothole. I'm assuming that there will be no problems claiming, even though you work in Highways, as you'd still go through the normal claims procedure?

Chris

You don't have a lot of luck really do you Tom

You can get it welded, my dad got his merc wheel welded no problem

You can get it welded, my dad got his merc wheel welded no problem

Can you recommend somewhere I could get this done? My tyre place couldn't recommend anyone

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and order one, I'm just concerned at how many miles a space saver will last... the idea of trapsing around the country at 50mph doesn't really appeal though. :(

Well and truly ****ed off.:thumbdwn:

Our authority is pretty stingy, they seldom pay out. I have pics of the pothole... After chatting to my colleague they have been delaying the repair - because it is on a roundabout they would have to close it to be able to do the repair... not that that's my problem of course.

Yes I will follow the normal claims procedure, but its just slightly awkward as my colleagues would be dealing with the claim.

You don't have a lot of luck really do you Tom

Tell me about it

Wheel bearing, flywheel and now a cracked wheel. I guess thats the 3.

Have you a scrappers nearby who could flog you maybe a steel wheel of the correct size just to put you on til they can order you a new one?

Have you a scrappers nearby who could flog you maybe a steel wheel of the correct size just to put you on til they can order you a new one?

I'll have to give some a bell.

Space saver is normally not good for more than 50mph

Had to use one on the alfa to drive back from Newcastle to Cambridge - not a happy drive.

Take it steady and avoid the twisty roads. You should be OK.

But have you tried another Ford Dealer ie Marshalls or EMG.

What happened re the flywheel then Tom?

Also you might be able to try hitting the dealer you bought it off for that saying that there was a good chance the defect was there when you purchased the car.

Of course they may say no thats your problem, which you would have to accept, but still worth a try.

I'd rather keep on the happy side of my dealer until they have fixed the problem. They have booked it in with Ford for Wed.

I've rung 9 breakers now, including 2 specialist Ford ones, and would you believe it none of them have an old steelie off a Focus/Mondeo/Escort with a legal tyre. FFS.

I have had one offer of an ST170 wheel with tyre for £70 though. Sod that.

Looks like I'll be testing the space saver to the limits then, and lots of economical miles at 50mph. I can't wait.

Gees Tom you are such a lucky guy!!!

Bring back the Fabia eh.

Gees Tom you are such a lucky guy!!!

Bring back the Fabia eh.

I am supposed to be saving money! There goes this months "saving" of

The wheel that is damaged was kerbed, so atleast a new one will freshen it up.

Have you considered taking an advanced driving course, Tom - should help you avoid pot holes and kerbing wheels? :P;)

Chris

Have you considered taking an advanced driving course, Tom - should help you avoid pot holes and kerbing wheels? :P;)

Chris

Its difficult to see, and taking evasive action could have terrible consequences...

Tom, i'd consult the manual, space savers are only usually rated for 30 mile trips, is it solid or blow up, it's all to do with the heat they generate

Tom, i'd consult the manual, space savers are only usually rated for 30 mile trips, is it solid or blow up, it's all to do with the heat they generate

Infaltable - 60PSI.

And yes, it did get bloody hot after a 60mph blast of 5 miles... hence my major concerns and sourcing of the GTI wheel

Tom, i'd consult the manual, space savers are only usually rated for 30 mile trips, is it solid or blow up, it's all to do with the heat they generate

I suspect it's an inflatable one like in the Mondeo and should be inflated to ~60psi. I couldn't see anything to say how many miles could be done on it, but with a top speed of 50mph, I'd just be using it to limp to the nearest tyre dealer

Chris

Might be worth getting a close up of the pot-hole if you haven't done so already. The pic above shows its there but its hard to get any idea of size. Maybe a pic while holding a ruler in it.

Appreciate this may not be the easiest thing to do on a busy roundabout - so good luck!

As for finding somewhere to repair your alloy, im in glasgow so might be a bit far for you, but have a search in yellow pages and phone local car part shops asking for wheel refurbishers

I wouldn't feel comfortable with it being welded Tom. The crack maybe inside the alloy aswell.

Our council are quite tight when it comes to pay-outs too. I believe that it has to be the case that the pothole has to be a a certain depth (Tom can you remember? Is it 25mm or something?) and wasn't there last time the section 38 guys did the rounds.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

Every council is tight when it comes to paying out money...