It’s no secret that hitting potholes can wreak havoc on your vehicle. While hitting one can give you quite a jolt and cause you to spill your coffee, it can also seriously damage your steering and suspension, and alignment. Here’s what you should do if you encounter a particularly bad pothole:
Look Out for Potholes!
While potholes are generally caused by freezing and thawing of ice and snow in and under the pavement in most of the country, we don’t often deal with those kinds of temperature fluctuations in Florida. So where do those pesky potholes come from?!
Heavy traffic and water damage can damage the roadway, as well as extremely high temperatures, which can degrade asphalt over time.
Avoiding Potholes When Driving
Avoid potholes around Tampa Bay with these tips:
Watch out for puddles. It’s hard to know which puddles could be hiding a pothole, so try to avoid driving through puddles if you can!
Look ahead. Stay alert! You may be able to avoid potholes, so pay attention while on the road.
Slow down. Hitting a pothole at a high speed increases the likelihood of damage, so drive slowly. If you can, let off the brakes before impact with the pothole so your car will take the brunt of the force instead of just your wheel and tire.
When you can’t avoid hitting a pothole, take your foot off of the gas, and hold your steering wheel tightly. Don’t press the brakes. This will help you maintain the most control during impact.
Vehicle Damage and Potholes
While driving over a pothole is definitely a nuisance, it can also cause bent wheel rims, internal tire damage, vehicle alignment issues, and even steering and suspension issues depending on the severity of impact.
Damages can include:
- Tire puncture, damage, or wear
- Wheel rim damage
- Premature wear on shocks and struts
- Suspension damage, including broken components
- Steering system misalignment
- Exhaust system damage
- Engine damage
What to do After Hitting a Pothole
After hitting a pothole look for damage, including these parts of your car:
Tires
Hitting a pothole can be particularly jarring to your tires, and if the force is great enough, hitting a pothole can cause the sidewall to blow out. If the impact with a pothole has caused your tire to lose air, your Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) light will immediately light up. Even if your tire seems to be holding air, that doesn’t mean that you are in the clear.
Look for any bulges sticking out of the side of your tire, as they could be a sign of internal damage. Most of the time, damage from a pothole is to the sidewall, not the tread, and there is no way to patch or plug a tire’s sidewall.
Preventative maintenance is key! With our mobile lube service, we not only change your oil, but we will check and adjust your tire pressure to ensure that you are safe while out on the road. We come to you! Call BAM for mobile lube services today: 813-992-4662!
Wheels
The hard angles of a pothole can cause significant damage to your wheels. After impact, look for bends or cracks in the side of your wheel where the rim meets the tire.
If a wheel is bent, it won’t roll smoothly and the airtight seal between the wheel and tire will be compromised. You might see places where the wheel has broken off or an obvious dent. If you see any visible damage, that wheel will likely need to be replaced.
Suspension and Steering
If you hit a pothole and you notice your car pulling to either side, the pothole may have bent a component to your steering or suspension and put it out of alignment. When a vehicle is out of alignment, there will be handling problems, and the tires will wear unevenly.
Don’t drive with a misaligned vehicle! If you notice any pulling or alignment issues, it’s time to get your alignment checked.
Undercarriage
Hitting a pothole can damage the undercarriage of your vehicle. A dent or a puncture can cause fluids to leak, and wear which can lead to rust formation.
Exhaust System
If you notice any weird sounds coming from your exhaust system after hitting a pothole, you need to take your vehicle in for an inspection immediately!
Maintain your fleet and stay up to date on any issues with real-time diagnostics and fleet management from Butler Automotive Management!
Minimize Pothole Damage
Now that we’ve discussed the damage that potholes can cause, here’s what you can do to minimize the damage caused by potholes:
- To absorb the impact more safely, always drive on tires that are properly inflated and in good condition.
- Drive defensively, and slow down on a rough or unfamiliar road.
- Avoid distracted driving.
- Be alert as to what is ahead on the road, and keep a safe distance between you and other vehicles.
- Recognize that you might miss that first pothole, but there could be another one close by.
Protect Your Car from Potholes
If you hit a pothole with your personal car or a fleet vehicle, your car may have sustained some damage. It just depends on how deep the pothole was and your speed of impact. While a flat tire is immediately apparent, other issues like minor misalignment, or damaged steering or suspension aren’t always clear at first glance, which is where fleet management and mobile car care comes in!
Maintain your car & fleet! For businesses, our experts keep track of your fleet’s vehicle’s health and any issues, (like hitting potholes) while your drivers are out on the road. Maintain your fleet with service reminders, real-time diagnostic notifications, and at-a-glance maintenance interval notifications with a fleet management system from BAM! Contact us to discuss our mobile car services at 813-992-4662!
