Anyone here claim pothole damage from city ?
 

I'm just wondering if anybody here has successfully claimed damage from the city and got properly reimbursed for damages such as bent or cracked wheels and popped tires, and even maybe body kits. The damage being from unfinished streets, unusually high manholes and off course potholes. Even if you've been through the process but came out shlt end of the stick, please post your experience as well.


And I'm also wondering if other issues would play a role in making a successful claim, for example would the city tell you to fck off if you're lowered with a body kit, etc.... ?
I'm assuming it's their policy to cycle through every excuse they can before they pay anyone out.
One such excuse I read somewhere recently of someone trying to claim damage and being refused, because the city said they were unaware of the pothole's existence. So I guess they were saying if someone called in and complained about it, they would have had prior knowledge therefore taking responsibility for the damage.


My car is fine, no damage FYI, I'm just becoming very paranoid because Vancouver streets are becoming worse and worse, I'm assuming they're funneling a lot of city money for Olympics upgrades leaving very little for street maintenance throughout the city.
So I want to get an idea of what one would be up against maybe get input on how to handle it from people who've been through it before, so if you have, post your experiences please... thanks

Avoid Terminal St East Bound.

I called in and tried to claim that a pothole blew one of my rear tires in Coquitlam. I talked to a couple of representatives, left my info and all and they said they would investigate the situation and would call back.

However, they never did.


This was 2 years ago. =(

It will be near impossible, with major budget cuts and all, to get any sort of money from the city for pothole damage.

This is my excuse if ever i get pulled over by a cop for swerving to avoid potholes.

yup, tried it before...didn't get money from them.

it's wise to install some 70 series profile tires these days

Or buy tire/wheel insurance if offered when buying a car. I paid extra and got it for my BMW; they'll fix or replace a damaged wheel or tire caused from potholes.

With the way things are in vancouver, all the no car sunday closures on main/commercial the burrard st bridge. Crazy potholes everywhere.... just makes me want to buy a smart car or a big lifted suv and forget all about performance.

how much was this? and is there a limit to how many times u can claim? or will they just give u the run around and investigate u for like 6 months with the usual ass hole things that icbc does.

I think I paid $700 and I believe the same wheel/tire can be replaced twice and no, there is no running around. They replace the tire/wheel asap. The reason why I got the insurance was because I have runflats and if a rf tire gets a nail it's near impossible to fix it and must be replaced so it was cheaper for me just to buy the insurance in the long run.

I got a OE tire + rim replaced _ alignment by City of Vancouver on my M5.. the key is to stop immediately and take documentation.. You have to be selfish and treat it like an accident.. ie turn on your hazards immediately.. inspect damage and take plenty of pictures.. fax the info to the city.

$700 per year??? that seems pretty pricy for an add on option to your insurance.

was this major damage? like ur rim shattered or what? cuz if its just a small bend its pretty hard to notice right after, usually its more noticeable when traveling at highway speeds. and how long did this process take? do you have to take your car in for inspection?

The M5 uses very low profile tires, so the tires blew and the rim was bent. It was when they were initially tearing up QE park.

No need for inspection.. but send photos.. including map and date of the pothole... oh and the final bill.

so basically u have to pay for it yourself and hope they reimburse you?

what profile tires does the M5 use ?? 35 series ? cuz I'm on 35 series and thinking of doing 30 series on my next set of wheels I got coming, but really paranoid cuz I paid a lot for them.

I'm thinking, if the city ever throws me the argument of my ties being too low pro I could use some other stock cars that come with same profile OEM.

Also I've recently found out about extended auto insurance you can get. But the commercials I been seeing are in the US, and in the one specific commercial I saw for repairs they pay it all up front, you don't have to pay a cent out of your own pocket and wait for reimbursement. What companies or choices do we have here for extended vehicle insurance ?

im using 35 series and im bitching about it already cuz i had 1 rim straightened and it costed me $170. how can u possibly drive with 30 series without bending your rims

^ I had 245/35 up front and 285/30 in the rear before, now I got 35 all around. I did a comparison between the 35 and 30 height, and it wasnt all that much skinnier really. It all depends on the tire brand, I remember seeing another set of tires in a 30 series and they were noticeably skinnier and thinner than the 30 series tires I had.

Good idea, especially when running 22's on a midsize car.

The city ain't gonna fill in the pot holes, they're too cheap.

You know the saying,

"If you want something done, do it yourself".

as in what? put a orange cone there?