dohhhh...

 

HOLY S##T!!! You have my sympathies. After driving behind you during the Auto Show Meet, I know you are highly aware and like to manouver around potholes. So this one must have been huge and you had nowhere to go. Please tell me you have the Tire and Wheel Protection Package. I wonder if we can teach our MINI's to do the Sinkil and the Tinikling. I rolled into a crater last week and thankful I and Nila emerged unscathed. Where did this happen?

 

How bad did that sound in the car?

 

I'm assuming thats the one that was leaking???

are you sure you hit a pothole??? that's a huge bend in that rim

 

heh.... try driving down Cicero north of I-90 the freaking road looks like it was hit by a B-52 on a bombing run.

Sorry to hear about the wheel, try contacting IDOT or CDOT (if it was in the city proper) iirc they might reimburse you for the wheel.

 

I was on Peterson eastbound, near the turn onto Ridge (in the city). It was close to the curb so I swerved left, but I had traffic to my left so I did not have enough space to avoid it. No protection package, unfortunately, but I think I made out all right in the end.

I like your suggestion about the tinikling.

Really, really bad. I hit it and was like "Oh, [fudge]."

Yeah, that was the one that couldn't hold air. Honestly, after the incident I stayed away from that lane the next time I drove there, so I couldn't describe it in more detail. In any case, it was a "Super-Lame Imperfection in Road Surface Causing Great Consternation to Its Victims."

Interesting. Having dealt with the city before, and considering my cost to replace the wheel, I don't think the hassle is worth it for me.

 

As badly as I want to put my summer wheels & tires on, I think I'll wait a little while longer and keep using the 15"ers... Sorry to see your rim trashed. :(

 

Let me clarify... CDOT only has jurisdiction over certain roads in the city proper whereas IDOT would have jurisdiction over the rest.

For me its a matter of principle... why should any of us have to pay to fix some caused as a result of poor design, construction, and maintenance that we all pay lots of taxes for?

Roads can be designed to survive the freeze/thaw conditions with less failure its just that the municipalities don't want to pay for proper design and construction. Why? you ask... because they receive federal money to fix the sh*tty roads they built.

 

As it has been for a month, now is the time that those potholes are gonna grow and grow. This morning I noticed a few new large MINI traps on the way to work that I did not notice the day before. Beware all, as I am sure everyone is well aware.

Tough break on the bent rim. That gotta suck. I remember crying over a little curb rash so I can imagine how this feels. So what's the damage done to the pocket book? I imagine its at least a few hundo.

Don't forget Chicago likes to build roads so that they can rebuild them later. It's just the way its done. Job security i guess.

 

I have driven my MINI very little the last 3 or 4 months. I am having MINI withdrawal and am dying to get back to regular use of it. But these potholes have me worried. I don't think I have ever seen a winter as brutal to the roads as this one. Patching doesn't seem to be enough for a lot of the roads. Many seem to need a complete re-paving. Some stretches are like one big pothole running right along the path of where your tires travel the road.

Of course proper fixing will not happen. At least not any time soon. I don't know how they will ever be able to take care of the roads. Do you think we need to raise taxes? Its not like they haven't been raised a ton lately. So I will sooner or later take my chances.

 

click here to file a claim for your rim... it takes you to the City Clerk of CHGO website to get the form online...

 

I actually stay off of Golf Rd (especially eastbound) and Central Rd near OCC because of the potholes. I end up going up to Lake Ave/Euclid because the roads are smooth...

 

Good suggestions Francis, Thanks

 

The Dundee bridge in Northbrook going over i-94 is horrible in my to quote a NAM member "boat-like" Charget R/T. I can only imagine how much worse it would be in a MINI.

And yeah Golf Rd. is a piece. Although it seems we've had a greater frequency of freeze/thaw cycles than in previous years and that certainly hasn't helped.

 

Interesting that the rim has another, smaller dent opposite the large one. Based on that, I would say.... carry the 1, divide by Pi, multiply the radius over 5.... that pothole was about 22 inches wide.

And hey, I would definitely attempt to collect from the DOT, but don't turn the claim into the insurance company. Striking a pothole is considered a collision claim, not comp. And since it's a one-vehicle accident, it is an at-fault accident. Probably wouldn't exceed your Collision deductible anyway.

 

Golf Rd is like that every year... especially going east from OCC... they jusy keep pn filling those holes. then water sits in them and potholes form again.

btw... if you're going to take Lake Ave... it bottlenecks at the 294 overpass due to construction... if you're heading east in the morning on Lake, I would cut off at Milwaukee and jog over to Glenview Rd if the back-up is really bad... GV Rd isn't too bad in the mornings.

 

yah, that's probably a good idea. my commuter needs an alignment
but im waiting for the roads to get fixed more first.

 

speaking of the 294 overpass... have you seen the road construction on that puppy?!

That road waylooks to be 2 layers of 6-8" concrete on top of an asphalt base! It looks like it could withstand getting nuked from orbit! :D

Serioulsy impressed with the quality/speed of the civil work that IDOT is putting into the 294 construction project.

 

I haven't been on 294 too much lately... by the time I get on (at Golf Rd) heading north, I'm past most of the construction.. except for Willow Rd. it just seems like the area between ORD and Dempster on 294 has been under construction forever. When I've been on 294, I've been in a cab

 

294 just south of OHare is a good place to test/setup your suspension.
if you can get your car low enough without going boing boing
boing booyoyoing, at 65mph, your car is basically setup for street.

 

I sent the bill for the alignment and a few other goodies not covered, to Indiana Dept of Trans with a tort claim form they sent me, as well as pics of the holes, and pics of the rims which were repaired. New tires on the front now, and the tire/wheel insurance has paid for itself! I had two left side wheels bent similarly to these. Hope you find some satisfaction. I have not heard back from DOT, yet.

 

The smaller dent was from another mishap in December... *hangs head in shame*

I never considered filing an insurance claim for precisely the reasons you mentioned. (Incidentally, your posts on insurance have proved very educational for me... I immediately went and changed my deductibles and liability based on one of your posts--my agent agreed completely with your reasoning.) Anyway, I was able to get a hold of an inexpensive used rim (S-lites are a dime a dozen around these parts), and I used this as an excuse to put on a set of new tires (my old set was nearing end-of-life), so I'm satisfied with the resolution. No need (in my opinion) to chase the city (or state) down for the money.

Now, maybe if I were to get an estimate for strut tower mushrooming...

 

Last night heading home from ORD, another vehicle hit a pothole on 294 south just underneath the oasis. Tire blew and a small chunk hit my lower front bumper taking out my inbumper fog with it.

I have to say, the city is like a 3rd world country when it comes to pavement.

 

Yeah, I have my MINI stored in a garage somewhere near Midway, and with the conditions on cicero from 55 south, I think it will stay there until everyone of the potholes (you really need a hummer) are at least somewhat repaired. I have the 2 piece rims, and got the wheel protection insurance, but I would rather not have to use it.