HELP!! How to get money from council for damage to my car?

[Danny-ACE!]

Went under a bridge today that i go under quite alot. Its in the centre of town on a road called Springfield road. I was the first at the traffic lights to go under.
Went green so I pulled off.
Half way through and !!BANG!!BANG!! my car jumped in the air.

I looked back and saw white smoke and thought that I had cracked another sump so I pulled over to check. It was fine. I got back in my car and found that it was pulling to the left really badly, steering wheel was rumbling and knocking.

So I pulled over again and found my tyre was flat.

What shall I do?
What department of the council should contact.
Shall I ring them of write a letter?
Where can I get a new rim from?
What if its damaged other things? wishbone,subframe,trackrod end, blah blah blah.

:( :( :(

Also to add to my bad luck, I was driving the other day and my gearbox mount snapped even though Its fitted with an R19 mount to prevent this from happening for the 2nd time. I suspect that my right CV joint has gone aswell.

I cant afford to keep fixing this car and I think that when I have fixed everything i will have to sell it. I really dont want to but i cant afford it anymore.

[Robb]

You can't sell it on another note my fiesta is for sale! now thats realiable I dont think you'll get anything out of the council and if you do it'll take months.

[Swervin_Mervin]

You can try your hardest. I did, and a few colleagues that have damaged their cars have, but IME you won't get diddly. Colleague even had the Highway Law books out.

[drsmith1979]

The council only has to prove that they have done everything required of them and according to some programs and research, they have 12months to check various roads for damage, so i doubt you will get anywhere, however, ring up the council and find out!

stick it to the man!

[Robb]

I'd write a letter it's cheaper and may get you better reasults than pestering on the phone. You can also explain everything, also unclude photos as evidence would be a good idea.

[nyk]

Depends on what has caused the damage, was it a hole in the road???

Ligitimate claims will be paid out by your councils insurance policy - but you will need to provide photographic evidence of the obstacle which has caused the damage and quotes for the repairs.

You need to contact the highways department of the council - they will advise you on their procedures for such things, generally its to put it in writing with all your evidence.

BUT be warned, if your car is ridiculously low or anything like that- you wont get nothing.

[Robb]

BUT be warned, if your car is ridiculously low or anything like that- you wont get nothing.

[nath]

I narrowly missed this 'hole' the other day, even a std car with 60 profiles would have been damaged in someway. its about 2.5"'s deep, and a foot square, all this water recently hasnt helped, its a single file unlit 30ft bridge, it was hard to spot untill the last minuite, Im sure other people will be complaing so get a letter wrote.

nathan

[Andy P]

Get back and take some pics of the hole asap dude and a story of what happened and what has broke etc.

Nyk is probably right about the decked thing though

[Tullyvernon]

I know a few people who burst tyres, and bent rims, and they just took pics of the damage, the pot hole or whatever, and got three quotes to make right the damage, and they got sorted out no bother.