Tyred & Emotional - Part 2 - "The Reckoning"

And so it was dear reader that I found myself limping my temporarily-undershod steed in the direction of the local tyre fitting outfit having just been given the brush-off by the big-name service centre... To catch up, read Part One !

Now, the reason I had originally opted to visit said larger outlet was the belief that they'd be more-likely to have a matching tyre in stock to replace the Hankook item I'd seemingly-lunched earlier that morning.

However, as it turned out (again, see part 1 - ed) they weren't in the mood to supply anything short of a dismissive shrug, so it was with a degree less optimism that I turned into the somewhat less palatial premises of the nearby independent..

Tucked into a small yard adjacent to the local railway station, the facilities consist of traditional elongated sheds with a couple of fitting bays - a far more low-key outfit than the opposition but one in which I was to put my faith as I emerged into the still monsoon-like downpour and made a bee-line for the warm glow emanating from the office.

Once under cover, I was buoyed by the friendly nature of the welcome which was markedly-different to that I'd just experienced at tyre retailer no 1. As per my previous encounter, the chap manning the desk was also on the phone, fielding what sounded like a call from someone in a similar situation to myself, but that was where the two experiences began to differ and from my point of view, very much for the better.

You see, as I walked into the office, glasses steamed up from the warmth emanating from the welcome fan heater on the floor, my soon to be new best friend on the phone cupped his hand over the mouthpiece, smiled at me and told me he wouldn't be long on the call.

Now that, as they say is how you do that.

True to his word, he finished the call and I was in business. Explaining the situation and relating my recent less than ideal encounter with the big boys down the road to a rolling of eyes and knowing grin from my oppo, I asked whether he might be able to help me out with a replacement Hankook.

Without even a glance at his old-skool (is that what the kids call it?) CRT box on the desk he told me that not only did he have one on the shelf, if I could hang on 20 minutes whilst the Transit currently occupying one of the bays was sorted out he'd be able to get it fitted & have me on my way ASAP.

So, handing over the keys and the alloy locknut remover, I settled in by the fan heater, demisted my glasses and set about the stack of well-thumbed copies of Auto Express pending the re-shoeing of my wounded steed..

As I idly scanned an article on the forthcoming Tesla 3, I looked up to see that my car was now up on the ramp with the wheel off and a couple of minutes later my presence was requested the other side of the glass.

With more than a degree of trepidation, I put aside Auto Express and with it thoughts of joining the brave new world of zero-emission motoring as I mentally prepared myself for the impending bad news of knackered lower arms or a squared-off alloy but no, for once the news was all good.

They'd had a good look at the wheel and remarkably it was still straight and true and even more remarkably, the tyre itself - despite absorbing the impact through its less than generous sidewall - was still intact, the only thing being broken being the seal with the alloy rim.

And that wasn't all - Skoda, it seems build things to last as they could see no deformation of the suspension nor any damage to either spring or shock-absorber.

They did advise that it might be sensible to get the tracking looked at at some point - something I was intending to do anyway - but other than that I had, seemingly, dodged a bit of a bullet.

Even so, I opted to have the tyre replaced as despite being legal the wear markers on the original item were getting ever more close to being level with the the tread and, well, better safe than sorry, eh?

A short while later, back in the office as I watched the last of the bolts being tightened back onto the freshly-clad (and still circular, thank heavens) alloy, my chum behind the desk asked me if it was a pothole that I'd hit.

Replying in the affirmative with a rueful smile I related the fact that I had only informed the county council of its presence less than 24 hours previously and judging from the number of graphical "!" symbols on the online reporting map it seemed that I wasn't the only one.

Tilting his head a little, he shot me an inquisitive glance:

"It wasn't down The Drive by any chance..?"

"Spot on." says I.

"Ah..figures - you're the fifth we've had in - you should submit a claim, the others have".

As I headed for the door, having said thanks and goodbye, I glanced again at the total at the foot of the invoice, turned back and said:

"You know what, I think I might just do that.."

And with that, I headed back out into the still biblically-damp elements and headed off to London, studiously avoiding The Drive and its lurking hazards and making a mental note to log onto the county council's online claim system once I'd made it to work..

To be continued.

Dave Wakefield

Tyred & Emotional - Part 1

It's unlikely to have escaped your attention unless you've been fortunate to spend Winter in more temperate climes, but over the last couple of months the UK has been subjected to some of the most inclement and Arctic-like weather it's experienced for quite some time.

With temperatures regularly reaching negative double figures and snow and ice bringing the usual chaos to the nation's daily grind, the 'Beast(s) from the East' - as the weather systems responsible were dubbed for headline-grabbing purposes - certainly made an impact as they plunged the nation into what felt at times like an unannounced Ice Age du nos jours..

So, you might be forgiven for feeling that now the snow has melted and icicles no longer cling to the underside of your bumper in the style of a frigid walrus 'tache that you might be permitted to relax, safe in the knowledge that you'd braved the Siberian conditions whilst keeping your automotive pride and joy intact.

Well, not so fast Speedy Gonzales, for of course, after the freeze comes the thaw, and if you were paying attention at school during double Geography all those years ago rather than idly attempting to outdo Pininfarina with fanciful sketches of the next Ferrari Testarossa you'll recall the principles of 'freeze-thaw' or 'frost-weathering' and the sort of damage it can do to solid rock.

And, if a bit of water coupled with sub-zero temperatures can fracture huge great lumps of granite in the mountains of Wales then it follows that the hastily-laid and many-times-patched sections of asphalt currently passing for road surfaces in the UK these days don't stand a chance..

Yes - once again, it's pothole season!

A time for Kwik-Fit shareholders and board members of alloy wheel manufacturers to rub their hands in glee whilst County Council insurance departments up and down the country brace themselves for a tidal wave of claim forms.

And guess who's large diameter, liquorice-wrapped alloy wheel recently encountered a prime example of such a carriageway crater?

Yep..

I wouldn't have minded (alright, actually I would - very much) but I'd only reported this particular bomb hole less than 24 hours previously using Surrey County Council's online system where - I discovered - I was far from the first to do so.

In my defence, it was dark and wet when I dropped my wheel into the hole in question and it was disguised by being full to the brim with water but that didn't lessen the sheer frustration and physical shock that accompanied the filling-loosening crash.

Pulling over further down the lane I emerged into the Stygian gloom and relentless downpour to study the offending appendage by the light of a torch and I was encouraged to see from a cursory glance that the rim didn't appear to be bent. However, the tyre had certainly lost a bit of air so with great care I turned the car around and set off the 500 metres or so back home at a slow and watchful pace, trying to remain positive about the fact that I had only a short distance in which to nurse the car back to the driveway.

A couple of hours later and I'd got the temporary spare on, having removed the alloy which by now was clad in a completely-deflated tyre. Taking a closer look at the rim in the daylight it seemed that fortunately my initial inspection at the side of the road had proven accurate as there didn't seem to be any obvious damage - which was a relief given how easy it is to bend wide, large diameter alloy wheels with their attendant offset. And so, having checked the opening times of the nearby big-name tyre and exhaust place I rocked up as they opened the doors, optimistically (as it turned out) looking forward to getting a replacement tyre fitted and somewhat belatedly getting on my way to work.

And so I stood, waiting for the chap sitting behind his computer terminal to finish his call whilst his four tyre fitter colleagues lounged around behind him, all studiously avoiding making eye contact with me lest they acknowledge my existence until finally the phone call ended and I evidently became visible to the assembled throng - the conversation unfolding thus:

Man behind counter: Yes, can I help? (this being uttered in the sort of tone that seemed to indicate that he dearly wished he couldn't)

Me: I hope so, yes, is there any chance you could fit a tyre for me quickly if I wait, please?

Man behind counter: Sorry, the earliest I can do is next Tuesday. (today is Wednesday)

Me: (looking around at the 4 empty fitting bays, the 4 tea-drinking tyre fitters and the 4 empty job sheets on the desk as well as the empty waiting room)

Really?

Man behind counter: Yeah, it's the Easter weekend - we're fully-booked out I'm afraid.

Me: (looking around once more at the 4 empty fitting bays, the 4 tea-drinking tyre fitters and the 4 empty job sheets on the desk as well as the still very empty waiting room)

Oh, ok..

Man behind counter: You could try (name of local, independent tyre company) down the road - they might be able to help.

Me: OK..thanks, I guess I'll have to. Bye then..

And with this, I exited the empty waiting room, walked past the empty fitting bays and drove off in the direction of the independent tyre company down the road suggested by my oh so helpful chum..

To be continued.. See Part Two

Dave Wakefield

The UK’s ongoing headache with potholes

The RAC have released new data that suggests that drivers in Britain are still having recurring issues with potholes and this is causing a lot of problems. Used Volkswagen provider Inchcape Volkswagen, who offer thorough aftersales services, MOTs and repairs to solve issues such as wheel misalignment and suspension damage, explores…

Between January and March of 2017, the RAC had dealt with almost 7,000 breakdowns that were likely caused by poor road conditions. The last time that so many pothole-related breakdowns were recorded in a three-month period was in the first quarter of 2015 (almost 6,900 breakdowns were recorded then). However, in the early months of 2015, the country was subjected to more days of frost and rainfall when compared to the first three months of 2017, when the nation experienced mild and moderately dry conditions.

“Our figures sadly show a surprising and unwelcome first quarter rise in the number of breakdowns where the poor quality of the road surface was a major factor. We had expected a figure no worse than that recorded in the first quarter of 2016 (4,026) and it is very concerning that the roads, strangely, appear to have deteriorated in a mild, comparatively dry winter.” Commented David Bizley, a chief engineer at the RAC.

But do we actually know how bad these pot holes are in Britain? 

Where are the potholes?

The table below is based on the number of road hazards which were reported to them with research carried out by FillThatHole.org.uk:

Position	Authority	Region	Total reports	Open reports	Fixed reports	% fixed
1	Surrey	SE Eng	7,657	6,473	1,149	15%
2	Hampshire	SE Eng	4,133	3,241	849	21%
3	Essex	SE Eng	3,804	2,912	878	23%
4	Hertfordshire	SE Eng	3,557	3,004	530	15%
5	Kent	SE Eng	3,478	3,105	364	10%
6	Lancashire	NW Eng	3,301	2,484	792	24%
7	Oxfordshire	SE Eng	3,245	2,225	985	31%
8	Glasgow	Scotland	3,059	2,444	601	20%
9	Cheshire East	NW Eng	2,980	2,110	787	27%
10	West Sussex	SE Eng	2,845	2,034	783	28%

... Surrey having almost twice as many reports as the next county, Hampshire.

How many potholes are being filled?

We can see that across England 13,468 potholes were filled throughout 2016/17 by local authorities – in the Asphalt Local Authority Maintenance Survey 2017 - A small percentage of the total number being reported and causing damage (and compensation costs!).

Some local authorities are able to claim that more than 90% of the reported potholes are subsequently fixed... Well done to them!

However, from the table above, it is clear that there are still many places where only 10-15% are being dealt with.

In the past year, in London and South East England, more than 1.6M drivers reported damage to their vehicles. A costly problem.

With the cost of road repairs averaging £163 per pothole in Eastern England, and £124 in London and the South East, you can see why struggling authorities appear to be burying their heads in the sand.

UKMT comments:

My recent drive across several neighbouring nations has convinced me that Britain is now the  pothole capital of Europe.

Travelling mostly on secondary category roads, the equivalent of our A and B roads, I have found French and Spanish roads to be in considerably better condition than ours. 

Ah you say, they have toll roads. Indeed they do, but the toll network of motorways is entirely self financing and in both countries the A and B roads are financed from local taxes and fuel duties.

In our case most of the finances raised by the treasury from road tax, fuel duties, motor insurance levy, vat etc etc does not get spent on the roads. The ring roads are not ring fenced, nor indeed are any of the others!

The government returns a steadily diminishing amount of the taxation to local authorities to keep local roads in good order. Desperately cash strapped councils then divert some of this money to other equally underfunded areas of their responsibility. 

The result is a pathetically small amount of money left for road repairs and, just as bad, no inspectors to check the few works that are done. The inspectors have mostly been made redundant.

I live in Sussex but drive all over, so am certain this sad state of affairs operates throughout most of the UK. 

Every minor road I travel is littered with holes and those few repairs that are carried out are usually of poor quality and often only last a few months. 

We have become a third world country in terms of our roads despite inventing the tarmacadam process ... or at least the Scots did... Thank you Scotland.

According to a recent survey most local authorities now spend more on settling motoring insurance claims for pothole related damage than on repairing the potholes. 

How on earth did we allow successive governments to get us into such a mess? 

Graham Benge

Sources:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/pothole-related-breakdowns-up-despite-mild-weather/

*RAC data reported on at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/pothole-damage-cars-soars-two-thirds-despite-dry-mild-winter/

http://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-2017.pdf 

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table?sort=desc&order=Total+Reports