Claim for broken spring due to pothole

[AnthonyUK]

Has anyone successfully claimed against their local council for a broken spring?

I know the W203 is prone to them but this is a rear and only two years old.
It is made by Sachs and has broken at a mid-point where there is no rust damage.

 

[Blobcat]

Unless you can say which pothole it was and that the pothole had previously been reported and they were aware of it, it is unlikely that you'd be successful

Likewise MB aren't going to cover it as they've no idea where or how you drive

Very much agree it shouldn't break I've had 2 broken fronts and 2 broken rears on my SLK

 

[AnthonyUK]

I'll check later if it has been marked. I saw it too late in the rain to avoid as it would have meant going into the oncoming lane.
It is also just on the other side of a speed bump which seems to double the damage.

 

[rorywquin]

Unless you can say which pothole it was and that the pothole had previously been reported and they were aware of it, it is unlikely that you'd be successful

Likewise MB aren't going to cover it as they've no idea where or how you drive

Very much agree it shouldn't break I've had 2 broken fronts and 2 broken rears on my SLK

I’ve never had broken springs (bearing in mind that I have lived/worked in many places with terrible roads) until one went on our B-Class this year (~50k miles)

To be fair, this is probably the longest I’ve ever owned the same car so there may be some correlation.

I expect that the quality is not the same as it used to be.

 

[ajlsl600]

Has anyone successfully claimed against their local council for a broken spring?

I know the W203 is prone to them but this is a rear and only two years old.
It is made by Sachs and has broken at a mid-point where there is no rust damage.

Don't see wots got 2 do with council I pay the state if not I can't use road, they can call it wot they like case is with the state. They collect the tax and fuel taxes shud be claiming from them, if their subbie (council) does not fix roads in the area let state take that matter up with them not me. I buy my telly in dixons I don't go to sainsbury's when it breaks???

 

[ajlsl600]

I’ve never had broken springs (bearing in mind that I have lived/worked in many places with terrible roads) until one went on our B-Class this year (~50k miles)

To be fair, this is probably the longest I’ve ever owned the same car so there may be some correlation.

I expect that the quality is not the same as it used to be.

Don't suspect quality ain't the same, we are near all finding that out daily!!!!! It 4 sure ain't the same.....

 

[rorywquin]

Has anyone successfully claimed against their local council for a broken spring?

I know the W203 is prone to them but this is a rear and only two years old.
It is made by Sachs and has broken at a mid-point where there is no rust damage.

Problem will be to prove their liability. A bit like getting payment for damaged alloys.

 

[00slk]

We successfully claimed off the council, as they are in charge of road repairs, when we damaged our SL in a pot hole. As long as you take note of the whereabouts, position, time of day, whether pot hole is visible from drivers seat, measurements of the pot hole, photos, also if it has been marked with yellow paint, signage stating 'humps' before hand. You will also need to provide quotes or receipts for damage etc from reputable repairers.
Then once you have done all this, send your information to the council who will direct it to the appropriate team for exceptance and wait for their reply.
It can be a long winded process, most will give up the hassle.....except my wife and I.
The council were pretty good, as this invisible pothole wasn't visible from the drivers seat on the brow of a hill and was marked for repairs, but never done because it wasn't urgent being on a B road, and no signage alerting of pothole.
Though we had wheel, tyre, suspension and front bumper damage.......it was a proper pot hole
Good luck

 

[KennyN]

Is the wheel or tyre damaged ?

Unusual to snap a spring (unless corroded) and not damage a anything else , especially as the strut has bump stops to prevent the spring compressing too much.

K

 

[Chris9369]

Earlier this year, I successfully claimed against the council when I hit a large pothole and destroyed two tyres on the nearside and damaged the wheels too. The County Council are responsible for the local roads and the Highways agency are responsible for "A" roads and motorways. The pothole had been previously marked with paint so the council were aware of it. I successfully claimed for the total cost of the recovery truck, refurbishment of two wheels and four wheel alignment afterwards. As for the tyres, taking into consideration wear, they paid for 50% cost of the front tyre which was about 50% worn and 85% of the cost of the rear tyre which had minimal wear due to being replaced a short time ago after a puncture. So all in all they paid me back almost £800. after a total outlay of about £930. so not too bad. This was in my Jaguar, not the SL. The process took just over 3 months from start to finish and most of it could be done online apart from sending the "original documents" through the post. They did need a lot of information, proof of insurance, servicing history and photographs of the pot hole, etc. but working through it, it was not too daunting.

 

[rorywquin]

..........
It can be a long winded process, .............
.............

I think this is intentional to wear the claimants down.

Similar to those “Cashback” schemes where it takes a continuous effort to get what you are owed and I think most people will give up. Imagine 10s of 1000s of people not bothering to hassle over a tenner. Mine was close to £100-00 so I persevered.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

The responsibility varies depending on type of road:

Claim for damage to your vehicle

Apply for compensation for damage to your vehicle - report the damage, fill in the damage report form, provide evidence

www.gov.uk

I the damage is >£100 II’d be inclined to make a claim, a photo will be required, a reference point on the road and a quote for the repair

 

[SL63 Mark]

Not sure how can you prove a pothole broke the spring. You can sometimes claim for a bent alloy, but that is clearly due to pothole damage, as you can see the effect of the pothole on the wheel. A spring is different. They can snap anytime, due to metal fatigue. I think the connection is too tenuous.

 

[sailorjim]

Not sure how can you prove a pothole broke the spring. You can sometimes claim for a bent alloy, but that is clearly due to pothole damage, as you can see the effect of the pothole on the wheel. A spring is different. They can snap anytime, due to metal fatigue. I think the connection is too tenuous.

All four went on my W203 (not all at once) over 56,000 miles. Not unusual apparently, something to do with water lying in the bottom mounting cup and corroding the bottom few inches, or so it was explained to me. Also the quality of the springs fitted just after the start of the century, along with a few other bits was said to be a bit questionable. Used to about £100 a corner but probably more now. That's life.

 

[AnthonyUK]

All four went on my W203 (not all at once) over 56,000 miles. Not unusual apparently, something to do with water lying in the bottom mounting cup and corroding the bottom few inches, or so it was explained to me. Also the quality of the springs fitted just after the start of the century, along with a few other bits was said to be a bit questionable. Used to about £100 a corner but probably more now. That's life.

I can see where it has broken and it is not the usual place. They are not expensive at £70-80 a pair and relative straightforward to change.
I guess it is just this model as I've never know any car to have such an issue with springs.