Wheel fell off car on motorway

AdrianC

manc187 wrote: »

Iceweaesal-
I've just double checked and my car model doesn't actually have tpms.

Which raises the question of, if you've spent the last two months thinking it did, when did you last check the pressure with a gauge?

Iceweasel

manc187 wrote: »

Iceweaesal-
I've just double checked and my car model doesn't actually have tpms.

That's interesting - I thought that you would have.

Is there a spare wheel - or is there a compressor kit with a bottle of latex sealer-fluid then?

Does it say SSR anywhere on the sidewall of those Continental ContiSportContact3 tyres?

If that rear tyre (run-flat or not) has been ran for a while at low pressure then it would eventually fail - possibly with the resulting loss of control you experienced.

All the visible damage in the pics, including to the inner edge of the wheel, could be the result of hitting the barrier.

Or the wheel could have been damaged before you bought the car of course and the evidence would only be noticeable if the wheel was removed.

The front off-side wheel has been badly kerbed, and the pressure looks low - is that new damage too, caused by the spin?

AdrianC

Iceweasel wrote: »

The front off-side wheel has been badly kerbed, and the pressure looks low - is that new damage too, caused by the spin?

The front bumper's fairly well scraped from hitting the barrier - I suspect that's impact damage.

photome

The damage to the inside could have been caused by straddling speed humps.

I have seen a few tyres down to the inner threads due to to speed hump damage yet i see probably 99% of drivers straddling them rather than slowing down and driving with one wheel going over them

I know of someone who was in a non fault accident that caused injury but on inpsection he had exactly the problem described above and it cost him close on £1000
sorry last bit was off topic but just highlighting the point

arcon5

manc187 wrote: »

My question is:
Let's assume that this damage was caused days before the accident/blowout
As a responsible car driver/user I periodically check my tyre pressure and check for any damage etc. but how could I expect to be aware of the damage on the photo on the inside of the wheel without removing the wheels completely or having an inspection pit at home?

Whether others agree or not I don't care, but there is also an element of luck when it comes to driving. If you check your car regularly, have a professional offer an opinion each year (usually in the form of an MOT and a service), then there isn't really much more you can do! You obviously seem to a responsible and level headed car owner, so imo you shouldn't be kicking yourself too hard, could've happened to any of us, just be pleased it was only a car and some barriers damaged and not you or somebody else.

manc187

AdrianC wrote: »

The front bumper's fairly well scraped from hitting the barrier - I suspect that's impact damage.

Damge to front wheel was definely caused by collision.
When you buy a new/nearly new car you are aware of any little scrape/scratch that is on the car or you subsequently get and I can honestly say that the front wheel was in near mint condition before accident/collision.

manc187

I received a call from the repair garage today....apparently its going to cost c. £5.8k to repair.....they are just waiting for my insurer to give the go ahead or not!!
I get the feeling it may be written off!

force_ten

manc187 wrote: »

I received a call from the repair garage today....apparently its going to cost c. £5.8k to repair.....they are just waiting for my insurer to give the go ahead or not!!
I get the feeling it may be written off!

might not be a bad thing because would you ever be happy if they repaired it and you got it back?

manc187

force ten..
I know exactly where you're coming from!
I was speaking to my neighbour today about it and I said to him that if they repaired it I'm not sure that i'd feel too good about driving it again considering what had happened - it would always be in the back of mind!
On the other hand though if the insurers decided to write it off I probably wouldn't be able to replace it with a car of similar age, spec and mileage etc with the money they will give me.

force_ten

manc187 wrote: »

force ten..
I know exactly where you're coming from!
I was speaking to my neighbour today about it and I said to him that if they repaired it I'm not sure that i'd feel too good about driving it again considering what had happened - it would always be in the back of mind!
On the other hand though if the insurers decided to write it off I probably wouldn't be able to replace it with a car of similar age, spec and mileage etc with the money they will give me.

lets hope if they do declare it total loss they offer you a fair market price for it