Ignoring potholes is one of the biggest mistakes you can make for your vehicle. Sure, you may not notice a lot of damage initially, but drive over these paved roads enough and your car will wear and tear significantly. So much so, that its value could go down by thousands of dollars.
That being said, inspecting your vehicle for damage caused by potholes can be quite challenging – it is not as obvious as damage caused by hits and accidents. However, there is no need to worry as this piece lists down the important car parts you should check for pothole damage. Before we proceed, however, let us discuss what potholes are and how most of them are formed.
Pothole Formation
Potholes are essentially the imperfections you will find on road surfaces and they generally occur whenever the soil underneath the pavement is displaced or becomes weak. This often happens because of the water present inside the soil structure and vehicles driving over the impacted area.
Spring and winter months are quite notorious for pothole formations as running water and ice cause disruption in the base layers beneath the pavement. Once cars start driving over these spots, they damage the pavement, leading to cracks and deformation. If you’ve driven your car over pothole one too many times, consider checking the following parts for damage.
The Tires when hitting a Pothole
Since tires are the only part of your car that comes in contact with the road, it shouldn’t come off as a surprise that they are most susceptible to damage caused by potholes. Generally, potholes have hard, sharp edges, which can cause your tires to compress on impact. This can slice the rubber, or tear the belts holding your tire together.
Wheels
You should always inspect your wheels for pothole damage. If you drove into a big and deep pothole, there is a good chance that your wheels endured a lot of wear and tear. As you would expect, bent wheels have a hard time rolling properly, and not fixing them right away could lead to further damage down the line.
Suspension
Your vehicle’s suspension includes, springs, tire air, linkages, shock absorbers and everything that links your vehicle to the wheels, resulting in relative motion. Companies design the suspension for absorbing impact and making sure your ride is smooth. However, there is a limit to the amount of damage a suspension can handle. Too many jarring hits, especially against potholes can damage your suspension, including things like damaged struts or shocks, worn out ball joints, misalignment and much more.
If you think your vehicle has taken too much pothole damage, make sure you book an appointment with an experienced auto repair service to fix the issues as soon as possible. Doing so will increase your vehicle’s life and make your ride smoother.