Oh b*ll*cks

[sulphur]

Mrs an I went for a random drive the other night, out of pure boredom really. Headed up out of bolton towards belmont way, don't know the area exactly but when passing an oncoming car on a narrow road, as i went as close to the edge as i had to I hit one mother of a pothole. Car hasn't felt right since, and after talkin to a few mates I expected the spring had gone since the pass front was sitting slightly lower, and the wheels was rubbin when I turned. So I went out today thinkin it was a straight forward swap, suspension off and put on the fk coilys I have in the shed..found this instead

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr3/rainingsulphur/CIMG0117.jpg


Is it possible to claim this from the council if I get a photo of the hole in the road? The bay isn't the mintest, infact its the other side thats worse, but surely to christ this comes from a severe hole in the road.I got laid off last week so really can't afford **** to go wrong with the car. Mainly though, is it repairable and is it cheaply repairable?

cheers lads:thumb:

[AlexW]

One word : wow.

Never seen that before, could problery jack up the car and weld it back on presuming its not TOO rotten. The council will problery say take it up with your insurance (instant write off) And i would have thought that it wont be the council anyways, but the highways agency should be the ones.

If you make sence of that good, im too tired lol

[Andy]

I think you will have a hard time proving it happened on said hole.
That looks as though it just wants welding back on although its hard to say without seeing it all

[AlexW]

Can always sell the car to me lol

[M4RCM16v]

this happend to a friend of mines, yeah it'll weld down no probs im sure there only spot welded from factory anyway, best get the camber/tracking checked afterwards tho,

[sulphur]

Decent offer and you can take it the way I feel just now. Just as I got the carbs set up, and the engine running sweet as hell...this happens. Not impressed to say the least, stupid heap o ****e

[stevenf]

that looks easily repairable. mate done the same but his was rotten quite badly and we managed to repair that :thumb:

[Plug]

unlucky mate unless you go through insurance the council will just blam you

[General Baxter]

well done lol,

i hit a giant pot hole last night, im running that low 100mm + the tyre ****ed off the wing and bent the wing out lol

[sulphur]

I thought it I read a thread on here where some guy broke a suspension arm or something, and claimed it from the council 'cos of a low manhole lid or something. Thought it was possible to do the same with this. If I go through insurance, reckon they'd write it off? Do I get to keep the car if they write it off? lol Would be handy to reshell.

[AlexW]

They will write it off because its a nova.

You can keep the car but will have some of the money reduced, IMO not worth it. Eather pay a garage to do it or sell the car on to somone and buy another nova

[sulphur]

Wouldn't get enough to justify selling it. It owes me too much as it is. An with the price of novas now, I couldn't buy another one. lol

[NovaLad]

I hit a pot hole 2 nights ago the car wasn't driving well and no air in the tyre so i put it away in the garage and left it there..

CBA with it right now at all!

Got to change the alternator and starter motor plus maybe the rotor in the distributor cap aswell.

[twistysnovagte]

wow thats scary mate,ive seen worse turret area's than this,could be a case of jacking the car up(as said) removing everything necessery,clean all the seams around the area and weld it back on,shouldnt be too big of a job if your semi-skilled in mechanics etc,wouldnt even bother with the council,although its worth a try,but if your directed to your insurance then id just take the work on yourself,its just one of many problems associated to the nova ie.rust.:( good luck,let us know how you get on:)

[hybridturbo]

Worth putting a claim in because your out of work but normally they look at it like this.

"If they dont know about the problem how can they fix it" So if someone else has rang up and reported it you could be in for a payout, otherwise they will just fix the hole in the road.

[General Baxter]

just tell them, when you got out to check the car you fell down the hole and broke your face, they will soon fix it lol

[Riggy]

gutted fella , but log on to www.potholes.co.uk , gives info on how to claim etc on there


as said though might be fixable , need someone good with a welder though

[BIGS]

Well if you dont care what it looks like you maybe could do what i have. Ive cut the whole inner arch out and fabricated and box sectioned it. Then with the box section you could weld it to the turret and plate it. then you might not be able to tell :confused:

[sulphur]

you bought a welder didnt you riggy;)

[Riggy]

yeah i got one mate , welcome to use it if you know someone who can weld lol

[brainsnova]

i can talk a good weld. lol

[BIGS]

what about burgo?

[sulphur]

bleh, reckon it's a big job repairing it? Not arsed what it looks like aslong as its solid enough.

[BIGS]

well do you want me to post what ive done, obvious you would have to do it abit diffrent. but i think it would work very well

[sulphur]

If you don't mind mate, sounds interesting? Is there much work involved? Need it done on a budget really.

[BIGS]

Well ill find my pic now, be about 5 or so mins. na its not hard at all. just need to make sure you line it up. Ive still got the templates somewhere so can help you with that aswell

[Mike]

Fook me thats impressive to say the least!

On another note, its a pish easy fix chap.

[BIGS]

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/innerarchesboxsection002.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/innerarchesboxsection004.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/moreworkdonetothe2ltr001.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine033.jpg

then i added this plate
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine034.jpg

and then i added the rest of the plates to give it a smooth look but also its has helped with strengh
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine035.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine036.jpg

And under this plate is welded aload of the seems as you wont see it so dont matter what it looks like but it wont be going anywhere!
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine038.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine039.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/backoftheengine037.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff314/b17ova/2ltr/2ltrbits043.jpg

Hope this helps you abit. if you need any other pic of angles ect just ask

[sulphur]

Might sound stupid but is was there alot of work required in that? I've never welded before but i'm up for havin' a go.

[BIGS]

tbh the welding would be no difrrence in welding anything else, the main thing is make sure it its all a perfect fit. i spent ages making templates so i can just fit them in place, tac them then weld together.

[sulphur]

I've never welded before, but i'm guessing it's just a case of doing it evenly. I'll have to get the car up on stands tomorrow, remove the suspension etc in the area n see if it'll knock back down into place. Welding isn't that difficult is it?

[BIGS]

If you have never welded before then yes. you would need to practice or get someone else to do it

[sulphur]

Anyone fancy it? Anyone got some rough price guides at what I'd be lookin' at to have someone do it?

[Jack]

The council will problery say take it up with your insurance (instant write off) And i would have thought that it wont be the council anyways, but the highways agency should be the ones.
Will be the council, and they may not write the car off if they deem the council is at fault.


Do I get to keep the car if they write it off? lol Would be handy to reshell.
Depends, if they do a cat C or D you should have the option to buy it back. Cat A or B is scrap only, and tbh its a toss up between B and C, as they may consider the fact its torn a suspension mount away from the car to be structural damage beyond safe repair.


I hit a pot hole 2 nights ago the car wasn't driving well and no air in the tyre so i put it away in the garage and left it there.
Put air in it then? lol

[Adam]

If youve never welded before, dont start on something as structural as that!

[sulphur]

RJ, if I rang insurance up and told them what happened if they declare it a cat A or B, do I have the option to withdraw the claim? Or would I be stuck with that as the final say. Is it worth ringing them up to see which cat they'd put it in, and see if it's worth it?

[Jack]

You can't really retract a claim, as if they deem it to be unsafe they will refuse to insure it.

If you're concerned, take a visit to an insurance approved bodyshop, show them the pictures, and see what they say. If they call it a cat C (uneconomical but repairable), ask them to give the car a proper look and give you a written statement - that way if the insurance company try it on as a cat B you can argue against it.

[sulphur]

So with a cat C what pay out would I expect? Enough to cover repairs? Or just standard book price for a nova?

[Dod]

I say bring it up woth a local counciller. THere have been instances locally where cars damaged through potholes have had py outs with no insurance claim. But and I know it sounds stupid, you need to get photos of said pothole, damage to your car and something in writing from some form or engineer stating that yes the damage is blaa blaa and was caused soley by blaa blaa blaa. THey should then with a matter of weeks process and give you a few quid.

Its not irrepairable mate, in fact its very repairable since the surrounding ares seems to be prety solid and rust free. A 1/2 decent welder should have that done in a few hours.

[nova_saloon]

thats pretty cool

[Jack]

Its not irrepairable mate, in fact its very repairable since the surrounding ares seems to be prety solid and rust free. A 1/2 decent welder should have that done in a few hours.
Oh very much so, my comments about write offs were from an insurance point of view. It is, as WE know, an easy repair as long as the strut top itself isn't bent out of shape.

[sulphur]

Strut top is fine mate, suspension is still atatched and it even still drives, it looks like a clean sheer or as if it's just popped off.

In all seriousness, which would be the best way to go about it? Or mainly which would be the cheapest?

[brainsnova]

Strut top is fine mate, suspension is still atatched and it even still drives, it looks like a clean sheer or as if it's just popped off.

In all seriousness, which would be the best way to go about it? Or mainly which would be the cheapest?

push it back into place and seam weld it.

[Dod]

No, have a qualified Mechanic or welder do an Estimate for the work involved and make sure they're qualified or it wont be worth anything. THen submit the Quote with written details of whats happened, photographic evidence of the Cars damage and the offending Pothole. Hand it in to your local Council office and ask who deals with these issues and ask to speak to them. Tell them what you want, ask how soon can they come back to you and be sure to get a name and number for that person. If they havent contacted you when they said they would, give them one day and ring. If you cant get them, call to their office. Dont let it go mate, this is the councils fault. They're more than happy to take your money.

[Spudly]

A similar thing happened to my mate with his cav turbo a few years back he ummed and ahhed over going to the council as it popped his tyre and ate one of his wheels, he went to go take a photo or five of the hole and its position on the road and a repair crew appeared to fill it in whilst he was there they were trying to get started before he could get decent pics as they let slip someone else had claimed for a damaged wheel and they were to repair it before anyone else did.

He was lucky as once its been repaired or even just filled as a temp measure there is nothing you can do so get pics asap then decide if youre gonna claim or not as you will lose out if its fixed before you decide to get some!

[sulphur]

Right so I'm off hunting a mechanic for a written quote with details of work involved, pictures of the hole, pictures of the damage and a written explanation of what happened...written by myself I assume?

Cheers boys

[Dod]

Yeah, a brief explination about what happened. Make sure whoever supplies you with the quote will be quallified and reputable, not average Joe with an Arc Welder.

[sulphur]

Nah nah, i'll go to a local garage tomorrow n get a proper quote.

[Nobby]

so by looking at the pics im assuming that its just "poped off" ie the struts moving around the engine bay as such and when you remove the top mount after jacking the car up it will be free in your hand? if so piss easy job to repair but its getting it bang on so it doesnt affect the camber etc. Ther should be similar lines from where is came off? For a quick fix it would be as said line it back up and make sure the weld gets decent penetration.(Tack it into position 1st). foooking impressive though not seen that before - forget insurance councul etc wasting your time, they will say oooh another boy racer in a nova trying to claim etcetc good luck anyway!!

[sulphur]

Its not moving freely, it's still connected at the side of the wing area, i've not gone as far as taking the top mount off yet, but it looks to be connected still on the said side. But yeah, literally just popped off. I'll have another look tomorrow see what's what and if it comes off freely. Gonna try the council, it's worth a try anyway, as it must've been one hell of a hole to do that. (actually hurt when I hit it)

[ben doodar]

Mrs an I went for a random drive the other night, out of pure boredom really,

:roll: any one else thinking "doggin?"

nah dosnt look to hard to fix, dosnt really look rotton from the pics.

[sulphur]

I had to keep it clean. Can't put a help thread in 18+ now can I?;)

[BIGS]

depends what pics you post ;)

[Jack]

not seen that before
I have. There's been a couple of Novas posted on here before that have had the same problem.

Tack welding ftw.