2015 BMW 118i advice sought after hitting a pothole

[125i Driver]

Hi there

I am new to the forum and I'm hoping you guys can provide me with some advice.

My wife has a 2015 BMW 118i (F20) with 31000km on the clock; the car is under Motorplan and also comprehensively insured.
She hit a pothole (more like a crater) on the road yesterday, whilst driving at around 45km/h.
The pothole was around 6cm deep and around 4 meters in width. This means all four wheels struck the pothole.

I want to be certain that no damage has been sustained to the vehicle's suspension (eg, control arms bent, welding between the chassis and suspension has not become undone, or any other suspension or steering mechanism damage), so I think it is best to have the vehicle inspected by a BMW dealer.

I am an honest guy and want to do things the right way without prejudicing myself.
So do I take the car to a BMW dealer and explain the above pothole incident and have them inspect the car' suspension ?
Will doing so incur a charge for the inspection of the suspension and will it negatively affect the Motorplan in any way ?

Or do i take the car to a BMW dealer and simply request an inspection to the vehicle's suspension ? If I take this route will they not ask why I want the suspension inspected and how would I answer that ?

Also, can I trust a BMW dealership to provide me with an accurate assessment as to whether any damage has been sustained or not ?
Will they be trigger happy to replace parts even though no damage has been sustained ?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you

 

[ET was here]

isn't that what MP is for ..?
Peace of mind, and minimum additional expenses

take it BMW, let them inspect, repair and replace under MP cost

 

[Riaad]

Hi there

I am new to the forum and I'm hoping you guys can provide me with some advice.

My wife has a 2015 BMW 118i (F20) with 31000km on the clock; the car is under Motorplan and also comprehensively insured.
She hit a pothole (more like a crater) on the road yesterday, whilst driving at around 45km/h.
The pothole was around 6cm deep and around 4 meters in width. This means all four wheels struck the pothole.

I want to be certain that no damage has been sustained to the vehicle's suspension (eg, control arms bent, welding between the chassis and suspension has not become undone, or any other suspension or steering mechanism damage), so I think it is best to have the vehicle inspected by a BMW dealer.

I am an honest guy and want to do things the right way without prejudicing myself.
So do I take the car to a BMW dealer and explain the above pothole incident and have them inspect the car' suspension ?
Will doing so incur a charge for the inspection of the suspension and will it negatively affect the Motorplan in any way ?

Or do i take the car to a BMW dealer and simply request an inspection to the vehicle's suspension ? If I take this route will they not ask why I want the suspension inspected and how would I answer that ?

Also, can I trust a BMW dealership to provide me with an accurate assessment as to whether any damage has been sustained or not ?
Will they be trigger happy to replace parts even though no damage has been sustained ?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you

Howsit man, Welcome to the forum:thumbs: Head here : New Members Introduction Area and post some pics:thumbs:

I would say visit your local dealer, say that there is a knock or funny sound which you suspect is coming from the suspension, they will assess it and give you a report, for a detailed report on the chassis etc, the car may need to visit the ARC (approved repair centre) as not every dealer has specialist equipment.

If the car does feel different on the road, maybe get the wheels inspected by your local tyre shop:thumbs:

 

[MR_Y]

Hi,

If you hit the pothole on a national road or a road serviced by a municipality, you can claim for the full damages (tyre + resultant mechanical damage). I claimed from the JRA for 1 damaged tyre. It took a few months, but they covered me for 2 tyres (the damaged tyre replacement and the opposite good tyre that had to be replaced to even out the tread wear pattern on the axle)

Check out this for the JRA:

Processing can take a minimum of 8 weeks.
The claim form is here:
http://www.jra.org.za/customer-service/vehicle-damage

You need the following supporting documentation when claiming:

1.) Police affidavit
2.) Copy of driver’s license of the claimant (in case of vehicle damage)
3.) Vehicle registration documents (in case of vehicle damage)
4.) Copy of ID
5.) Photos of the damage to the car (in case of vehicle damage)
6.) 3 Quotations or invoice/proof of payment
7.) Letter from insurance company confirming that the claim was not logged to own insurance/Affidavit of non-insurance.
8.) Doctors report if there is personal injury

I followed this process and my claim was accepted, no questions asked.

 

[125i Driver]

isn't that what MP is for ..?
Peace of mind, and minimum additional expenses

take it BMW, let them inspect, repair and replace under MP cost

Hi

Thank you for the reply.

My concern is if I take it to a BMW dealer and inform them that the car hit a pothole, and I want them to inspect the suspension and steering components they may say any damage sustained is not covered under the Motorplan.

---

---

Howsit man, Welcome to the forum:thumbs: Head here : New Members Introduction Area and post some pics:thumbs:

I would say visit your local dealer, say that there is a knock or funny sound which you suspect is coming from the suspension, they will assess it and give you a report, for a detailed report on the chassis etc, the car may need to visit the ARC (approved repair centre) as not every dealer has specialist equipment.

If the car does feel different on the road, maybe get the wheels inspected by your local tyre shop:thumbs:

Hi

Thank you for the reply.

When you say ARC (approved repair centre) are you referring to a BMW approved panelbeater, or are you referring to certain BMW dealerships that have the said specialist equipment to inspect the chassis, suspension and steering components ?

---

Hi,

If you hit the pothole on a national road or a road serviced by a municipality, you can claim for the full damages (tyre + resultant mechanical damage). I claimed from the JRA for 1 damaged tyre. It took a few months, but they covered me for 2 tyres (the damaged tyre replacement and the opposite good tyre that had to be replaced to even out the tread wear pattern on the axle)

Check out this for the JRA:

Processing can take a minimum of 8 weeks.
The claim form is here:
http://www.jra.org.za/customer-service/vehicle-damage

You need the following supporting documentation when claiming:

1.) Police affidavit
2.) Copy of driver’s license of the claimant (in case of vehicle damage)
3.) Vehicle registration documents (in case of vehicle damage)
4.) Copy of ID
5.) Photos of the damage to the car (in case of vehicle damage)
6.) 3 Quotations or invoice/proof of payment
7.) Letter from insurance company confirming that the claim was not logged to own insurance/Affidavit of non-insurance.
8.) Doctors report if there is personal injury

I followed this process and my claim was accepted, no questions asked.

Hi

Thank you for the detailed reply on the process of claiming from the roads authorities.
Appreciate it. I am at the initial stage of first determining if any damage was indeed sustained to the vehicle's suspension, steering, chassis etc.
If damage did occur to the vehicle I can then proceed with repairs etc.

 

[peanut125i]

Bmw motorplan is not responsible for accident damage. So if they see it and they most likely will you are better off contacting your insurance and have them sort it out or claim from the municipality. Don't know what area you are in but the easiest is go to a reputable wheel and tire shop and have them do balancing and wheel alignment and then have a look and see if anything is damaged.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[momo1]

how is the car driving after the impact?
any rattles, looseness, shudder?

I would take it to a BMW Dealer and have them thoroughly inspect it for you, you will most likely be charged for this..
if they do find anything then hand it over to your insurance.

My dad had something like this a few years ago, buckled 2 wheels and tyres popped, insurance sent a flat bed and car was towed to Danmar, it was inspected,diagnosed and fixed by them, we only paid the excess when collecting the car.

 

[NtandoN]

My front left shock moved out of place two or so weeks after I hit a pothole. Inner part of tyre was scraping against strut. Took it to BMW, they said motorplan cannot cover as it's not a technical fault and was probably caused by pothole. They gave me a quote for repairs, then I went to insurance and they paid for the repairs.

 

[tman]

You pay your insurance, let them sort it out.

Sent on the move using Tapatalk

 

[zippy320]

Dont waste your time , contact your insurance , let them look at the car , and sort things out from there , you might not see it but if the hit was hard and all 4 tires hit that hole , you may have 4 damaged wheels and tires as well as some unseen undercarriage damaged . Going to BMW , Going to Tyre / Wheel places is just going to waste your time . That is unless you don't wish to do the repair through your insurance . But If the cars not behaving properly , Rather have your insurance take care of the repair . You don't want to end up with uneven Tyre wear or suspension failure due to cracked suspension parts or torn mountings etc. You might have to file a police report for this for your insurance claim.

 

[125i Driver]

how is the car driving after the impact?
any rattles, looseness, shudder?

I would take it to a BMW Dealer and have them thoroughly inspect it for you, you will most likely be charged for this..
if they do find anything then hand it over to your insurance.

My dad had something like this a few years ago, buckled 2 wheels and tyres popped, insurance sent a flat bed and car was towed to Danmar, it was inspected,diagnosed and fixed by them, we only paid the excess when collecting the car.

The car doesn't seem to be driving any differently except for a very slight pulling to the left which could be the wheel alignment needing recalibration.
Perhaps I am being overly cautious/concerned hence i would like BMW to have the car's suspension/steering inspected.

I called a BMW dealership today and said I'd like to bring the car in for an inspection of tne suspension because it makes creaking noises. I could not say i hit a pothole as that could possibly affect the motorplan status negatively.
The service advisor i spoke to at the BMW dealer said they will do a visual inspection but won't do an in-depth inspection of the suspension.

The car is booked in at the BMW dealer for next week Wednesday.

 

[dvst8]

Take it to gour nearest ARC and let them do an assessment. If there is any damage, let them fix and claim from your insurance.

Accidental damage wont be covered under MP.

 

[125i Driver]

Take it to gour nearest ARC and let them do an assessment. If there is any damage, let them fix and claim from your insurance.

Accidental damage wont be covered under MP.

Can you recommend one or two ARC's in the Johannesburg area ?

Do you not think taking it to a BMW dealer first and have them inspect the suspension/steering first and if any damage is found then taking it to an ARC would be better ?

Thank you for the advice

 

[dvst8]

Take it to gour nearest ARC and let them do an assessment. If there is any damage, let them fix and claim from your insurance.

Accidental damage wont be covered under MP.

Can you recommend one or two ARC's in the Johannesburg area ?

Do you not think taking it to a BMW dealer first and have them inspect the suspension/steering first and if any damage is found then taking it to an ARC would be better ?

Thank you for the advice

I would suspect they will refer you to an ARC anyway. They wont be equiped to assess the damage if any.

I previously used Sandton Auto ARC. Pretty good service received.

:thumbs:

 

[125i Driver]

My front left shock moved out of place two or so weeks after I hit a pothole. Inner part of tyre was scraping against strut. Took it to BMW, they said motorplan cannot cover as it's not a technical fault and was probably caused by pothole. They gave me a quote for repairs, then I went to insurance and they paid for the repairs.

Was the repair done by a BMW dealer or did you have to take it to a panelbeater ?

---

I would suspect they will refer you to an ARC anyway. They wont be equiped to assess the damage if any.

I previously used Sandton Auto ARC. Pretty good service received.

:thumbs:

Thank you for the reply.
The car is booked in for next Wednesday at a dealer and they have said they will do a "brief" inspection of the suspension.