Charlotte's roads take a beating every spring. Freeze-thaw cycles in January and February, then the rains, then the construction, and by March the potholes on Central Avenue and the I-85 ramps have opened up. A hard hit at speed does more than rattle your teeth. Here is what it can break and how to know.
Immediately after the hit
Pull over somewhere safe and look. A tire with a bulge on the sidewall has a broken cord and should not be driven on at speed — it will let go. A rim with a visible bend or a crack at the lip is losing air. If the steering wheel is now off-center when driving straight, the alignment moved, or a steering part bent. If the car pulls, same thing. If the TPMS light comes on within a few miles, you are losing air.
What potholes break
Tires and wheels
The most common damage. The sidewall pinches between the pothole edge and the rim, breaking the internal cords — the bulge shows up hours or days later. Alloy rims bend at the inner lip where you cannot see it from outside, and a bent rim causes a vibration and a slow leak. Steel rims dent.
Alignment
A hard hit shifts toe and camber. The car pulls, the wheel sits crooked, and a tire starts wearing on one edge. This is the damage most people drive on for a year, and it costs a set of tires. Our post on tires, rotation and alignment covers reading the wear.
Suspension and steering parts
Tie rod ends, ball joints, control arm bushings, sway bar links and strut mounts all take the shock. A joint that was already worn gets finished off. A strut can blow its seal — look for fluid on the strut body. A new clunk over bumps after a pothole is one of these. We covered the joints in tie rod ends and ball joints.
Underneath
A deep hole can hit the exhaust, the oil pan, the transmission pan or a splash shield. A new rattle or drag from underneath, a puddle, or a scraping noise at speed means something down there moved.
Wheel bearings
A sharp lateral shock can damage a bearing, and the hum shows up weeks later. See our post on that humming noise that changes when you turn.
What we check on site
- 1Every tire for sidewall damage, inside and out, and every rim for bends, with the wheel off the car.
- 2Steering and suspension joints for play, and struts for leaks.
- 3Rough toe measurement, to tell you whether an alignment is needed and whether the car is safe to drive there.
- 4Underneath — pans, exhaust, shields, brake lines.
- 5A road test for pulling, vibration and noise.
Most of the repairs — tie rods, links, struts, bushings, a leaking pan — are driveway jobs. The alignment itself and a rim repair are the two things we send out, and we tell you that up front. See our steering and suspension services.
Timing matters. A bent rim leaks slowly, a bulged tire lets go without warning, and a knocked-out alignment eats the inside edge of a front tire in a few thousand miles of commuting on I-485. A look within a few days of a hard hit is cheap. A set of tires and a strut mount six months later is not.
Frequently asked questions
The car feels fine. Do I still need to check?
Look at the tires for a bulge over the next couple of days, and watch for a pull or a new noise. If none appear, you were probably lucky. If any do, get it looked at.
Can a pothole cause the check engine light?
Rarely — usually only if it knocked a connector or a sensor loose underneath. An ABS light, on the other hand, can come from a damaged wheel speed sensor or its wiring.
Where do you cover?
Across Charlotte, Matthews and Mount Holly. Book a visit or call.
Serving Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Call (754) 236-1714.
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