Can I claim against the council for speed hump damage to my Volkswagen Golf?

I wondered if you think it worth making a claim for compensation to a local council regarding damage to my car caused by a particular set of speed humps? In the past year, I have had three springs and a set of shock absorbers replaced on my 2000 Volkswagen Golf. The garage thought this was normal wear and tear for London. Recently I went over a speed hump and heard a very loud scraping sound. This was followed a day later by an oil leak and last week the sump on my car was replaced (for a reasonable £205). This week I drove over the same set of humps on the opposite side of the road (which caused the same noise) and this morning noticed another leak.

I asked the garage the first time I went in to have the sump replaced if the suspension could have been too low after they replaced the front springs, but they said there is no adjustment. They told me the sump damage is very common particularly on Volkswagens and Audi's so maybe I was lucky not to have had this before. Twice in a month seems a bit much in terms of damage. What do you recommend?

Asked on 18 May 2013 by NL, North London

Answered by Honest John

Golf Mk IVs had particularly low sumps so this is a common problem with them, but no reason why not to take small claims court action against the council for placing "damaging obstructions in the highway that are impossible to negotiate in a normal car at normal speed without incurring damage". You can usually spot the over-height humps by the gouges made in them by sump plugs (it’s the main reason why sump plugs are prone to cross-thread after an oil change).

Take photos of the gouges as well as of your own damage as evidence. In my area the pounding of vehicles over the bigger humps causes the sub-structure of the road to break up, so you also get potholes before and after the humps. Completely ridiculous. Especially when some favoured contractor probably bought a yacht out of the profits from dumping these ill-conceived and dangerous obstructions in the highway.

Tags: sumps speed humps potholes claims

Similar questions

I claimed for sump damage to my Rover 75, caused by speed humps, from my local shopping centre.

Last year my local shopping mall installed black and yellow speed humps that were too high. These damaged my Rover 75 sump tray. It took me a month to find who was responsible. I sent them an estimate...

Did speed cushions and potholes damage the insides of my Ford Fiesta's tyres?

The last time I took my Fiesta for a service at Dagenham Motors, Edgware I mentioned there was a slight vibration on the front wheels at 70mph. They later advised that the wheels were buckled and that...

What is causing the increase in suspension spring failures?

I consider myself extremely lucky that when the spring broke on the front offside suspension on my Mondeo I was just backing out from my drive. No doubt potholes and speed bumps had finally taken their...