Pothole damage: Thunder Bay garages seeing rise in vehicle repairs
It has been a tough winter for vehicles in Thunder Bay as encounters with potholes have resulted in damage.
Some garage workers report the repairs they're seeing now aren't usually needed until spring.
“The more bumps you take, the more play on components, the more play — the worse it gets,” Stuart Miller said.
“Your tires get worn, suspension components start to rattle, tires go out of alignment, and thus braking, your ride, and everything suffers."
The city's roads manager Brad Adams said it's been an “average year” so far for potholes.
But the season isn't over.
"Well, we experienced some milder weather recently, and now the temperatures are starting to drop so we anticipate, due to that mild weather, and we had some melting and with the temperature dropping we're going to have some freezing, so we should be seeing some potholes,” Adams said.
Miller noted a lot of vehicles coming in need shocks and other front-end work.
"Due to the condition of the roads, the infrequent temperatures that we have, the ups and downs, the potholes this year are more than the norm, [it] takes a toll on the suspension components that already may be worn,” he said.
“What we're seeing is a lot of people coming in complaining more about the roads themselves. So, the vehicles are taking a lot more jolts because of the lack of snow filling the potholes, maybe because the frost moving the roads up and down a little more."
"If the wheel gets a good jar, like sometimes if the hole's really deep, you can do a lot of damage,” he said.
“You can break springs and, the biggest thing that happens and the most expensive thing that happens is when things get bent."
Adams says he hasn't heard complaints about the condition of the roads, but said drivers can report them through the city's website, or by calling the department's dispatch line.