What is a Pothole?
A pothole is a sunken portion of a surface caused by water erosion. When water enters cracks in the asphalt and then freezes, the base of the road becomes eroded. Over time, the dirt base becomes eroded and causes the road to lower. This can happen slowly over time or it can happen quickly when there are massive crevices that result from the water causing the asphalt to detach from the dirt base.
How Potholes Affect Your Vehicle
There are quite a few reasons why your car can be affected by potholes. The least of which is that you need to go check on the condition of your car if you happen to be driving in an area with potholes. After all, there’s always that chance that your entire tire may get knocked off its axle because of one deep enough pothole. But at the very least, you should check and see if/where your car is leaking, or if there are any obvious cracks anywhere on your car. Let’s discuss these reasons to avoid potholes on the road in a bit more detail.
1- Your Vehicle’s Tires
If there is one type of car damage you can prevent, it’s this one, caused by potholes. With proper care, your car’s tires can last a long time without developing those unsightly dents and bulges. Learn how to keep your car’s tires in great shape, and avoid having to deal with problems caused by potholes.
2- Your Wheels
Potholes are a nuisance at best, and a risk to your tires and wheel alignment at worst. Keep your eyes on the road when you’re driving and make sure you don’t run over one or skid on its sharp edge, but otherwise enjoy the fact and know an auto repair repair shop can fix it!
3- Exhaust
A car’s exhaust is, of course, its pipes that harness all the gases that combust inside the engine and release them to be set free into the atmosphere. As for potholes, if you drive around any city long enough, you’ll make plenty of acquaintances with them (and their “friends”, the road ruts). Whenever your vehicle hits a pothole or a rut with its suspension lowered, one of your car’s exhaust pipes will hit a bump as well. That causes that pipe to vibrate and resonate.
4- The Body
Potholes are a nuisance. They ruin the look of the road and are dangerous. Potholes are a public safety risk. They can seriously damage your car’s paneling if it is hit from a good speed. Even if you hit it at a lower speed, it stresses a car’s bodywork and suspension to a degree that can lead to failures if you don’t fix them.