user 14475
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2010
- Messages
- 282
- Reaction score
- 0
Just driven my bus all the way down to Cornwall from Norwich and back again, incident free (if you don't include having to stop on the way at Vindis in Bedford to borrow some 13mm bolts to re-fix the tailpipe).
Got to within a mile of home after a lovely 10 day break and after feeling an almighty amount of juddering, pulled over to find the rear N/S wheel rubbing on the arch. Wheel arch remains solid as a rock, but the tyre wall is shredded!
"Uh Oh" I think. The bearing/hub/suspension has a problem. bearing in mind I am not mechanically minded, have the kids and wife in the car AND I'm on a blind bend, I call the AA, as I'm not about to try and diagnose the issue in that situation.
First AA man turns up after initially being sent to a village at least 10 miles away and says, "sorry mate, I can't help you, suspension is knackered and your bus needs to be recovered". Said AA man calls in heavy duty backup. Meanwhile, Mrs Birdman has called a neighbour to collect her and the kids and I'm directing traffic on said blind corner in rural South Norfolk.
An hour later, AA send in a third party company to collect my bus. Driver says "definitely not the suspension mate". Pops the hubcap and all 5 wheel nuts have come COMPLETELY off the studs. Studs, nuts, wheel and tyre all written off. We get the spare on via two nuts and onto the recovery lorry, where the nice man drives the 1 mile to my house and drops the bus off on my drive.
So after that ramble, my learning points for today are;
1) How lucky am I that this didn't happen on the M4, M5, M1 or A11 and that it happened a mile from home whilst I was driving no faster than 25 mph?
2) I will check my wheelnuts before every journey in future
3) The AA man wasn't the sharpest tool in the box and neither was I
Know I've been lucky, but can't help feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach!
Cheers
Matt
Got to within a mile of home after a lovely 10 day break and after feeling an almighty amount of juddering, pulled over to find the rear N/S wheel rubbing on the arch. Wheel arch remains solid as a rock, but the tyre wall is shredded!
"Uh Oh" I think. The bearing/hub/suspension has a problem. bearing in mind I am not mechanically minded, have the kids and wife in the car AND I'm on a blind bend, I call the AA, as I'm not about to try and diagnose the issue in that situation.
First AA man turns up after initially being sent to a village at least 10 miles away and says, "sorry mate, I can't help you, suspension is knackered and your bus needs to be recovered". Said AA man calls in heavy duty backup. Meanwhile, Mrs Birdman has called a neighbour to collect her and the kids and I'm directing traffic on said blind corner in rural South Norfolk.
An hour later, AA send in a third party company to collect my bus. Driver says "definitely not the suspension mate". Pops the hubcap and all 5 wheel nuts have come COMPLETELY off the studs. Studs, nuts, wheel and tyre all written off. We get the spare on via two nuts and onto the recovery lorry, where the nice man drives the 1 mile to my house and drops the bus off on my drive.
So after that ramble, my learning points for today are;
1) How lucky am I that this didn't happen on the M4, M5, M1 or A11 and that it happened a mile from home whilst I was driving no faster than 25 mph?
2) I will check my wheelnuts before every journey in future
3) The AA man wasn't the sharpest tool in the box and neither was I
Know I've been lucky, but can't help feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach!
Cheers
Matt
