Dubbo tyre services notice increase in pothole damage to vehicles coming to their workshops

That is how mechanics and tyre service workers are feeling at the moment with the number of vehicles coming into their workshops due to pothole damage.

Marty Robertson from Robertson Tyres said on average they are seeing six to seven cars coming in per day due to pothole damage.

"Somebody is going to die," he said.

Mr Robertson said all the roads coming into Dubbo are "awful" and a lot of the time drivers have nowhere else to go due to oncoming traffic.

"Your vehicle then takes all the hit, most cars on average at the moment that come in, I'm quoting around $800 per car for repair damage," he said.

It isn't just the tyres that are taking the brunt of the hit. A cars suspension and body damage are also costing car owners hundreds of dollars.

One of Mr Robertson's customers in a RAV 4 hit a pothole so hard they had damage half way up the car on their bull bar.

"I'm surprised the air bags haven't been set off...it's really, really bad," he said.

"You think of a little old lady in a Suzuki Swift, oh god, I'm surprised their hasn't been a fatality yet."

Mr Robertson said it has gotten so busy at his workshop they've unfortunately had to turn some customers away.

"There is one welder and engineer in Dubbo who is fixing wheels and trying to repair them for us and he is just inundated with it as well," he said.

"It's really frustrating actually, because we want to help the customer but nothing is getting done about these roads that are causing a lot of damage and putting a lot of lives at risk."

With tyres sitting in his workshop where half the wheel is missing, Mr Robertson can't understand why nothing has been done yet.

"It's gone on for nearly a fortnight and no one has done anything about the roads yet," he said.

A pothole between Gilgandra and Dubbo has been recognised as the size of a sinkhole.

"The next motorbike rider that goes through that is going to end up dead, there is signage but that's not good enough, it needs to be repaired," he said.

Tyre services outside of Dubbo are also noticing the increase in vehicles coming into the workshop with pothole damage.

Coo-ee Tyres Gilgandra owner Mick said it was a massive problem in the region, that had been ongoing for the past month.

"On average we have two or three cars coming in with damage every day," he said.

"We had a jaguar first thing this morning heading through to Broken Hill and he's wrecked two tyres so he is now stuck in town for at least a night until we can get tyres for him."

This isn't an uncommon problem the mechanics are seeing, with Eurpoean cars such as Jaguars, Mercedes Benz, Audi and more getting wrecked on Dubbo's roads.

"A lot of people have been stuck in town for days at a time waiting for rims and tyres," he said.

A customer in a Mazda 3 ordered rims through Western Plains in Dubbo and it took three days for them to come in, so they had to book a hotel and stay in Gilgandra for three nights before they could get going again.

"There's a fair bit of that going on," he said.

With a huge pothole just five kilometres outside of Gilgandra, over the long weekend Coo-ee tyres received three calls within 15 minutes, of drivers needing help after going through the pothole.

"Somebody went and filled it in, but it was a fair hole, and if we get this rain the potholes are going to be a lot worse," he said.

"I've been worried a motorbike might end up ploughing into one and that's scary to think about."

The Newell Highway is a dangerous road with potholes because drivers can't deviate from the road.

"You can't see them until it's too late and then all of a sudden you just brace yourself and hope for the best," he said.

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Even if you don't think you've done noticeable damage after hitting a pothole, it is recommended you still get your vehicle checked.

"Sometimes if they hit a hole and are still driving there could be a big bubble on the tyre that's about to blow without them knowing," he said.

Which is exactly what happened to another customer at Coo-ee Tyres.

"They had two wrecked tyres but a tyre on the front had a big egg on it as well which he didn't realise, so he is in town for a couple of nights," he said.

"A few people have stayed and some people like it but other people are just trying to get to family or whatever and get a bit cranky and sick of it all.

"There's nothing you can do, as long as everyone is safe, that's the main thing."

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