The report went direct to the insurance company, so I have not seen it. I will try to get hold of it and let you have an update

Just a quick thank you to everyone who has helped me. Today I have been informed that the insurance is going to pay not only for all the damage to the driver's side of the vehicle, where the wheel came off and we hit the kerb, but also will replace everything on the passenger side (which was undamaged) as a safety precaution. The bolts were sent off for analysis (x-rays etc) and the "experts" said the cause was over-tightening.

It was 2 new front tyres, sorry not wheels. Don't know the size and car is now in garage being assessed but they are huge 4x4 wheels. After the accident, apart from being flat the tyre looked fine, the outer rim bit scratched looked fine, the inner rim had big gouges out of it. The wheel hub having been the main support for the front of the car for 100m, although did't look too bad I would assume is rather wonky now. It was an independent garage but a very large one. The car has only ever been worked on by a garage, initially the dealer and after the warranty ran out the independent garage.

Car is about 6 years old and although I am more than capable of changing a wheel, they have only ever been changed by garage as it's a 4x4 and I can't actually move or lift the wheels as they are so big

Good point thank you

Thank you. The policy just states What is covered - For loss or damage to your car other than by fire, lightning, explosion, theft or attempted theft, we will: pay to have the damage repaired; replace what is lost or damaged if this is more cost-effective than repairing it; or settle your claim by a monetary payment. Exceptions - Loss or damage caused by wear or tear or depreciation; Any part of a repair or replacement which improves your car beyond its condition before the loss or damage occurred; Any mechanical, electrical, electronic, computer or computer software breakdowns, failures, faults or breakages; Damage to tyres caused by braking, punctures, cuts or bursts. All the bolts had sheared off (looked like they had been cut with a knife, just a straight cut) and remained in the bit on the car that the wheel is bolted to (sorry limited car knowledge) the heads of the bolts disappeared, probably scattered around the field. Got one photo and been kicking myself I didn't get more, still got one bolt head that we found. The wheel was intact apart from gouges out of the metal on the inside

thank you so so much, at least you have given me somewhere to start, I was at a complete loss as what to do next . Looks like the repairs are going to be anything from £6,000 to £10,000 which I think will mean my car will be written-off.

If anyone can give me any advice or their experiences of anything similar I would be very grateful. Two months ago my car went to the garage for 2 new front wheels, last weekend we were driving to Wales from Yorkshire. We had travelled 60-70 miles (mostly motorway) with no problems, after about 10 minutes of leaving the motor and driving on country lanes, we approached a tight corner, fortunately slowly 30-35 mph and the car didn't corner the front drivers wheel came off and shot off into a field and we swerved across the road for about 100m and came to a stop at the opposite kerb, with considerable damage to the drivers front and side, plus goodness knows what damage to the underneath of the car. Fortunately nobody or anything else was injured or damaged. On contacting the insurance company at the scene, they practically said "nothing to do with us it's a mechanical breakdown". As the car needed to be moved as it was causing a potentially dangerous obstruction, I contacted RAC and they came to recover the car but stated "you will have to pay for the recovery because it's an accident not a breakdown" Since returning home we have managed to persuade the insurance company to take the car to one of their garages to be assessed, after having a quick talk with the assessor today it looks like the wheel nuts were over-tightened and the extent of the damage means my car is going to be written-off and the insurance company are saying it's nothing to do with them as it's a mechanical breakdown out problem to deal with the garage concerned. Any advice and help would be much appreciated Regards

If anyone can give me any advice or their experiences of anything similar I would be very grateful. Two months ago my car went to the garage for 2 new front tyres, last weekend we were driving to Wales from Yorkshire. We had travelled 60-70 miles (mostly motorway) with no problems, after about 10 minutes of leaving the motor and driving on country lanes, we approached a tight corner, fortunately slowly 30-35 mph and the car didn't corner the front drivers wheel came off and shot off into a field and we swerved across the road for about 100m and came to a stop at the opposite kerb, with considerable damage to the drivers front and side, plus goodness knows what damage to the underneath of the car. Fortunately nobody or anything else was injured or damaged. On contacting the insurance company at the scene, they practically said "nothing to do with us it's a mechanical breakdown". As the car needed to be moved as it was causing a potentially dangerous obstruction, I contacted RAC and they came to recover the car but stated "you will have to pay for the recovery because it's an accident not a breakdown" Since returning home we have managed to persuade the insurance company to take the car to one of their garages to be assessed, after having a quick talk with the assessor today it looks like the wheel nuts were over-tightened and the extent of the damage means my car is going to be written-off and the insurance company are saying it's nothing to do with them as it's a mechanical breakdown out problem to deal with the garage concerned. Any advice and help would be much appreciated Regards