You have road crews! Lucky. Can take 3+ years here to get a repair, if it happens at all.

 

We get temporary repairs once enough pissed-off drivers call the DOT and yell about a specific location. The more complaints, the sooner the pothole is filled (sometimes even within three or four days). But the fill mix cannot properly set until the weather warms up consistently, so after the next heavy rainfall the pothole magically returns. Permanent repairs usually cannot be made until late March / early April. And they're only "permanent" until the first solid freeze cycle of the following season, usually by late October....

 

Yeah, but the sink holes in the museums suck though ...

Sunken Corvette Museum Cars to be Displayed Before Repairs - Torque News

 

So Monday I located and ordered for overnight delivery an additional space saver tire. Fantastic! The car will be mobile again before Wednesday's storm hits.

But but but, yesterday I learned that not only did the part not go out Monday it also won't go out until Wednesday (I hope) because some genius left the trunk open on a totaled 2013 XF and the trunk got some water in it which subsequently froze and they couldn't get the spare out!

So yesterday they used a torch to melt the water in order to free up the tire!

Why do I have a sinking feeling this won't end well ...

 

A torch to remove the spare!? Right over the gas tank, I hope someone holds their beer for them...
Not only do we have roads with pot holes everywhere, we have frost heaves. I need to find a place that sells Honda struts in bulk. (winter ride)

 

You know it is big news when I was watching the new (UK) Top Gear from last Sunday and they talked about it.

 

Extra spacer saver spare arrived the same day my wheels were done ... figures.

Well kinda. The new space saver isn't quite the same size as the original.
Same rim but the new tire off a 2013XF is a Pirelli Spare Tyre T135 80 R18 and the original is T115 85 R18. I'm not sure the original tire is even made any longer but the new size is available from a couple of places in the UK. Here in the USA Tirerack has it for $95 but I think that's just the tire. I guess this will be OK, not much choice at this point.

Ford lists something:
T115/85R18 for FORD |9OO5-0361600-

9OO5-0361600- Those are letter "O"s in the front of that part number, jerks.

My rims are straight again but they neglected to refinish the rims! WTF! So it's back for refinishing sometime this spring.

What a complete cluster F*** this has been. The lot at my tire place was packed with cars awaiting new rims. Bentleys, BMWs etc all just sitting there.

Welcome to pot hole hell.