# New asphalt drive...car tire divots



## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*wouldda been helpful to post where YOUR 'where' is located,,, absent that, sounds as if the hot mix wasn't,,, how far from the plant ? did they use a spreader to pave it ? did the truck sit before dumping its load ? was the screed hot ? did the trk driver arrive holding coffee cup ?*


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

stadry said:


> *wouldda been helpful to post where YOUR 'where' is located,,, absent that, sounds as if the hot mix wasn't,,, how far from the plant ? did they use a spreader to pave it ? did the truck sit before dumping its load ? was the screed hot ? did the trk driver arrive holding coffee cup ?*


Long Island. Was laid end of day and from what Im told, was done with leftover from a previous job. I think I just answered my own question.

What now?


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

You say base was compacted, so I assume it is a new drive, not a top coat?

Two inches on a new drive is pretty thin. That is what they usually put down for topcoats in our area of PA.

How many tons was the roller they used?


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*yep, you did ! there's no satisfactory repair - just replacement ! you could put a 50t roller on it w/o success*


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Was a week long enough for it to set? Will an overlay work?


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*did a few driveways in nj just for,***** & giggles on a couple w/e's as favors,,, 4" of base & 2" of top was standard,,, dumped 1,000's of tons on the lie, too,,, op's 2" was cold imo so there's no poss repr - just rip out & repl

whether this 2" was top layer ( wearing course ) or total thickness remains unknown as the op never said*


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

Time will fix it. 

In time, I find I don't notice or look at the marks in my new driveway anymore. :wink2:


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*from what's been described, the op won't live long enough to see it ' heal ' itself,,, this time of the year, temps are low on long island,,, asphalt cement concrete ' ( NYSDOT spec's it by that name ) won't soften in this weather*


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

OK, OP here. 

Its a new drive, base is about 5" or more of RCA, compacted and leveled pretty well. Asphalt laid about 2-3 inches..about the depth of the paver border, maybe an extra inch or so. Here are some pics of base and the type of marks we are looking at. They are all over. 

I parked our Mazda CX-5, hardly a "heavy" vehicle, in a "new" spot at 7Pm last night, dark, temps in the 50s. And woke up to new divots where car was after wife drove to work. Cool weather and drive is now 3 weeks old at this point and leaving marks. I cant imagine what I would have if it was 80 degrees out and I tried to park on this drive at, say 1PM.

Important point..to make the divots "show" the driveway has to be wet. Once dry, these cannot be seen. But when its wet, they are all over. Looks horrible.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

IMHO, completely unacceptable, I can't answer the question as to why, bad mix or cold mix most likely.
Have you contacted the contractor yet?


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Wow. That does not look good. Just had ours done this fall. The UPS man comes up our driveway on a regular basis and no compaction even from his truck.

Only thing I need to watch out for is people turning steering wheels without moving because that will tear up a new drive way.

Call the "reputable" contractor and have him mill the drive out and do it right.

I view Bondo as the asphalt expert on this site. Hopefully he will come by and comment.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*IF the op's description's accurate, there's no need for a milling machine,,, doubtful 1 would fit anyway,,, bobcat'll peel up the top w/little trouble,,, its just a bad job imo,,, hopefully the op used a credit card*


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

If the job was paid by credit card, there's no problem.


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Good point about the milling. That new drive would probably peel off like a piece of taffy if you used a Bobcat


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

Didnt pay by CC. It was part of a larger job. 



I spoke to my mason this AM who subbed out the asphalt. He said the asphalt company will come by in the next week or so to have a look. I told him I need to be there to show him whats going on. I have a really solid relationship with mason and asphalt company is one of the larger ones in the region. So Im hopeful this is rectified smoothly (no pun intended).


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Ok, good luck.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> Important point..to make the divots "show" the driveway has to be wet. Once dry, these cannot be seen. But when its wet, they are all over. Looks horrible.


Ayuh,..... Asphalt mix varies, widely, from batch to batch, much less from plant to plant,....
Which is _My_ major bytch 'bout the plant We buy from,....
They make 57 different mixes, 'n I never know what I'm getttin' til I dump some on the ground,...
I order what I want, 'n get whatever they put in our trucks,....
But that's another story,....

At this point in time, I suggest ya quit sprayin' water on yer blacktop if ya don't like the looks of it,.....
Let it settle in over the winter, asphalt is much more dynamic than concrete, even in these temps,....
Blacktop cures in 2 different ways,.... 1st is, it gets hard when the heat is removed from it,...
The 2nd is a chemical cure that takes ages to happen, though even then, it can be brought back to it's fluid state, with enough heat,....

2, 1/2" to 3" is what We put in for a single lift driveway, which most of ours are,....
(the strength of asphalt is the base under it, not the toppin' put down)
Binder, then top is more for commercial applications, or in high rent houses, ei; rich folks driveways,....
2 to 3 times the material, 'n more than twice the labor,....

As I said, til Spring, try to park in slightly different spots, each time ya park, 'n don't worry 'bout it,.....
I'm guessin' that by Spring, you'll be _Happy_ with yer new driveway,....

Either way, come on back in the Spring, 'n I'll tell ya how to keep yer driveway in pristine condition for decades to come, by seal coatin' it with portland cement,.....


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Don't leave us hanging til Spring Bondo. Do tell your portland cement trick.


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,..... Asphalt mix varies, widely, from batch to batch, much less from plant to plant,....
> Which is _My_ major bytch 'bout the plant We buy from,....
> They make 57 different mixes, 'n I never know what I'm getttin' til I dump some on the ground,...
> I order what I want, 'n get whatever they put in our trucks,....
> ...



Well, this definitely makes me feel a bit better. Like I said, they are gonna come by soon and look at it. Mason says hes seen it happen before and the asphalt guy can fix with some heat.


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## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

That's terrible. Hopefully they do fix it up right for you.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

ZTMAN said:


> Don't leave us hanging til Spring Bondo. Do tell your portland cement trick.


Ayuh,...... Search my posts, as I've posted 'bout it several times,.....

Bein' a single digit typist, I'm reluctant to type it all out,....
In a nutshell, ya dust the driveway with portland cement, then fan it with a hose to super hydrate it, but not so much as to wash it away,.....


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)




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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,..... Asphalt mix varies, widely, from batch to batch, much less from plant to plant,....
> Which is _My_ major bytch 'bout the plant We buy from,....
> They make 57 different mixes, 'n I never know what I'm getttin' til I dump some on the ground,...
> I order what I want, 'n get whatever they put in our trucks,....
> ...



Thanks for your help with my issue on my new drive. I was very careful to wait a full week to drive on it. Never noticed any problem until I came home in a rainstorm, looked at the drive, and saw tire tread patterns ALL OVER IT. When dry...you cant see anything. When wet from rain, they are all over the damned place..you can see the tire tread and everything. 



I have to be honest, I suspected this would happen. The paver showed up at almost 4 in the afternoon. He was three days earlier than scheduled and even said "yeah, I had extra material from another job, so I figure I do it today." His crew then wheel barrowed it on, rolled it for about ten minutes with one of those small roller machines and that was it. They worked quickly. Definitely didnt go slow. One thing I did notice is that even on the last passes of the machine, the material was moving under the two rollers. Like I said, they are a well known company. The material was definitely hot and steaming out of the truck. Of course, I have no idea if it was proper temp but it looked hot enough.

Anyway...they said they would come back. That they can "put some heat on the marks and smooth them out." OK, THEN what? Am I still looking at a soft drive? Or are things going to continue to cure and harden? Summer is a long way off, but if Ive got marks parking in 50 degree weather in the dark, what the hell is going to happen when my wife rolls up to the house at 3PM on a 85 degree day next June and tries to park??!!??


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## 195795 (May 24, 2013)

Make it right Mike - tear it out and use concrete


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

Texasdiyer said:


> Make it right Mike - tear it out and use concrete



And then that cracks. Nothing's perfect.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> They worked quickly. Definitely didn't go slow.


Ayuh,..... Everything you just explained, is how blacktop works,.....

Many of my days are spent waitin' on dump trucks, but once they arrive, it's hinnies & elbows, _Flyin'_, for an hour or 2, then pack up, 'n move on,....

Again,..... I really don't see a problem,..... nature of the material, 'n job,.....
A walk-behind roller is just fine,.... 
Done many tons of asphalt with a single drum walk-behind roller,.....

Lookin' at yer pictures, only thing I'd have done differently has to do with the prep, not the blacktop,.....
I'd have found another inch of pitch, so ya didn't have that standin' water,.....
That might get better with age though,.....
The fresh oil has surface tension with the water, causin' slow drainage of slight pitch,....


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## nola mike (Feb 16, 2018)

Hey @Bondo, why am I not surprised to see you hanging around here? Strange that I haven't seen you before...


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

nola mike said:


> Hey @Bondo, why am I not surprised to see you hanging around here? *Strange that I haven't seen you before..*.





> Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 7,936


Ayuh,....... Just as at iboats, I post in the few sub-forums I may, or may not know what I'm talkin' 'bout, but rarely or never post in sub-forums that I know, I know nothin' 'bout,.....

As you can see, I'm been 'round here awhile,...... :wink2:


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,..... Everything you just explained, is how blacktop works,.....
> 
> Many of my days are spent waitin' on dump trucks, but once they arrive, it's hinnies & elbows, _Flyin'_, for an hour or 2, then pack up, 'n move on,....
> 
> ...



Alright, based on what youre telling me Im good. Im gonna have the contractor have a look and call it a day. More pitch would have been tough for a few different reasons I wont get into but we have had some rough rains and no issues with water going the wrong way. Its all going away from the house and/or down the drive. That picture I took was about ten seconds after I watered down the drive to make the imprints show clearly.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*don't know how parking in a different area ea nite'll compact cold mix over a long island winter,,, maybe n of the city, plants put out different mixes but i doubt it,,, most plants have nysdot approved mixes & are certified by nysdot,,, rap (recycled asphalt products [road millings]) are acceptable in new hot mixes but ONLY to a certain %age,,, that doesn't mean plants don't add more than nysdot standard for private work,,, this may explain why bondo's always getting different mixes,,, never happens on nysdot jobs in my experience

1 of these MAY do the trick: https://www.asphaltsealcoatingdirec...6Nq1uAdESLZQBJeh0Y8ErZM7_005yqlQaAlclEALw_wcB

this means the contractor's lost $ on this job but that was his own fault*


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Not necessarily, i knew of a contractor that would intentionally over order on one job, then take the overage to another job , and get paid for it again.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*done that but NOT billing part,,, order 9cy when job called for makeup trk of maybe 3cy,,, then run him 'round block to 2nd job & dump last 6,,, b-top's diff as temp plays larger part compared to conc in job success,,, we'd still be under 1hr in barrel time*


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

Nothing wrong with the way you did it, but this guy was strictly under handed and billed BOTH parties, and i've had it in the drum for a LOT longer than 1 hr. only city and state held it to 1 hr.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*have rejected conc that's been in the drum over an hr & all my plants are aware,,, we space trks depending on work flow,,, if a trk shows up early & sits, it's at his peril,,, when we were paving b-top, we'd also space trks - maybe 15-20min,,, oddly enough, we'd have the 1st 3 show up just about the same time w/all drivers drinking from the same brand coffee cups,,, amazing, huh ?,,, never could understand why the 1st trk out hit heavy traffic, 2nd trk saw medium traffic, & 3rd trk had no traffic at all*


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

rkfast said:


> Alright, based on what youre telling me Im good. Im gonna have the contractor have a look and call it a day. More pitch would have been tough for a few different reasons I wont get into but we have had some rough rains and no issues with water going the wrong way. Its all going away from the house and/or down the drive. That picture I took was about ten seconds after I watered down the drive to make the imprints show clearly.


So how'd things end up for you?


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## rkfast (Oct 30, 2018)

huesmann said:


> So how'd things end up for you?



Thanks for checking. I havent had any more problems but its been cold out. I think Im OK. The true test will be in Spring and if Im still having issues Im going to ask for the asphalt to be replaced under warranty. Im on very good terms with my contractor, so hopefully if it comes to this it wont be an issue.


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