SS/SC update: Damn people are stupid.

[BullDog71ss]

Some guy from Progressive, my insurance company, called me yesterday and told me that work had been done to my car and someone was driving it on the highway but it was now having a problem with the engine. This seemd odd since Progressive bearly towed the car to their claims building to get it on a rack for an damage estimate. I figured it would take at least two weeks for the repairs to be completed and it had only been 4 days since Progressive has had it. He told me he had no other information than that as of now but he'd get back to me.

Intrigued, I called my insurance claims agent, Trevor and asked him if he knew anything about it. Apparently I knew more than him as no one had said anything to him about it yet. He gave me the number to Midway Chevrolet which is the dealership Progressive goes through for GM collision repairs. I managed to get a hold of the guy that was driving the car when the problem occured. Our correspondence went like so:

Him: "Hi, how are you today"
Me: "Fine. Whats the deal with my car?"
Him: "Oh. Well I was driving it today on the highway and the engine overheat light came on. It might be a glitch."
Me: "So the collision work to my car is finished then?"
Him: "No not yet."
Me: So you guys got the radiator and the rest of the internal stuff completed then?"
Him: No. But it says here on the repair list that those need to be fixed."
Me: "So why were you driving it then?"
Him: "I was picking it up from Progressive and taking it to Midway for repairs."

This is the point when I finally was able grasp the reality of the situation.

Me: "So you drove my wrecked car to your dealership for repairs instead of putting it on a flatbed?"
Him: "Yeah"
Me: "You do realize that car was completely empty of engine coolant right?!" "And the radiator has a massive crack at the bottom?!"
Him: "No I wasn't aware of that"
Me: "Well you knew the radiator was damage because it's on the work order. Why the hell would you drive my car when you knew the radiator was damaged?"
Him: "Well the guys at progressive told me there was nothing wrong with it."
Me: "It was towed on a dammed flatbed to Progressive! Why would you guys do any different? You know that block is fried right? It needs to be completly replaced!"
Him: "Well I don't know about that, I think it will be okay. We still need to look over it."
Me: "You cannot run an aluminium block/head without coolant and expect it to be okay! It's going to be warped."
Him: "Well we'll see about that."

At this point of was fed up with him and told him I had to go.
I called my agent back and filled him in on the details and he said he'd make some calls to find out who is responsible for any damages to the vehicle. He called back later and said the guy who overheated the car actually looked at it on a lift with the manager of the Progressive shop and knew fully about the damages to the cooling system. Also, when the dealership takes posession of a vehicle, it's their responsibility for it's transportation and they my the decision on how to transport it. All I can figure is that the idiot wanted to take it for a spin cause he was curious about what it could do. I'm still waiting to find out any more information as of yet.

If they are planning on trying to mill any warped parts, or patch the motor up, I won't accept the car. I'm only going to accept a new motor, or a new car. We will see how much hell they give me over their idiocy. What a damn fool.

On a side note, after hearing what happend yesterday to my car, I picked up a rental that is covered for 30 days by Progressive. I hadnt done this before cause I've got my truck, but with rising gas prices and all it's costing too much to run a 10mpg vehicle. So I figured I'd get a freebie since I pay for that service every month anyway. My loner is a 2005 Mercery grand marque with a 4.6L pushrod motor, hehe. It's pretty cool for an old man's car, rides smooth too.

Edit: From what the car wrecker told me about how far he got with my car before he overheated it and had it towed off the highway, and from the location of where he started out. My uncle and I figured the guy drove it about 8 miles before he shut it down. I was surprised it made it that far without seizing up.

Cliffnotes: NONE! You must read the entire rant to grasp the stupidity of it all.

[turtlecrxsi]

That's some shitty luck man. You definitely should not accept your vehicle back unless you have a written voucher guaranteeing that the motor has been replaced or is indeed 100%. Try to get actual proof of compression tests or whatever. GL

[2000LS1Z28]

What, fuck dude I work for a lawyer, and stuff like that is a case that you can make money on. If they return the car w/o replacing the engine, or the entire car for that matter, then i'd say take the company/insurance agency as well, to small claims court. Sue their ass for $5K. If you can't pick up a new Cobalt SS engine for $5K you've got some serious issues. BTW is this car on a lease program, cause if you are buying it the price has now dropped when you go to sell it. It will now be listed on any carfax report that the engine was replaced, warning potential new buyers.

In short, give your insurance rep crap, talk to his supervisor, and try to get your car replaced outright, cause it won't be worth a damn anymore.

[TheStang00]

no joke shop people are frickin morons half the time. you sure that 4.6 is a pushrod motor? its probably a ford ohc motor.

[clawhammer]

That sucks. I hope you don't get screwed over by them. How old was this mechanic? I'd guess he was young, and wanted to abuse your car. Definetely sue if they return the car with the old engine.

[BullDog71ss]

The guy that wrecked the motor was in fact not a machanic, he is one of their estimators from the collision center. He's at least 40 years old.

I just got back from the dealership and it seems the car needs a long block(block, head, blower, etc..). However it's going to take well over a month before I see my car again. So I'm still going to persue a new car. My car is also being financed, it's not a leased car.

My bad on the 4.6 Merc motor as well. It seems my buddy who's a supposed Ford guru was wrong about it being pushrod. I told him it was a Single ohc too. Now I get to make fun of him for not knowing his Ford shit.

[tha_new_guy]

Tough break man, hope that you get a brand spanking new motor to play with (again) and some mod money on the side, because they did fuck upp your ride....too bad a few mechanics (or estimators) make all the rest look bad.

[CassiesMan]

Originally Posted by BullDog71ss

Him: "Oh. Well I was driving it today on the highway and the engine overheat light came on. It might be a glitch."

Originally Posted by BullDog71ss

Me: "So the collision work to my car is finished then?"

Him:

Originally Posted by bulldog71ss

Me: So you guys got the radiator and the rest of the internal stuff completed then?"

Him:

Originally Posted by BullDog71ss

Me: "You cannot run an aluminium block/head without coolant and expect it to be okay! It's going to be warped."

Him:
BullDog:
Him:
BullDog:

[CassiesMan]

Oh, and enjoy the Grand Markwis!

[Ace$nyper]

Cassie you stole my owls

wow just wow on that I can't even grasp how bad that is i'm sorry to hear that hope everything clears up.

[clawhammer]

@ the Owls.

[xXxRocker5150]

all I can say is wow, that's just fucked up. Like everyone else said, just sue em' but remeber, if you want 5k, sue for 15k... 5 goes to you, 5 goes to taxes/court costs, and 5 goes to the lawyer ... at least this is what my law teacher told me...

Man, I'm really sorry that this happened to ya man, best of luck!

[2000LS1Z28]

all I can say is wow, that's just fucked up. Like everyone else said, just sue em' but remeber, if you want 5k, sue for 15k... 5 goes to you, 5 goes to taxes/court costs, and 5 goes to the lawyer ... at least this is what my law teacher told me...

A. They don't allow Attorney's in small claims court, unless the attorney is the party who is seeking restitution.

B. Small claims is dirt cheap. It costs around $35 to file an action, $30-35 to serve the defendant, and $30 a day for a witness.

Bulldog, I would seriously encourage you not to take back that car. I'm telling you the value of it is totally diminished, and who knows what fucktards rebuild the engine. It could just be some punk 18 year old understudy putting it back together. You'll just be taking it back to the dealership on a regular basis. Oh and good luck applying for the Lemon Law afterwards, cause then you will need an attorney, and it will be extremely expensive.

[-The Stig-]

Originally Posted by 2000LS1Z28

Bulldog, I would seriously encourage you not to take back that car. I'm telling you the value of it is totally diminished, and who knows what fucktards rebuild the engine. It could just be some punk 18 year old understudy putting it back together. You'll just be taking it back to the dealership on a regular basis. Oh and good luck applying for the Lemon Law afterwards, cause then you will need an attorney, and it will be extremely expensive.

I agree, refuse the car.

If you ever went to sell it, all that shit might come back to bite you in the ass in a Carfax report or something similar.

The body damage and radiator was fairly minor and can be over looked in most cases, but a complete motor 'rebuild'. Sheesh, I'd totally skip that car.

Sorry to hear about this man... sucks.

[-Jayson-]

dude get the supercharger setup off that car, i can help you sell that for a good amount of money to some jbody owners that i know. they would love to get there hands on it. Shit if i had the money i would make an offer for it.

But damn that sucks big time, dont settle for anything less than a new engine.