pottskies

Well Its all bad news! the motor is seized and there is a hole in my block from a rod. The insurance people said they will fix it, BUT they said they will try and find me a used motor with similar miles on it IM soooo F'ing mad! Can i fight this? i dont want a used motor in my car, i dont know how it was treated and where its comming from! They said if i want a "new" motor they will figure out how much a used one is and they will put that towards the new motor. Meaning i will have to come up with the difference! This is my 1st insurance claim ever and i dont know my rights when it comes to this. any idea on what they could possibly pay for a used motor with close to 40k miles compared to a new motor? I had over 6grand in parts on that motor, and it was absolutely perfect before it gulped up the puddle! any advice or anything is greatly appreciated! i'm so stressed its making me sick!

Hardcorvette

I'd insist on a new engine. Could you please tell us what kind of cold air intake was on your car?

pottskies

can i just insist on a new engine? anything legally i can do? btw it was a breathless performance cold air intake?

FNG

yea, you probably can. but you'll have to pay betterment. how much depends on how many miles the car has on it and how many miles the insurance company rates the life of the engine. for example, say they figure the life of the engine is 100k miles and you have 20k on the car. you pay 20%. if it was me, thats the way i'd go. cost you a few bucks, but you know what you have. if you do go used, no betterment but a crapshoot on what you get. good luck. regards, j.d.

lbarnard

This is what it would cost new from GM if it was my car I would not want a used motor either since you don't know what it came out of or how it was treated. Not sure if they have to give you a new one either since your motor was used. In anycase it sucks. Good luck. I just finished replacing my motor with a new LS3 build with all new forged bottom end and other good stuff.

https://store.gmperformanceparts.com/store/SelectProd.do?prodId=7700&redir=true&man ufacturer=GM&category=Engines&name=LS6%2 02004%20Corvette%20Z06%20Gen%20III%20V-8%20&model=<!--17801268-->

chimazo

How do you have $6k in your motor?? Is it forged/stroked? Regardless, you could just take your headers, heads (the only way I can figure that you could come close to that $6k figure), etc., and swap them over to your "new" motor. No biggie.

Maybe you should take the $$ from the ins. co. and put it toward one of these:

lbarnard

Sorry for the confusion about my LS3 build. I lost my motor in April. I bought a bare LS3 block and had a local engine builder put the package together. I track the car so I went with CP race pistons, Crower connecting rods, ARP rod bolts, etc... I was saying if you were looking for a direct replacement from GM the link I sent shows the price. I have a little bit more in my LS3 but I needed the stronger parts; if I did not track the car I would buy the one from GM.

use2vtec

Well at least they are going to cover it for you. I would be a little skeptical with a used motor myself. Did they tell you what the difference in cost will be between used a a new motor? If it came down to it I would pay the difference for a new motor. Goodluck

garage-ghost

Then I would tell them that you want compensated for diminished value. The car no longer has the original engine and that will affect its value down the road.
Just a thought.

FNG

yea, you could do that too. depends on the laws in your state. i live in nevada and ther isnt any diminished value laws here, but a lot of states have em. ive seen people get it here too, depends on how hard you stomp your feet. one more thing. the betterment is on parts only, not labor. they shouldnt charge you any part of the labor bill.

StingerZ16

Sounds like an opportunity to upgrade to a LS3 or even a LS7 for a few bucks.

MarkT 2002

Man that sucks Good luck on what you decide to do.

TheSnakeJake

very sorry to hear that.... good luck with everything.

Z28TOZO6

Damn, talk about ":hydrolock"!

I agree, 6 grand in parts ought to make him capable of just buying a shortblock i would think. you must have heads,cam,headers,pulley etc on the existing motor already.

03blackZ06

Just tell them to buy you the one from pick a part in the for sale section with afr heads fast intake headers underdrive cam so on so forth. Or jsut try to take the money and buy a built block. (thats what i would do). HPE had a brand new 408 built block for sale for $4k then just buy some heads and cam with the rest. many options but if my engine was gone i would deffinitly buy a built forged and stroked one not a new stock replacement. ( I think a new stock replacement would scare me more away from buying a car) Thanks mike

96cobrakid

what kind of insurance covers a blown motor?

zulatr

If you want OEM new parts used in an insurance claim, whether it's body or mechanical damage, you have to pay a premium, at least in Mass where I live.

My wife just had a fender bender in her Saab, and when they wrote the car up, because it was more than two years old, they wrote it for used parts. I paid the difference and had OEM new parts put on.

You can bet that I changed the insurance on my Z when I understood the "fine" print.

mk

CJR2

Take the money and run!

pottskies

thanks for all the input guys...i'll keep ya posted on what the insurance people are gonna offer me.

Millenium Z06

Unless your car is less than 2 years old they will not put new repair parts on it. They are only required to return the car the the pre loss condition and unless your car had a new motor prior to the loss, you will not get a new one. You also will not be able to claim diminish value for the motor. If you want a new motor, you will have to pay the difference between what they give you for the loss and what a new motor will cost. Your states insurance commission can get you the exact requirements but I believe that I am 100% on this.