jspence

I bought my 350Z new in 2003 and I agree - these cars are fabulous!
Zero problems. I'd love an older vette but after this story, I don't know.

Unkind comments from some of these posters don't help the poor guy.
India??!!

Snip444

I am the OP and I have not vanished and I do appreciate most of everyone's input. There are, of course, a few total jerks out there but for the most part the forum has been helpful.

v8capt

I'm sure we all want to know what will happen with your car. I personally feel bad for you, I would be right out of my mind. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Did the GM forum member help you at all? Make sure you let us know the final result.
Capt Bob

Steve_R

That's it? No update of any kind?

V60050

It obviously needs considerably more repairs than just an engine replacement. Seeing as it has fire & smoke damage, I would sell it to my car insurance company. Then take the settlement & go buy something else.

I have owned 5 Corvettes & many other GM products over the years. That said, this is no longer that company.....

Crossed Flags Fan

Snip - we wish you well. If possible, please keep us posted. Ignore the idiots.

Old Yellow

Several posts have mentioned entering an insurance claim, and I may have had the wrong insurance company, but I have never known of any insurer covering any damage that resulted from a mechanical failure.

If someone has first hand experience of such a claim being approved please set me straight, and let me know the insurance company. I would love to have that kind of coverage; especially if it covered a engine failure in any sort of off road activity.

My own experience was with a engine compartment electrical fire on a car out of bumper to bumper warranty.

Ed

V60050

Did your insurance company cover the electrical fire? They should have. I had an Oldsmobile burned up while parked & off. Insurance paid out a total loss, pursued GM on the matter & ended up refunding my deductible.


The operative word here as in the OP's, is FIRE.

Old Yellow

No they did not. The car was not a total loss, which may present a different scenario. It involved a destroyed wiring harness and scorched paint on the fender.

In any case I can't imagine a insurance company replacing a blown engine. This is just my opinion after dealing with car insurance companies for 50 years.

Disclaimer: Others may expect different results.

Ed

V60050

I agree with you completely on the blown engine. It just appears to me that there is other damage. (Oil fire? Smoke damage?). Either way its a shame and my heart goes out to the OP. In a perfect world GM would give him a new car.

Old Yellow

I Could not agree more.

Ed

JoesC5

Which GM forum member are you talking about? Chevy Customer Service?

LT1xL82

Automobile insurance policies are not an extended/supplemental car warranty. A mechanical failure is not an insurable loss. Basically, defects of materials and workmanship are not covered, especially early in the car's life. If the insurance company cover this loss it would be a very pleasant surprise.

As for the warranty coverage, there are two sides to every story. Was the car modified? Maintained correctly? Was there a missed shift that caused a huge mechanical over rev? Was the fuel junk? Defective aftermarket oil filter. Was there a defect in materials and craftsmanship when the engine was built? Design fault?

No way can we keyboard jockeys home in on what happened from the comfort of our armchairs.

I am very interested in how this turns out...and sincerely hope the OP emerges whole when all is said and done.

halfcirclej

I agree with this statement all the way. I'll be looking for a HELL CAT BY DODGE.

jsdanehy

A lot of ignorance ( carefully selected word ).

If you are driving your car and a rod fails. Hole in block. Oil fire. Well you do have an insurability loss for fire damage. That is what Comprehensive Coverage ( that is the applicable part of the auto policy) that responds.

The mechanical failure would not be covered.

If the event occurs in a warranty period you may have something else to consider. Many warranties explicitly EXCLUDE paying for CONSEQUENTIAL damages. That means damage that result as a CONSEQUENCE of the Rod failure. A clear example is a small battery failing in your expensive camera. A $2 battery that fails is not going to have its manufacturer pay for internal damage to a $1,000 camera.

This is a comples situation that many are attempting to simplify. Recall the word at the top IGNORANCE. I can not say what a legal outcome would be as I do not have all of the facts. Many are guessing / speculating which does no good.

There are many documents, facts and laws that will affect the final resolution. We may never know as GM may invoke a settlement that requires a confidentially agreement. That would not be unusual.

9157

When my new Ferrari caught on fire due to a FI gas line failure resulting in a complete engine rebuild.....it was covered under my insurance...not the warranty...at the time I did not even think to make a warranty claim...as a matter of fact, it was later recalled for the same problem...

Wickster

Let's see, I had an Infinity G35 coup, manual transmission and it was by FAR, the biggest piece of **** I have EVER owned!!!

By the time the car had 25K miles on it, the motor had been replaced, clutch replaced at my expense and no, I never drove the car hard...ever. Both headlights replaced, radiator replace, master cyl replaced, stereo head unit replaced, when it rained the power seat would go nuts....have you ever tried to drive a car in the rain with a seating moving front and back, up and down? Car lost almost all power twice while driving on the freeway and problem was never found.

I could go on about other problems but you get the point. However, one last item, Infinity was no help after I said enough. None.

jsdanehy

If your Insurance company is on the ball they can assert a claim under the warranty. In legal talk that is called SUBROGATION. It is a process which speeds things up for the policy holder. If some drunk strikes your parked car and the insurer for the drunk starts to be Jerks you can just pay your deductible under your own policy and then let them SUBROGATE.

I have always had ZERO deductibles chosen on my COMPREHENSIVE (Fire coverage).

More than one way to handle the process of insurance claims.

AORoads

This car lost an engine, and burned regardless of where it was. If it was on a highway and the driver pulled over (happened many times, at least in pics and actuals I've seen) and the car burned to the ground---does car insurance cover it? It has in almost every instance that I know about but maybe you know something different. Please explain further.

jsdanehy

Here is a cut and paste from GOOGLE on the issue of SUBROGATION

Subrogation is the legal doctrine whereby one person takes over the rights or remedies of a creditor against his/her debtor.[1] Rights of subrogation can arise two different ways: either automatically as a matter of law, or by agreement as part of a contract.[2] Subrogation by contract most commonly arises in contracts of insurance. Subrogation as a matter of law is an equitable doctrine, and forms part of a wider body of law known as unjust enrichment. The two most common areas where subrogation is relevant are insurance and sureties. In each case, the basic premise is that where one person (i.e. typically an insurer or a guarantor) makes a payment on an obligation which, in law, is the primary responsibility of another party, then the person making the payment is subrogated to the claims of the person to whom they made the payment with respect to any claims or remedies which are exercisable against the primarily responsible party