Possible Engine Damage From Accident
eskfanrichard
Member Posts: 2
Five days after purchasing a new Hyundai Kona N, I was involved in a collision with a deer. I have comprehensive insurance in place, including new car replacement coverage, if the vehicle is deemed a total loss.
The deer strike occurred on the highway, just outside town at night. All of the damage occurred to the right front end, including bumper, lights, fender, and hood. The radiator, fan and shroud, and coolant recovery bottle were also damaged. Rather than leave the car on the shoulder at night, I slowly drove the car into town (5 minutes at most) and parked the car in a safe place off the road. It seemed to be losing power, and I saw a bit of white smoke from the exhaust before I shut it off. The coolant bottle was empty and some was on the ground.
The next morning the car was towed to an impound yard, and subsequently to a body shop for further damage assessment. The shop was confident there was no engine damage, despite me telling the insurance adjuster about the leaking coolant and lack of power. They thought that if the car still drove, it was ok.
I would much prefer that the car was written-off, rather than ignore possible engine damage while they repair the body work. Do I have a right to demand that they (or the dealership mechanics) perform a pressure test? I don't see much point in repairing everything else if the engine is shot, and I certainly don't want the car back in that condition....
The deer strike occurred on the highway, just outside town at night. All of the damage occurred to the right front end, including bumper, lights, fender, and hood. The radiator, fan and shroud, and coolant recovery bottle were also damaged. Rather than leave the car on the shoulder at night, I slowly drove the car into town (5 minutes at most) and parked the car in a safe place off the road. It seemed to be losing power, and I saw a bit of white smoke from the exhaust before I shut it off. The coolant bottle was empty and some was on the ground.
The next morning the car was towed to an impound yard, and subsequently to a body shop for further damage assessment. The shop was confident there was no engine damage, despite me telling the insurance adjuster about the leaking coolant and lack of power. They thought that if the car still drove, it was ok.
I would much prefer that the car was written-off, rather than ignore possible engine damage while they repair the body work. Do I have a right to demand that they (or the dealership mechanics) perform a pressure test? I don't see much point in repairing everything else if the engine is shot, and I certainly don't want the car back in that condition....
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As far as the testing goes, a pressure test could confirm that damage has occurred, but it cannot necessarily confirm that everything is fine. It could very easily be tested right now and find nothing wrong, however, sometimes after an overheating event it takes multiple warm-up cycles for damage to be revealed. There are engines survive an event like this, and engines that do not. Oftentimes all you can do is
run it and watch for any symptoms in the future.