Unfortunate Tuesday with my Mach 1 - engine oil mess (not as bad as BP)

[Bikeman315]

Not criticizing, just trying to give some of my understanding to the folks reading along. I would have filed the claim also. Technically (at least in the US) you are obligated to report any incident within 24 hours whether you proceed with a claim or not. Technically

Hi Mike. My post was not aimed at you. An earlier post brought up the insurance issue. Honestly, just like the whole 911 conversation, it really isn't necessary. This thread was about OP and his incident.

Sponsored

 

[ay1820]

Lol, being an insurance guy I hear this all the time. "My insurance should be cheaper, I never filed a claim" but thats why they call it insurance and mandate it where they are allowed to. Like when you have loan, the finance company dictates your deductible. Having no loan allows you to self insure to a degree. for example in the winter when mine is a garage queen, I drop Comp & Collision from like around now until about April'ish. Also having those deductibles higher saves some premium

Well of course I want my insurance to be cheaper, but I do not dispute the value of carrying insurance. I am just pointing out the mathematics of it. I do not begrudge insurance companies, If they did not make a profit, then there would be no insurance. If m y rates get too high, then I shop for a better deal.

Auto insurance is a "bet" against yourself. You are betting that you are more likely to need the coverage than you will need the premium that you are paying, so you are willing to pay that premium, whereas the insurance company is betting that you are less likely to need the coverage than what they will collect in premiums, so they are willing to write you the policy. That is a hard way to look at it, but it is really the truth.

Very few of us, however, can cover the extreme catastrophic loss scenario, so that is the real value (at least for me).

p.s.; I too drop insurance when my car is in storage for the winter.

 

[cerbomark]

I wouldn't think that whatever made that scuff would have tore up the oil cooler, but it's hard to make a judgment from an online pic. I think if that hit was that hard, it would have tore the splitter off? Since the mark is mostly on the top instead of the bottom. IDK, it's just a guess...

That s because maybe the hit that caused the damage was from the bottom side up.

 

[Cordero1]

I know I'm a little late. But I brought enough for everyone.

 

[ORRadtech]

I know I'm a little late. But I brought enough for everyone.

The popcorn may be fresh but this thread has gotten very stale...

 

[dethmaShine]

And 6 years of surcharges/ hiked rates, the owner pays for it in the end. So my thought on this still stands.
Insurance companies rarely lose.

Been paying insurance for a long time so yeah they have definitely made the money and they will make it in the end.

I did ask if my premiums would go up - they said that they need to investigate if this a collision or comprehensive first; secondly the agent mentioned that given this is the first accident and "not intentional", there is some first accident forgiveness policy thing. Not sure, but will know soon nonetheless.

I am going to head to the dealership today to see what happened under the gar. They said there is a huge scratch near the oil cooler (not sure where but I will know).

 

[DemonGT]

Hi Mike. My post was not aimed at you. An earlier post brought up the insurance issue. Honestly, just like the whole 911 conversation, it really isn't necessary. This thread was about OP and his incident.

 

[Bikeman315]

 

[shogun32]

3-4K?? WTF? You couldn’t clean it up yourself?

that's cheap. Try 7k+ and if it gets into the watershed via sewer, there's another hefty fine. Calling EMS/hazmat was the right move. Plus how many placed do you know of that sell Oil Dry? Yeah Kitty Litter does work somewhat...

 

[kindy15]

Glad you’re getting getting the car sorted without too much of an issue. Sometimes these things just happen.

As for calling the the emergency services, at least they came out! Here in the UK you call 999 and you could wait anywhere between 1/2 hours for a them to arrive.

Guy down the road suffered a heart attack and the ambulance couldn’t get to him for 40mins he was saved solely by luck that an off duty doctor was at home a few doors down.

Hope you’re back on the road soon.

 

[Zooks527]

Timely post for me. I spent 5 hours with a client and a federal agency doing a walkthrough of their plant a few days ago. Pages of notes, ranging from signage to the number of windsocks on the building and beyond (way beyond). The level of governmental overresponse boggles the mind.

Also reminds me a of few years ago when a client found that his liquid nitrogen supply was contaminated, so he dumped the tank in the back lot and waited for it to evaporate. Someone saw the vapor cloud behind the building and called 911. The fire department responded (a reasonable act) and then insisted on remaining on site as "Hazmat supervision" until the liquid finished boiling off. The plant manager didn't care, but he took immense offense when they tried to send him a $15k bill for the Hazmat team. He refused to pay it and told them to call the corporation's lawyer.

The town eventually backed down. I don't think that will be the case with the federal group from a few days ago.

 

[Bulldog9]

You didn't feel the moment you hit the curb? How drunk were you? Did you get the camera footage?

This is my thought, and why it makes ZERO sense, though the erratic course is 'interesting'

1. A hit hard enough to break an oil cooler or line is NOT something you wouldn't feel unless seriously distracted or inebriated.

2. The wheel and tire would have evidence of a hard hit, maybe the splitter and lower, but I only see a slight scuff.

3. If this was just a slight bump off a curb, I find it hard to believe the oil cooler and lines are that fragile. Though it is a Ford...... lol <ducking>

It's obviously spraying out of the cooler area, is possible it just failed, or some strange series of events and exact aim something punctured the cooler on the drive. Vancouver is a pretty chill place, so unlikely this was an errant or stray bullet but anything is impossible.

Best of luck OP, hope you get it settled. Ignore the idiocy from the arm chair experts. I'd have called 911 too after going to the building or maintenance office. I do think there's more to the story, lol but I have a dirty mind.. lol

 

[Bulldog9]

Here is what my M1's factory oil cooler setup looks like:

*edit* - I'm sure most know, but to be clear the hoses and brackets are not normally exposed to the open as shown here. The underbelly pan/splitter assembly completely covers this area and I had it off earlier this summer to address a small issue with the splitter.

Wow, the location of the cooler line fittings are a recipe for disaster. Would be VERY easy for damage. I'd want the fittings on the top if mounted that low in the car.

 

[IPOGT]

One good speed bump induced rap on the belly pan and there you go.

 

[KB_210]

And I’d wager that most if not all have a phone capable of looking up a non emergency number. He could ask the staff at where he’s staying at. I can’t believe you’re really trying to defend this but I guess that’s why this post is so important. Under no circumstance do you call 911 for an oil spill. My wife who is an ICU nurse said he should have gotten arrested but my grandfather who has more rational mind would say the $4k price tag was a slap on the wrist.

You act like calling 911 for a non-emergency is a cardinal sin. Most of the time they just direct you to the right place if that's now what they handle, relax.

Sponsored