Car Fire Advice

[Replicator]

Hey guys. So I recently ended up purchasing a used 2020 Subaru WRX. I've owned the car for exactly 3 weeks and haven't even registered it yet. Today while driving into work I had a huge plume of smoke and fire coming out from under the hood. From the smell of the fire it was defiantly oil related and looking at it later came from the turbo area. I have performed 0 work to the car yet. Obviously there is some extensive damage to the car from this. My question is are there any consumer protection laws for stuff like this or do I have any legal ground to stand on in the event of getting car fully paid off or out from under it if the insurance doesn't fully pay it off? Outside of an insurance claim is there anything I can do? I'm asking here because this is the most active community I belong to and I'm hoping someone has been through this before or works in this area.

Quick Facts:
Called Insurance and filed claim before car made it onto flatbed.
Car was modified by previous owner before me.
This is in Indiana
Car was sold "As Is".
I've owned the car exactly 21 days.
0 work has been done to car since I bought it.

I'm leery if insurance repairs the car and doesn't pay it off of having nothing but future problems due to the nature of the damage and location. Or if they do total it and don't fully pay it off. ETC. I usually avoid all the dealer stuff such as insurance and GAP protection because I feel it's a money grab.

I would also like to put it on record. That insulation attached to the hood does NOTHING for fires. It burns up long before it detaches from the hood.

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[Inthehighdesert]

What will get you and you don’t want to hear this is the third thing you stated in your facts list. Modified by previous owner. Depending on your insurance provider the car should be covered completely. You didn’t state what mods the previous owner made but I’m assuming by the type of car they did performance mods. Subaru will be out of the equation due to that. Best of luck.

The hood insulation is for sound deadening, not fire protection. Your correct about the dealer add-ons generally, but in this scenario gap would have been beneficial in the event of an insurance deficiency.

 

[galaxy]

I think I got this advice from my dad a long time ago....but I recall always being taught if your car ever catches on fire, don't let anyone put it out, LOL. Let that sucker burn so there's no dispute about repairs, insurance total, etc.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Hey guys. So I recently ended up purchasing a used 2020 Subaru WRX. I've owned the car for exactly 3 weeks and haven't even registered it yet. Today while driving into work I had a huge plume of smoke and fire coming out from under the hood. From the smell of the fire it was defiantly oil related and looking at it later came from the turbo area. I have performed 0 work to the car yet. Obviously there is some extensive damage to the car from this. My question is are there any consumer protection laws for stuff like this or do I have any legal ground to stand on in the event of getting car fully paid off or out from under it if the insurance doesn't fully pay it off? Outside of an insurance claim is there anything I can do? I'm asking here because this is the most active community I belong to and I'm hoping someone has been through this before or works in this area.

Quick Facts:
Called Insurance and filed claim before car made it onto flatbed.
Car was modified by previous owner before me.
This is in Indiana
Car was sold "As Is".
I've owned the car exactly 21 days.
0 work has been done to car since I bought it.

I'm leery if insurance repairs the car and doesn't pay it off of having nothing but future problems due to the nature of the damage and location. Or if they do total it and don't fully pay it off. ETC. I usually avoid all the dealer stuff such as insurance and GAP protection because I feel it's a money grab.

I would also like to put it on record. That insulation attached to the hood does NOTHING for fires. It burns up long before it detaches from the hood.

How are you driving it but it has not been registered yet? How do you have insurance on it, doesn’t it have to be registered first?

Aside from my questions above - if you bought it “as is”, you have no recourse for going after the prior owner (or seller) for anything. “As is” is just that, it’s freeing any liability from the prior owner (or seller) and the buyer is buying the vehicle with that understanding.

As far as payoff for a total loss claim - be prepared to prove to the Insurance Adjuster that you have found at least 5 similar WRX’s of the same year, mileage, condition and possible mods and what the average replacement value would be from those 5 examples. Most Insurance Co’s don’t care about any mods done to the vehicle as far as reimbursement of those costs for upgrades. You will have a battle on your hands for getting fair compensation IF you’re trying to recoup not only fair market value but also the cost of any add-on mods.

If the Insurance offer for a total loss claim is below what is owed on the vehicle, unfortunately if you don’t have GAP, you’re responsible for the remaining delta owed to the lender. If the payout is greater than what you owe, the lender is satisfied first and you get the remaining delta.

Insurance Co’s do not use “blue book” values for payouts. They use what is known as the Black Book and ACV values. Those values are based on the VIN and how the vehicle was equipped from the factory, that’s it; add-ons are excluded.

I don’t really have anything else to offer, but you’re in a tight spot, so I hope it works out for you with the Insurance claim.

 

[ice445]

Nothing to really be done about it other than have insurance pay out and move on. I'd bet the previous owner's lack of knowledge on modifications led to this.

 

[Replicator]

How are you driving it but it has not been registered yet? How do you have insurance on it, doesn’t it have to be registered first?

Aside from my questions above - if you bought it “as is”, you have no recourse for going after the prior owner (or seller) for anything. “As is” is just that, it’s freeing any liability from the prior owner (or seller) and the buyer is buying the vehicle with that understanding.

As far as payoff for a total loss claim - be prepared to prove to the Insurance Adjuster that you have found at least 5 similar WRX’s of the same year, mileage, condition and possible mods and what the average replacement value would be from those 5 examples. Most Insurance Co’s don’t care about any mods done to the vehicle as far as reimbursement of those costs for upgrades. You will have a battle on your hands for getting fair compensation IF you’re trying to recoup not only fair market value but also the cost of any add-on mods.

If the Insurance offer for a total loss claim is below what is owed on the vehicle, unfortunately if you don’t have GAP, you’re responsible for the remaining delta owed to the lender. If the payout is greater than what you owe, the lender is satisfied first and you get the remaining delta.

Insurance Co’s do not use “blue book” values for payouts. They use what is known as the Black Book and ACV values. Those values are based on the VIN and how the vehicle was equipped from the factory, that’s it; add-ons are excluded.

I don’t really have anything else to offer, but you’re in a tight spot, so I hope it works out for you with the Insurance claim.

In Indiana anyway, we are allowed 45 days from DOS to register a vehicle. It usually takes dealers 20-30 days to process paperwork and submit it to the BMV. After doing some research, I feel comfortable in saying the amount owed should be covered. If it does get repaired I will probably take it to a Subaru dealer and have factory OEM parts put on and re-flashed back to stock.

Nothing to really be done about it other than have insurance pay out and move on. I'd bet the previous owner's lack of knowledge on modifications led to this.

I have a feeling you're spot on with this. My assumption is the previous owner got himself in over his head and bailed on the car. Now here I am cleaning up his mess. I was thinking, if insurance did total it out, just buying it back and EJ swapping it. Most of the damage is contained to the engine bay.

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