Overheated Engine
 

My Boxster has been in for some collision damage repair, and the body shop failed to notice a crack in the front left radiator. When they drove it from the body shop to the garage (about 10 miles) on a partially filled cooling system, they overheated the engine. Any reason why I should not insist that they replace the engine rather than just rebuilding it?

Wouldnt overheating warp the block? Thus making it unrepairable. Good thing you didnt take it to walmart, lol, their bullet proof contract that they make you sign (and their extensive legal team) would probably make you pay them for anxiety the mechanic had during the overheating, lol.

Inform them that it is alot less $$$$ if they would just replace it instead of rebuilding the whole thing.

I'm not sure I understand what happened here to cause a rebuild/engine replacement? Did the engine overheat and seize? If so, it's a whole lot different than if they simply ran the coolant temperature gauge up. No, it's not good to overheat your engine but if takes more than a few minutes of overheating to be concerned about a new engine (assuming it took a couple miles to heat up and drove at highway speeds for the remaining miles).

Hi,

If the engine didn't seize, and there's no discernable change in the way the car was running before, you don't have much of a claim.

You could take it to a Porsche Qualified Mechanic, have them look it over (pull the DME codes and a Spark Plug), or even do an Oil analysis. But, unless directly heat related, you're going to have a tough time establishing that those conditions weren't a product of the collision or even before that.

Could they have lessened the engine's overall lifespan? Maybe, but that's a BIG maybe. You're never gonna get an award because of what may happen down the line, even if it can be directly linked to this incident, which would be very hard to do.

I'd probably just slip on my size 13s and stomp around a little for a partial refund on the work they did, but I wouldn't expect them to offer much.

Truth is, lots of cars experience one or two incidents of overheating in their lives due to carelessness, rotted radiators, blown hoses, failed Coolant Pumps, stuck 'T'stats, and the like. Usually, once repaired, they go on to give many more miles/years of good service. I'd be surprised if there actually was any significant permanent damage done to your car, the Oil provides 60% of the Cooling anyway.

I'm not trying to be harsh, and I certainly wouldn't want it happening to my car. But, I'm afraid that this is just one of those things in life you have to deal with. Sorry...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

To Mnboxster
 

Some good points, and thanks. The engine definitely was not overheated as a direct result of the accident, because it was shut down immediately. Only after 6 weeks (!) at the body shop, when they needed to get the car across town, did they fire it up and drive it. It is inconceivable that, with front end damage, they never bothered to check the integrity of the radiator, but stupidity is everywhere. I seriously doubt whether the insurance company is going to be willing to pay any costs associated with the engine itself; their position certainly will be that any damage to the engine is a result of the shop's negligence in not checking out the cooling system.

I wonder if Porsche would give me full trade-in value on the vehicle knowing the history of the engine. If not, they would be admitting there is potential for engine damage.

Hi,

Why do you think there's a problem with the engine? Were you in the car when it was driven across town? The Idiot Light may never have come on or if it did, maybe for only part of the trip. I can't imagine any competent shop knowingly driving a car they knew was overheating.

But, as Sammy and I have said, you probably didn't incur any permanent or significant damage. If the car's running OK, let it go. Don't obsess over every little thing which may pop up in the future and try to draw a link between it and this incident, that'll only spoil your ownership experience needlessly. Good Luck...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

More details on the damage
 

Talked to the service manager at Porsche today - engine running on 4.5 cylinders, spitting oil everywhere, block is black instead of metal-colored, and cranks slowly (as though a low battery, even though it's OK). In other words, the engine is toast. The service manager believes a new engine is the only solution, so it sounds like I'll come out of this OK.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Buckstr

____________________

Houston we have a problem. But who is going to pay for it?

Who's paying
 

NOT ME! It will either be the insurance company for the party who caused the accident (highly unlikely) or the body shop to whom the Porsche dealer subcontracted the collision work. Since the body shop failed to notice or check for a leak in the radiator before driving the car, I think they're going to be writing a big check to my Porsche dealer. Fortunately, the service manager there seems to be on my side.

buckstr

Hi,

Well, I'm sorry for the damage, but getting a new engine is a plus. Just make sure to stick to your guns and don't settle for depreciated value or partial payment for the new engine from them.

If they try that, point out to the Dealer their 3rd Party Liability in that they farmed out the work. This sort of thing happened to me when replacing the windshield in my Esprit - the local Lotus Dealer recommended the Shop which botched the work. In the end, the Dealer had to Ante up some of the $2200 cost of doing the work right, didn't cost me a thing. Good Luck...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99