JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I'm trying to get some info on buying back my totaled 99 TA. To make a long story short, my cold air induction sucked up some water and bent a rod. Insurance patched it up instead of replacing the motor with a similar used one. Patch job lasted 3 weeks and now they say a replacement used engine would cost too much so they totaled my car.

As you can see from the pics the car is fine, paid off and I put a lot of money in the suspension, etc... so I want to keep it.



I should be able to drop in a sweet motor with the insurance money, but I don't know much about totaled vehicles. Technically it will be a Salvage title.

I hear there may be a special inspection before the car can be put back on the road. If it's true I wonder if the exhaust has to be returned to stock and have cats? Plus all the EGR and AIR stuff returned. Right now all that stuff is tuned out of the ECM. Would a lumpy cam not let it pass?

I also don't know about insurance. I'm sure I can get liability, but could I get full coverage?

If anyone has any experience with this in Texas, please let me know.
Thanks.

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

i almost bought back my z28 after it was totalled but the body shop wanted to charge me storage fees amounting to 2k so i didnt do it. i know you have to turn your title over to insurance. i dont think you can get full coverage, they really wouldnt pay to repair it again after they said they wouldnt do it the first time.

Donohue96M6Z28

iTrader: (64)

damn your car looks clean as hell, I hate c6 wheels, but it looks clean in that 2nd pic too bad about the engine... how much are they trying to sell your car back to you for? If its not too bad. I'd buy it back and fix it.. why not? especially if you're planning on keeping it for a long period of time.

Mike96z

iTrader: (78)

i wouldnt of went through insurance company for a blown engine, not worth it, but id buy it back, you should get plenty of cash to put a new engine in it. Only thing that sucks is the value of your car just went down the drain, couldve kept the value by not going through insurance and still of been able to get full coverage. that sucks

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I don't have any storage fee's, plus I work at a dealership so they can do labor for me at half the price. The cheapest way I can think of to fix it is to get a used shortblock. I already rebuilt the heads so I can swap all the old engine parts onto the shortblock. So I know it can be fixed for not much money. Or I can buy a built motor. I know a guy who had a 430 WHP motor he was selling for like $2500. Now that's what I'd like to do.

The reason I went through the insurance the first time was because I only had a 500 deductible plus I needed a rental car so I can get back and forth to work.

I know the value goes way down, but I didn't plan on selling it anyway. They want to give me about 10K for it. I still need to find out what the salvage value is worth so I can know how much I would have after buying it back. Still, I did always say I'd like to get the same identical car, but a convertible if I ever totaled this one. I just don't like that I may not be able to run headers or a cam if has to be inspected by DPS or something every year. I like the C5's as well, but their too small inside for me.

I may look around for a black convertible M6 TA just in case. What is that good website that shows used cars according to location? Autotrader or something?

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

i would have called them up first and asked them what they valued the car at (after the initial "patch" job), then went and got your own repair estimate. that way, you'd have known whether or not they would have totaled it. that way, you could have had the repairs done yourself and saved it from a salvaged title.

that sucks tho....and trust me, i feel your pain. i had the exact same thing happen on my '95 T-Bird.....sucked water up the air intake....it ended up bending 3 connecting rods and several valves in both heads.

when you say it sucked water up your CAI, do you mean the metal "ram air" CAI that pulls air from down low, in front of the radiator? if so, i'll definitely be avoiding that type of CAI at all costs.....

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

They warrantied the work on replacing the bent rod, so I didn't think they would total it. When they just recently calculated a replacement engine cost they included the previous repair cost which was about $3000, Then this new cost which I think would have been around $5000 or so. This total of around $8000 is what put it in the totaled category. In my opinion, they had to know that they wouldn't warranty the engine work because original engine replacement cost didn't change. They had to know they were going to total it if the patch job didn't hold. See, they don't tell you stuff like that. I even felt like suing them for not standing by their word.

I did the free ram air mod, where you let the air come off the radiator into the filter. The water splashed off the plastic deflector, through the filter and straight into the back of the intake manifold. It was #7 rod that got bent. Definetely avoid those types of air intakes.

A-Dub

iTrader: (6)

Or avoid driving through standing water. I have had the free ram air mod on every LS1 I have had over the last 7 years, including the last 2.5 years in flood prone Houston. It takes more than a splash in a puddle to make it happen.

If you own the car outright, buying it back should be straightforward, if you make payments, its going to be tough

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I didn't even see the water. It was raining hard, but not for long enough to flood any streets, or so thought. To me it was just another heavy downpour, high water wasn't even on my mind. Then surprise, surprise. I was going slow, too, like 25 or so because it was a hard to see. It really was a freak deal. Oh, and their weren't any cars in front of me to give warning, either.

zman1969

iTrader: (91)

when they use a LKQ- like kind and quality the supplier usually gives a 12/12k warranty on thir replacement part or it should have , I used to work at a extended warranty co and all of our suppliers provided that to us. sounds like thier supplier out to cover this. sent you a PM - call me

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

They refused to replace the engine first time around and now they say it would cost too much to replace it.

Mike96z

iTrader: (78)

i still dont see how you got water in the intake, i know a guy who got water in the intake but his dumbass ran it custom just about down to the ground to pick up the air going under the front bumper, but that was stupid on his part.

Mike96z

iTrader: (78)

and no you dont have to have any special inspection every year, regular inspection like everyone else.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

I don't know what to tell you. Just like that plastic dam scoops up air and directs it to the A/C condensor, it must have scooped up some water and shot it right up the condensor, through the K&N filter and into the intake.

2001AntiVenom

iTrader: (84)

Damn the same thing happened to me. But # 7 rod broke! Good luck

chec_o

iTrader: (1)

Same thing happened to my car. You can still get full coverage with a salvage title. My car was actually a salvage vehicle before the engine hydrolocked. My insurance company gave me $5,000 to replace my engine. I just bought a brand new LS6 Longblock and had it installed by a performance shop. You can just reuse all of your accessories. **** you can rebuild your Ls1 and sell it for some extra cash. I wanted to do that but mine had a golfball sized hole in the side of it. If you are left with at least $5,000 after buying the car back I'd say do it. I know where you can get a brand new long block for $3,000. I made 430hp to the crank and 370 to the wheels on a 90 degree day with a muddy airfilter (apparently it wasn't cleaned when the swap was done been meaning to get it re-dynoed). Oh yeah my car is also an automatic. Unless you had a really bad *** engine before, this would be the best way to go. Hell if you have extra money go with a forged short block and build what you want. Besides that is a great looking car I'd buy it back if I were you. That's just my two cents

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

Oh yeah, I just found out I'll be getting about $8,000 back.

I've had enough of stock motors. I have gotten the suspension and brakes all set up for high speed driving so I want to get some real power. I figure the best investment would be on a stroker shortblock. Maybe a 402 or a 427. I would reuse my stock rebuilt heads and intake for now and upgrade them later. Even with these restrictive parts it will make big torque.

blue00WS6

iTrader: (14)

I would buy it back! The buy back value will be anywhere from 18%-25% of what they value the car at! Take that money and throw a nice lil stroker motor in the car! Get it built right the first time and you will be happy! Let a shop that you trust point you in the right direction with what your hp/tq goals are! My car was in a wreck and it was totalled. I bought it back only to part it out so I could make some of my money back. You can still get the car insured and inspected.

JasonWW

iTrader: (2)

That's what I said. The salvage value was $1200 BTW. I'd be a fool to let it go for that. (good God, I wish I could get nice cars that cheap) Like I said, a 402 would be sweet.

irbs

iTrader: (7)

My brother had full coverage insurance on his salvage title 2001 SS.