Hydro-locked engine, Need help in selecting ICBC shop
 

Hello everyone,

Long story short, I hydro-locked my engine on my TL. It is going through ICBC and they want me to pick a shop to bring it to so they can replace the engine. I suggested Burrard Acura but ICBC does not have a contract with Burrard Acura and does not want to pay the going rate they wanted ($120+).

ICBC suggested that i pick an ICBC accredited bodyshop from their list
ICBC - Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
But majority of these are bodyshop and not mechanics right? If they are, how do i know the difference. RSer, please help in suggesting a place. ICBC said they are willing to give a rate of $90ish an hour for labor.

Thanks everyone.

Tell ICBC to suck a fat cock, you don't want to pay their prices but you don't have a choice about that with a monopoly.

DON'T let a bodyshop swap your motor. That's like getting your eyes checked at the dentist. ICBC never pays full retail on labour anyways? I work at an Acura dealer, and we do work for ICBC quite a bit. They always just pay a reduced rate.

Bodyshops don't do much mechanical work let alone an engine replacement. They're just going to sublet the job to another shop anyways.

Damn how did that happen? You drive through a puddle? CAI? 3g TL? Like others have said don't go with a bodyshop to swap a motor. Discuss your concerns with ICBC, maybe they can work it out with you. Best of luck!
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Did you drive through the lake on canada way that night? haha shitty.

i would go to your local dealer for that type of work...

Yup. Don't know if you saw my TL pulled over to the side.

I wouldn't categorize this incident as driving through a "puddle".

Yup. CAI, lowered car.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'll call my adjuster tomorrow and ask him what my options are again.

Dont ask for it... TELL them you wont go to a bodyshop to do mechanical work.
Bodyshops are for body work...

Tell them you wont settle for anything less then the dealership... get it done properly once. Why else are you paying insurance for?

Agreed with FerrariEnzo.

I work for a dealership and dealership DO work on these kinda stuff. Call around to the different Acura location and see what kinda options u got. Either from your own pocket or ICBC....then decide which way u wanna go for.

Having had an engine swapped, I can see why ICBC wants to avoid the dealer. I saved nearly 1/2 the labour by having an independent shop perform the swap.

you did a swap for performance? hes doing it to fix it... big difference.. plus the cost is covered by his insurance..

Why not just ask them for a list of Acura Dealerships they DO have a contract with, and pick one?

How do you know your motor's fucked? Pull the plugs, crank it over and get the water out, put new plugs in it change the oil and call it a day.

Unless you're unlucky like me and some of your rods tried to see the light of day. Are you claiming this under your own fault? As in you're taking the insurance hike for it? Just go find a used engine somewhere and find a friend with a shop and do it.

your other alternative is to go to a shop of your choosing, get an estimate from them and bring back to your adjuster. You are the insured (customer). Tell them what YOU want.

Philosophy

It is ICBC’s policy to be fair and reasonable in the settlement of insurance claims and in its dealings with the automotive repair and service industry.

When an ICBC employee completes a vehicle damages estimate for repairs, it is the responsibility of the employee to explain to the vehicle owner:

• any repair-related procedures,

• the items listed on the estimate(s),

• requirements to pay any deductibles and/or depreciation, and

• to clarify situations involving unrelated damage.

This also includes claims handled by Express Repair providers that are referred back to ICBC.

ICBC customers can choose to have their vehicles repaired at the facility of their choice.

ICBC’s policy is to promote:

• Glass Express facilities, and

• c.a.r.shop or c.a.r. shop VALET repair facilities on the list of repair Shops System (LRSS),

ICBC staff must not direct or influence customers to attend specific repair facilities regardless of the shop’s level of supplier status.

It is important to avoid any situation where a customer or shop representative could reasonably perceive there is conflict of interest. In the event, it can raise issues about the impartiality of employees, or a perception an employee is receiving a benefit from a repair facility. As a result, such conduct falls within the conflict of interest provisions of Code of Ethics Policy and is prohibited. Should clarification be required regarding ICBC’s Code of Ethics Policy as it relates to this or any other situation, it is important that you discuss your concerns with your manager.



*I found the italicized portion a bit ...contradictary

If Burrad Acura doesn't have an icbc supplier number you might have to pay for the repairs yourself and get reimbursed. I believe most dealerships have a supplier number though. You can take it wherever you want.

Who keeps the old engine?

Is ICBC covering this and excluding you from fault? Or are they covering it through your collision/comprehensive coverage and placing fault on you? If the latter, your premiums are going up. Did you have the engine properly diagnosed? Like GAB above posted your engine may not be damaged. Hydrolocked does not always mean dead.

same thing happened to me once. pulled the plugs cranked it a few times, let it sit overnight and it was good to go the next day.

Right now, i have a pretty good case and will hopefully not be at fault. If i am, it will go through my insurance but the outcome of that will be determined at a later time.

ICBC does not have any contracts with any Acura dealership. However, i called around and found an Acura dealership that is willing to do the job. They just need to figure out the details with ICBC.

ICBC brought my TL into a claim center and had an authorized mechanic look at the car. the estimator found a lot of water mixed in with the oil and since the car was running at the time of impact, he suspects that there is probably some damage. Instead of taking the motor apart, they're just going to replace it.

Will keep everyone updated. I have pictures but don't want to post it just yet. I want to deal with the car situation first.

Thanks everyone

best of luck in getting your car fixed.

You only need to pull the spark plugs and turn it over to see if its fucked. Once the water is out, if it does infact turn over, do a compression check to look for further damage. If compression is good. Change the oil and fire it up, run it for a few minutes and change the oil again and if all is well your done.

Dont replace your engine if you don't have to. Thats gonna put a massive dec on your car if you do 0_o

Thanks for the help. I would have done that if i did not have any choices and the accident was my fault which results in me paying out of my own pockets. But knowing that this was not my fault and i have a good chance in winning my case, i chose to let ICBC deal with it (they'll go after the company for me). I don't want them coming back to me saying that i tampered with the car before it went to ICBC.

Wish me luck. Adjuster is on vacation so i don't know how the case is going so far.

I thought about that but even if i were to sell the car out again, i would tell the owner everything about the car. Knowing that this engine is newer (with half the km's) a dec is not a problem. I'll eat the loss for what it is worth.

That's why i want this done right so i can tell the owner that the engine has been replaced at an Acura dealership.

If I'm not mistaken, hydrolocking the motor while going through a puddle would fall under comprehensive coverage and as such, won't change your rates. You just have to pay the deductible.