[alastpa]

My mum drives an 08 Mercedes A170 with about 130 000kms on the clock. Yesterday the motor blew up spectacularly! There were bits of engine all over the road and a sea of oil to go with it.

I've not seen it yet but she said there were no warning lights or dashboard messages before it happened. She said the warning lights came on after a bang and smoke from the back of the car.

It's always been serviced at the agents bar one service (the last one) which was done at a local trusted indie. Can anyone offer any explanations as to why it just blew up? I drove it a few weeks ago and it ran fine. No noises and pulling strongly for its engine size.

The only thing I can think of was about a month and a half back she was caught in a flash flood and the car stalled in deep water. We had it towed home but the next morning it started and ran perfectly. It had been running 100% until now. Is it possible water got into the oil and caused this and if so why did it go for over a month before showing any symptoms. Like I said there was no warning before it happened.

Sadly it looks like we're in for a massive bill

 

[BenzinaBrera]

Id say the water already bent the conrod and then the conrod eventually broke, hit a hole in the block and sent spares and oil flying, happened to my 156 a long time ago.

 

[alastpa]

That's my feeling too We probably going to have to look at sourcing another motor....Maybe we might even have an insurance claim then

 

[BenzinaBrera]

Good luck buddy. Hopefully the insurance pulls through, if your looking for a second hand engine try this place, they specialize in mercedes benz spares.

STEELDALE AUTO PARTS

TEL: 011 613-5806 / 011 022-2376

383 SOUTHERNKLIPRIVIERSBERG ROAD,

ELECTRON, STEELDALE

Specialising in Mercedes-Benz, Mini & Smart

 

[corriedw]

Yes I also think water got sucked up through the air cleaner.

Alfas have the same problem with the air pick-up

 

[Bub Marley]

That's my feeling too We probably going to have to look at sourcing another motor....Maybe we might even have an insurance claim then

Was there any fire? If there was a bit of fire, then you have an insurance claim.

 

[alastpa]

I'm not sure if there was any fire, my mum's as non-technical as you can get and she was pretty worked up when she phoned me. When the car was caught in the flood Outsurance arranged to have it towed home, so there's definitely a record of the flood etc.

I've managed to source a good low mileage motor for R16k ex VAT with a 3 month warranty. We're just waiting for the garage to inspect the damage before we decide what to do.

 

[Ian Lusso]

ouch! I've seen a similar thing with an Audi A4 cabrio a few months back, motor blew spectacularly spilling guts and oil all over the road and i was just as confused at the time!

 

[alastpa]

Guys please let me know your thoughts on this:

Outsurance (the crooks that they are) are trying to get out of paying for the repairs by saying that this is an engine failure related to wear and tear or neglect.

Now correct me if I'm wrong but there is no valid reason why a car that has done 130 000kms should suddenly blowup for no apparent reason. Especially one that has always been serviced as it should. This car runs a CVT transmission too so there's no possibility of over revving etc.

The Outsurance assessor admitted on the phone yesterday is not a technical expert and yet he's assessing a mechanical failure and not accident damage.

 

[ArthurB]

Guys please let me know your thoughts on this:

Outsurance (the crooks that they are) are trying to get out of paying for the repairs by saying that this is an engine failure related to wear and tear or neglect.

Now correct me if I'm wrong but there is no valid reason why a car that has done 130 000kms should suddenly blowup for no apparent reason. Especially one that has always been serviced as it should. This car runs a CVT transmission too so there's no possibility of over revving etc.

The Outsurance assessor admitted on the phone yesterday is not a technical expert and yet he's assessing a mechanical failure and not accident damage.

Yes it sounds like the damage was a result of water in the motor.

I would get a mechanic to write you a letter saying its most irregular given the age and service history, and its congruent with a motor which has taken water in through the intake as occured xxxkm before the failure.

 

[alastpa]

The outsurance assessor admitted to me on the phone that he's not a technical expert but he's investigating our claim. Our mechanic has also told him more than once that it's damage caused by water but he seems very unwilling to listen.

 

[Ian Lusso]

Time to get hold of the insurance ombudsman. It deffinitely sounds like hidden damage that came to the fore due to fatigue stress. A conrod must have bent at the time of the water ingestion, and due to this bend it weakened and came appart after a number of cycles. Open and shut case.

A fried of mine had his GT engine fail in the middle of a puddle of water and his insurance company also at first refused to pay, claiming that the engine failed as a result of mechanical failure...:rant:

 

[ArthurB]

The outsurance assessor admitted to me on the phone that he's not a technical expert but he's investigating our claim. Our mechanic has also told him more than once that it's damage caused by water but he seems very unwilling to listen.

Just phone OUTSurance and throw your toys out the cot asking them why they have sent an assessor who isint qualified for the work.

 

[BussoV6]

Aren't outsurance the guys who give their staff bonuses on the claims repudiated?

 

[Bub Marley]

Time to get hold of the insurance ombudsman. It deffinitely sounds like hidden damage that came to the fore due to fatigue stress. A conrod must have bent at the time of the water ingestion, and due to this bend it weakened and came appart after a number of cycles. Open and shut case.

A fried of mine had his GT engine fail in the middle of a puddle of water and his insurance company also at first refused to pay, claiming that the engine failed as a result of mechanical failure...:rant:

Going to the ombudsman is more of a last resort. Honestly, just fight a bit more with them. Get more than one mechanic to confirm that the damage was as a result of water and keep pestering them. They don't have a leg to stand on especially if the assessor has admitted he's not clued up on mechanics.

If possible though try to use the ombudsman as a last resort simply because it's gonna take you a full year to get a final verdict from them. It's a lengthy process that.

Also, I had a client who was insured with Absa. He had an RX8 which drove over a puddle of water and ****ed his whole engine up. Absa then agreed to pay a portion of the new engine he put in, based on the age of the other engine. That's basically how it should be done unless you put in a second hand engine.