BLACKs2000kid

Hello, I have a 2001 Honda S2000 that recently pooped out after a horrible hydroplaning experience where I hit a low spot on a highway during a MASSIVE rainstorm and spun out 3 times in the middle of highway.

As I was spinning out of control I could notice that I had been also manipulating the gears to try and stabilize myself and.. well not die.. as my car came to a halt.. it was dead. I thought ok.. damn im happy to be alive right now..

At the time I wasn't exactly thinking of damages from water , or why exactly my car died, I figured it was probably just due to me taking it out of gear..losing clutch.. yatta yatta..
As I started it back up... it sounded as if the battery was almost dead... which was impossible i knew because I had just put a new battery in it like a month prior. It didnt start right away.. I was kinda like shit.. it was getting dark.. it was pouring rain.. I almost died..AND to top it all off.. I was late to work... I was freakin out basically.

So I kept cranking it.. and it finally started... but it was like my whole car was shaking and it was idling reallllllly hard.. I was only a few blocks from where I work, and keep it mind.. its F'N POURING rain.. so i try to just get to work .. as I come to a stop sign.. it dies. .. so im like.. ah shit... it just got real.. something is bad wrong here.. I start it again.. does the same shaky business.. but i am like right across the street from my work at this point.. so i pull in.. as I am turning the corner.. and i put in the clutch.. it dies again.. boom.. im sitting in the entrance of the parking lot. .. I give it another try.. it sounds like its boggy.. like the battery was low.. I push it off to the side a bit.. and walk across the lot to work. after working a few hours.. and the rain calming down.. i try to start it.. nothing AT ALL.. just a click. not even trying to turn over.

This car has about 120k miles on it.. I left it over night and got a ride home.. the next day.. i tried it again.. thinking maybe if it sits awhile it'll be okay... WRONG.. still dead.. i have it towed to the nearest mechanic.. he tells me its seized up. cant even turn it manually , that it was impossible. Needed a new engine.. . I had it towed to the nearest Honda dealer afterwards.. paid to have it broken down. The advisor tells me his tech mentioned it seemed due to "Hydrolocking" ... the head was fine.. and only 1 cylinder was locked up/bent.. whatever.. said he visible saw water in it.
( this was days after the original incident at this point. )

Now I had no idea about this hydrolocking stuff AT ALL.. and I was going through alot of other issues family wise as we had just lost everything to a house fire.. so I had NO idea hydrolocking is something that could be covered by comprehensive coverage... well after the car has been in the shop waiting for me to make a decision on how to fix it.. time went by fast.. months passed with me not making a move.. they told me i needed to either to let them replace motor/tow it/or they are gonna charge me 30 dollars a day.. finally I started asking more questions.. and doing research.. I saw on various forums how people were covered in these situations... well. I called my insurance. Wont name them at the moment.... they seemed very hesitant to answer any of my questions bout the hydrolocking issue, and were saying if it was a mechanical failure they wont cover it.. So I presented the fact that it was due to the rain.. which i didnt know could have done that to the engine.. and that the tech said that was the reason my engine seized.. she said that the car was 10 years old and could have been due to wear and tear... and said that it would be the field rep who would assess if i would be covered or not..

OH by the way.. the night that I left it... it was vandalized .. broken window.. keyed completely.. dented in doors, kicked a headlight in.. various other damage.. this is like .. wow.. at this point.. got a police report done.. explained the situation.. its all documented.. about the rain incident .. car dying.. thats why it was left.. ( in a well lit area ) outside of my work.. Golds Gym.. in Plano, TX.. very high traffic area.. figure it would be okay right??? WRONG...

I also made a claim on the vandalization of the vehicle.. which .. could very well cause a total loss anyways.... it was a horrible experience .. and being a pretty immature young guy I never knew or questioned insurance stuff until now.. and I feel like if the car was running just fine before I hydroplaned.. and then it basically doesnt now.. and the tech said that basically.. that I should be covered.. right???

Any advice ??? I have to wait until next tues. for the rep to go to the honda dealership to look at the car.. which the engine is still broken down for easy viewing ...
IF you have dealt with this issue, feel free to shoot me a phone call on how you went about getting your insurance to co-operate with you, and what to expect when speaking to them, because I really don't wanna get screwed on this deal...

THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!

JDMpearlwhyteZ

Wow that sucks big time dude, sorry to hear that & I hope it all goes well for you..

I don't have any experience dealing with any of that so I can't answer your questions about the insurance thing.. But I do have a question, what intake was on your car?! Assuming that it wasn't the stock one, also if your car ever dies and you think that it may be because of water ingestion.. Do yourself a favor and don't try to crank it over at all..

The motor will usually turn off because it can't compress the water and will be fine if you don't try to start the car.. Cranking it over is what does the most damage..

BLACKs2000kid

Thanks for reply... It was the stock airbox. the spot i hit was pretty low to where my car felt like it instantly slowed down by like 10 mph.. and thats when all hell broke loose. I think the downshifting might have caught some water during the moments that I was spinning out

davidc1

My advice is...wait till next Tues. See what the field rep says...but, it should be pretty obvious if it was hydrolock.

It fact, if they just left the water to dry, there's probably rust in there.

But I've heard many times of insurance covering it. You may have to be persistant with them though.

Good luck with it all.

Oh, btw, it's "yadda yadda", not "yatta yatta"

kenta

I hyrdolocked my previous car, not on my S2000. It was towed to a shop, given the diagnosis of needing a new engine due to being hydrolocked.The insurance guy went to the shop, wrote up an estimate and the car got a replacement motor. Pretty much no questions asked, the car also had a CAI. I was surprised it didn't affect the outcome.

BLACKs2000kid

Oh, btw, it's "yadda yadda", not "yatta yatta"
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Noted. Appreciate the info

BLACKs2000kid

See I had no Idea that this could be solved through insurance.. none of the mechanics/tech's mentioned it when they were talking to me about the prices.. it was a new revelation once I started digging for more info and trying to finally solve the issue..

When I called my insurance, they were not very positive sounding, and said they wont cover mechanical failiure and kept mentioning it being an older car.. So I have been feeling kinda unsure of it.. but I do know thats the cause.. its documented.. no engine mods.. should be no other excuses not to cover it.. only issue is the length of time between the incident and now that im worried about... but the car has been AT the honda dealer this entire time.. so I think it should be an open and shut case once the service advisor tells the insurance rep the details...

thx for info

kenta

In my case, similar it was a heavy down pour, I was following a car and next thing I know I'm driving in about a foot and a half of water. Insurance covered it as an "act of god". I see it no different than having a tree branch falling on the car or having a deer run out in the road and causing damage. The situation is pretty much out of your control, and hey... that's why we carry insurance. For my old car, it did have 60k miles on it. What the shop did was price out a complete long block motor with roughly the same mileage, plus labor to install it. I ended up just taking the money, buying my own motor and installing it myself. How a shop will handle an S2000 though might be different as options for parts might be more limited.

BLACKs2000kid

[/quote] In my case, similar it was a heavy down pour, I was following a car and next thing I know I'm driving in about a foot and a half of water. Insurance covered it as an "act of god". I see it no different than having a tree branch falling on the car or having a deer run out in the road and causing damage. The situation is pretty much out of your control, and hey... that's why we carry insurance. For my old car, it did have 60k miles on it. What the shop did was price out a complete long block motor with roughly the same mileage, plus labor to install it. I ended up just taking the money, buying my own motor and installing it myself. How a shop will handle an S2000 though might be different as options for parts might be more limited.
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Well it is the Honda dealer that has the car, so im sure whatever kind of price figures they throw out, will most definitely send the insurance rep reeling.. they quoted me 7 grand for new block and labor.. told me it would only save me maybe 1500-2000 at the most to go with a used one.. and that it would be pretty unlogical since it would not be under warranty.. and the new one would.. eh we'll see how that goes I guess.. I originally only claimed the vandalization.. but after the tech's told me more info about hydrolocking.. i made another..
The damage ( im estimating ) .. will probably be in the range of like 2-3 grand on vandalization alone.. and thats by just random figuring.. it could very well be more than that. which once they see .. with both claims having to be paid out.. could be more than just totaling the car out for me.. and writing a check for the value of the car BEFORE all the problems.. i sure hope anyways.

JDMpearlwhyteZ

If you're claiming all that, depending on the value of your car it'll probably just get totaled out..

7k plus another 2+k for paint and body work has to be close to 70% if it isn't over.. Hopefully whatever happens is in your best interest..