Broken connection from radiator to hose, normal?
02-19-2013, 09:24 PM
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Broken connection from radiator to hose, normal?
I was recently in an accident and I had my car dropped off at a repair facility recommended by my insurance. The hit I took was to the front side left and the radiator does not appear to be damaged but today the mechanic calls me in and tells me that the connection at the top of the radiator where the hose connects to the radiator is broken. He showed it to me and its broken right around the base.
He says this is from corrosion and is common and that the insurance will not cover it or will maybe split the costs with me because its not related to the accident.
I'm wondering whether I should buy this argument though.
My car definitely was not leaking radiator fluid before the accident and I feel inclined to believe that the mechanic broke it while taking it off to do the inspection or the body work. My dad who had a bit of experience working on older cars told me it was a real pain to take these hoses off and he thinks there's a good chance the mechanic was having a hard time taking it off and broke it by applying too much force. The mechanic kept mentioning that "someone" glued the hose onto the radiator. I commented to him that the radiator and hose had never been touched before and that it came from the factory like that but he just shrugged his shoulders and seemed to be fixated on the fact that it was glued on.
S what do you guys think? Is it common for the connection at the top of the radiator where the hose connects to become brittle with age? I bought the car brand new and I've never had the radiator or hoses replaced so it hasn't been touched before. My car is a 2001.
Much thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge with me.
He says this is from corrosion and is common and that the insurance will not cover it or will maybe split the costs with me because its not related to the accident.
I'm wondering whether I should buy this argument though.
My car definitely was not leaking radiator fluid before the accident and I feel inclined to believe that the mechanic broke it while taking it off to do the inspection or the body work. My dad who had a bit of experience working on older cars told me it was a real pain to take these hoses off and he thinks there's a good chance the mechanic was having a hard time taking it off and broke it by applying too much force. The mechanic kept mentioning that "someone" glued the hose onto the radiator. I commented to him that the radiator and hose had never been touched before and that it came from the factory like that but he just shrugged his shoulders and seemed to be fixated on the fact that it was glued on.
S what do you guys think? Is it common for the connection at the top of the radiator where the hose connects to become brittle with age? I bought the car brand new and I've never had the radiator or hoses replaced so it hasn't been touched before. My car is a 2001.
Much thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge with me.
02-20-2013, 07:43 AM
#4
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It will become brittle with age if you've never replaced your coolant and corrosion has built up inside.
As far as it happening from the accident? I would say no. It is in such a location where nothing touches it, I mean if your accident caused it, i would assume there would be more things under the hood damaged.
I'm thinking the repair facility ACCIDENTALLY broke it and to cover themselves say the accident caused it. Just go through insurance and say it happened. They have no proof of it happening otherwise, so they will either cover it or argue with you.
As far as it happening from the accident? I would say no. It is in such a location where nothing touches it, I mean if your accident caused it, i would assume there would be more things under the hood damaged.
I'm thinking the repair facility ACCIDENTALLY broke it and to cover themselves say the accident caused it. Just go through insurance and say it happened. They have no proof of it happening otherwise, so they will either cover it or argue with you.
02-20-2013, 08:40 AM
#5
It sounds like the mechanic broke it while muscling that hose off... I did the same exact thing to mine recently. Struggled to get the hose off and caused the infamous small crack where the top plastic tank meets the metal core. Mine just has a slow leak; sounds like yours is a bit worse.
I agree with everyone else here. It wasn't leaking before the accident, and now it is. Regardless of whether it was the actual accident that broke it, or the repair shop that broke it, IT WASN'T YOU... so your insurance should either cover it themselves, or THEY should take it up with the repair shop and settle it between themselves. Get your insurance agent involved. Explain everything you know, including the fact that it very well could have been the shop that broke it because of how brittle it is and how common it is to break it. It should be fixed free-of-charge to you. Let the insurance company and the repair shop duke it out amongst themselves.
If insurance is covering the accident, I don't see why the repair shop is even calling YOU in the first place... they should be dealing only with the insurance company. Your insurance company is almost like your "lawyer" in this case... everything should go through them. Sounds to me like the repair shop guy knows he broke it and was trying the sham YOU into paying for it instead of taking the correct avenue, which was going to the insurance company who is likely going to make THEM cover it because it was their fault.
I say get more involved with your insurance agent, and less involved with that dude at the repair shop.
*Edit - What he thought was someone "gluing" the hose on was most likely some corrosion/crystalized fluid around the hose stub. Totally normal, and it can kinda look like a glue residue on that stub.
I agree with everyone else here. It wasn't leaking before the accident, and now it is. Regardless of whether it was the actual accident that broke it, or the repair shop that broke it, IT WASN'T YOU... so your insurance should either cover it themselves, or THEY should take it up with the repair shop and settle it between themselves. Get your insurance agent involved. Explain everything you know, including the fact that it very well could have been the shop that broke it because of how brittle it is and how common it is to break it. It should be fixed free-of-charge to you. Let the insurance company and the repair shop duke it out amongst themselves.
If insurance is covering the accident, I don't see why the repair shop is even calling YOU in the first place... they should be dealing only with the insurance company. Your insurance company is almost like your "lawyer" in this case... everything should go through them. Sounds to me like the repair shop guy knows he broke it and was trying the sham YOU into paying for it instead of taking the correct avenue, which was going to the insurance company who is likely going to make THEM cover it because it was their fault.
I say get more involved with your insurance agent, and less involved with that dude at the repair shop.
*Edit - What he thought was someone "gluing" the hose on was most likely some corrosion/crystalized fluid around the hose stub. Totally normal, and it can kinda look like a glue residue on that stub.
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