ICBC Claim rejected help
 

Hey guys,

So I don't know too much about cars and am hoping you guys can help me out!

Basically what happened is I was in a front end accident around the portmann bridge with my 2010 genesis coup Hyundia. My airbags did not go off and there was never and maintenance lights on my car. I drove back to Abbotsford and a few days later drove to and from Chilliwack. On that drive I noticed my car was having some acceleration issues. It was almost unresponsive as I hit the gas a few times but I didn't think much of it at the time. The next time I tried to start my car it wouldn't start (turn over). I had BCAA come and look at the car and they were saying there was an issue some sensor that was causing the engine to get flooded with fuel although ICBC found no damaged to any sensors and out right said BCAA doesn't know what they are doing.

Originally ICBC told me that 9 teeth on the timing chain were bent. Now they are saying there was no damage to the chain but that it slipped and damaged the valves etc and the whole engine needs to be replaced. They are telling me that the chain skipping doesn't have to do with the accident and that they wont be paying to repair or replace the engine.

So now I'm planning on going to the Mechanic who looked over the car and see what he says. I cant believe that it just so happened that my timing chain skipped the next drive after the accident. Is there any tips on what I should be looking for or asking the mechanic? Any other advice dealing with ICBC would be great too!

Thanks in advance for your help!!
Andrew

Was there an impact to the front of the vehicle that left damage to the timing cover. I assume there is as ICBC told you the chain was damaged and they would need the front of the engine (timing cover off).

If that is the case, it is very possible that the chain could have jumped or the chain tensioner was damaged causing the chain to be slack and damage the motor. Or its possible that one of the guides was damaged and caused it.

Sounds strange to me tho. If the car drove fine before and then the first drive after a front end collision that resulted in timing cover damage and they still think its not a fault of the accident....I would talk to a manager or something or find what shop did the mechanical repair to the engine. Sounds like it failed due to accident but they don't want to be stuck with the bill for the engine because the adjuster did not do there job properly in the first place and would result in the car being written off if assessed properly.

How bad was the front end accident? You still drove around for daysss afterwards?

Sounds like a minor accident with just a dented bumper to me. Not serious enough for any frame/engine damage in their books.

Even if its a one off case and the accident did cause the damage, ICBC works on the probability of it happening.

9 teeth on timing chain? You mean sprocket? 9 of them were bent??

How the fuck is any of this possible, how does one have a messed up timing cover, yet their radiator and bumper and shit are okay to drive?

If you got into an accident hard enough to damage your engine, and bend parts inside your engine I see no possible way that you could have driven your car in the days following the accident.

This entire story doesn't add up.

Like I said the front end accident wasn't too bad as the air bags or anything didn't go off. How ever it did happen on the highway so it was enough to damage the bumper as well as bend the hood.

I'm not sure what damage was done from the crash but yes as I said I drove it home and another time with weird luls in the acceleration. Then it just didn't start after that and ICBC claims the timing chain skipped. I don't know how it is supposed to "add up" but that's just what happened.

I'll be sure to look at the timing cover to see if it was damaged at all thanks for the tip!

i assume its the 2.0t? didnt those motors have issues with timing chains stretching

Timing chain issues anyone? - Hyundai Genesis Forum

Since you don't know much about car, take it to one of the board sponsor and have them evalulate what went wrong, you can also get in touch with the body shop etc.

You looking at timing chain cover, won't get you very far.

Honestly no paper trail, there won't be much support for your side of your argument.

Thanks for the help guys we will see what happens tomorrow. I have a friend telling me that having the chain slip wont cause that much damage. I don't believe that the mechanic has actually opened the engine to see if there is any damage so I'm guessing he is speculating saying that the engine needs to be replaced? My friend told me that there's no way it would need to be replaced just from a slipped chain and that I should just have him reline it and see if that works. Any thoughts?

It depends if you want to pursue ICBC claim for it.. If you let your "friend" do it. ICBC will no longer be responsible even if later on the only conclusion is due to the accident.

Get a certified shop to look at it and keep a paper trail.

Depends how many teeth the chain slipped. One or two teeth, not good, but it should only cause the engine to run like shit. Any more than that and you risk damaging the engine, especially if it's interference. My girlfriend's TDI slipped a bunch of teeth after hitting an unpaved --> paved gradient change in a construction zone. Normally that wouldn't have happened but the tensioner was on it's last legs and I think the jolt finally caused it to give way. But that's on a 15 year old car with close to half a million miles on it (and, likely, the originally tensioner). For a relatively new car, you shouldn't have that issue.

Personally, unless there's any actual physical damage from the accident that some how managed to jam up the chain and allowed it to jump teeth, I feel it may just be an unfortunate coincidence.