The day before Christmas Eve 2004 a teenager slammed into the side of
my wife's Mini Van. His large truck was unharmed, but our van was
DOA.
We had the same insurance company as the boy who hit us, that is both
were State Farm but by different agents.

I figured our Plymoth Van (1999) was going to be totalled.
I went to the repair place to talk to the repair person who is also a
rep for the insurance company. When I got there, the person who had
hit my wife's van was leaving in his newly repaired truck.

The repair person told me that he'd decided that the car was totalled,
and that we'd have to wait to hear from his insurance representative.
So about 30 days after the accident the representative for that guys
insurance called, says they are not going to total it and will have it
fixed soon.

2 weeks later we get the van back (We were in a rental car for a total
of 50 days luckily their insurance paid it). Drive it for 1 week
(take it out of town on a trip for 30 miles highway travel). Then the
engine locks up. It gets towed to the body shop; that was on 2-21-05.
They gave us another rental.

Now today 4-6-05 I get a call telling me the car is ready, that they
put "NEW" *****( their words) engine in it.
I pick it up and I find out it is not a new engine or even if it is a
rebuilt engine, it might be just another engine out of a used van or
something. Heck, my wife came home with no papers. All the guy said
was that the insurance company paid for everything and he didn't have
any papers for her to sign. I don't even know if the engine has the
same VEN number as my car.

Now, I get home and my son shows me the oil it is leaking onto the
driveway.

Now, I'm no Dolly Lama, no Mother Teresa, no buda. I try to be a good
person, and not take advantage of anyone. I work with sick people
every day. I could really use a break and some sound advice if some
kind person could help.

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine. For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

Please post any suggestions or advice.
Flamers, your email will be forwarded to my MIL.

What does your agent say? you should simply tell him what's going on. he
should handle everything for you.

In article , REH wrote:

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine.

Why? You didn't have a new engine when the vehicle was totalled, did you?
Seems to me you had an engine with five years of use and wear on it. Why would
you expect that to be replaced with a new one?

For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

They're supposed to repair your vehicle so that it has the same value after
the repairs as it had before the accident. That does not mean that they owe
you new parts.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

"REH" wrote in message
...
The day before Christmas Eve 2004 a teenager slammed into the side of
my wife's Mini Van. His large truck was unharmed, but our van was
DOA.
We had the same insurance company as the boy who hit us, that is both
were State Farm but by different agents.

I figured our Plymoth Van (1999) was going to be totalled.
I went to the repair place to talk to the repair person who is also a
rep for the insurance company. When I got there, the person who had
hit my wife's van was leaving in his newly repaired truck.

The repair person told me that he'd decided that the car was totalled,
and that we'd have to wait to hear from his insurance representative.
So about 30 days after the accident the representative for that guys
insurance called, says they are not going to total it and will have it
fixed soon.

2 weeks later we get the van back (We were in a rental car for a total
of 50 days luckily their insurance paid it). Drive it for 1 week
(take it out of town on a trip for 30 miles highway travel). Then the
engine locks up. It gets towed to the body shop; that was on 2-21-05.
They gave us another rental.

Now today 4-6-05 I get a call telling me the car is ready, that they
put "NEW" *****( their words) engine in it.
I pick it up and I find out it is not a new engine or even if it is a
rebuilt engine, it might be just another engine out of a used van or
something. Heck, my wife came home with no papers. All the guy said
was that the insurance company paid for everything and he didn't have
any papers for her to sign. I don't even know if the engine has the
same VEN number as my car.

Now, I get home and my son shows me the oil it is leaking onto the
driveway.

Now, I'm no Dolly Lama, no Mother Teresa, no buda. I try to be a good
person, and not take advantage of anyone. I work with sick people
every day. I could really use a break and some sound advice if some
kind person could help.

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine. For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

Please post any suggestions or advice.
Flamers, your email will be forwarded to my MIL.

I would contact my agent and ask him or her who you need to speak with to
resolve this issue.

State Farm has always handled any claim I was involved with to the complete
satisfaction of the parties involved.

The replacement engine might not be required to be new but it should have
come from a vehicle with similar mileage and maintenance. The maintenance
part is where the documentation becomes difficult.


But I have to ask, how was the engine lockup due to the accident?


Colbyt

A 7 yr old van, how many miles? 100- 200000? You want a new motor. Did
you check the oil or water when you picked it up, No, or it would not
have siezed. It leaks oil so they will fix that.

First, tell your agent that the repairs were unsatisfactory and that you do
not consider the claim to be closed. Eventually that open claim will get on
someones back.

In my state (CA) when you sell a vehicle you must sign a statement on the
title authenticating the milage on the vehicle. I don't see how you could
do that if they did not provide you with documentation on the milage of the
replaced engine.

Even a new or rebuilt engine does not replace all the stuff attached to the
engine. They may have replaced the lower part (block, pistons, crankshaft)
but reused the top of the engine (header, cam etc.) and you can be sure they
reused the alternator, water pump, carb, exhaust pipes, and transmission.
The oil leak may be where the engine joins the transmission (rear main seal)
in which case the workmanship was flawed not the parts.

In any case, don't give up until you are satisfied the car is as least as
reliable as it was before the accident. You really can't expect it to be
better.



"REH" wrote in message
...
The day before Christmas Eve 2004 a teenager slammed into the side of
my wife's Mini Van. His large truck was unharmed, but our van was
DOA.
We had the same insurance company as the boy who hit us, that is both
were State Farm but by different agents.

I figured our Plymoth Van (1999) was going to be totalled.
I went to the repair place to talk to the repair person who is also a
rep for the insurance company. When I got there, the person who had
hit my wife's van was leaving in his newly repaired truck.

The repair person told me that he'd decided that the car was totalled,
and that we'd have to wait to hear from his insurance representative.
So about 30 days after the accident the representative for that guys
insurance called, says they are not going to total it and will have it
fixed soon.

2 weeks later we get the van back (We were in a rental car for a total
of 50 days luckily their insurance paid it). Drive it for 1 week
(take it out of town on a trip for 30 miles highway travel). Then the
engine locks up. It gets towed to the body shop; that was on 2-21-05.
They gave us another rental.

Now today 4-6-05 I get a call telling me the car is ready, that they
put "NEW" *****( their words) engine in it.
I pick it up and I find out it is not a new engine or even if it is a
rebuilt engine, it might be just another engine out of a used van or
something. Heck, my wife came home with no papers. All the guy said
was that the insurance company paid for everything and he didn't have
any papers for her to sign. I don't even know if the engine has the
same VEN number as my car.

Now, I get home and my son shows me the oil it is leaking onto the
driveway.

Now, I'm no Dolly Lama, no Mother Teresa, no buda. I try to be a good
person, and not take advantage of anyone. I work with sick people
every day. I could really use a break and some sound advice if some
kind person could help.

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine. For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

Please post any suggestions or advice.
Flamers, your email will be forwarded to my MIL.

"AutoTracer" wrote in message
nk.net...
First, tell your agent that the repairs were unsatisfactory and that you
do
not consider the claim to be closed. Eventually that open claim will get
on
someones back.

In my state (CA) when you sell a vehicle you must sign a statement on the
title authenticating the milage on the vehicle. I don't see how you could
do that if they did not provide you with documentation on the milage of
the
replaced engine.

Is there a place to denote engine mileage? I've never seen it in other
states. A rebuild is a plus and as a seller, I'd want the buyer to know
that.


In any case, don't give up until you are satisfied the car is as least as
reliable as it was before the accident. You really can't expect it to be
better.

Yes, new is out of the question. There may be problems related to the
installation, but they will never replace it with factory new.

Every engine has a VIN number stamped on it somewhere. If you can't locate
it, talk to your "TRUSTED" mechanic. He/She can find it for you I'm sure. If
you go to Carfax.com and pay a small fee(sometimes they will give you a
free partial search of a VIN's history) you can determine the last reported
mileage for that VIN. Also if it was an R-title,airbag deployment....etc etc
etc. If you still feel slighted, contact a Lawyer. But as the above replies
have stated, give your agent a chance to do right by you first. They often
don't know the facts.
"AutoTracer" wrote in message
nk.net...
First, tell your agent that the repairs were unsatisfactory and that you
do
not consider the claim to be closed. Eventually that open claim will get
on
someones back.

In my state (CA) when you sell a vehicle you must sign a statement on the
title authenticating the milage on the vehicle. I don't see how you could
do that if they did not provide you with documentation on the milage of
the
replaced engine.

Even a new or rebuilt engine does not replace all the stuff attached to
the
engine. They may have replaced the lower part (block, pistons,
crankshaft)
but reused the top of the engine (header, cam etc.) and you can be sure
they
reused the alternator, water pump, carb, exhaust pipes, and transmission.
The oil leak may be where the engine joins the transmission (rear main
seal)
in which case the workmanship was flawed not the parts.

In any case, don't give up until you are satisfied the car is as least as
reliable as it was before the accident. You really can't expect it to be
better.



"REH" wrote in message
...
The day before Christmas Eve 2004 a teenager slammed into the side of
my wife's Mini Van. His large truck was unharmed, but our van was
DOA.
We had the same insurance company as the boy who hit us, that is both
were State Farm but by different agents.

I figured our Plymoth Van (1999) was going to be totalled.
I went to the repair place to talk to the repair person who is also a
rep for the insurance company. When I got there, the person who had
hit my wife's van was leaving in his newly repaired truck.

The repair person told me that he'd decided that the car was totalled,
and that we'd have to wait to hear from his insurance representative.
So about 30 days after the accident the representative for that guys
insurance called, says they are not going to total it and will have it
fixed soon.

2 weeks later we get the van back (We were in a rental car for a total
of 50 days luckily their insurance paid it). Drive it for 1 week
(take it out of town on a trip for 30 miles highway travel). Then the
engine locks up. It gets towed to the body shop; that was on 2-21-05.
They gave us another rental.

Now today 4-6-05 I get a call telling me the car is ready, that they
put "NEW" *****( their words) engine in it.
I pick it up and I find out it is not a new engine or even if it is a
rebuilt engine, it might be just another engine out of a used van or
something. Heck, my wife came home with no papers. All the guy said
was that the insurance company paid for everything and he didn't have
any papers for her to sign. I don't even know if the engine has the
same VEN number as my car.

Now, I get home and my son shows me the oil it is leaking onto the
driveway.

Now, I'm no Dolly Lama, no Mother Teresa, no buda. I try to be a good
person, and not take advantage of anyone. I work with sick people
every day. I could really use a break and some sound advice if some
kind person could help.

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine. For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

Please post any suggestions or advice.
Flamers, your email will be forwarded to my MIL.

"Colbyt" wrote in message
...

"REH" wrote in message
...
The day before Christmas Eve 2004 a teenager slammed into the side of
my wife's Mini Van. His large truck was unharmed, but our van was
DOA.
We had the same insurance company as the boy who hit us, that is both
were State Farm but by different agents.

I figured our Plymoth Van (1999) was going to be totalled.
I went to the repair place to talk to the repair person who is also a
rep for the insurance company. When I got there, the person who had
hit my wife's van was leaving in his newly repaired truck.

The repair person told me that he'd decided that the car was totalled,
and that we'd have to wait to hear from his insurance representative.
So about 30 days after the accident the representative for that guys
insurance called, says they are not going to total it and will have it
fixed soon.

2 weeks later we get the van back (We were in a rental car for a total
of 50 days luckily their insurance paid it). Drive it for 1 week
(take it out of town on a trip for 30 miles highway travel). Then the
engine locks up. It gets towed to the body shop; that was on 2-21-05.
They gave us another rental.

Now today 4-6-05 I get a call telling me the car is ready, that they
put "NEW" *****( their words) engine in it.
I pick it up and I find out it is not a new engine or even if it is a
rebuilt engine, it might be just another engine out of a used van or
something. Heck, my wife came home with no papers. All the guy said
was that the insurance company paid for everything and he didn't have
any papers for her to sign. I don't even know if the engine has the
same VEN number as my car.

Now, I get home and my son shows me the oil it is leaking onto the
driveway.

Now, I'm no Dolly Lama, no Mother Teresa, no buda. I try to be a good
person, and not take advantage of anyone. I work with sick people
every day. I could really use a break and some sound advice if some
kind person could help.

I don't feel the engine should have been replace with any thing other
then a new engine. For example; If your door falls off, they should
get a "new" old door from the junk yard or aren't they supposed to buy
me a brand new door.

Please post any suggestions or advice.
Flamers, your email will be forwarded to my MIL.

I would contact my agent and ask him or her who you need to speak with to
resolve this issue.

State Farm has always handled any claim I was involved with to the complete
satisfaction of the parties involved.

The replacement engine might not be required to be new but it should have
come from a vehicle with similar mileage and maintenance. The maintenance
part is where the documentation becomes difficult.


But I have to ask, how was the engine lockup due to the accident?


Colbyt

This is Turtle.

i'm not a rebuilder of cars but a friend of mine does buy car and rebuilds then
to sell. i would go to the sale with him to buy cars and he would always say he
did not want a front wheel drive car or van hit on the transmission side of the
car. He said if you could hit the transmission drive shaft hard enough it will
drive the crank shaft in on the motor and loosen the piston shelves of the
pistons. The trouble will not show up a while but the motor shelves holding the
pistons will come loose sooner or later. Now it has to be hit hard but it will
do it and also it works on the transmission when the pressure slides through the
shaft. The rules is don't buy a auto hit on the transmission side of front wheel
drive. This is the only case of the motor going out later. the hitting on the
front or back usely will not mess with the motor or transmission.

TURTLE

Is there a place to denote engine mileage? I've never seen it in other
states. A rebuild is a plus and as a seller, I'd want the buyer to know
that.


It is the bottom third of the front of the title. there are two additional
boxes you can mark "the odometer reading is beyond the mechanical limits"
and "this is not the actual milage" but there is no line to explain why.



"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
m...

"AutoTracer" wrote in message
nk.net...
First, tell your agent that the repairs were unsatisfactory and that you
do
not consider the claim to be closed. Eventually that open claim will
get
on
someones back.

In my state (CA) when you sell a vehicle you must sign a statement on
the
title authenticating the milage on the vehicle. I don't see how you
could
do that if they did not provide you with documentation on the milage of
the
replaced engine.

Is there a place to denote engine mileage? I've never seen it in other
states. A rebuild is a plus and as a seller, I'd want the buyer to know
that.


In any case, don't give up until you are satisfied the car is as least
as
reliable as it was before the accident. You really can't expect it to
be
better.

Yes, new is out of the question. There may be problems related to the
installation, but they will never replace it with factory new.