Interesting, definitely appears to be a debris strike… Work trucks probably driven on rock strewn roads more often compared to OP’s vehicle though. I’d drive my truck on gravel roads when I lived in Colorado , occasionally get a cracked windshield from that.
no dirt road travel here. Travelling down the interstate at 68 mph when it happened. They knew as the a/c lost all refrigerant and started blowing warm air pretty much immediately.
1 Like
The OP already said he wont make a claim because he doesnt want his premiums to go up and “doesn’t want to pay anything”, presumably his deductible. This is a customer who cannot be satisfied.
4 Likes
A hit by road debris is a collisiom. Certainly covered, but the trouble is that most people have a $1000 deductible and the cost of a repair at an independent shop is probably not enough to be wise to file a claim. I see a dark speck in the center of the bent up area that could be a pinhole. You will get no joy from Kia arguing that their grill design is defective. Do you realize what kind of claims that would bring if they agreed with you.
Anything that would protect the condenser would decrease air flow and you would need a larder and more expensive condenser.
The pebble does not need to be large or fast moving if you hit it at 70 mph. If a rock comes off the load of as truck, the driver or his employer are responsible for the damage, it the rock is kicked up from a truck or car off the road, it is just a road hazard and you are stuck for the damage.
1 Like
Read the fine print for your comprehensive insurance coverage.
Damage to your windshield caused by rocks is covered under comprehensive coverage. Flying road debris like gravel and tar is not covered under comprehensive coverage. Debris that falls off another vehicle and hits your car may be covered by collision insurance instead.
Tester
Sure he can. He can, and should, go online to Rock Auto, buy a new condenser, which should come with the necessary seals/O-rings, and install it, then he can either buy the tools to evacuate and recharge his car A/C, or he can take it somewhere, explain that he replaced a leaking condenser, and just pay to have the A/C evacuated and recharged, which should be far less than paying for the complete install. (And yes, I realize that the accumulator/drier should be changed when opening the system, but in this case, you can get away without doing that.)
He doesn’t think he should have to spend any money. I don’t see him purchasing a condenser.
1 Like
No, I have not. I know that a lot of this avoidance is probably is the result of just plain luck, but–all the same–this amounts to 9 cars without any A/C problems.
Not what my state farm policy states…
Where are you reading this? My state farm comprehensive says falling rock etc is covered.
Is “falling rock” the same as “flying road debris”?
(Once again, we’ve devolved into an in-expert legal forum.)
Not sure. It’s an argument that could be haggled for days with Weasel words. The agent I spoke with yesterday said “oh yeah I see this all the time, this will be comprehensive”. Double checked today and the agent supervisor said she’s not changing it to collision but said that the term " road debris" may have bearing on it if it was something I hit or was negligent to avoid…
She said even a dead animal in the road is covered under comprehensive. Can’t imagine that rocks in construction heavy portions of a highway wouldn’t also be comprehensive?
Where is this stated?
Sounds like I’m lucky. I have comp and a $500 deductible…
Hopefully insurance doesn’t play hardball. If they do, I’m certainly not paying premium for state farm anymore hah.
Remember if it was comprehensive or collision?
I didn’t get the details on the type of insurance, the service writer collects the payment.
The condenser for one vehicle I repaired was $800, the insurance company told the customer that they would need to take the vehicle to a different repair shop because the insurance company would only pay for a less expensive aftermarket part. The customer insisted on the OEM part and paid the difference.
2 Likes
Who the hell is referring to collision insurance?
Tester
This is not a failure - it’s damage. Difference. Difference!
No dealer with an ounce of decency and/or intelligence will do warranty work. Insurance should not go up - this is an incident with no fault of yours.
That’s why the first thing I do to every single new vehicle I buy is installing a metal mesh in front of the condenser behind the grille. Not sure why manufacturers - even the most reputable ones - don’t do that.
In any case, your claim has no merit.
Also, it makes perfect sense to buy a vacuum pump and a set of gauges so that you could fix your AC yourself. The whole setup will cost you around $100 and can be used repeatedly. I had to replace a condenser on my 2004 4Runner recently, and it only cost me $80 for the part (OEM Denso) and $20 for refrigerant. I can’t tell you how much money I saved over the years by doing everything myself not to mention hassles and screw ups avoided.
1 Like
A note about refrigerant: R1234yf is $150 per pound, maybe more.
2 Likes
Metal mesh sounds like a no brainer - as long as it doesn’t restrict airflow… dealer could claim that it is doing so if they see that installed on there right?
Also about DIY… You have a stable life. Congratulations. No place for me to do it myself right now and all my shit, tools included, is in storage over 200 miles away. Not practical. Not for a while.