Nearby lightning strike killed ECU and more on 2013 Chevy; Keep it?

Maintenance/Repairs
61

Here’s the latest on the car repair:

I got the car back yesterday (finally!), after a long talk with the shop. They are far more experienced with this type of repair than I knew when this started. I based several of my questions on ideas that were brought up in this discussion thread. My thanks to all of you for sharing!

To me the key question was whether the wiring was damaged. Lack of burned wires is a possible indicator that the surge was too short to heat up any part of the electrical system beside the control modules. This appears to be the case.

So far the car seems to be running at least as well as it ever did. Since I picked it up, we had some rain and a big drop in temperature. This does not appear to have caused any further issues. It did remind me to try out the heated seats (worked fine, my tush is happy). The big surprise was that the built-in garage/gate opener retained its code! A good omen.

So far, so good. If we get through the next 90 days of a damp, cold Missouri winter, I will consider the car healed. This would be good, as the car could not be replaced for any reasonable settlement figure. We seem to be off to a good start, but my fingers are still crossed.

Again, thanks to all of you for your interest and advice. You were a genuine help.

2 Likes
62

My Fiat and Scion were parked next to the Chevy when this happened. They were untouched. Your point is well taken, but probably not applicable here. I am inclined to trust the shop on this, as the insurance company has prior experience with their automotive electronics expertise. I’m not a virgin on these kind of issues either, and was impressed with their knowledge during our discussions. The adjuster was watching them like a hawk, as his zone had been shelling out a ton of money lately on flood claims and he was watching every dollar he spent. Fortunately, I’m only out my deductible (less than 10% of the final repair cost!), which isn’t all that much more than what a simple electrical diagnosis and repair would have run.

63

Your evaluation of the damage is almost identical to the shop’s. Your ideas made good sense to me and I used them as a further basis for conversations with them. Thanks for the advice. I’ve posted a wrap-up below, but I wanted to five you a nod in addition. :slight_smile:

1 Like
64

Good to hear. Hope it works out. Now any little glitch will keep you wondering though. That is probably going to be the worst part.