[bikefreak]

I'm not sure if this is the right section to post this topic. I request the moderator to shift the thread if required.

A close relative gave his chevrolet cruze to the official service centre for battery problems on the 19th of Jan. On the 23rd the service centre called to inform him that his car had caught fire in their premises the night before. Given below is a pic.

Initially they asked him to claim his insurance. When he flatly refused as the incident had happened in their premises, they said they will look into it. After a few mails, they agreed to repair it free of cost and said that it will take 15-20 days (although they have still not started).

Now my queries are . . .
1) What should be the car owners stand ? What should he ask for ? and how ?
2) Who is to be held responsible - Chevrolet company or the service centre ?
3) Will the car be as good as it was, after the repairs ?
4) Should the company provide an alternate vehicle till the car is repaired ? (he is using cabs now)

Urgent advice required as he has to take necessary action

Thanks

[SupratikDebnath]

Originally Posted by bikefreak

2) Who is to be held responsible - Chevrolet company or the service centre ?

That should not matter. But yeah let all possible stakeholders be aware of the incident and current situation. Better to have something in writing.

Originally Posted by bikefreak

4) Should the company provide an alternate vehicle till the car is repaired ? (he is using cabs now)

Yes, the SC should.

A very tragic incident. Hope it turns out fine after the repairs. You might also ask him to evaluate the damage by insurance-guys. Depending on that you might want to ask for a replacement car!

[mav2000]

Wow, I really dont know if that can be repaired. Looks like a lot of things to change and redo. I hope the engine itself is not damaged, though from the pic it looks like theres a good chance this has happened.

[download2live]

By the looks of it I doubt if it can be repaired. And I am sure it won't be same as before even after repairs.
Is he ready for Legal options/Tangles?

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by bikefreak

...Initially they asked him to claim his insurance. When he flatly refused as the incident had happened in their premises, they said they will look into it.

As him to demand a total write off from the insurance company. Make the dealership to pay the differential amount (On road price of the new car - total proceeds from insurance company.)

Please don't repair the car and use it. The engine bay appears to be badly affected. It will make a huge dent on the resale value. Moreover, original factory fit & finish and reliability cannot be guaranteed.

BTW How old is the car?

[Akshay1234]

It really doesn't look like it can be repaired, if it is then the car probably will not be anything close to what it was. Warwithwheels seems to have given the best move in the situation.

[ghodlur]

Unbelievable, Car catching fire in the workshop and the workshop guys ask the owner to claim insurance. Ask you relative to demand a new car as replacement since it was the workshop's fault. The car does not look like repairable and looks more like a Total loss.

GM is not going to get involved in this IMO. So its between the workshop and your relatives. What was the reason given by the workshop for the fire? Is it the only car which was damaged or are there other cars too which got damaged/affected.

[maheshramaling]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

As him to demand a total write off from the insurance company. Make the dealership to pay the differential amount (On road price of the new car - total proceeds from insurance company.)

Please don't repair the car and use it. The engine bay appears to be badly affected. It will make a huge dent on the resale value. Moreover, original factory fit & finish and reliability cannot be guaranteed.

Agree to what Warwithwheels is saying. Engine bay does not look repairable. Is this the only damage or any other part of the car also got burnt?

It would be also good to know what caused this fire?

[saket77]

This is a very tragic & horrific incident. As per your post, the SC guys have agreed to repair it FOC, but the issue I see here is that they will incur heavy loss in the process.The burns on the machine looks severe to me and will require a lot of parts to be replaced. So, I am not sure if they will use all genuine parts. They may also fit old used parts from other cars or even worse, refurbish some of your's own to fit into this vehicle; until & unless this particular SC is extra-honest, which of course has a very low probability these days. Frankly speaking, I will be really surprised if you do not pay any thing less than substantial from your pocket in the process.

In case, somebody from the family has time & knowledge to monitor the repair process personally, you may go for a repair, else I would suggest you to check what you get from your insurance company on surrendering the vehicle as 'total loss'; Additionally, you should also ask for the amount that the SC would have spent on repairing the vehicle, as agreed by them. This should make good some loss.

In case going for repair, along with basic functionality, attention to minor details will be required so as to restore the car to its former glory which is a tough, time consuming & some times a frustrating job. My personal suggestion is to surrender your vehicle to the Insurance co. as total loss.

Just my 2 cents!

Regards.

[scopriobharath]

Hey, I would suggest to ask for a replacement car. The Damages are far too many. There may be internal Damages also.

I am sorry to say that Indian service centers are not as honest as USA or something. They might give you an external beutification but I cannot vouch if the complete electrical system will be overhauled (Example). ASC can repair externally (Salvage bonnet from a car which has been rear-ended).

What if they repair it now and after couple of months things start to fall apart ?

Honestly - Please ask for a replacement car.

[thoma]

If repaired, I very much doubt whether the service center will replace all metal parts. Once heated at such temperatures, metal property drastically changes. This is detrimental in the long run.

Just expressing my reservations on a repair. Maybe someone else's take who got previous experience on such a situation will be more helpful on this.

Originally Posted by bikefreak

1) What should be the car owners stand ? What should he ask for ? and how ?
2) Who is to be held responsible - Chevrolet company or the service centre ?
3) Will the car be as good as it was, after the repairs ?
4) Should the company provide an alternate vehicle till the car is repaired ? (he is using cabs now)

1) Sternly ask for an immediate replacement, with a car of similar value or the value itself. The service center can later claim insurance on the accident car or take it. The owner need not live with an accident repaired car for no fault of his.
2) The service center. But keep Chevrolet very much on their heels too.
3) I personally doubt this.
4) Yes.

[Swanand Inamdar]

That engine looks beyond repair, to me at least.
Like others have suggested, even if the SC does manage to repair it (which is a big how!), it would be nowhere close to factory fit and finish.
Plus, the incident would take a massive toll on the resale value of the car.

My advice, dont bother reparing. See what other options can be pursued with the SC.
BTW, how old was the car? Also, have they given a reason for the fire?

[GTO]

There is no way this Cruze can ever be repaired to its original state. The car has been damaged for absolutely no fault of the owner. You should push for a new car replacement only. Of course, it would help to be reasonable. I don't know how old your friend's Cruze is, but some difference amount in depreciation should be paid. If the workshop refuses, fight tooth & nail. Take this matter to the highest levels @ Chevrolet and publish it on various forms of social media.

By the way, what is the name of this workshop? I'm surprised at the carelessness with electrical work and have suffered once myself. The Jeep's first service @ Wasan Motors, Chembur : Some light wasn't working and their technician is checking the wires. I don't know what he did, but all of a sudden, dense smoke started coming out and you could literally see the fire running along the wiring harness. They disconnected the battery immediately. Luckily, the situation was contained in time.

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by bikefreak

Now my queries are . . .
1) What should be the car owners stand ? What should he ask for ? and how ?
2) Who is to be held responsible - Chevrolet company or the service centre ?
3) Will the car be as good as it was, after the repairs ?
4) Should the company provide an alternate vehicle till the car is repaired ? (he is using cabs now)

Urgent advice required as he has to take necessary action

Thanks

Very unfortunate incident and such things should never happen to good people.

1. First find out if the car had a manufacturing defect or it was pure negligence from the service station .

2. If the car had manufacturing defect , then the manufacturer is responsible , else it will be the service station.

3. The engine bay looks pretty bad , no amout of repairs and replacements will make the car as good as new. A factory fit is always a factory fit.

4. IMHO , the company must provide him an alternate means to travel , since the car was at their premises.

[mobike008]

Extremely sad to know about this incident and feel sorry for your friend. From the looks of the engine bay, there is no doubt that the engine is completely fried. No amounts of repair can reinstate the engine to its original condition.

Chevrolet will be no way responsible for this incident but, it would be prudent to send their highest authority an email with pictures and atleast ask them for an acknowledgement and possible resolution ideas

My recommendation would be to push for ANY of the following :-

1. Ask insurer to write off the car and ask the dealer to pay the difference amount for a brand new Cruze

2. Ask the dealer to give a brand new Cruze and let go of this car and let the dealer take care of this headache

In no circumstances, accept a repair of this vehicle. PERIOD

Btw, a few questions

1. Why is the car at dealership for 4 days for a battery problem?

2. Is it the same dealer where he bought the Cruze?

3. How old and how many kms its done? Model? LT? LTZ

Summary : In short, dont ask him to take it lying down. Let him fight tooth and nail to get a new car. It wont be easy but, ask him not to give up