Rodent damaged new car.

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  • tbone

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    My wife got up to go to work and our new Toyota Camry (17,000 miles) didn't want to start. It required a few attempts before it finally started and the Check Engineer Light was displayed. She took the car by O'Reilly's auto parts and they said the error code indicated that the camshaft position sensor was in error. It ran fine after that for a couple of days over the weekend and repeated the same incident when I tried to start it to take it to the dealer for what I assumed would be a warranty repair.
    The service manager at the dealer invited me out to the service area to show me the nest built under the top engine cover and the wire cut right at the plug on the camshaft position sensor.
    Then he informs me that this is not covered under warranty as it is animal damage and not a covered malfunction. He also said that the ENTIRE wiring harness would have to be replaced and it would probably run about $8,000 and suggested that I contact my insurer.
    I called my agent and was transferred to some office a thousand miles away from here and he filed a claim and said they would be sending an adjuster to the dealer to check that they weren't trying to pull a fast one. Meanwhile, I got a copy of the estimate and the total cost would be $8,139.09 for the repair of which I would be responsible for $100.00 deductible. The insurance company approved the repair and is sending a check for $8,039.09.
    I am in awe of how car manufacturers have designed cars to be so expensive to repair. I am now thinking. What if this had happened to some poor person that had dropped their insurance coverage to the minimum liability in order to save a few dollars a month? How many people have $8,000 lying around to repair one little old wire on a car that requires replacing the entire wiring harness?
     

    charlie12

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    I've seen a good bit of rat damage at my buddy's shop. Wonder what rats ate before they had wire? That probably could have been fixed at a local shop without the whole harness but the stealerships like to get all your money.
     

    Tweek

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    Several manufacturers have had problems with rodent related destruction of wires, blamed mainly on the use of soy based insulation on the wiring. Pretty sure toyota has had several law suites over it. Any independent shop out there could have easily just fixed the damaged wires without replacing the entire wiring harness.
     

    tbone

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    .... That probably could have been fixed at a local shop without the whole harness but the stealerships like to get all your money.

    ... Any independent shop out there could have easily just fixed the damaged wires without replacing the entire wiring harness.

    So that begs the question of "Why would the insurance company agree to pay over $8,000 to the dealership if it could have been fixed for a couple of hundred at an independent shop?"
     

    wcweir3

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    Don't do like a friend of mine did and wanted to leave the squirrels alone he used to like to see them running around but after having to replace the wiring harness out of his pocket he went to work to make a lot of squirrel stew.
    PS they like to make nests on the warm engine. also just splicing the wire will change the impedance of the sensor
    Wingate
     

    BarneyFife

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    It could be the dealer may be required to replace the bad part, instead of repairing it since the car is still under warranty, even though this isn't a warranty claim. Could be the only option they had. Either replace the part, or deny the job. No knowledge of this......just a guess.
     
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    charlie12

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    A local musician had a Ford truck with a problem. Took it to a Baton Rouge Ford dealer they told him his engine was shot and needed a new one for around $8000. He heard about my friend's shop and brought it to him. My buddy checked it out and it was a broken value spring. Fixed it for a couple hundred I think. That's how dealerships work
     

    mike84z28

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    The single wire could have easily been replaced. Most dealership service departments I have dealt with are sub par at best.
     

    tbone

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    Because the stealership wrote the quote for this and probably deemed it a requirement.

    The dealership did write a quote but the insurance company sent their own man over to validate the claim. It seems that their own man would be able to recognize that a wire could be fixed instead of saying ok to an expensive complete replacement of the entire wiring harness. If it is possible to repair a single wire, why would the insurance company go along with the expensive replacement. It wasn't like the insurance people had to have the repair done at the dealer. They could have taken it to an independent.
     

    bigtattoo79

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    I’d bet a dollar to a dime if something car related cut that wire and the warranty would be covering it they would have repaired that one wire.
     

    AustinBR

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    The dealership did write a quote but the insurance company sent their own man over to validate the claim. It seems that their own man would be able to recognize that a wire could be fixed instead of saying ok to an expensive complete replacement of the entire wiring harness. If it is possible to repair a single wire, why would the insurance company go along with the expensive replacement. It wasn't like the insurance people had to have the repair done at the dealer. They could have taken it to an independent.

    Maybe the insurance company thinks it more prudent to replace everything now, so there are less problems in the future?
     

    340six

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    The dealer is doing the repair too, factory specs Since it is still under factory warranty.
    I bet a lot of reputable shops would have fixed the just the one wire. Soldered and heat shrink wrapped the repairs. And it would have been 100%.
    Once the dealer knows if it would have been done like that they can and will void all warranties on just about anything!
    The insurance thinks this way too. That is why they paid the large sum.
    Out of warranty and on your dime I would have fixed the one wire.
    One of my best friends owns a shop. And one a body shop.
    Repairs are the norm. on cut wires, as well as the whole harness. Some shops get the $ for a whole enchilada and do just their repairs. But ya already knew that
     

    RaleighReloader

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    Interesting thread. It used to be that dealerships were the gold standard for quality service, and that privately owned repair shops were the budget alternative. My experience is that this is changing, with many private specialty shops doing much better work than the dealerships.

    As for OP's car, I'm not sure that it was a bad move to replace the entire harness. Long gone are the days when a wiring harness was simply a few dozen wires carrying 12 volts to various lights and accessories. Now they're essentially a computer bus conveying millions of bits of information per second between the dozens of computer modules that comprise most modern automobiles. A single short circuit can fry a very expensive computer module and cascade other issues as a result. In other words: it could be fixed, but what mechanic is going to stake his reputation on the "fix" not causing a dozen other problems down the line? I'm not sure that I would.

    Mike
     

    340six

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    Interesting thread. It used to be that dealerships were the gold standard for quality service, and that privately owned repair shops were the budget alternative. My experience is that this is changing, with many private specialty shops doing much better work than the dealerships.

    As for OP's car, I'm not sure that it was a bad move to replace the entire harness. Long gone are the days when a wiring harness was simply a few dozen wires carrying 12 volts to various lights and accessories. Now they're essentially a computer bus conveying millions of bits of information per second between the dozens of computer modules that comprise most modern automobiles. A single short circuit can fry a very expensive computer module and cascade other issues as a result. In other words: it could be fixed, but what mechanic is going to stake his reputation on the "fix" not causing a dozen other problems down the line? I'm not sure that I would.

    Mike
    That was my poiunt the dealership has to do it 100% as it is under warranty period. If the patched it up anything that goes wrong could be traced back to them even if it was not their work. Not worth the Liability.
    Back in the day my 1971 Dodge Challenger had a alternator burn up. It melted the Engine bay harness. And part of the under-dash one as well. The plugs were still good. So I got out the FSM and redid the whole engine bay one with new wire and factory connectors.
    And did Harness to Harness whole wires on the under-dash. No splices. Worked for many years. I even added things in the factory slots that were options that I added to the car. Was 100%
    My last Car Restoration got all new M&H forward Head Lamp, Engine, Transmission, Under-Dash, and rear Harness. Was nice to have plug and play, As well as not worry about any problems down the line
     

    tbone

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