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Hello, please bear with me, as it's long....
On the 4th of July I was driving home, some idiot on the side of the road threw a huge firework under my car and it blew up essentially under my feet as I drove over it (I didn't know what was happening til it was too late -- it all happened so fast)
Immediately after the explosion, my car sounds like crap and smelled funny -- initially, I thought something was stuck under it, like debris.
I didn't drive it for 2 days. When I did on Saturday, I was SHOCKED -- it sounded like a Harley Davidson, it was so loud. I drove it to the grocery store, and soon noticed that the smell was the cabin filling with exhaust.
Long story short, I took it in to the shop, and a bolt is missing from the exhuast manifold and the gasket needs to be replaced. The dealership (it's the only place that I can trust around here to do the job and in a timely manner) is quoting me $1200. Because the problem started with that firework exploding under my car, I call my insurance and explain the situation.
The adjustor comes out and says -- it is completely unrelated to the firework, not covered.
Please, can someone here explain to me? The noise and exhaust problem started exactly after that explosion! Could the firework have caused this? Triggered something that was already 'on it's way out'? Or is it really just pure coincidence (I find that so hard to believe)....
Thanks
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After my reply to your post I phoned my insurance company, Geico, and asked if
this scenerio was covered. After some checking they said it would be covered under their comprehensive. (Subject to an inspection)
So After you find a new mechanic, find an new Insurance company.
Bill
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If an insurance claim is involved, isn't a police report necessary?
VERY BRIEFLY: I phoned and faxed a claim to the insurance company of the party who hit my car. No police report. 100% their fault.
The check was in my hand the next day.
My uncle, who was a learned, successful businessman, scolded me for not getting a police report. He said it was unbelievable good luck the company paid.
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The story sounds very odd, maybe you had a quarter stick of dynamite under there,
I would talk to the local police to see if they have any other local victims, and
make sure that you file a report. You might luck out and get some info from the cops.
You might read your car policy carefully to see if the adjuster is giving you a snowjob.
The story from your mechanic sounds bogus to me too, and I'm with Klaus, I'd get the car to a muffler shop for a second opinion. Their prices are crazy and if they are planning to change the gasket, they can pull the manifold and then heat the broken studs with a Oxy-Acetylene torch and take them out with vise grips which is likely to be easy, and not $400 X2.
Get some ear protection to drive it to a muffler shop for an estimate.
Good luck, Bill
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Sad for your trouble - even 2 grand is only equal to four lease payments on a new Volvo! That's after a down payment of 4 grand or so!
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Even a large M80 wouldn't hurt the car.
An exhaust manifold bolt went MIA? Those are usually rusted on and a pain to get off. And $1200 to fix?
Time to shop around, look in "shops" in the top of the screen where it says --more-- and ask.
Sure, if a bolt did come off, there will be work to get the heat shield out, the turbo disconnected from the manifold, the manifold removed, 5 new gaskets and a new screw and bolt installed. Only a couple hours of labor.
I would have thought the 'flex' pipe had come apart first, and that would have me go to a shop that specializes in exhaust work.
--
Keeping it running is better than buying new
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They are apparently a pain to get off. They are sending to a machine shop to drill out 2 and charging me $800 more.
I can't have it taken elsewhere at this point as the exhaust in the cabin was so bad by the time I got to the dealership, I couldn't risk putting my child in the car again to drive it away.
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You might be able to plead for mercy with the shop foreman. Have him call the Volvo regional rep. This is a most unusual case...
You did buy the car there. A point in your favor.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new
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For that kind of dough, it sounds like they're pulling the head off and sending it to a machine shop to extract the broken bolt(s). I've never had to get back in there on a transverse engine to remove the exhaust manifold or do any work like that, but is it not possible to drill out the stud with an angle drill? I've done that sort of "blind" extraction at least one time on a V8 using a mirror and a short piece of steel tubing stuck in the manifold bolt hole to act as a drill guide for the 90 degree angle drill.
Just brainstorming here......
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)
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I am not sure what the right answer to your question might be, not having the car to look at, But:
---- What changed?.... Car was quiet and running fine, before the fire cracker
was tossed under the car.. Hard to rule out it didn't contribute.
---- What did the dealer attribute the exhaust failure to ??? A lost bold or was it sheared off ?? Not sure where the failure is, but assume it's where the manifold joins the exhaust piping system .... If so, $1200 sounds way too much for the repair, even excessive if the manifold itself needs to be re-gasket-ed.
Not sure where you live and if there might be a good independent volvo
mechanic in your area to help you..... It might be worth it to ask this site.
anyway, I am sure others on this site will have some good thoughts to offer on
your problem
Good luck,
Art
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They just said a bolt is 'missing' and didn't really specify on it's loss. I'm not mechanically savvy enough to know how or why this firework did or didn't cause this sound to occur or where exactly the failure is (they didn't tell me).
I cannot drive it elsewhere as the cabin was filling with so much exhaust by the time I got to the dealer, I couldn't risk putting myself and my little girl in there again to drive elsewhere to shop around :(
This is going to be SO EXPENSIVE>>>>>>!
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