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I posted about a week ago some overheating issue on my C6 M6 LS2, car overheating fans were on, a/c worked fine, towed the car back to my house, that was fun! 3hrs waiting ...anyhow, yesterday i finally got a chance to take a look at what is was going on and it was as simply as adding coolant! Yes coolant, reservoir was empty i really don't know how that happened Filled it up, took it for a drive near by my house just in case i get something wrong i can always make it safely back, drove around the block with the A/C ON and Coolant temps were low 196* (running a SC)Great! Went back to my house check the levels of coolant a bit was missing which is normal since there was none in the system, top off coolant fluids again check for any leakage let it rest for 30 min and take it back on the highway to do some pulls and the car worked perfect even with the A/C ON i was getting reading at 198* Coolant temp after some 1,2,3,4 gear pulls! I was so happy that i was able to fix the problem with just some coolant. So rad, right?!...(wait for it...)
Got to a red light started to overheat again immediately pull to the side of the street and call the towing...sucks right!?!?...(wait for it)
Towing truck arrived 3hrs later, since my car is not engaging in any gears the tow truck guy pulls a hook and hooks it up by the front of the car, using the steel cable brings the car to the flat bed. Upon arrival to my house, he was doing the same process, bringing the car down, when all of the sudden i hear a super loud snapping yanking sound...i was terrified to even look...the tow truck guy had hooked the car to the RADIATOR SUPPORT BRACKET shifting the whole front bumper to go upward snapping it from the frame,,,God only knows what other damages he cause, i notice the fan not working, radiator fluid started dripping, intercooler hoses etc...all out op placed, scratched 1 headlight, bumper bent on an unimaginable way ..
Made a police report, call my insurance (Progressive) which they were the providers of the towing truck company thru a company that Progressive uses that is call "AGERO".
I am so in disbelief of what just happened. This morning i got a call from the towing company saying that they are a body-shop also and that they can fix my car, of course i replied with a subtle "no thank you, my car only will be touch by those who i trust".
A supervisor from AGERO called me today saying that they will send an estimator asap to check the car out and see what is the damage and try to get it fix as soon as possible... good thing is they are taking the hit and my insurance it is not involved otherwise my premium might go up or not.
Anyhow i tried to make the best of it, the poor tow guy was new at his job (1 month) he didn't know any better and i didn't know that he was new so i trusted that he have done this many times...NOT!! We waited together at my house for the police to arrive, made him some sandwiches and gave him some sodas.
Does anybody have any experience onto this matter, i am a bit lost and don't want to end up loosing anything on this deal. I need advices guys!
Sorry about the long letter but i had to RANT
Pics added.
SHORT VERSION Fixed overheating issue.
2 blocks later car wont engaged in any gear, rattling sound.
Call insurance Roadside assistance
Towing pick up car
Towing drops it off at my house
New guy at work (tow guy)
Hooked steel cable to radiator mount bracket
Lots of damage to the car
Filed police report
Made tow guy some sandwiches
Today i need advices on how to handle the situation
What to expect
The moment he hooks the cables to the radiator bracket support
The moment he hooks the cables to the radiator bracket support (2)
The moment he hooks the cables to the radiator bracket support (3)
The moment he hooks the cables to the radiator bracket support (4)
Walking to do the worst Corvette pick up in history
In the works...still can't believed that when pulled on the flat bed the first time it didn't snap
The moment it happend..
DAMAGE PIC 1
DAMAGE PIC2
DAMAGE PIC3
DAMAGE PIC4
DAMAGE PIC4<br/>At this point the bumper was pretty aligned yet you can see the headlight scratches from when the bumper twisted upward
View from were it was hooked after the incident
clear image of the cable rod and hook to the bracket
I cant make up the damages..many?
Bracket snapped off the frame
Radiator support bracket snapped
Radiator (leaking) outplsced, hoses are all twisted also metal piping
Made a sandwich to the poor rookie, i am really putting a brave face due to the fact. Still can't believe why a company would send a rookie to do this job without proper training. He is a good guy, just a bad day for both of us.
Last edited by StallionCorvette; 08-15-2017 at 11:06 PM.
Boy that sucks. You handled it much better than I would have. Don't forget about "diminished value" - you should be compensated for this loss as well. Here's a link that explains it better than I can. Diminished Value
Good luck with the repairs!
Last edited by Dragon Tamer; 08-14-2017 at 05:06 PM.
I worked as the Operations Manager for one of the largest tow companies in the Nation for a while after retiring from the Air Force.
1. If they damaged the vehicle during the tow, they are responsible for the cost of all repairs.
2. You can get it repaired at any shop of your choosing.
3. They can send out an adjuster, give you an estimate and you can accept it or not. If you don't, you will (normally) need to get at least and provide them with 3 estimates; they will (should) pay you the average.
Hope this info helps and good luck. As with any line of business, there are very reputable and stand up tow companies and then there are the others who are lets just say are not
However, a point that came to me in the beginning:
If the coolant is low, just adding more coolant doesn't fix the problem, it just fixes the symptom of a problem. The cooling system is essentially "closed," and it doesn't consume coolant if everything is okay.
If it was low then it is going somewhere: leaking externally, or in the oil, or in one of the combustion chambers and is being burned.
I worked as the Operations Manager for one of the largest tow companies in the Nation for a while after retiring from the Air Force.
1. If they damaged the vehicle during the tow, they are responsible for the cost of all repairs.
2. You can get it repaired at any shop of your choosing.
3. They can send out an adjuster, give you an estimate and you can accept it or not. If you don't, you will (normally) need to get at least and provide them with 3 estimates; they will (should) pay you the average.
Hope this info helps and good luck. As with any line of business, there are very reputable and stand up tow companies and then there are the others who are lets just say are not
Actually, item#3 is not entirely correct.
The car owner is the claimant and not only can he take it to whatever shop he chooses he does not have to provide multiple estimates for repair nor does he have to settle for an "average" of multiple estimates.
Additionally, the tow company is on the hook (pun intended) to provide a rental car for the owner's use while the vehicle is being repaired.
In Texas you are not obligated to get any estimates and are free to take it to your shop of choice. Ins cos will ask for 3 estimates if you don't accept theirs but I never have done it. Just tell them, no by law I don't have to, and my car will be repaired at..............
OP good luck with the repair. Should not be too difficult. I am more worried about where the coolant is going. Closed system and if working properly you will not ever be low.
However, a point that came to me in the beginning:
If the coolant is low, just adding more coolant doesn't fix the problem, it just fixes the symptom of a problem. The cooling system is essentially "closed," and it doesn't consume coolant if everything is okay.
If it was low then it is going somewhere: leaking externally, or in the oil, or in one of the combustion chambers and is being burned.
Exactly! The rest is all a nice and not so nice story.
Tell me: what did you learn OP from this saga with your car? WADR it really should be clear in your mind.
Fixing up body/radiator damage is really not the most important part --- but not to minimize, it is still important.
I was wondering the same thing? Making a mistake is not a criminal offense. Since you did not want to involve your insurance company for fear of a rate increase, a police report may trigger a report to your state DMV which could lead to a higher rating.
Boy that sucks. You handled it much better than I would have. Don't forget about "diminished value" - you should be compensated for this loss as well. Here's a link that explains it better than I can. Diminished Value
Good luck with the repairs!
Indeed it sucks man! I try to put myself on the rookies shoes, it was either making him have nightmares or making him a sammich lol..poor guy has it coming from his company. Yeah i will look into D.V. thanks for the heads up!
Boy that sucks. You handled it much better than I would have. Don't forget about "diminished value" - you should be compensated for this loss as well. Here's a link that explains it better than I can. Diminished Value
Good luck with the repairs!
There should not be any DV, as he stated the insurance company is not going to be involved. The towing company has agreed to fix it all at their cost. Good break for him, if it goes that way.
I was wondering the same thing? Making a mistake is not a criminal offense. Since you did not want to involve your insurance company for fear of a rate increase, a police report may trigger a report to your state DMV which could lead to a higher rating.
It was not a COLLISION. It cannot result in a higher rate, except for the towing company.
I was wondering the same thing? Making a mistake is not a criminal offense. Since you did not want to involve your insurance company for fear of a rate increase, a police report may trigger a report to your state DMV which could lead to a higher rating.
Well to answer to you both, i some point it crossed my mind that the towing company wouldn't want to pay for damages, you know this companies make you sign all kind of waivers (didn't sign any) and release documents, having a police report filed would have help me to take them to Civil Court with 2 eye witnesses as the officers that showed up and reported the accident as "Property Damage" saw an evaluate the incident also were present at the time the car was brought down (all the way).
As far as my insurance getting involved there is no need for that, they already had established that the Towing company that they subcontract all their (or some, i don't know) jobs will be taking care of everything directly with me without involving the insurance at all.
This is how Progressive subcontract they roadside assistance when you have a full cover insurance:
*Call Progressive roadside assistance requesting for a towing
*Progressive uses a company named AGERO
*AGERO dispatcher gets all your info "again" (Progressive first)
*AGERO dispatches the call to local towing companies
*Local towing companies call you, again to let you know the ETA.
That said, my insurance is obsolete since they subcontract the job to AGERO making them principally responsible for everything.
I haven't seen an answer from him, so I will take a stab.
Right or wrong, he probably felt he needed some official witness to the damage, and cause. Perhaps worrying that, after the tow truck left, they would shrug their shoulders and say, "we didn't do that".
The police report may go to the DMV, but it will NOT be logged as a collision. There will be no harm to OP's record, no points, and no evidence of repair on CarFax, unless he allows his insurance company to cover it. He has initially said the tow company will fix it on their dime. Considering they have an auto body shop to do the work, they will not report the incident to their insurance, as their deductible is probably quite high, and they would get a ding for the damage.
However, a point that came to me in the beginning:
If the coolant is low, just adding more coolant doesn't fix the problem, it just fixes the symptom of a problem. The cooling system is essentially "closed," and it doesn't consume coolant if everything is okay.
If it was low then it is going somewhere: leaking externally, or in the oil, or in one of the combustion chambers and is being burned.
Yes you are 100% right, i will have to look into that also, i guess now it would be kind of ideal having it at the mechanic shop (eventually).
Maybe a small leak somewhere in the reservoir or even a hose, it might have to be checked on and now maybe even all those parts and hoses replaced
08-14-2017, 04:35 PM
what a nightmare, not for the squeamish :(
i really don't know how that happened 
Filled it up, took it for a drive near by my house just in case i get something wrong i can always make it safely back, drove around the block with the A/C ON and Coolant temps were low 196* (running a SC)Great! Went back to my house check the levels of coolant a bit was missing which is normal since there was none in the system, top off coolant fluids again check for any leakage let it rest for 30 min and take it back on the highway to do some pulls and the car worked perfect even with the A/C ON i was getting reading at 198* Coolant temp after some 1,2,3,4 gear pulls! I was so happy that i was able to fix the problem with just some coolant. So rad, right?!...(wait for it...)
shifting the whole front bumper to go upward snapping it from the frame,,,God only knows what other damages he cause, i notice the fan not working, radiator fluid started dripping, intercooler hoses etc...all out op placed, scratched 1 headlight, bumper bent on an unimaginable way 
..
