I will save you the sob story of JiffyLube only finger-tightening my oil pan valve bolt, and tell you that I am going to sell my otherwise-perfectly-nice, 25000 mile 2009 silver Honda Fit, with a completely seized engine inside it.

If you were in the market for such a thing, how much would you pay? For what it is worth, I have found a used engine with 14,000 miles on it that I can get for $1250, a price that includes shipping, and a one year warranty on both the part and labor.

Oh, also, the kelley blue book value for a 2009 Honda Fit from a dealer, certified by the dealer, is $16,820.

Thank you.

 

I see people are reading, but not posting. I'm not selling it, or at least not necessarily selling it, I'm trying to get a sense of the value of it, for purposes of suing Jiffy. So don't be afraid to post your opinion--you aren't entering into a contract with me.

 

I'd look up the cost of the engine if replaced by honda, run depreciation values to be current with the car, then take that out of what its worth now.

That's just the reason I always check after getting servicing if I don't do it myself. I've seen everything from not tightening to totally forgetting to put oil back in the vehicle..

 

Figure out what the cost of a smilar fit that has a salvage title would be, then deduct the cost of a replacement engine from honda, including install. Find out what the total amount of time would be needed and what the cost of a subcompact rental for those days would cost. Take that total and subtract it from the salvaged as well. That would be the value of the vehicle.

so in short
Salvage cost - engine install - rental and that would be the value of the vehicle.

~SB

PS. give people a little bit to respond. 1/2 hour isn't a whole lot and a number of people aren't all that up on vehicle costs.

 

Thanks, Jamy and Specboy. It's that "salvage value" that I'm trying to figure out--thus my question.

I'll give it time and see if anyone has an opinion on what they would pay for a 2009 Honda Fit with a seized engine! The Honda dealer said the price of a new engine from Honda is $8900--but I don't know if that includes installation or not. I'll find out. But I still want to know the market value of the car with the seized engine--that is, its current as-is price.

 

You quoted retail book value which only applies to Dealer cars with warranty and even then is high. I recently passed on a brand new '09 Fit base with manual for $12,999. That is without tax, title and registration same as your book value. Dealer sold 16 at that price.

You should be looking at Private Party book value and researching your local newspaper. That is the true value of your car same as replacement value, which is how much you can buy an equally equipped and conditioned car in your area.

In your case you should be getting pricing for replacement engines. Jiffy Lube will not buy or replace your car. I think best you'll get from them or any court is replacement cost of an equal engine installed in your car. Meaning a used base Fit engine with approx 25K miles on it and full reasonable installation costs. Reasonable costs would be proved by two or three quotes from repair shops of your choice.

_

 

Take Jiffy Lube to court and get your car fixxed! Any Lawyer would jump on this case & get a new engine from Honda.
They can handle a new engine they pay notta and charge an arm and a leg for their services. They broke an oil pan on my new Ford using an impact on the oil pan bolt. Duh!
Big Mike

 

I'd disagree with SilverCSVT and agree with Perrenoud.

if you have a vehicle which is under warranty from honda, then you should be getting your advice FROM HONDA for pricing on replacement of the engine. you want something which is good enough for them to continue to support your warranty. It is JL's fault that they screwed up your engine and their lawyers will need to make it right.

remember, before this, you had a vehicle which was fully supported by Honda from a warranty standpoint. after this is over, you deserve that same level of support and potentially any depreciation costs on the vehicle due to a replacement engine. This is why you want A lawyer involved as well as quotes from Honda with this specific requirement documented accordingly.

~SB

 

I agree with this....think the magic legal term is "make whole". Meaning the party who did the damage must restore you to the condition you were in before they screwed up. NOT try to get you to split the difference or share some portion of the consequences.

geo

 

I think people want to lawyer up to quickly. They charge so much for what you can do yourself.

Get a repair quote from Honda. Get a written statement about the damage. Surely Jiffy Lube has errors and omissions insurance. Be civil, make a claim, get made whole.

 

all i got from this is that jiffylube fucked your shit up and your OK with that? am i missing something? why are YOU looking for a motor? and F no you can't use the kelly blue book value, THE CAR DOESN'T RUN! 16k is crazy for fit shell! but i will buy your headlight if you were parting it out

 

The ONE time I let my folks take care of my old Subaru's oil changes (I was out of the country for a time for business), they took it to a Jiffy Lube. The next week, I was driving from NY to FL, and sure enough, the same thing- they hadn't properly tightened the drain plug, and bam! Pistons find their way out of the oil pan and crankcase.

Long and short, Jiffy Lube paid for my new engine, my hotel stay in Lumberton, NC, installation, and an extra $2K for my trouble and lost time. Needless to say, I have a good lawyer as a business owner, but even so, a decent lawyer should at LEAST get your engine replaced.

If you REALLY want to be dumb and sell it as-is, a shell is worth 3-5 grand, depending on condition. You'd probably find $5 or 6 for yours if you're lucky- Mark W.

 

Disagree with what? I said repair shop of his choice. goes without saying this should be Honda dealers only to keep his warranty active.

If he gets a brand new engine that will be exceptional customer service for Jiffy Lube. More than likely he will be dealing with the insurance company for Jiffy Lube instead. They know the routine as that is their daily business of settling claims. Under the law they are in no way required to pay for a brand new engine. You don't get a better vehicle or cost of a better vehicle in compensation for accidents, you get an equivalent vehicle. Same when an insurance company totals your car, same when a body shop does repairs, etc.

Think hard before you get a lawyer and push for a brand new engine. Once you sign for them to represent you no going back. New engine might happen, might not, but if it does the lawyer will take 30-40% of the value of that new engine in his fees. Everybody loses in this case except for the lawyer.

_

 

Disagree with going through an independent shop. (I didn't take it as a dealer - my implication - my fault ) In no way would I expect a new engine whether it would be through a shop or the dealer. I'd recommend to go through the dealer for a Rebuilt engine that way the Honda dealer is always in the loop and will guarantee warranty coverage on the replacement engine. Honda warranty won't necessarily cover work done at an independent shop (like is the current situation with Jiffy). At least if work is done through the dealer, they are much more likely to sign off on complete warranty coverage than if it was done through Billy-jo-jim-bob's engine shop.

Spending some money to have a lawyer informed and for support is rarely ever a bad Idea as long as it isn't one of those As-Seen-On-TV law firms that will sue anyone for anything. Most lawyers are there for the protection of your assets. Jiffy's insurance company is going to try and cut costs and having a lawyer available can be a big asset.

Another route would be to make sure your insurance company is taking care of communicating with theirs. If you go this route, keep constant communication with your insurance company (still have the work done at the dealer) and make sure your insurance company knows YOUR desire to ensure that the car will retain it's full warranty with no if's/and's/but's.

~SB

 

You Go Specboy It's a Lawyer Thing.

 

That is screwed up thinking and so much of what is wrong with this country today. sue, sue, sue. Everybody wants to make their own lottery.

OP hasn't even contacted Jiffy Lube and/or their insurance company yet to make things right. Why jump to a lawyer already? Deal direct with them and be firm, if they don't treat you fair then that is the time to look at outside representation, not now. That is the best way to get your car back in the quickest time and to the highest level of satisfaction (no out of pocket expense). If he goes with a lawyer it will come out of his pocket! Bad advice people, exhaust all other options first. It is never too late to use a lawyer, but once you enlist a lawyer it is too late to handle on your own.

_

 

No,no,no
Big Businesses it will take a lawyer Are You Kidd'n Me,
J.L. will not ok a new engine becuz Mr. Smith said they left the bolt loose and if Mr. Smith doesn't do something soon he'll be buying a used engine and installing it himself. Time and Documentation is what needs to be happening now.
And that's the way it is. We will see, I pray I'm wrong and all goes well without the court battle.
Big Mike

 

Of note... No where am I advocating lawsuits here. Lawyers serve a much bigger purpose than just for suing. They have access to laws and may have experience which can be provided to you much more efficiently and if necessary can be used for consultation in order to be more educated. Lawyers should be used as a resource and for support. The Insurance company for Jiffy will try their hardest to keep costs down. The owner has the right to a vehicle in the exact same shape it was in when it arrived. Everyone has to fight for themselves to make sure what's right is actually done but DO NOT mistake that with me stating that someone should get more than having a vehicle in identical condition. The lawyers will help ensure that this happens by being a resource and as an absolute last resort, filing suit.

This country IS lawsuit happy and besides walmart, TV lawyers make up the other half of what's wrong with this country. (combine the two for complete evil)

OP... Don't Sue Sue Sue

~SB

 

Don't presume, Silverbullet.

I contacted you guys AFTER contacting JL, who then filed a claim with their insurer, Selective Ins. Co. That was over two weeks ago now. I call the insurance adjuster daily; sometimes multiple times a day. She does not return my calls. I have called the local JL, plus their regional manager. I have talked to Selective Ins. Co.'s independent appraiser, who examined the car. I talk to the Honda dealership, where the car now resides, daily, usually more than once a day.

Despite being told by the Honda dealership mechanic that the oil pan valve plug was missing--almost certainly because JL, who changed the oil last, only finger-tightened the bolt--and despite being told the same by their own independent appraiser, the insurance adjuster, who is not a mechanic, has decided her spidey-sense is tingling and the nut just couldn't, in her considered, pencil pushing opinion, have worked itself off like that after 5000 miles of driving. So she denied the claim.

I went to her manager to appeal it. I asked the local JL to complain to their insurer for denying the claim. I am still in limbo. I still have no car. My Honda Fit is a paperweight on the lot of the dealership. The insurance company hasn't called me back for three more days since denying me; supposedly they are doing more "investigation" as I lose sleep and stomach lining.

The dealership is losing patience with me. I don't blame them. I have to either put a new engine in, or sell the thing for scrap. Yes, I will sue JL if I must. No, I don't want to. My purpose in finding out the scrap value of the car is to find out what I can tell JL, when I try to get them to make good DESPITE their idiot insurance company denying the claim, so that they WILL settle and I don't HAVE to sue. I will tell them, "Making me whole means putting me where I was before JL screwed up; in other words, a car with 25,000 miles and a manufacturer's warranty on it. The value of that is assessable by checking kbb value. What I own now is a paperweight, with a value of $X, plus car rental bills of $Y. If you make me sue, I will have no choice but to sell my car for $X since I cannot afford to put a new engine in it, and sue you for the difference between kbb and what I can sell it for now, plus my car rental fees. It will be cheaper for you to put a new engine in it, immediately."

I simply want you guys to help me determine $X. That was the point of my original post. I'd still love--and appreciate--any prices you can offer me.

I would love it if my insurance carrier would be doing all of this for me isntead. But I don't have a policy that covers mechanical failure of my car--I didn't even know such coverage existed. This whole process is enraging, of course, but I see no other option than doing it myself. The insurance company is taking advantage of this fact, of course.

 

In case anyone is still interested in this thread, the Honda dealership's fleet manager has offered me $2000 for the car. Since I've had no other values offered to me, that's the number I have to use.

Since the Honda dealership also told me that in the next few days, they are going to have start charging me daily storage fees, my only choice is to sell the car, and get by on my bike until either JL ponies up or I win a law suit. Given how things have gone so far, I predict it will be the latter.

It would have been a lot, a LOT, cheaper, for Jiffy Lube to simply have paid the claim immediately. As it stands, they will owe me:

1) the difference between the value of the car before JL forgot to tighten the nut and the scrap value for which I could sell it

2) my rental car costs at the garage rate ($30/day, which I can no longer get once I sell the car)

3) an appropriate amount for the inconvenience of not having a car between returning the car and winning a suit (so, what, $50/day?)

4) court costs/fees, including expert witnesses who will testify that nothing else could have caused this other than the nut not being tight enough (which four mechanics have now told me). They will also, of course, have to pay an attorney for themselves.

I will lose 1/3 of any recovery as attorney's fees. So JL will have to pay me, pay for their own attorney, and of course have the bad PR of my telling everyone how this all went down so that they are not injured in the same way, and even though I will easily win the suit--and I will--I will be far worse off than before. This doesn't even count the stress, the aggravation, and the tens of hours I've spent dealing with this already.