Looking for advice... just had my G35 stolen and damaged.

[GSAutotech]

Hey guys... I've been a reader for a long time but this is my first post. I have a situation hopefully someone may have some advice on.

So I have an 08 Infiniti G35 Journey with the S rims. A couple weeks ago my wife took it to Arkansas to visit her grandparents. On the way a truck in front of her lost a toolbox and some tools bounced up in the undercarrage and put a hole in the radiator causing some damage to the mounts for the ac and power steering. So off it goes to Ellis Infiniti in Little Rock.

Well a few days later we get a call saying "Hey... more bad news! Your car has been stolen." Apparently some guys broke in the office and stole several keys, including mine, and drove a bunch of Infinitis off the lot. Well bad news is the car had a baseball size hole in the radiator and no coolant in it. So they find my car a little over a week later. They said it was only a 1/4 mile away in a shopping center. So they repair it and truck it back to my house in Dallas.

I open the door and the thing is trashed inside. Keep in mind that I clean my car once a week, and it was in immaculate condition before it was stolen. The driver door has a splatter on it that looks like someone either threw a big gulp at the door, or just vomited right into the side of it. All over the door and in the door sill. There are cigarette butts all inside the car with ashes in the ash tray. I don't smoke. Both door arm rests are filthy. The headliner has a burn in it and a 2 inch brown streak. The C pillar has a 2x8 inch strip of something brown and gross. Two of my 18" rims have major curb rash. I open the hood and the plastic above the radiator is still cracked. And worst of all! The car has 110 miles on it since it was droped at the dealership.

I'm having it towed to my local Infiniti dealership to be looked at again and hopefully have these things fixed. But the car has been driven 100+ miles with no coolant in it. At this point I don't want the car back. Who knows what kind of long term damage there is. The new appraiser won't be out to look at it until Monday.

So my question is what kind of long term damage would come from having my car driven 100+ miles without coolant? Is there any real way to be assured that there won't be any problems in the future? Should I ask for a new engine? Or for a new car? Anyone have any suggestions or any experience with having a car stolen? Any help would be much appreciated.

[telcoman]

Hey guys... I've been a reader for a long time but this is my first post. I have a situation hopefully someone may have some advice on.

So I have an 08 Infiniti G35 Journey with the S rims. A couple weeks ago my wife took it to Arkansas to visit her grandparents. On the way a truck in front of her lost a toolbox and some tools bounced up in the undercarrage and put a hole in the radiator causing some damage to the mounts for the ac and power steering. So off it goes to Ellis Infiniti in Little Rock.

Well a few days later we get a call saying "Hey... more bad news! Your car has been stolen." Apparently some guys broke in the office and stole several keys, including mine, and drove a bunch of Infinitis off the lot. Well bad news is the car had a baseball size hole in the radiator and no coolant in it. So they find my car a little over a week later. They said it was only a 1/4 mile away in a shopping center. So they repair it and truck it back to my house in Dallas.

I open the door and the thing is trashed inside. Keep in mind that I clean my car once a week, and it was in immaculate condition before it was stolen. The driver door has a splatter on it that looks like someone either threw a big gulp at the door, or just vomited right into the side of it. All over the door and in the door sill. There are cigarette butts all inside the car with ashes in the ash tray. I don't smoke. Both door arm rests are filthy. The headliner has a burn in it and a 2 inch brown streak. The C pillar has a 2x8 inch strip of something brown and gross. Two of my 18" rims have major curb rash. I open the hood and the plastic above the radiator is still cracked. And worst of all! The car has 110 miles on it since it was droped at the dealership.

I'm having it towed to my local Infiniti dealership to be looked at again and hopefully have these things fixed. But the car has been driven 100+ miles with no coolant in it. At this point I don't want the car back. Who knows what kind of long term damage there is. The new appraiser won't be out to look at it until Monday.

So my question is what kind of long term damage would come from having my car driven 100+ miles without coolant? Is there any real way to be assured that there won't be any problems in the future? Should I ask for a new engine? Or for a new car? Anyone have any suggestions or any experience with having a car stolen? Any help would be much appreciated.

Welcome to NICO

That is a bummer that is sure to ruin anyones day.

Have you spoken to your insurance agent? Have your people speak to their people in an effort to make you whole.

Infiniti customer service may be able to assist and there is always small claims court. Document everything, names, dates, time etc

Good luck

Hopefully they will total the car but if not after it has been repaired you could always get rid of it and take a casuality loss off this years taxes?

Telcoman

[pfarmer]

Hey guys... I've been a reader for a long time but this is my first post. I have a situation hopefully someone may have some advice on.

So I have an 08 Infiniti G35 Journey with the S rims. A couple weeks ago my wife took it to Arkansas to visit her grandparents. On the way a truck in front of her lost a toolbox and some tools bounced up in the undercarrage and put a hole in the radiator causing some damage to the mounts for the ac and power steering. So off it goes to Ellis Infiniti in Little Rock.

So my question is what kind of long term damage would come from having my car driven 100+ miles without coolant? Is there any real way to be assured that there won't be any problems in the future? Should I ask for a new engine? Or for a new car? Anyone have any suggestions or any experience with having a car stolen? Any help would be much appreciated.

Since your car is now nowhere close to what it was when you dropped it at the dealer then I would get myself a lawyer and go for a new car. You may not be able to get an 09, but an 08 is entirely possible. When someone holds your property it is required in most states that they do whatever possible to protect it. In this case the property is not just your car, but the keys to your car which it appears was not controlled properly.

Get a lawyer as I don't think you will ever be whole otherwise.

Perry

[Kendahl]

You are a victim of auto theft. It isn't your fault. Unless they had really crappy security, it isn't the Little Rock dealer's fault; they are victims, too. The perpetrators are probably teenage joyriders. Even if the cops caught them, the worst they would face is a few months in juvie. They couldn't make restitution since they have no money, no jobs and no insurance.

Since your car is nearly new, I assume you have collision and comprehensive insurance. That makes it your insurance company's responsibility. At the least, they owe you a new engine (not repaired or second hand), new wheels, complete cleanup by a competent detail shop, and repair of all the miscellaneous damage including the holed radiator that started all this. All you should have to pay is your deductible. They may split the cost with the dealer's insurer, but that doesn't involve you.

Your big worry is hidden damage that may only show up as premature failures in other components. In my opinion, running a car without coolant does more pervasive and subtle damage than running it without oil. Infiniti may, understandably, deny future warranty claims on components that could have been damaged by the joyriders. Make sure your insurance company understands that they are responsible for anything Infiniti won't cover. Even if it is completely repaired, your car is now worth less than a similar one that hasn't been trashed. Therefore, you should also make an insurance claim for diminished value.

I'm surprised the dealer didn't wait for instructions from you and your insurance company before starting work on the car. Are they trying to cover up something that would increase their liability? Who paid for the work? Did they replace the engine or just patch it? Ignoring the other stuff is inexcusable. Together, they are a good reason to complain to Infiniti customer service.

In your shoes, I would want a brand new 2009 G37 similarly equipped. However, your insurance company won't go for that. A reasonable compromise would be (1) swap even for a left over, unsold 2008 G35 if there is one, (2) swap even for a used 2008 G35 in perfect condition, or (3) pay you what your G35 would have been worth as a trade in before the damage.

[infinitgkid]

Hey guys... I've been a reader for a long time but this is my first post. I have a situation hopefully someone may have some advice on.

So I have an 08 Infiniti G35 Journey with the S rims. A couple weeks ago my wife took it to Arkansas to visit her grandparents. On the way a truck in front of her lost a toolbox and some tools bounced up in the undercarrage and put a hole in the radiator causing some damage to the mounts for the ac and power steering. So off it goes to Ellis Infiniti in Little Rock.

Well a few days later we get a call saying "Hey... more bad news! Your car has been stolen." Apparently some guys broke in the office and stole several keys, including mine, and drove a bunch of Infinitis off the lot. Well bad news is the car had a baseball size hole in the radiator and no coolant in it. So they find my car a little over a week later. They said it was only a 1/4 mile away in a shopping center. So they repair it and truck it back to my house in Dallas.

I open the door and the thing is trashed inside. Keep in mind that I clean my car once a week, and it was in immaculate condition before it was stolen. The driver door has a splatter on it that looks like someone either threw a big gulp at the door, or just vomited right into the side of it. All over the door and in the door sill. There are cigarette butts all inside the car with ashes in the ash tray. I don't smoke. Both door arm rests are filthy. The headliner has a burn in it and a 2 inch brown streak. The C pillar has a 2x8 inch strip of something brown and gross. Two of my 18" rims have major curb rash. I open the hood and the plastic above the radiator is still cracked. And worst of all! The car has 110 miles on it since it was droped at the dealership.

I'm having it towed to my local Infiniti dealership to be looked at again and hopefully have these things fixed. But the car has been driven 100+ miles with no coolant in it. At this point I don't want the car back. Who knows what kind of long term damage there is. The new appraiser won't be out to look at it until Monday.

So my question is what kind of long term damage would come from having my car driven 100+ miles without coolant? Is there any real way to be assured that there won't be any problems in the future? Should I ask for a new engine? Or for a new car? Anyone have any suggestions or any experience with having a car stolen? Any help would be much appreciated.

Goodness man! That is one heck of a first post!

I'm sorry for your struggles...

If any of this happened to me, I would probably declare war on the world...

In a more realistic sense, I would definitely ask for a new G though.