How hot did it get?!

[sbwreed]

So... I'm hoping there's someone who is as much of a geek as me out there. I dropped my Expy off at a dealer on 4/25 for a "simple" AC repair. In and out in a day 'cause they needed to order some parts. Yeah. Right.

4/26 rolls around and no call to get my truck. So I call. My call goes straight to the person who does title checks?!

Call again. And again. Finally reach a sales person who transfers me to my service tech. Who tells me the dealership BURNED DOWN the night I left my truck there! And they don't know what's up with my or anyone else's vehicle. The building and everything in it is a total loss.

Fast forward, my Expy is "OK". Not so much. Along with all the expected "stuff flying around" damage, rear pillar moulding (LH) (PN 291A08) has, wait for it,...

melted. Yes, melted. Or more specifically, it softened to the point where it started to slump and completely deformed. And the right rear tire started to melt, too.

So, who can tell me what kind of plastic the moulding is made of? My insurance is just going to want to replace it, but I want to know how hot it would need to get to melt that moulding. I'm really concerned about the temperature that the rear electronics saw during the fire. Can anyone help?

 

[orangesoda123]

I'm assuming this is ABS plastic. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene has a melting point of 221 degrees Fahrenheit. I'd have to say your Explorer probably got quite hot. I'd honestly be concerned with more damage then what they see externally.

 

[HamHands]

They didn't call you to tell you the dealership burned to the ground and your Exp was involved... but waited for you to call them first??? Garbage! What dealership was this? And hell yes you should be worried other stuff/electronics in the rear are damaged. Check the back up camera, rear defrost/wiper, back-up sensors, lights, etc, etc... What a horrible "dealership"...

 

[peterk9]

I'm sure that they (dealership) had quite a bit of things going on that day. In many cases, after a fire like that, the area is taped off so that the fire officials can get a chance to check it out. Also, with all records destroyed, unless there was ID in every customers vehicle, they would somehow have to run the VIN to get ownership info. I've seen scenes like this cordoned off for several days.

Peter

 

[the_don]

it was hotter then a ***** house on nickel night!!!

 

[Bobmbx]

I'm really concerned about the temperature that the rear electronics saw during the fire. Can anyone help?

It sounds like your car was outside, and the damage you describe is from radiant heat, meaning only the surfaces exposed to the heat source got hot. I would say that the inside of your car suffered no ill effects, nor was anthing else that was not in a line of sight to the fire.

However, the paint on the exposed surfaces is worth paying attention to, along with exposed door and window seals, which are soft rubber and have probably hardened and will be susceptible to dry rot a lot faster now.

 

[Halwg]

Expy???

 

[LukerDooker]

...hotter than an Explorer rear caliper...

 

[sheltonfilms]

If it was hot enough to melt the trim then majority of the wiring harness insulation I would say is gone.

I would push my hardest for a total loss.

Why is your insurance even involved? It was in the possession of the dealer so you should be dealing with their insurance.

Even if they fix it you should fight for a diminished value claim, just as if your vehicle was in an accident.

Is your title going to be branded as involved with a fire? If that's the case you pretty much have a car that is worth as much as a salvage car.

BTW post some pics if you have them.

 

[HamHands]

I'm sure that they (dealership) had quite a bit of things going on that day. In many cases, after a fire like that, the area is taped off so that the fire officials can get a chance to check it out. Also, with all records destroyed, unless there was ID in every customers vehicle, they would somehow have to run the VIN to get ownership info. I've seen scenes like this cordoned off for several days.

Peter

Yeah, ok, I'll give you that the dealership was busy the next day... But the fact that the OP is here 6 weeks later complaining about melted parts on his Explorer means that this is a rotten dealer. And letting him leave there with melted pillar molding(s) and possible other problems is unacceptable.

 

[dco43054]

I'd guess the folks at the dealership were a little busy the day after a major fire, and certainly would have been contacting customers as soon as they could.

Regarding the Explorer, If it was heated enough that plastic melted - I'd have it checked out by a competent shop to make sure there isn't any other damage on the surface, or under things like door and body panels.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I guess this was Ford of Bellevue, the points brought up about the paint, wiring and such would have me push for a replacement as you could have issues/gremlins down the road.

 

[DeepBlueSC]

To the OP: Fight for a replacement through the dealership or thier insurance. Try to find out where the fire was in relation to your Ex to help understand just how hot it got and for how long.

To the other:
I'm in agreement with dco43054. That type of derogatory language is unacceptable. Make no mistake about it, there is no difference between that and the 'N word'. For those of us with children or other family members who suffer from Down's and other mentally disabling diseases, words like that are a stab right to our hearts.

That is the kind of language that the Moderators' should be sanctioning if they're serious about holding everyone allowed to post here to a high standard. It's particularly insensitive for someone who just joined our ranks to not only express that but to defend it afterwards.

Rick; Peter, et al: Any thoughts on that?

 

[sbwreed]

It was the Bellevue Ford dealer. After I found out about the fire I understood what they were dealing with, I used to work in fire protection engineering, so I actually wasn't as upset once I found out about the fire. They knew my car hadn't been in the building at the time, and we're very up front about the fact they wouldn't be able to tell anyone much of anything for a couple more days, at least. They weren't even allowed on property for almost a week. They have actually been very classy about the whole thing. They are paying my deductible, and got me a rental for the duration of the time they had my car. My insurance can battle it out with them.

I'm going through my insurance because after 5 weeks, their insurance hadn't done a thing about my car. Their adjuster hadn't even looked at it. I suspect their insurance is dragging their feet because they think it might be a suspicious fire but that's just my own suspicious nature coming out.

I started this thread just to see if anyone knew definitively what that pillar moulding was made of so I could argue from a data based position if it comes to it with my insurance. To those who provided reasoned, logical and data-based postings, thank you. To those who didn't, I appreciate your passion, but I'm dismayed to see where parts of the thread have gone.

Oh, and one last thing, not that it should make any difference.

I'm a woman. I also happen to have spent the last 20 years designing and building high power RADAR systems, precision space and airborne sensor systems, and rockets.

Try not to make assumptions about folks you haven't met.

 

[sbwreed]

Sheltonfilms, I'll post pics from my desktop. Just not working from the phone.