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Melted Prius Prime

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by killzone4, Apr 19, 2021.

  1. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    Hi Prius Chat,
    I thought you might get a kick out of seeing a melted 2018 Prime. Basically I was skiing at Winter Park, came down the hill saw smoke coming from near where I parked. Turns out that old van converted to camper (let's call it a ski bum van) happened to catch fire, and come to a stop in the drive lane of the parking lot within 5 ft of my car (the vans propane tanks exploded in addition to the huge gasoline fire). It melted at least 6 other cars, my damage is probably #2 worst after the truck shown in last photo who was parked behind me.

    My red Prius has melt marks on passenger side up to the rear view mirror, all door seams are melted or warped. The gaps between the rear hatch sides are different based on proximity to the flaming van.
    [​IMG]
    Currently at the body shop, no estimate yet on costs to repair or totaled yet. Will post update when I learn more. But think it will be fun to get your guess on how much this will cost to fix.

    Body shop said this type of damage is really rare.
     

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    #1 killzone4, Apr 19, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2021
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  2. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    The plastic is relatively cheap, it's the prep & paint work that's going to be expensive. Getting that burnt plastic smell out of the interior of the car, may be a challenge.

    Hopefully that ski bum has insurance.

    When you get the car back; use a hose to blast water into all the effected seams. The heat may have melted some of the glue holding your rear glass down or effected some of the wielded seam sealants. Body shops focus on what you can see; what you can't see - they tend to cut corners.

    Hopefully your insurance or their insurance will cover it.
     
  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    6 other cars damaged. It would be extremely lucky if the owner of the (shtbox) van has anything better than absolute minimum liability coverage, which may be enough to repair one or two cars. You're likely on your own (or with your ins co) on this repair. One reason to have uninsured/underinsured coverage on your vehicle.

    And although the middle of a parking lot seems like a poor choice (if they had options) glad he/she was able to get it somewhere and bail out without getting anyone getting roasted!
     
    #3 TMR-JWAP, Apr 19, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2021
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, that's crazy! lucky there were no injuries.

    i hope they total it, if that's what you want.
     
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  5. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    I think the occupants of the van did get medical attention, I'm not sure if it was more than just a check up. My insurance has identified the vans insurance and is checking in with them to make sure they accept liability. From there hopefully I can get my rental and deductible reimbursed. We will see.
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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  7. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    Nope these parking lots are unmanaged 110% full lots, the van was probably just shopping for a spot after driving over the pass. There wouldn't have been a good place to flame out where he could have gotten away from other cars. The engine and transmission were probably cooked crossing over the pass, and then obviously some fuel got somewhere it shouldn't.
     
  8. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    Also my 2008 Lexus RX 350 transmission died, needing $3300-3800 in repairs, so I sold it to CarMax 2 days before the Prius melted. Went from 2 car house to 0 car house in under a week just via bad luck.
     
  9. citiprius

    citiprius Active Member

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    Mine also melted during last hot summer, the solar roof has completed collapsed 20200111_175122.jpg
     
  10. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    That is awesome.

    You need to mail that to @killzone4 so he can put it on a shelf for story time.

    Visitor: Why do you have a melted mini-Prius on your shelf?
    Killzone4: Let me tell you about it!
     
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  11. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Wow! Amazing how many plastics there are on this car. Glad to hear that no injury. Please do keep posted on how the repair or write off goes. You wouldn't believe how expensive some of those plastic parts cost. Good luck.
     
  12. killzone4

    killzone4 Junior Member

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    That's a fantastic hood ornament
     
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  13. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Wow, that sucks, sorry to hear/see that. Just rotten luck, nothing you could have done. :(

    I hope for your sake they decide to total it so you can get a new car. How could they ever repair a car properly exposed to fire like that? So many parts could be affected even if they appear fine at this time. Even if they replace all the clearly visible / melted damage, surely other things will pop up in the future, like doors & trunk which don’t seal quite well due to dried out rubber seals, paint / rust on panels impacted by the extreme heat, etc.... it just seems like a guaranteed future headache to me.:unsure:

    If they do repair it, I would suggest not hanging on to it long term...

    Good luck.
     
  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

    If they could afford enough insurance to cover property damage to 6 other vehicles in a single incident, they wouldn't be a ski bum living in an old van conversion camper.

    Even Warren Miller was poor in his early days.
    While OP later indicates that it was an unmanaged lot, I've often seen even morning-managed ski lots look horribly sloppy and irrationally parked by the end of the day. The patterns and positions make good sense if you were there to witness the morning stacking process, but not if you arrive later after many have left and some replacements have come in.
     
  15. SeattleBebop1

    SeattleBebop1 Active Member

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    OH MY GOD. That is insane! I wonder what the heck they did to that van to make it catch fire? I wonder if the body shop posts to Just Rolled Into the Shop ? Glad you weren't near it.

    Umm, I have fairly high coverage, $100K property damage (lotta Teslas in my hood), and that wouldn't cover 6 vehicles, unless they were all beaters. Luckily my Prime is unlikely to go fire ball mode.
     
  16. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    What ?!?
    Gassers burn ??
    Without a huge traction pack ??
    Flies in the face of what you see on the news ... who'd have ever been thought.

    .
     
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  17. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Note that we had to find out about this on Prius Chat rather than the so-called news outlets. :whistle:
     
  18. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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  19. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    No auto-pilot, either.
    Who knew?
     
  20. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    So did you drive it home like that?