Follow up - car covered in oil

They gave her the car back after it was, they said, thoroughly valeted. She drove home. Her clothes are covered in oil, the car smells, and the windows are smeared with oil - I think from inside the doors.

It's a novel way to write off a car! Actually, I can't believe that's really necessary, but the cost of all new upholstery, seats, carpets, door trims, and a really thorough clean. Even then, that may not fix it. So, I suspect that it will be an economic write-off. What will happen to it then?

Anyway, it's now with their insurers.

Reply to
GB
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OOI, what car is it?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

quote from above post "Fairly basic Nissan Micra."

Reply to
Redstar

In article , GB scribeth thus

Now look on the bright side,. its not that likely to go rusty is it;?/....

Reply to
tony sayer

I still can't understand as to how there is so much oil through out the car.

Reply to
Rob

"Fairly basic Nissan Micra"

Reply to
Ian Dalziel
[...]

Thanks. (It's actually 'below' in my news reader!)

What I was actually interested in was the value, so knowing the year would be helpful.

If it was a fairly high value car, chances are that once written off, someone would replace the interior from a wreck.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

The oil extraction system at the garage contained 50-100 litres of used engine oil. It was sat on a shelf near the car. Due to operator error, it exploded and sprayed this oil over everything nearby. The car windows were partly open .....

Reply to
GB

No-one's mentioned so far that used engine oil is carcinogenic. I wouldn't have that car back.

Reply to
Huge

I thought of it but decided that people might take the p. for mentioning it. But it was part of the reason I suggested independent inspection.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

I asked RAC to inspect it, but they said they would not dismantle anything - not even the door trims - and they thought that we could spot oil on the upholstery as well as they could. As they could not tell if there is oil in the air intakes or doors, for example, and would not dismantle them, it seemed pointless.

Reply to
GB

Oh, well the insurance assessors will know how to deal with it, perhaps in a similar case they would be better than RAC etc.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Even one litre of oil can become messy to clean up. I can imagine what a sump full, quantity of oil will do, accelerated by vacuum or pressure, plus the added thought of it being used engine oil.

Reply to
Rob

I'm not all that convinced by this argument.

According to 'experts' just about everything is carcinogenic.

The fact is that mammals seem to be quite prone to contracting cancer, and it's mostly down to genetics.

If it was that bad, the owners of anything made by BL in the 60s / 70s /

80s would have been killed several times over by cancer within the first year of ownership!
Reply to
SteveH

From HSE:

'Frequent and prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause dermatitis and other skin disorders, including skin cancer.'

I suspect the risk is minimal for DIYers.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Yes, but going out on sunny days also puts you at risk of skin cancer.

All a load of scaremongering bollocks.

You'd never anything if you listened to the experts all the time.

Reply to
SteveH

Correctamundo!

Reply to
Nige

One of us is (well, used to be) a biochemist.

It isn't you.

I wouldn't want that car.

Reply to
Huge

I must have imagined my time studying Environmental Chemistry at Swansea, then.

I'd want it properly cleaned - not given a once over by the local Polski car valeter.

Actually, I'd like to see some photos of the damage, as it all sounds, so far, like it has been blown out of proportion.

Reply to
SteveH

Environmental chemistry? That's sewage works, isn't it?

:o)

I'd want it replaced.

Reply to
Huge

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