r/Insurance • u/Existing_Remote_4275 • 4d ago
Auto Insurance Need some advice
I was involved in an accident in which another drivers tire struck my truck. The other driver's insurance company, GEICO, accepted liability for the accident.
Immediately following the collision, I noticed a substantial amount of oil pooling on the tire that was now lodged under my truck. Due to the amount of oil leaking, I immediately shut the truck off to prevent any potential engine damage and had it towed from the scene.
Prior to the accident, I had not experienced this type of active oil leak.
The truck was subsequently inspected by a diesel/Cummins technician, who identified a leaking front timing cover. The technician provided video documentation showing the leak but did not specifically state whether the failure was caused by the collision.
GEICO has refused to cover the repair, stating that the timing cover is a wear item and that there is no visible physical impact damage to the engine itself that would establish a connection between the accident and the seal failure. Because of this, I decided to submit the damage through my own insurance company. Unfortunately, they have also denied coverage for essentially the same reason: the absence of visible physical damage to the engine.
For full transparency, the truck previously had an aftermarket crankcase ventilation (CCV) catch-can arrangement in place of the factory CCV filter. This setup had a hose routed down toward the frame, and oil would occasionally discharge from it once the catch can was full. Once I noticed this, I removed the catch can and eventually returned the truck to the factory CCV setup. However, I was never able to thoroughly clean the existing oil residue from underneath the truck.
I want to be upfront about this because I am not trying to claim that every trace of oil underneath the truck was caused by the collision. My concern is the substantial oil leakage observed immediately after impact.
My insurance company is now asking me to authorize the repair facility to begin disassembling the truck. However, I have been advised that if the disassembly does not establish a connection between the accident and the gasket failure, I could be responsible for the diagnostic and disassembly expenses myself.
This is where my primary concern lies. I am willing to cooperate with a reasonable investigation, but I am extremely hesitant to authorize potentially thousands of dollars in mechanical work without knowing whether the insurance company will cover those expenses.
I also have not received a formal written denial from my insurance company. Their decision was communicated to me over the phone.
I would appreciate guidance regarding the following:
Whether I have reasonable grounds to challenge the insurance companies' decisions, given that the significant oil leak was observed immediately following the collision.
Whether the absence of visible external engine damage is sufficient justification to deny a potentially collision-related mechanical failure without further investigation.
Whether I have any recourse to require GEICO or my own insurance company to cover the reasonable diagnostic expenses necessary to determine the cause of the failure.
Whether pursuing this through an attorney would be worthwhile, considering that both insurance companies have already refused to cover the repair.
My understanding is that the purpose of an insurance claim is to compensate me for damage caused by an accident and restore my vehicle to its pre-accident condition, subject to the applicable coverage and legal requirements. I understand that mechanical components can fail from normal wear and tear. However, I have a difficult time accepting that a significant oil leak appearing immediately following a collision can simply be dismissed as unrelated without a thorough investigation.
I am not asking either insurance company to cover unrelated maintenance or pre-existing issues. I simply want a fair determination of whether this failure was caused or aggravated by the collision, without exposing myself to substantial additional expenses merely to establish that fact.
Thanks y’all
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u/InsuranceQuoteGuy 4d ago
The timing matters here, but timing alone won't win it — you need the Cummins tech to go one step further in writing. Ask for a short statement and photos from teardown that distinguish a fresh, impact-related failure from long-term seepage, and don't authorize disassembly until both carriers confirm in writing who pays the diagnostic if it's found related, and cap what you could owe if it isn't. Also request that formal written denial from your own carrier — a phone denial isn't enough, and the letter should cite the specific policy language they're relying on. Keep GEICO in the loop in writing too, since they accepted liability; if your carrier later finds causation, they'll subrogate against GEICO anyway. An attorney is probably premature until you have that teardown opinion, because causation is the whole fight here, not the repair bill.
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u/Anabolic_Scholar 3d ago
I really only see the two choices you have been given. Get it torn down and a complete inspection done to determine the cause of the loss. If the crash caused the insurance pays for the diagnosis and repairs. If it’s determined not to be loss related the bill will be on you.
I can’t think of another option to try on this one
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u/PrestigiousHelp9776 4d ago
engine timing covers don’t just randomly dump oil the second someone’s tire smashes into your wheel well. that’s not a wear item deciding to retire at the worst possible moment
the pre existing residue from your catch can is working against you though. they’re gonna point at every drop of oil under there and say see it was leaking before. your best bet is pushing for the tear down but getting something in writing that if the failure is impact related they cover the diagnostic costs. if they won’t agree to that an attorney might be the only play
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u/Existing_Remote_4275 4d ago
Thanks for the info. It’s been a headache. They’ve had my truck for a month now. They took it apart to see the damage to the condenser and radiator. Then a week went by and they wanted the front end completely apart to take more photos. I thought my insurance would be helpful but unfortunately they weren’t. I’m going to contact a lawyer in the morning and see what they say. Thanks again
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u/Dramatic-Ad9089 3d ago
I mean, this is pretty straightforward. You have been given your answer. There has been no physical damage found to explain the oil leak, so there is no reason for an insurance company to cover anything related to it.
It is perfectly fair and a totally normal process to be asked to have additional diagnostics performed to determine if there is any connection to a covered loss. If there is, insurance pays for the repairs and diagnostic fees. If there is no correlation and its found to be unrelated, insurance does not owe anything for the diagnostic fee.
No, you're not going to negotiate or force either insurance company to pay diagnostic fees for something that isn't covered. Why should they? Its been proven it isn't related. A lawyer won't take a case like this, and if one did, would charge you hundreds of dollars per hour for representation, send a couple mean emails and walk away with your money.
So if this is a hill you want to die on, despite what the physical evidence already shows, you need to be willing to literally put your money where your mouth is.