You may be correct; I also noticed that approx half of the bumper reinforcement (also Alum Alloy) melted away, so there were some hotter areas. Still, it would also be interesting to examine the wheels to see if they sagged with the weight of the car on them and the temp very close to the melting temp of Al Alloy.
Oh my gosh! My profound sympathies. I just discovered yesterday that someone at my wife's campus kicked in the lower plastic grill work on the front of our Prius. After looking at these photos, my $90 quote for replacement parts doesn't seem that bad at all. Code Blue, I'd like to add my voice to those that have already expressed their gratitude that your family was not injured. I hope the criminal is soon apprehended. I know this might sound odd, but upon reflecting about the mean things some folks do in this world, it makes me want to do more good deeds, perhaps in an attempt to restore the cosmic balance. Well, that's my plan. Wishing you a speedy recovery from a terrible event. SAPrius
wow... other than the vertical aluminum panels, the aluminum is completely gone. that was a hot fire!! i guess you answered the question, if i had my choice of any car after owning my Prius, would i still get a Prius? i said yes and i think you will be happy you did as well... too bad you had to sacrifice your garage to answer that... well, build it bigger and better
Thanks for everyone's good wishes, I appreciate them. There obviously was varying degrees of heat and other factors going on. For instance, the driver's front tire is still on the car, while the rear tire is only in shreds lying near the wheel. Whereas the passenger side tires completely disappeared. Meanwhile, I saw that the little door to the fuel bladder is lying about three feet away from the car...
OMG, what a story and the pictures really indicates how hot the fire truly was. It is good to see that it all worked out well with the insurance carrier, dealer and the ability to obtain an identical replacement. Curious, as having moved from Chicago a couple of years ago are you located in the city or in the burbs. Garage fires are too popular with arsons in Chicago.
the heat must have been quite strong every aluminum part has simply disappeared... No Hood no hatchback and no door handles anymore...
gsatlanta, I'm on the Northwest side of the city. A lot of the blocks here have an alley down their spine, with detached garages opening onto them. It has pros and cons. I have to shovel a driveway that is only 3 feet long, I don't have to worry about my garage being a weak link to my home for security or energy-efficiency reasons, and I don't have to remember to take trash cans out to the street and bring them back. OTOH, with all the high security/privacy fences, it's not hard for people to walk up the alley (especially in the middle of the night) and do whatever they want without being seen. They'll be seen from now on--my neighbor and I are putting infrared cameras on the new garages. We already have them on the corners of the house looking out toward the garage. DMAC57, are you ordering the Barcelona Red one you mentioned? I'm not surprised they don't have your car more available, given how fast they were going out the door. I'm really, really glad my luck changed 180 degrees the morning after the fire. Having the car for one month and then having it snatched away for a long time would have been hard to take. I might've been willing to get another color, as they're all pretty nice for different reasons, but Seaside Pearl is like the jazz station on the radio. I can almost hear the fingers snapping as I cruise down the street. A different color would've been a reminder of what happened. My salesman was Patrick, who said he was an environmental engineer with an oil company out of school, until his job went away. So he was really excited and knowledgeable about the Prius. Whoever you work with, tell them you've seen the Chicago garage fire. They probably have, too--I took some photos with me when I bought the Mark II, and everybody wanted to take a look, from the general manager to the guys who were detailing my car. I also left a printout sheet of a few. They'll remember!
The important thing is that both you and your wife are okay, and not hurt. But that is one heck of a story. Glad you folks are a-okay. :thumb:
Not just the Al hood and hatch, everything 'glass' (Windshield, Windows) were melted away too.....this fire is blazing hot! The whole Prius chassis (body) is still intact, this demotrates the toughness of high-strength steels. The Hybrid drivetrain seems salvageable (lower portion at least), maybe the CVT tranny or the engine block. And the gas tank (and gas) too, it didn't explode. Still amazing to look at your 'toasted' Prius....but glad you got the Mark II in a timely manner.
Good to see that the car was a total loss, otherwise what you said was right, the insurance company would have tried to repair it and it would never be the same. I disagree that State Farm deserves recognition. They were sued for unfair insurances practices before and I have a lawsuit I am handling against them for two elderly people. They won't settle and are trying to wear down my clients by requiring them to go to trial next week. [My clients who are in their 70s have never sued anyone and are really mad at State Farm for putting them through a PI lawsuit to get a fair settlement.] But your car and claim was an open/shut claim and there was nothing to fight about. SF would have been hard pressed to deny the claim. And since it was a new car they could not deduct for depreciation. Normally, if the car was is six months old or therabouts they would have paid the actual cash value that might have been a few thousand less than what you paid. Did they ever catch the arsonist? What a creep. Great pics by the way. I think there is a moral to the story: always have insurance and make sure the premiums are paid!
The important thing is that you and your family are OK. The story and pictures are incredible! I applaud your dealership and insurance company for their diligence, compassion, and efficiency in dealing with your situation. Too often, I've had to deal with subpar insurance companies, and it's not fun, especially when the poor customer is suffering. No matter your curiosity, DO NOT look at the trac battery - it could still be holding a charge! Good luck and well done.
Naptown Prius, the color of the car in my photos is a custom color, there's no other Prius just like it. At least, I hope not. MichaelSF, I wasn't singling out State Farm for a blanket recommendation; I got great service from my car-insurance company, and I have no problem letting people know where I got that service when they ask. As the saying goes, especially around here, your mileage may vary. Hefaust, thanks for the warning about the battery. I'd be surprised if there was anything electrical still working in the car after all that heat and water got done. But my Prius surprises me all the time, and that's a nasty one I don't need. I'm steering clear. But I will have to remember to tell the tow-truck guys to be sure they lift the front tires before they tow it away. Well, I guess it would be the front wheels now.
...hmmm, well at least we now know that it burns well. :drum: that's a smokin ride...I'll be here all week Love...
Echoing pretty much everyone else: "Wow!" and "Glad you're all ok!" Hoping it doesn't come across as callous, but were there any issues with combustible parts? Specifically, what happened with: 1. The gas in the gas tank? 2. The Hybrid Battery Cells? Up to now I'm seriously considering buying a Fuel Cell car when it's available, but I didn't consider arsonists in the picture
Figuring out what happened to the fuel bladder and the battery will probably require an autopsy. And given the warnings about toxic materials and a possible charge still in the battery, I'm gonna let somebody else handle that! But I'll see what I can see when they pull it out when the garage is demolished.
