My4by2 17 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Funny, they've been turbocharging these Sparks (also called Beat or Matiz in some markets) for quite a while with success. I'm not planning weekend drags with it, nor do I street race or the like... It's just a matter of making it more fun to drive than it is now & having something different than everyone else! The turbo Sonic is rated at 9.5:1 compression & that's only a point below the Spark. I know the dangers of boosting an engine not designed for it - I'm a mechanic both heavy diesel & automotive) by trade so spouting technical jargon doesn't really "blow my skirt up" if you'll pardon the expression... The biggest thing is doing it safely & RIGHT - not just salpping a turbo on it & cranking the boost up!!! A good intercooler (which kit comes with) as well as a boost cooler meth kit will add a lot of security in order to protect the engine. And by the way, the Sonic's generally run more than $13k over here. Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
wkkzx10 4 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 And by the way, the Sonic's generally run more than $13k over here. The Sonic there may be over $13000.00 but what does a Spark go for? Our Sparks are about $13000.00 Link to post Share on other sites
My4by2 17 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 The LT's are that high - I paid $11,500.00 for my LS new. Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) Funny, they've been turbocharging these Sparks (also called Beat or Matiz in some markets) for quite a while with success. I'm not planning weekend drags with it, nor do I street race or the like... It's just a matter of making it more fun to drive than it is now & having something different than everyone else! The turbo Sonic is rated at 9.5:1 compression & that's only a point below the Spark. I know the dangers of boosting an engine not designed for it - I'm a mechanic both heavy diesel & automotive) by trade so spouting technical jargon doesn't really "blow my skirt up" if you'll pardon the expression... The biggest thing is doing it safely & RIGHT - not just salpping a turbo on it & cranking the boost up!!! A good intercooler (which kit comes with) as well as a boost cooler meth kit will add a lot of security in order to protect the engine. I always respect anyone who is willing to take on a project that is a challenge and has a great satisfaction level once completed. I am not trying to discourage anyone from taking on a project such as this. I am only trying to add some technical issues that may be encountered in this vehicle that is mostly sensor controlled. I would like nothing more to see someone succeed at this. After serving in the 'Nam 'conflict' flying and partially servicing Huey UH-1D and UH-1H units, I entered the civil aviation field and after training I became a piston fixed wing aero tech and much later a pilot for a commercial airline flying frieght on the big Hercs and later commercial passenger pilot while maintaining my hobby of working on cars both before and after retiring from the cockpit. I still fly a Piper PA-28 Twin Prop and do my own ..well mostly, mechanical work. I found there is a common thread between all internal combustion engines, aero or cars. I am not a certified trained mechanic on domestic vehicles but did quite a few projects on engines and at one time (in my late 20's) got involved in drag racing as a pit/trailer crew member and in those days the basic 426 Hemi was used to get as much as 3K hp with major mods. Not really all that hard to do since those big crate engines had no sensors or electronics and could easily be bored out with huge blowers installed. One thing I discovered was that component failure in these way overpowered engines, no matter how good and strong the main components were, it was always the weakest link that would cause complete engine failure...sometimes a very inexpensive small item like a clamp, bolt or fitting. The point here is that the Spark has a lot of engine & tranny components that are designed to work with the current engine power output but cannot withstand any more power stress. When doing a turbo mod if this is kept in mind and those parts are identified and replaced with the correct load bearing components, you will most likely be successful. The smaller and more complex an engine is, the harder it is to get some power boost without component failure issues..if you get my drift.. From what I read in your last post..as a mechanic you seem to have the knowledge and a good plan to succeed... Edited August 30, 2015 by Retired old Gearhead Skids 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My girls (my) Sonic LTZ just got rear ended and the body shop guy said theres frame damage, not sure if this automatically totals a vehicle (anyone know) but if it does, i've got a donor for sure! I'd gut this thing taking brakes, tranny, turbo engine, everything! now this will be fun.. talk about weight loss! Link to post Share on other sites
Mtf1980 21 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I would think it would be totaled out. But I could be wrong. Quess you'll have to wait for the insurance claims person. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I know and it's already a head the lady that hit her has the lowest required by law coverage so they're being a pain in my ass! I think I'm going to need to get a lawyer involved Link to post Share on other sites
bluer101 241 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 My girls (my) Sonic LTZ just got rear ended and the body shop guy said theres frame damage, not sure if this automatically totals a vehicle (anyone know) but if it does, i've got a donor for sure! I'd gut this thing taking brakes, tranny, turbo engine, everything! now this will be fun.. talk about weight loss! There is no frame, it's a unibody. It can be fixed if it's not too bad. You got some pictures? The way a vehicle gets totaled if the repair cost normally exceeds (depending on state) 65-80 percent of the estimated cars worth. I used to clip whole cars, fronts, sides, and whole rear ends when I was at the body shop. Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Unibody frames can be straightened with special equipment designed for just that, if it is not too bad. I believe most good autobody shops have that sort of device. Normally your insurance co would cover the cost and then claim from the other party's insurance company. If you have good insurance there should be absolutely no issue..I went thru this once when a car I had at the time was hit by a person with minimum insurance and even though the damage was extensive, our ins co covered the repairs and claimed from the others ins co. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I dunno body shop manager looked at it and said frame damage. I figured that would be much more costly than just panels or unrepairable thus making it a total loss. talked to him today only $3800 to fix, thats nothing.. it was $12k to fix the spark but that thing got funked up!! ya my insurance is good, plus i have uninsured and underinsured coverage, but no rental coverage (don't need it with 3 cars and 2 drivers really) but the lady that hit us has some cheap ass coverage, and they should be paying for everything including a vehicle because she messed ours up. either way no sonic engine for me today.. lol.. side track this dude at my work has Ariel Atom he stores here.. might just need to borrow some parts... will a 2.4 liter fit?? lol Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Well Skids, on the bright side your best girl was not damaged as girlie parts are not only expensive but certain parts are hard to come by {];-(\), but I am pretty well kinda sure that your insurance Co takes the lead on having the work done and covering the costs then going after the others Ins Co for the settlement..I think it's kinda a mutual understanding type thing between Ins. Co's. Last time I had to use my Ins Co. they told me that even though the other party was 100% at fault for the rear ender and there were no charges laid against me or the other driver..in fact we never even called the cops, they would take care of everything..just find a repair shop of my choice, rent a car at a place of my choice and give them insurance contact details so they could bill my ins Co directly and they would not bother me with the rest of getting reimbursement or any issue. I have been with the same insurance Co for 35++ years and have always had the total best coverage except my collision is at $1,000 deductible as that is what I can afford in a major damage and over the years it pays off with greatly reduced Ins. fees. I like to keep the comprehensive deductible at $50 since that is what covers common things like window damage (stones), car paint (vandals, stones) and other common stuff that is really no one's fault or we don't know who dunnit..as was the case recently when some idiot punk keyed our brand new Range Rover on the rear side and cus the body is aluminum on the Rover it was a pretty darn expensive fix but only cost me the $50 deductible...OK, OK...Nuff said on that topic... Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 ya thats what he was saying yesterday (my insurance) that they take care of there own. While her insurance should be paying for everything, including a rental for me, they decided to go through mine for damages and the insurance co will go after hers later to get reimbursed, and because I dont have rental on mine no rental. I told him, thats fine you pay to fix it and go get it from them but they still need to put me in a rental, the messed up my car they need to provide a car while mines being fixed. I'm talking with a lawyer later today. I never like getting laywers involved, but I've never needed to before either I've always been given a rental with out all the fuss. Such a pain. Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 ya thats what he was saying yesterday (my insurance) that they take care of there own. While her insurance should be paying for everything, including a rental for me, they decided to go through mine for damages and the insurance co will go after hers later to get reimbursed, and because I dont have rental on mine no rental. I told him, thats fine you pay to fix it and go get it from them but they still need to put me in a rental, the messed up my car they need to provide a car while mines being fixed. I'm talking with a lawyer later today. I never like getting laywers involved, but I've never needed to before either I've always been given a rental with out all the fuss. Such a pain. Nope. You need a special optional clause in your insurance agreement to cover a rental. Getting a Lawyer involved will be costly and just drag this thing out not to mention that Ins co's have the legal resources like you have never seen..probably ending up in the car not being released until the case is resolved sometime in 2020..with you broke and living in a cardboard box in a nasty part of town.. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 finally talked to the lawyer today.. basically confirmed I'm up the creek without a paddle about the rental. So I'm going to submit a receipt for the "rental of my spark" and see what happens in the end. He's one of the guys that only gets paid if I get paid so no money out of pocket for me. He is going to go after them for the pain and suffering my girl is in from the accident and get them to cover all her medical expenses. Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
WaltK 305 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 finally talked to the lawyer today.. basically confirmed I'm up the creek without a paddle about the rental. So I'm going to submit a receipt for the "rental of my spark" and see what happens in the end. He's one of the guys that only gets paid if I get paid so no money out of pocket for me. He is going to go after them for the pain and suffering my girl is in from the accident and get them to cover all her medical expenses. You may want to look a little closer at that "we don't get paid, unless you do" bs. They don't tell you that they set up a running account of every penny they spend, they leave out nothing, stamps, phone calls, hourly rates, everything is itemized. A friend of mine went through this, and fortunately he came up a winner, but after the lawyer took his cut, and then he was presented with this itemized bill besides, along with a bunch of other itemized little expenditures, witness payments, etc., etc., he came out with a few bucks, but nothing to get excited about. I was with him, at the liars office, when everything was being settled, and I questioned him on all this itemizing, as to what would happen had he lost. As it turns out, you're on the hook for all these expenses. Get a pair of binoculars, and read that contract really carefully, so you don't get burnt. Also keep in mind, these guys will drag this out for a year or two, so it will be a while before you see any $$. Retired old Gearhead and Skids 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 finally talked to the lawyer today.. basically confirmed I'm up the creek without a paddle about the rental. So I'm going to submit a receipt for the "rental of my spark" and see what happens in the end. He's one of the guys that only gets paid if I get paid so no money out of pocket for me. He is going to go after them for the pain and suffering my girl is in from the accident and get them to cover all her medical expenses. Oooh..Very sorry to hear your girl was injured..did not know that. Once again, you insurance company should/will cover medical and then claim from the others insurance company. That is a given as it falls under 'liability' coverage which is a 'must' have by law..I think the minimum is $500,000 to cover car fix and medical and any other expenses for which the 'at fault' party is liable. I have gone thru a similar thing when my wife was hit and badly broke her ankle and some ribs. The 'at fault' party had the minimum insurance allowed by law and our insurance took care of everything including a motorized wheel chair for a year, pysio etc, etc. & then recovered costs from the party at fault Ins. Co. I think it is best to deal with your own Ins. Co since as soon as you hire a 3rd party lawyer rather than letting the Insurance Co. legal team handle it, you could find yourself completely on your own and end up with less than expected results and out of pocket. Ins. Co's have huge legal and other resources and because you are not at fault they will go to great lengths to ensure you are taken care of to the full extent of the 'at fault' party's liability coverage. Skids and WaltK 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 ya that's probably what were doing but keeping the lawyer in the back pocket just in case she's in a ton of pain but can't afford to take time off work to take care of it or heal. She teaches preschool so no rest for the wicked there.. Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 (edited) ya that's probably what were doing but keeping the lawyer in the back pocket just in case she's in a ton of pain but can't afford to take time off work to take care of it or heal. She teaches preschool so no rest for the wicked there.. According to my own experience, a good insurance co will take care of everything. The key here is to call the Ins.Co HQ and ask for a case rep. These people handle the more serious cases whenever there is a temporary/long term disabling injury to one of their policy holders. What this does for you is the ability to deal via phone or email with one person dedicated to your case #. You will be surprised at what resources they have access to and dealing with one person makes this so much easier. Your Ins. co. is just pleased as punch that your girl was not very seriously injured, disabled or killed. Taking care of her is just 'small potatoes' for the InsCo. in the scope of things and in our case they assigned a 3rd party local Occupational Therapist to not only visit her in the hospital but at home as well and offered & arranged all kinds of things on a temp basis like a hospital type bed, walker, cane, electric wheelchair home cleaning and delivered meals, taxis anywhere etc. Almost ten years later she still gets physio. paid for by the Ins Co. because her ankle was really bad and required 17 screws and hardware to keep the bones together. Some things we needed to keep invoices and slips and submit them to the Ins Co for full reimbursement. This may sound like super deluxe insurance..but it was not..just regular insurance with a few options like rental, low deductibles and full coverage in case we were at fault..The liability portion of the other party is what pays for your girl and there is ZERO cost to you no matter what your insurance policy is ...so think about making that cal to get a personal rep..just have the pertinent info available like the ins or any other case #...'Nuff said...OK..well not all said, I forgot to say that once you get a Lawyer that is not part of the insurance co. involved..you may find yourself out in the cold with ins co and their fleet of lawyers washing their hands of ALL legal matters. Only if you decide to launch a civil suit is a 3rd party Lawyer needed since the accident was the fault of another party and you InsCo. has no interest in civil settlements since there is no benefit to them as the other InsCo will be liable for any judgement.....OK..now it's 'Nuff said.. Edited September 9, 2015 by Retired old Gearhead Skids 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 My coverage has $2k for medical expenses but $25k for personal injuries(I think thats what it was called out as) are you familiar with the differences? I'm guessing the medical is like a hospital bill and the injuries is pain and suffering and stuff like that? like lost pay at work?? Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
WaltK 305 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 My coverage has $2k for medical expenses but $25k for personal injuries(I think thats what it was called out as) are you familiar with the differences? I'm guessing the medical is like a hospital bill and the injuries is pain and suffering and stuff like that? like lost pay at work?? You got it right, The 2k helps cover the medical expenses associated with the accident. It generally covers medical expenses for you, your passengers, and any family members driving the insured vehicle at the time of the accident-no matter who's found to be at fault. After the accident, the biggest pain is the time it takes for insurance companies to determine blame, make payments and, if necessary, file a lawsuit. With personal injury coverage, no blame needs to be assessed. If it is a covered incident, medical and lost income payments are made as soon as possible, and you deal only with your insurance company. Skids and Retired old Gearhead 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Walter has it bang on! One thing more is that I believe the at fault driver is liable for any remainder of hospital/medical and it is covered by their ins co under liability coverage which ranges from $500K upward..so I think you are safe there..that is why a minimum of $500K liability is req'd by law. The accident my wife had was very costly for the hospital expenses..over $100K and all covered by the at fault drivers 'Liability' coverage..the after hosp care and equipment was also covered by that. In our case the at fault driver had $2 million liability coverage so in theory, anything over that amount, the at fault driver would be personally responsible for. That is why it is always a good idea to get high liability insurance since you never know..you may hit a highly paid surgeon who as a result of the accident was unable to ever work as a surgeon again and your InsCo. would be liable up to your coverage to pay his care and salary loss for life and after the liability amount was reached, you would be on the hook for the rest..so in that light..even $2 Million is not all that much. The cost to upgrade from one million to 5 million etc is not nearly as high as you may think. In fact the Orthopedic surgeon who did the work on my wife's ankle drives a motorcycle and a few months after working on my wife was hit by a city vehicle and was very badly hurt. Almost a year in the hospital and years of pysio got him back to work but the huge multi-million expenses were all covered by the city's high liability coverage. He no longer drives a motorcycle and instead drives a Range Rover Sport similar to ours as it is highly rated for occupant collision protection....OK..of track here..so 'Nuff said on that. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 wow. I'm not sure what the liability/injury coverage required in CA is but for property damage, the minimum required is only $5k.. I don't know what that would even pay to fix except a minor fender bender.. some B.S I think it should be much higher. Also screwed us with a rental since there isn't enough to cover the damage and other stuff. Never had this issues before and I've been in quite a few accidents. Cheap ass infinity insurance. Freaking crooks. She's reopening the clam under injury and finally listening to me to take some time off work and go see a specialist Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Ya, but Skids...as I wrote in my previous post the at fault drivers insurance, by law, must have a minimum of $500K liability which covers all damage to property and medical costs. Get a 'case rep' to deal with the at fault InsCo and in the meantime they should be covering all costs by sending you forms to fill out and send in along with receipts for your expenses..I think major expenses like medical can be directly billed to your InsCo....Anyway..that was our experience and the only money we spent out of pocket was for misc stuff like taxis and hosp parking that we submitted receipts (like parking stubs and taxi cards with amount and saying "trip to medical appt..etc) and a week or so later we would receive a cheque and new supply of forms to submit expenses..any issue we dealt with only one person, our 'case rep' by phone or email. If the specialist she is going to see is expensive..see if they can just submit the bill yo your InsCo. Cheap or not..all InsCo's are strictly governed by state and federal laws and all they can do is make it harder to deal with a case rep, but in the end the must pay according to the laws and regulations that govern them. Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 108 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 the chiropractor said they'll ill the insurance co directly. and our rep for the injury portion of it said we'll go month by month for expenses. I have good insurance so we're just dealing with my company and letting them go after the other party to be reimbursed. the insurance company may have to be able to provide $500k worth of costs but that isn't required for your policy to be able to cover that much. not in cali any way. Retired old Gearhead 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Retired old Gearhead 201 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 the chiropractor said they'll ill the insurance co directly. and our rep for the injury portion of it said we'll go month by month for expenses. I have good insurance so we're just dealing with my company and letting them go after the other party to be reimbursed. the insurance company may have to be able to provide $500k worth of costs but that isn't required for your policy to be able to cover that much. not in cali any way. Well Skids, looks like you got it all under control now..I know what a hassle it is having gone thru that with my wife's accident, but once you have a case rep and things come together, it all works out in the end and the fact the Chiropractor is billing the InsCo is a good sign since Chiropractor stuff is a fringe area for reimbursement unless a doc has prescribed a Chiropractor. The key thing is that your girl gets looked after properly and the whole idea of insurance is that you should also not be out of pocket for any related expenses no matter how small..hell..we even sent in taxi slips for as little as $2 and house cleaning for $35 each month. Had a nurse come by once a week to change dressings and billed directly to the InsCo. Just make sure she gets what she needs and is back to health soon. WaltK 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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