A Mercedes owner says her car was totaled after bringing it into the dealership for a simple oil change. Abby Calhoun (@abbycalhoun.blog) posted a viral TikTok that’s accrued over 1.8 million views documenting her shock upon learning of the vehicular catastrophe.
Throngs of users were stunned to hear her story. However, her experience appears to point to a little-known maintenance practice that, if ignored, could have disastrous consequences.
Totaled After Service
Calhoun’s video begins with her walking toward a white Mercedes crossover SUV. Upon cracking open the driver’s side door of the car, the clip transitions to a messy sight. An open wiring box is resting on the foot of the car, displaying a series of bundled cables.
Following this, she poses in front of the camera and speaks, but the music she appends to the video drowns out her dialogue. However, an on-screen caption explains her predicament.
“Imagine dropping your car off to get serviced at the dealership & then receiving a call that it’s ‘totaled’ or will cost $27K to fix 5 wires so you have to go collect all of your belongings out of it before the insurance company picks it up the next morning at 8am.”
The puzzling situation left Calhoun wondering what went wrong with her vehicle. “Then you just walk away with so many unanswered questions.. & so confused about what just happened.”
According to the TikToker, the service department at the car dealership didn’t exactly delineate why her vehicle was wrecked. Furthermore, she reveals that all of this happened after a routine fluid swap. “How did it happen?? You just wanted new oil, but now you have to get a new car.”
Legal Ramifications
A slew of commenters who saw Calhoun’s video urged her to get the law involved, including one TikTok user who claimed to be a former car tech. According to them, there wasn’t any reason for any mechanic to dig up all of those cords. Moreover, they pointed out that if a tech needed to diagnose the vehicle, the OBD port would suffice. “Imma say this with love. Lawyer up because there’s no wayyyyy. As an ex live tech there was absolutely no reason for them to be in your wires. Your obd port is accessible without all that.”
Someone else remarked that they were in a similar situation, which prompted them to seek legal counsel. “As someone who had this happen to them, get a lawyer. Do not speak to anyone (especially the dealership’s insurance) before you speak to a lawyer.”
And then there was this TikToker who helped Calhoun set some expectations for the dealership to satisfy as a result of the apparent blunder. “Get a lawyer, they’ll get you out of the loan or get all your money back plus some.”
Unfortunately, there were other users on the application who had personal car service horror stories to share. One BMW driver claims the dealership wouldn’t even take responsibility for ruining her ride. “Been in this situation. BMW was supposed to change my oil but they locked the engine. Called and said just come get a new car because we’re not fixing this.”
Car Water Damage?
Additionally, there were throngs of people, Calhoun included, who wanted to know what went wrong with her vehicle. A caption for the clip denotes the likely problem: water damage. The TikToker appended the following remark to her clip: “your reminder to drain your windshield & sunroof!”
At least one user was shocked to hear that there are drain holes drivers can use to remove any excess water buildup in their cars. “Where are there drain holes? And why in my 30 years of driving have I never heard of this? Never? Ever? Who is your mechanic cuz I have questions.”
Calhoun replied to the aforementioned user, indicating that this was indeed the issue with her car. Consequently, vital internal components were fried, necessitating an insurance buyout. She penned: “I’ve learned that this isn’t something a lot of ppl know about or even heard of until A. It happens to them or B. Someone brings it to their attention.”
She went on to state that the obscurity of the issue is what ultimately prompted her to create her clip. “That’s why I wanted to share this experience in hopes to save someone from this nightmare!”
Next, she gave an overview of how folks can prevent this from happening to them. “But basically anywhere there’s a window on your car there’s a small drain hole somewhere close to it. That has to be cleaned out so it doesn’t clog up which would allow water to fill up in your car.”
Do Cars Have Drain Holes?
While commenters who replied to Calhoun’s clip were incredulous as to the existence of drain mechanisms, they do indeed exist. Mechanic Base, for instance, highlights how all car doors are outfitted with these sluices. The same piece includes images of where they’re typically located. Oftentimes, they’re right on the bottom of doors.
If these holes are clogged, water buildup can occur in a vehicle, resulting in condensation accumulation, mold, and rust.
Here’s one example: This blog shows how to access the drain pipe in a 2005 Volvo XC90. According to the writer, they perform this procedure every few years to prevent water from leaking into their vehicle’s cabin. They’re able to access the tube beneath the upper jamb where the vehicle’s handrest is located.
Upon removing the rubber tube from the elbow piece it connects to, they’re able to check for any potential blockages. Next, they piece it back together and reinstall the panel, now with a refreshed and ready-to-flow drainage system.
ClickMechanic writes that a vehicle’s windshield scuttle drains can become prone to clogging, especially if one parks their car under trees where foliage buildup can occur. Other areas that are rife with airborne sediment can result in a scuttle drain blockage. The outlet recommends referring to a car’s owner’s manual to assess how to best access the scuttle drains. Additionally, clearing them of any visible debris is also a good habit to practice.
Motor1 has reached out to Calhoun and Mercedes via email for further information. We’ll be sure to update this article if we hear back.
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