Beware the delicate Maverick hybrid

[Bil13h]

I had my radiator in my old Escape ruined very similar but from a racoon

Took 2 days for enough to drip out (and none on the driveway, thanks to the felt underpad) for the engine to overheat, at which time I was like wtf and went looking for problems and noticed a singular shutter maybe 1" into the radiator

Thankfully, my insurance covered it under comprehensive as it was an animal that caused the damage

They paid out over 4k CAD for it back in 2020, so your numbers check out

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[Ronp82]

Scotty is a moron.

So you're comparing your personal experience with gas vs what you read about batteries.
See how silly that is.

There are plenty of people that have had gas vehicles burn to the ground.
Just page one of Google results and all recent.

So, you're the expert? Why did you call Scotty a moron? He's a little eccentric, but a decent Mechanic. You don't know me or my history. I can't have my opinion on here, or is this just for hybrid lovers? I personally don't want a hybrid of any kind. I like the EB engines with no fkn electric motors tied to them or fkn batteries that might explode!!! Fuckoff and don't respond anymore, Okay? I'm looking for a moderator to get off this Forum!!!

 

[TwoTone]

So, you're the expert? Why did you call Scotty a moron? He's a little eccentric, but a decent Mechanic. You don't know me or my history. I can't have my opinion on here, or is this just for hybrid lovers? I personally don't want a hybrid of any kind. I like the EB engines with no fkn electric motors tied to them or fkn batteries that might explode!!! Fuckoff and don't respond anymore, Okay? I'm looking for a moderator to get off this Forum!!!

Who said you can't have an opinion, I just pointed out the fallacy of your comparison.
Yes Scotty is a moron, ask real techs how they feel about all his click-bait shit on YT.
FYI, I was a tech for 1/2 my life.

Man you're really emotionally vested in not liking hybrids.

 

[ScottyC]

..... I've never had a gas tank blow up or catch fire......

Were you around during the Pinto debacle?

 

[1929]

Were you around during the Pinto debacle?

How is that relevant?

 

[JPerata]

I understand everything seems expensive these days. I guess the dealer gave you a detailed estimate and showed you the damage to the radiator and shutters that was likely caused by an accident and caused problems five weeks later? Seems high but what do I know? Interesting that they had to remove shutters to reduce fire hazards on the earlier hybrids, but they want to replace them when a customer has to pay for them.

Hope it all goes well. Good luck!

Only the two lower shutters were removed as part of the recall.

 

[zen_]

My old honda fit have the gas tank bellow the front seats, in the middle to be more specific, I think most of the fits are like this.

My FJ40 Landcruiser had the fuel tank under the passenger seat, and even the plastic aftermarket one with improved plumbing had some strong interior aroma after fueling up. I loved that no effort was made to even conceal it to the passenger...nope, you're just on it bud.

I demolished a deer in that thing without a scratch, and also slid into an already junked vehicle in the winter with just a slight bend to the I beam bumper. If I had ever been in any sort of actual accident thought, there was only one place I was going though, straight through the windshield, and right into a coffin. It sucks that modern cars are so easily heavily damaged or totaled outright in accidents, but it's also astounding how safe they are compared to where we were even 20 years ago.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

So, you're the expert? Why did you call Scotty a moron? He's a little eccentric, but a decent Mechanic. You don't know me or my history. I can't have my opinion on here, or is this just for hybrid lovers? I personally don't want a hybrid of any kind. I like the EB engines with no fkn electric motors tied to them or fkn batteries that might explode!!! Fuckoff and don't respond anymore, Okay? I'm looking for a moderator to get off this Forum!!!

Just turbo to explode, alternators to wear out, intercoolers to leak, LOL.

No one would be arguing if you hadn't bashed on the Hybrid without even knowing how they work. NO they're not any more prone to breakdown nowadays as any other gas-only car.

BTW you do have an electric motor- that little thing called a "starter".

 

[Maverick123]

... I like the EB engines with no fkn electric motors tied to them or fkn batteries that might explode!!! ...

I see your point, but personally I've seen three turbo cars burn to the ground because of turbo oil lines falling - including one last weekend! So there's stuff to be concerned with on both sides. We just have to pick our poison I guess.

I've had a 2.0T Audi and it was fun but personally I'm enjoying the efficiency of the hybrid more than I enjoyed the performance of the turbo. We got the Maverick because we wanted something that's good on gas, AWD, and can carry & haul our stuff. It's doing EXACTLY what we hoped and we're super happy.

If I want to go fast I've got other cars for that.

 

[Illusion51]

The only part that is puzzling is that there was damage to the shutters and to the battery radiator. Therefore there must have been more damage than what was reported. A scuff on the paint does not = damage to those parts. I think it was a bigger collision than reported.
Any pictures?
Bob

Full disclosure: As one reply noted, I did indeed take the truck to a detailer - right after receiving estimates of $1,900 and $2,900 from two body shops. The detailer buffed out the odd yellow staining (left by the black plastic SUV bumper), and I covered the scratches with touch-up paint. Perhaps the body shops would have identified the internal damage after removing the bumper.

But my main points in posting my message were 1) that it took a month for the radiator damage to become apparent, and 2), the visible damage was indeed minor - as shown in the attached photo.

 

[Maverick123]

That wasn't a minor bump, there's way too much paint transfer. It was a harder hit than she let on, or maybe she just didn't realize how hard it was

This being said, the estimate seems SUPER high for a radiator and some shutters. If you're paying out of pocket I'm pretty sure an independent shop or DIY repair would be WAY less

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Co

Full disclosure: As one reply noted, I did indeed take the truck to a detailer - right after receiving estimates of $1,900 and $2,900 from two body shops. The detailer buffed out the odd yellow staining (left by the black plastic SUV bumper), and I covered the scratches with touch-up paint. Perhaps the body shops would have identified the internal damage after removing the bumper.

But my main points in posting my message were 1) that it took a month for the radiator damage to become apparent, and 2), the visible damage was indeed minor - as shown in the attached photo.

Could be a small rock in the highway?! That hit directly to the radiator...

 

[KO Stradivarius]

So, you're the expert? Why did you call Scotty a moron? He's a little eccentric, but a decent Mechanic. You don't know me or my history. I can't have my opinion on here, or is this just for hybrid lovers? I personally don't want a hybrid of any kind. I like the EB engines with no fkn electric motors tied to them or fkn batteries that might explode!!! Fuckoff and don't respond anymore, Okay? I'm looking for a moderator to get off this Forum!!!

I dunno, you can buy what you want, it's a free country, but there are many people here who own a Hybrid, love them, and obviously some people will get defensive when you are talking negatively about their vehicles. Maybe you didn't mean it that way but that's how it might come across.

This is the internet and when you do that you should expect some "push back". You are really the one who lost your temper here and a moderator would probably chastise you more than you think. But what do I know? Have a cup of coffee, a Pall Mall, and relax!*

Personally I also have a '20 Escape Hybrid with 70k miles and it has been stellar, so I doubled down and bought a Maverick Hybrid which is very similar (I actually like the Escape Hybrid powertrain characteristics and gages a little better). I love the fact that it is so quiet, accelerates smoothly with no shifting, has a quick response due to the electric motor boost, and of course the 40 mpg is great. And we live in a hot climate (Arizona).

The experience we have had and the vast majority of research that I have done over the last 5 years since we got the Escape has been very positive about the particular Ford Hybrid system in the Mavs and Escapes (not sure if all Ford hybrids operate the same). Plus the "hybrid unique components" are factory warrantied for 8 yr/100k.

Regarding the damage from the accident that the OP described - I don't think it is unique to hybrids only, as some have mentioned similar issues with non-hybrids.


* BONUS points if anyone knows the Detroit morning radio show where this line originated

 

[ice445]

Please post some pictures of modern cars with radiator 'protection'

It's funny you say that, since grille shutters actually are basically radiator armor in the modern era. After 5 years, my Mustang's condenser was nearly pristine despite driving some of the most rock infested highways in the US on a regular basis. On the highway where you're most likely to get pelted by high energy rock projectiles, the shutters are partially closed for that extra efficiency, minimizing straight trajectories to any of the condenser fins (and intercooler fins in our case).

Obviously, any giant projectiles or debris are going to blow right through them, but for 99% of trash that comes your way, it makes a big difference IMO. I've never owned a car that had a nice looking condenser for very long until they started doing this shutter stuff.

 

[ScottyC]

How is that relevant?

Poster was musing about exploding gas tanks.

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