I have been waiting around almost 3 months for my car to be fixed. Sugar was put in my tank and I never started the car when It was vandalized. My insurance already paid the shop and I have yet to pay my deductible but I was wondering what should I do and is this normal?? I have a 2016 Chevy Equinox 4cy
Well insurance generally won't pay a shop until they finish the job and that's just ridiculous I would demand to take it somewhere else
Have you called the shop to ask when the repair is expected to be done? I'd start there. They may be waiting on a backordered part. Never know.
NOPE, this ain't normal. 3 months? to do something you could've done in your backyard in an hour or two?
Even if they're waiting for parts, they should've informed you about that - but I don't see what parts could be needed for this job - usually all you need is rubbing alcohol or maybe an injector cleaning system but that's rarely the case.
I agree with @mmj , if they haven't been contacting you to let you know their progress - call them and ask them when will they finish all the work that needs to be done. I'd call them every once in a while (2-3 days) for "encouragement"
If I'm being honest, from what I know, sugar doesn't dissolve in gasoline so all of that would've just got into the fuel pump filter, most likely, not causing any real damage - It's a good idea to replace your fuel filters from time to time anyway.
Also, get a locking fuel cap.
Some fuel filters are inside the tank - like my 2014 Xterra. As for locking gas caps, I had one on my Mustang and one day I couldn't get the key to go into the locking mechanism. Good thing that I discovered this before going on a long trip. Youtube has videos on how to remove the gas cap should this happen. Anyway, I put a standard gas cap back onto mine. But like you said, sugar doesn't mix with gas. There's at least one youtube video that shows how to clean out your tank yourself - it takes a bit of effort to do so especially if you have a full tank.
that was mod_man not me.
Well we are talking about the Chevrolet Equinox and in this case it's just a mesh inside of the fuel pump assembly (it should cost like $10), From what I remember on these GM SUVS you also need to drop the tank does require a bit of manual labor but it's not that bad.
If you're doing it DIY that'd take a hour or so, if you're in a shop? and have a proper support and a lift? probably 20-25 minutes if you're really going slow at it...
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As far as locking fuel caps, I just always try and buy the most high quality locks - Instead of spending a couple bucks I get one for $25-$25 and I've never had any real issues with it (knocking on wood)
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Also, ironically fuel pumps for some reason almost always die after getting a full tank so any qualified shop should already know how to deal with that, and as far as DIY - just get a couple big buckets...
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I'm not advising OP to do it himself, I'm just saying this shouldn't take long even without the tools and amenities of a shop.
^ @TheEel forgot to tag you in the comment above ^