Auto Insurance Claims: Prior damage to engine component, radiator coolant, motor vehicle accident

Question
Hi, I was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident where I was rear-ended and as a result, my vehicle was pushed into the car in front of me. My vehicle sustained body damages to both the front and the back of the vehicle. Immediately after the accident, there was radiator coolant leaking from the car for about 10 minutes until it ran dry. Also, the front passenger window refused to roll all the way up. The insurance company's claims adjuster evaluated the car and determined that the leak is due to broken heat hoses at the back of the engine, which he found were rusted. He listed these hoses as prior damage and declined to pay for these damages. He has also declined to pay for window damages until the repair shop pulls apart the door so he can look at it and see if it is related to the accident. I had no prior leaks in my heater hoses and I drove 40 miles before the accident. Any leaks from the radiator would have occurred long before I drove 40 miles.

Please advise on how I may proceed to handle this claim as the insurance company are committing only to pay for the bodywork for the vehicles.

Thanks!
-Mark

Answer
Hi Mark,
I am not a 'hands on' mechanic', so I will have to answer your question with logic and knowledge.
As we all know, the hoses that route your coolant from the radiator
to the engine and heating system are made of a flexible plastic polymer that we all still generically refer to as 'rubber', which
they actually were up until about 60 years ago.  Even these weaken over time and most of us have experienced at least one "blown" radiator hose.
The hoses that route the coolant from the engine through the heating system are all metal, which will slowly rust over time, especially if
the coolant is not changed every few years and regularly checked
between changes and amounts of new coolant added to maintain the
proper % as recommended for your climate.  Eventually you will get
a slow leak that usually first shows up as dampness on your upper front carpet.
Although it is possible that your metal heater hoses were slowly rusting from the inside out, you had no leaks and it might have been several years in the future before a leak actually appeared.
This rust inside the hose created a thinning and weakening effect
to the hoses and then the pressure from the frontal impact caused the weakened hose to break.
The adjustor has no grounds to deny coverage for these metal hoses.
These hoses are very inexpensive items, but the labor for installation is a lot of time which becomes very expensive when the shop is probably charging $130-$150 per hour.
Part of the adjusters job is to settle your claim as cheaply as
possible so he will deny almost anything that he thinks that
he can get away with.
You are just going to have to dig in your heels and fight the adjustor.  If you are dealing with an adjuster from the at fault
company, you may have to turn to your own company for help or advice
on this issue.  You may even need to have a certified mechanic
talk to the adjuster or write a letter in support of you.
It's normal that the adjustor wants a tear down on the window
before making a commitment on coverage, but you can be prepared
for him to make a denial that you will have to fight.

I hope that you find this information to be of help.  Your feedback by rating my response will be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area