Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with damage

Is my apartment company liable for my shorted-out laptop?

iamisaid — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:12:03 -0800

Is my apartment management company responsible for water damage to my laptop that occurred as a result of their lack of maintenance? Excuse me if this a common-sense question that I should already know the answer to, but IANAL, etc.

I live in a ground-floor apartment, and over the past several months there have been multiple ceiling leaks coming into my living room from the bathroom of the apartment above mine. I have informed the apartment manager of this on multiple occasions, but it continues to be an issue. On one occasion they patched and repainted a spot on my ceiling where a leak had occurred. And they say they have told my upstairs neighbors not to be so "messy" when they shower.

But as far as I know, that's the extent of maintenance action they've taken, despite the fact that this has happened more than half a dozen times. When I've spoken to them about it, they've claimed that there's really nothing else they can do to prevent future leaks, which does not seem like an acceptable answer to me.

So there was a leak once again last night while I was sleeping, and the water got into my laptop. Now my laptop won't boot up, and it was working fine yesterday.

Does this mean the apartment owners are liable for damage to my laptop? If so, what are the chances of actually getting them to pay up, and what's the best way to go about that?

Bus bent my bike; am I stuck with the damage?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:18:18 -0800

Locked my bike to a post, and a bus sideswiped my bike. Am I stuck with the damage? I stupidly locked my bike to a garbage can near a bus stop. A bus driver trying to squeeze past a left-turning car clipped my bike and pretzeled my wheel.

The damage is probably about $300 (unless the frame is bent in which case it's $1500). I don't have insurance. I do have photos of the scene of the collision, and two witnesses. I've made a report to the Toronto Transit Commission, and in three weeks I'll know what their claims department thinks of it.

Has anyone else tried to claim property damage from a Canadian transit system? What should I expect? If their claims department says no, what should I do?

Any not-legal-advice would be much appreciated

Why doesn't it damage your eyes to look at light after they've been dilated?

LillyBird — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:52:11 -0800

I'm posting for my wife who just got her eyes dilated at 4 p.m. (so she can't look at the computer to type this herself). I tried to Google my question and couldn't come up with any satisfactory answers. The question is why doesn't dilating your eyes and then viewing any form of light harm your eyes? The pupils adjust to regulate how much light is taken in. Is this a safeguard? I don't see how it's not damaging your eyes to shine a bright light in them when your pupils are fully dilated, because, and I may be wrong, but I've never seen pupils naturally get this big. But then again, you need light to view your eyes so maybe they do in a pitch dark room.

I read Catch Me If You Can, and when Frank was imprisoned in a French dungeon, deprived of any light, they had to slowly reintroduce him to even the dimmest light so not to damage his eyes. Why was this and how would this relate to dilation?

I hope I'm being clear enough. I just want to know why it isn't damaging because the eye doctor told her to come in every year, and it seems like over the course of a lifetime that would be a lot of damage, if damage is occurring. Thanks so much!

The plumber broke what the plumber is fixing

procrastination — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:20:11 -0800

If the plumber comes and causes more damage, can we be expected to pay for it? In Washington, DC. We had a plugged kitchen sink. We called a plumber, who while snaking it out broke through a bend in the pipe. Now we have a clog and a hole in a pipe that requires repair by cutting through the bathroom ceiling below to replace the pipe. We need it fixed today, since we use the kitchen for useful things like eating. I checked but our home owners insurance doesn't cover this.

We were quoted an hourly rate for the work they are doing. When the plumber left to get parts he was gone an hour because he drove to Silver Spring to get parts where they had an account, instead of the hardware store two blocks away. So now our $150 snake job is apparently turning into a $1000 repair.

What options do we have? It seems unfair for us to cover the whole cost of the damage they created (otherwise they could always purposefully cause damage to make more work for themselves), plus the time they spent driving around. We have nothing in writing.

Any suggestions?

Is it worth a claim?

lizjohn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:45:50 -0800

Sometime last night someone severely scraped the side of my car while is was parked at my apartment complex. They left no note. What are my options? I'm afraid I'm just going to have to grin and bear it, but I'm hoping there's some recourse I'm not thinking of. I didn't notice the damage until I got to work just a few minutes ago and I remember there was no one parked next to me when I left. It's a long, low scrape starting from the drivers door to the back of the back wheelwell. The bottom panels are pushed in and there is paint residue. It seems to be cosmetic, both doors open and the tire seems fine. Should I make an insurance claim? Do I need a police report for that? Is it not with my premiums going up?

This whole thing miffs me. My husband and I only have one car and we try to keep it nice. I've never had anything like this happen, outside of a few door dings. Sorry if this is rambly.

Passport to nowhere

prufrock — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:18:38 -0800

UnitedStatesIDfilter: I've damaged my passport which was my only means of identification. Replacement takes around 6 weeks. Is there any state-approved ID I can get(for domestic travel, immediately) that will not involve using this passport as a required document. I'm a non-resident alien on an H1B visa. I'm in Massachusetts.

I have an old passport that is expired but in perfect condition. Can I use them in conjunction somehow to make one valid document? The extent of the damage, by the way, is such that every bit of text is legible, the cover is a bit frayed...but the photo is totally obscured.

Rental Car Scratch

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:55:49 -0800

Ever scratch a rental car in Europe? Relatively minor bumper scratch. Looking over the paperwork, it appears I've screwed up and not purchased the coverage I intended to, so I'm assuming I'll have to pay (and there's no need to discuss that further, lesson learned). Credit card coverage not active. I do have US insurance, no access to the policy wording right now.

How much did it cost you? Online travel forums have interesting answers, but they tend to attract the most unhappy examples. Question anonymous just in case there's a dispute pending. Thanks.

Would an household all-purpose cleaner ruin a suit?

gttommy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:38:40 -0800

Would an household all-purpose cleaner ruin a suit? To my dismay someone tried to remove some stains from my suit using an all-purpose cleaner (for bathroom, sinks, kitchen, etc), and claimed that it worked on his own clothing without any damage.

My common sense tells me that the liquid would be too harsh on clothing and may be bad for it in the medium-long term.

What are your thoughts? Is it possible to repair any damage that was caused?

The suit is shiny blue made from wool and appears to look like it is in very good condition.

How long can you leave your iphone turned on without damaging it?

leemajors — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:22:29 -0800

I've taken to using one of the apps available in the iphone app store as a desk clock. It sits on its dock, charging, with the display on all day. At the end of the day when I leave work, it feels warm. Am I doing it damage by keeping it on for so long every day?

A Not Quite Fix for My Poor Hardwood Floors

aabbbiee — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:30:55 -0800

How can I limit damage to my virtually-unfinished hardwood floors without the trouble/expense of refinishing? I have an 1800 sq foot ranch-style home built in 1994 (in Missouri, USA). All of the flooring is hardwood, with the exception of a small utility room and the two bathrooms. This is a slab home, and the wood is directly on top of the concrete. I cannot be very specific about the type of wood it is- possibly oak? It's very standard early-90s suburban house wood flooring.

When I bought this house in 2006 (at the top of the market, of course), the floors were not in great shape. I didn't care because I own a dog and do not want to live a lifestyle where I have to place a lot of emphasis on keeping my floors scratch-free. My house is not worth what I paid for it, and I've had to put some very expensive work into it (roof, foundation repairs, new a/c, just to start). This is not a house I wanted to own forever. I will likely sell or rent the place out in 5 years.
In addition, refinishing of any part of the house would require refinishing of all the floors of the house, because the wood flows through all the rooms. I have had a casual estimate of $4000 to refinish the floors of the house. This is not chump change for me, and that new a/c unit was installed just two weeks ago, so I am not exactly rolling in it right now.

Until this past weekend, I didn't worry too much about the floors, but they were not in great shape. I cleaned them regularly by sweeping or vacuuming. Maybe once a year I tried to clean them with Murphy's Oil, whereupon it became obvious that they had almost no finish left. The water soaked in and there was a smell of wet wood.

This past weekend, I had the excitement of coming home to find that a washing machine hose had burst (the washing machine was not even in use at the time) and flooded about a third of the house with an inch of water in just forty-five minutes. (Fantastic entertainment for a Saturday night!)

After the immediate cleanup, I am happy to see that there was very little long-term damage to my house. The floorboards have dried out without buckling. We've had very low humidity this week (totally unusual for Missouri in summer) but the new a/c has been very helpful, and I think I removed the water fast enough that there may not be mold damage. Furniture and other possessions were largely untouched. Rugs are all cotton and can be washed. I was remarkably fortunate.

The only thing that was ruined was [whatever was left of] the finish of the hardwood in that part of the house. In the living room, I can see where the water was and where it stopped. It's not a bad stain and it would likely come out with sanding, but the floors are clearly in even worse shape than they were. Refinishing them would fix them perfectly, I'm sure.

I don't want to refinish. See paragraph #2.
What can I do with these floors? My priority is to decrease the amount of damage that my dog and I could incur if we live on pretty-much-unfinished wood floors. Making them pretty is not really my priority. I just want to limit the damage. (I can't put rugs everywhere.)
Google lists different products on the market that swear they will help me, but I don't know enough to tell the useless & destructive from the magic miracle tonic.
Things that involve sanding seem to be a little beyond my comfort zone as far as things I can do myself (and I don't want to hire someone else).
What options beyond refinishing do I have? How should I be cleaning this floor?

Will LED light therapy help reverse all over sun damaged skin?

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:35:33 -0800

Old sun-damaged skin all over my body--is it tilting at windmills to consider light therapy? I am older than most of you--I am 58. I used to live in Florida and I tanned a lot during my young adult years. I had always heard that sun damage was "cumlative" but I didn't really see the effects of all that tanning until last year when all my exposed skin turned wrinkly. It is kind of shocking. I feel like I only can look good now if I am covered practically head to toe. My hands are the worst, but the problem is everywhere on all exposed skin. My skin looks about 10-15 years older than I am...and I am serious that it accelerated during last year. I don't have a lot of money, but if there was any value in trying light therapy I would. In attempting to do an online search for correcting sun damage there are mountains of products and "advice" that I can't begin to determine as scam or hype. How can I find out the success rate on something like this?
http://www.light-therapy-led.com/products.htm

What the hail, I'm keeping the car

weathergal — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:45:51 -0800

I'm the owner of a 2002 Toyota Corolla which just hit 107,000 miles. On June 9th while I was at work, my car got hammered by some pretty large hail. The damage was enough that my insurance (Progressive) declared it a total loss. My frugal heart couldn't bear to have them tow away a perfectly drivable car, so I took the lesser payout (just under $5000) and kept it. Now what? Some pics can be seen here, although I had a lot of trouble getting the dents to show up well, and it looks worse in person. There are some cracks in the paint starting to show up near the front fender dent and on the trunk, so PDR won't work in those areas. The windshield was a safety issue, and has already been fixed.

I'm rather confused about getting a salvage title. The guy at the shop where I replaced my windshield said I didn't need to get one, and from my reading of this Kansas statute cosmetic stuff like hail damage is exempt. However, the lady at the titles office in Topeka said yes, I needed to get one, and an insurance agent from another agency confirmed this. I'm hoping to move by the end of the year, so how would a Kansas salvage title affect trying to register the car in another state?

I've already started to put some money into an account for the next car, and my original plan was to bank almost all of the insurance money, and continue to put a small amount in each month. In 2-3 years, the account would be in the 5 figure range and I could get a fairly nice used car for cash.

However, I've started to second guess myself. The insurance agent I talked to above seemed to assume I'd get it fully fixed, as he told me to keep the receipts in case I have to file a claim again with my insurance. There are many "hail specialist" tents around town, and they probably could fix at least a few of the bigger dents for less than my original estimate. Or is this throwing good money after bad?

If I do continue driving it as a dented up car (with a probable salvage title), how much money should I put into it in the future? Obviously, I'd want to keep it road worthy with oil changes and other maintenance, but what about the minor annoyances? For instance, my brake pads that I got replaced last August are squeaking, despite being in for adjustments several times already. Is it worth the time and money to try and get rid of the squeak?

Thanks, and sorry this was so long.

How can I find out if there is mold behind my drywall?

cavalier — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:16:20 -0800

What is the least destructive method I could use to determine what if any mold might be growing in drywall? You see, there's this roof leak... ... that is very minor (the leak only showed up after 5+ days of rain in a row), and that's going to get repaired, but here I am looking at a wall with two pencil thin lines of moisture coming down about a foot and a half. Considering this leak has probably been here since before I moved in, as there is some minor discoloration I just now noticed elsewhere on the wall, I'm a little worried I might have something magical living behind/within the drywall.

I've googled around a bit and while there are several mold remediation companies that are happy to come in and rip out my walls and clean everything out -- no one seems to be in the business of, well, checking if there is anything there to begin with. I admit I'm being cheap and trying to prevent a $1,000+ remediation action without evidence of a problem, but am I just SOL here?

The best I've come up with is hiring a "water leak detection" company. Which is remarkable since I know where the leak is coming from -- the roof -- it's more, well, how leaky is it?

If it helps for anyone's anecdotes, I am in Florida.

Help me work out how best to deal with a dealership.

Effigy2000 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:34:23 -0800

We bought a brand new car a couple of weeks ago but the windscreen is scratched. We're pretty sure that the dealer did this but we don't really have any proof. What are our options? About three weeks ago we bought a brand new car from a respectable Toyota dealership. When we picked the car up, the salesman showed us all the features and how to work all the nobs and switches and so forth.

This involved testing the windscreen wipers. It wasn't raining at the time and when he turned them on we heard a bit of a scraping noise, and both my partner and I have since discussed how we (silently) wished at the time that he hadn't done that. But we were pretty excited about getting the new car and just wanted to get out of there and drive so we didn't pay it too much mind.

Anyway, about a week passes and we're driving the car and my partner realises there's a big scratch along the front of the windscreen, following the path that the windscreen wiper would have taken. Obviously we're a bit pissed off.

But the truth is, apart from our suspicions, we really have no proof that this is how the scratch got there. It has rained a few times between now and then, so our wipers have been used, but when we did we didn't hear the same screeching noise we heard before.

We want to take this up with the dealer, and see if we can come to some kind of arrangement. But since we have no hard evidence that they're responsible, we're pretty sure that they'll just say something like "well how do we know you didn't do it sometime in the last three weeks?" And that would be a fair call, to be honest. However, I'm hoping that since they are a large, respectable dealership they might be willing to meet us halfway on this.

Should I bother taking this up with them? If so, what do you think should be my plan of attack? Do we have any recourse at all here? I'm in Brisbane, Australia, if that means anything at all.

Get coffee out of a Macbook keyboard?

Orb2069 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:56:20 -0800

Just spilled coffee into a 13" macbook. Remediation tips? Splenda and cream, no sugar. Any ideas on stuff that can be done to mitigate the damage while it's still wet?

What damage did tea spillage do to my laptop?

kitfreeman — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:25:26 -0800

I recently spilled green tea (no milk or sugar) around my Acer Aspire 5920 laptop. The machine now makes strange noises. What damage did I do? [more inside] The tea went into the upper left quarter of the machine (looking down from above), mainly through the ventilation holes. I drained the liquid, let it dry out, and the machine seems to work ok. However, it occasionally makes strange noises, especially on start up. It's a fizz-popping noise, in short bursts, a bit like static. It sounds as if it's coming from a loudspeaker. Does anyone know the machine well enough to diagnose the fault, and tell me please (a) if it's serious and (b) how to fix it?

I've found the service manual for this model here

Thanks!

Do studios exchange bad DVDs for good?

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:41:47 -0800

Is it true that non-working DVDs will be replaced by the studio (specifically, Paramount/Viacom) that released them, depending on the licensing agreement? I have a multi-disc set that is expensive to replace. One of the discs halts at a specific point during playback.

I have read that the DVD license is such that studios will exchange bad discs for new, on request.

Does Paramount/Viacom honor this and is there a good, non-generic contact for facilitating this?

Failing that, do off-the-shelf DVD repair kits actually work?

How to manage two consecutive car accidents?

fermion — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:03:28 -0800

My parked car got hit by a truck. Then, before I could get it fixed, it got hit by another truck. How do I handle two claims at once? The first accident was a couple of months ago--a truck hit my parked car and ripped my rear bumper halfway off. The wheels of paperwork have been grinding slowly, partly just because I've been busy, so I'm still working things out with that insurance company and hadn't fixed the damage yet. This morning, a garbage truck hit my (again, parked--I haven't driven it at all for a few months) car and did some damage to the door and mirrors, as well as taking my bumper the rest of the way off.

What do I tell the garbage truck's insurance company about this most recent incident? I don't want to get compensated for the same damages twice, but I also don't want to give them an excuse to claim all the damage was pre-existing. I know that the appropriate actions in situations like this can be counter-intuitive, so I'm hoping you folks can give me some advice.

Potentially relevant info: I'm in Washington State, and my insurance is liability-only (it's an old car) so I'm dealing with the other insurance companies directly rather than through my own insurer.

Sneaky sneaker heels

Brennus — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:06:19 -0800

Whenever I buy sneakers, the heel lining breaks With nearly all my sneakers the first thing that breaks is the lining on the heels. This usually happens after about 6 months of on and off use. Eventually the whole plastic lining the heel breaks and I have to throw the sneakers away, after probably a year of irregular use. I don't think this is the typical wear pattern for sneakers for most other people which lead me to believe that it's the shape of my heel causing this. Does this happen to anybody else? Is there any way to prevent the heel from breaking down so fast? I have tried duct tape before but it's not very comfortable or long lasting.

How to get cigarette smoke smell out of my laptop?

ibechase — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:49:44 -0800

I recently purchased a laptop on ebay, what I failed to notice is that the seller noted (in a separate 'About Me' webpage) that he was a smoker. How can I get rid of the smell of smoke? So, now I've got a great computer that works perfectly, but reeks of smoke. I have a pretty strong allergy to any sort of cigarette smoke, so I'm in a tough spot here. I'm looking for ideas that are low risk and/or that have been proven to work to help get rid of smoke smell from electronics/computers.

I've google'd a bit and the only things I am coming up with are industrial strength liquids which would work for the exterior of the computer, but not the interior for obvious reasons. Also, people saying put the laptop in an airtight box with baking soda/vinegar/lemon peels/tea bags/coffee/etc. These ideas all sound great, but no one really recommends anything with confidence. Has anyone tried any of these with any success?

I've got time and I am extremely patient, so something that takes a while wouldn't be ruled out. Does any one have a endall solution to help me out? What have you done to get cigarette smoke out of your items? Thanks in advance to you all.

I ran over some ice and my car ecksploded!

veol — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:48:23 -0800

Need some car help! It snowed. The snow eventually turned into ice. Snow and ice piled up on the roads. I drove over the snow and ice. Now, some part of my car broke and its hanging from underneath the car, and when I drive, it is getting dragged around. What to do? More details and pictures inside. My car is a 2008 Honda Civic Coupe. I got the car in February of 2008.

So here's the gist of the story:
I live in Vancouver, and we have had a particularly cold and snow-filled winter this season. If I recall correctly, there was about 60cm of snow this December. Eventually, it rained, and then a lot of the snow turned into ice. I went around during the holidays to see my family, and a lot of places that I had to go had poorly shoveled roads and driveways. At one point, there was this road that had big chunks of ice/snow in the middle of the road, and, like the genius that I am, drove over it, probably scraping and scratching the underside of my car.

And then it got worse. I drove to Vancouver from Surrey on January 4th, and it snowed again. I went to pick up my girlfriend, and thinking that I was driving over fresh snow, drove over chunks of ice.

I don't really know when it happened, but when I drove out the next day, I heard a bad sound, as if something was being dragged by my car. Looking under the car, I discovered a large piece of broken plastic that was still attached to the car.

Here are the pictures that I took:

From the front
From the back

The damage is located at the rear-left side of the vehicle. It looks to me as if its just a plastic cover for something, but I am hoping for a second opinion.

I have since roped it up and I am planning on taking it in for service.

In summary, my questions are:

1 - Is this an important/expensive part?

2 - Is the damage serious enough that I should not be driving?

3 - Is it a good idea to tie it up with some rope and drive (which I am planning on doing)?

Any comments/suggestions are appreciated!

Clean, untoachable iPhone needs replaced -- how?

jacobjacobs — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:34:51 -0800

My iPhone is broken and not covered by warranty (water damage), what is my best option (b/c ATT won't let me just buy another iPhone)? My iPhone was washed, it comes on but the touchscreen is still unresponsive after a week of drying.

The water sensor is clearly tripped and there's not an Apply Store within a few hundred miles (for "playing dumb"). ATT tells me I can't buy a new iPhone without adding a new contract. I can add a new number to my line, get a new iPhone, but for $20-30 extra per month and $300 for a new phone, the total cost is twice of that on ebay. Canceling my account ($150) and beginning another (I really love my iPhone) is cheaper than adding a new line.

1) What's the deal with iPhones on ebay? Pop my SIM card in, cross my fingers and it works?

2) Are there any other options I'm missing?

3) Theories on why it's a good idea for ATT/Apple to not let me simply buy a new iPhone?

My building's bed-wetting problem

Metroid Baby — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:42:39 -0800

I returned home from a week-long vacation to discover a hole in the ceiling of my apartment and water dripping onto my futon. Should I ask my landlord to pay to replace my damaged furniture? Or, since I don’t have renter’s insurance, am I just out of luck? The radiator in the apartment above mine had a crack in it, and had probably been dripping water for quite some time. As a result, part of the ceiling in the corner of my apartment collapsed – an area about twelve by thirty inches, more or less. It’s not a complete see-through-to-the-upstairs-neighbors hole, but it’s definitely a hole.

I am not sure when this happened, only that it happened while I was on vacation. I don’t recall any evidence of water damage in that area of the ceiling before I left.

Maintenance has fixed the radiator and cleaned up nearly all of the debris, for which I am grateful, and they will be patching the hole up within the next couple of days after everything’s dried out.

Not a lot was damaged, but about a foot of my futon mattress (a good one, with springs) got pretty wet, in addition to an electric blanket. A couple of other blankets got a tiny bit of water on them, but they’re washable/inexpensive, so I’m not too worried about those.

Friends and family have suggested I write to my management company detailing what was damaged and asking for reimbursement. I’ve taken some pictures in case I follow through with this. It’s probably a couple hundred dollars – I would research this more and have a concrete and reasonable estimate.

Of course, I’ve been one of those “durpa durpa who needs renter’s insurance? Holes in the ceiling don’t happen to ME!” types, so I wouldn’t be surprised if their response was “sorry chickie, that’s what renter’s insurance is for, we can’t do anything.” However, the damage to my futon and blanket was a direct result of a building maintenance issue, so I’m thinking it’s not unreasonable to ask.

Or is it?

And do I need a lawyer for this? I’ve never needed legal help before.

I live in Chicago; I like my apartment and management a lot and am likely to renew my lease, so I don’t want to strain relations. If my stuff doesn’t get replaced, it’s not the end of the world, but it would be nice.

I’d appreciate any advice you might have. Thanks as always!

Wet Audis and the Bills they Cause

rileyray3000 — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:13:10 -0800

My 2006 Audi A4 is having ignition coil problems. And the dealer is saying because it's water damage related, it's not covered under warranty. I have NOT had the engine cleaned. I have NOT driven into a lake and I live in California where rain is minimal. Help me to not be screwed. So here's the short story for car people. For non-car people it tends to read a little longer:

I drive a 2006 Audi A4 2.0 quattro

1) had an accident where I rear ended someone. VERY minor. Cosmetic damage and the compressor for the AC. Took the car in two days later to an insurance company approved body shop.

2) Got the car back. Drove fine for one day. Then next day I start the car and it cranks but won't turn over. Have it towed to the body shop. They discover it's an ignition coil and possibly the left passenger side housing of said coil. According to Audi, cannot possibly be related to crash. Get it towed to the dealer. Says it's under warranty, should be fine

3) Got call the next day from the dealer saying it's water damage related. That rust has gotten on the interior of one of the ignition coils and that water damage is NOT covered by warranty.

4) Now I'm being told to pay 675 bucks.

The service tech says that they see a lot of that from pressure washing engines. I called the body shop. They say there's dust on the engine and that they clearly didn't pressure wash it. And they also say the hood was never off the car.

I have NEVER cleaned under this hood. I park the car in covered parking. So i guess my main question is how did this happen and what do I do about it?

But then there are the minor questions related to it:

-Can anything else LOOK like rust and maybe my dealer is mistaking it?
-Are there any known issues with ignition coils and rust?
-I park next to a constantly leaking pipe in my covered parking. Could the excess moisture just get in the car over time?
-Who do I go after here? Is the body shop guy full of crap or is the dealer? Or do I go after my landlord?

Paint chips keep falling on my head

Frank Grimes — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:06:10 -0800

Rain damaged my apartment's ceiling. What rights and remedies do I have as a tenant? I live in a top floor apartment in New York City. I came home on Friday to find an approximately 1' x 1' hole in the ceiling where the paint and plaster had peeled off the ceiling and exposed insulation. A little bit of water and some paint chips were on my rug and the floor. The area is next to a chimney and, judging from the patches, has been repaired before.

Of course I would like this to be repaired, but I am worried about lead paint, asbestos, and other bad stuff that is in the ceiling. Since it is a studio, I do not have another room to move my stuff into.

Since it is the weekend, the super knows, but no repairs have been made and I would rather them not be made without being able to get my belongings out of the way. I called 311 about the lead paint hazard, but I have to file a complaint before they will come test and I need to talk to the landlord first (no calls have been returned because it is the weekend).

1) Can I get out of my lease because of this?
2) Does the landlord subsidize my move?
3) What is the typical solution to this problem?