A few years ago, I had my Chevrolet Blazer stolen in
Ottawa. After it was recovered about two weeks later, it was found vandalized. The steering column was broken, the dome light was dangling from the roof, and the interior was trashed with
french fries. In the condition it was in, I didn't think the car would ever be the same.
But I had hope once they repaired the entire interior. After waiting for about a month for it to be completely fixed, it came time for me to drive the vehicle home. To my surprise, once I turned the heater on, it began spewing out green coolant through the vents, adhering to the windows. It turned out that the heater core blew. This was when I started to believe that my car didn't seem like itself. It was as if a curse had been put upon it and the car was reengineered by the thieves to give displeasure to anyone who drives it.
To confirm this notion, throughout the rest of my driving the vehicle, it had stalled numerous times. The mechanic said there was something wrong with the EGR (whatever that meant). The air conditioning then all of a sudden didn't work. My paranoia then diverted to the transmission. It also didn't sound the same. And what about the engine? Its timing seemed a bit "off" too!
And then the interior. Although it was fully repaired, I could still feel the thieves' microbes lurching about on the steering wheel and dashboard controls.
Finally, after talking with one of my friends about the once stolen car, he gave me a maxim that "a stolen car is never the same after it's recovered." I had discovered the reality of the state of the Blazer. It would have been better luck for me if the SUV was sent to South America to be sold or stripped of its parts. At least then the insurance would have replaced it with an undefiled, brand new SUV.