Posted: 5/19/2017 9:40:51 AM EDT
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My truck was hit very hard from behind, and the rear end was basically destroyed. The entire back end would need to be replaced. However, because it was a chain-reaction accident and the frame is damaged on both sides (and the mechanic said he would not section a frame) the only way to fix it is to replace the frame. The fact that it's a pickup is the only reason it even can be fixed.
While I have no idea if the insurance company will total it or not, I want to prepare for the case that they will want to fix it. The truck is probably worth about $22K-$24K, give or take a bit. Retail is as high as $27K, so there's a chance the repairs alone won't meet their threshold. (As of yesterday repairs were at $10K and still counting.) What I want to know is what kind of diminished value I should ask for. When my car was hit by a semi and inexplicably fixed, the welded frame knocked off about 30% when I tried to trade it in. While I was eventually able to get fair value for it, that was a pretty bad experience so I want to avoid this by addressing diminished value at the start. On one hand, there would be no frame welds, but on the other hand it's a frame-off restoration. My guess is that the insurance company will probably total based on the estimate and time of repairs alone since they'd be looking at at least $2K-$3K in rental expenses alone while the truck is fixed (that would take at least a month). If they don't, another $5K in diminished value damages should put it over the top. |
| I can't see them not totaling it. Basically having to take the truck apart and put it back together again can't be cheap. What came out un damaged the cab? Sound's like it needs a whole new bed, new front clip, fenders, hood. Plus paint. I dunno maybe they are these days, if it it's a buck cheaper I guess they would. |
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I can't see them not totaling it. Basically having to take the truck apart and put it back together again can't be cheap. What came out un damaged the cab? Sound's like it needs a whole new bed, new front clip, fenders, hood. Plus paint. I dunno maybe they are these days, if it it's a buck cheaper I guess they would. |
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My wife was driving and had just picked up my daughter from daycare. She stopped in traffic and a 4Runner hit the truck doing between 40-50. It was unknown, but the driver didn't brake and that's what traffic normally does on that road.
The airbags didn't deploy. She was pushed into the car in front of her, but not with enough force to deploy the airbags. This did damage a tow hook in the front and damaged the bumper along with a few brackets. Otherwise, I think the cab is more or less intact. I have no doubt that should the frame-off restoration take place, they'd find quite a bit more damage. I know that 30% was about what I saw before. The web-based estimators don't ask about the type of damage, and I can see reasons why a frame replacement would be both better and worse than a repaired frame. |
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Read the first sentence, he was rear ended. Op, Did the airbags deploy? in front of him first or was pushed into it. Now clarified. The whole thing will depend on the amount of damage, the potential for additional damage and the ACV of the truck. It sounds very possible they might do a constructive total loss. But every company is different and I have seen some companies pay very close to ACV for repairs. I feel that is crazy. How much Property damage coverage does the person that hit your Wife have? |
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I can't see them not totaling it. Basically having to take the truck apart and put it back together again can't be cheap. What came out un damaged the cab? Sound's like it needs a whole new bed, new front clip, fenders, hood. Plus paint. I dunno maybe they are these days, if it it's a buck cheaper I guess they would. If the airbags went off, then it's pretty much a given. Just replacing air bags and repairing all of the damage to the dash/steering wheel that happens is a startling chunk of change. |
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in front of him first or was pushed into it. Now clarified. The whole thing will depend on the amount of damage, the potential for additional damage and the ACV of the truck. It sounds very possible they might do a constructive total loss. But every company is different and I have seen some companies pay very close to ACV for repairs. I feel that is crazy. How much Property damage coverage does the person that hit your Wife have? The shop mechanic told me the threshold is 60%...with the existing damage and the additional claims I see almost no way they won't get there. As for the damage limits, I don't know, but the state minimum for property damage is $20K. |
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Diminished value can vary greatly State to State. So make sure you look at information specifically for yours. Even if there isn't a law on the books in your State, try to look up case law on the matter.
For what it is worth, a full frame replacement is far less intrusive to the vehicle than a unibody vehicle that would require cutting and welding to be done in the repair. |
| Diminished Value - You really don't have a way to quantify DV until you actually sell or trade the vehicle. DV being the intrinsic value lost or the money you could have got but did not get when you sell/trade the truck. Best ballpark I can give you is to look up the NADA for your vehicle. Take the difference between clean trade in value and rough trade in value. That's a ballpark of what you'll lose. I work in insurance. We rarely pay more than that amount even with attorneys involved and frequently settle for much less than that amount. |
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Diminished Value - You really don't have a way to quantify DV until you actually sell or trade the vehicle. DV being the intrinsic value lost or the money you could have got but did not get when you sell/trade the truck. Best ballpark I can give you is to look up the NADA for your vehicle. Take the difference between clean trade in value and rough trade in value. That's a ballpark of what you'll lose. I work in insurance. We rarely pay more than that amount even with attorneys involved and frequently settle for much less than that amount. |
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Have you notified your carrier of the accident? It is possible that the person
that hit you could have minimum coverage and would be PD excess if your truck is a total. If your carrier is not involved it could cause a delay. You do carry collision coverage don't you? |
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The frame is a bolt in item. Not much diminished value there. Changing the frame isn't a big deal. Common now days. I don't know about you but that's not something I would really trust. |
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The problem with the frame is that everything else bolts to it. That means you disassemble more or less the entire vehicle to replace the frame. I don't know about you but that's not something I would really trust. not heard of any major issues from it. The frames average $4k and the labor is usually 35 to 40 hours. |
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My '06 tC was t-boned in '08, did $13,500 worth of damage to a car worth $15,000 at the time. The shop split it into two estimates so it wouldn't be totaled. One "preliminary" estimate and the another "once they got everything apart" - I feel that they did this in order to have something to fix - i.e. if the initial estimate was the full $13,500 then it would've been totaled and the shop wouldn't make any money.
I filed a diminished value claim against the insurance company of the idiot who hit me. The agent I dealt with was pissed when I brought up the topic. Obviously they wouldn't have volunteered that information. I walked away (in pain, mind you) with a check for about $3,500 - $4,000 and drove it another 9 years after the wreck. I just traded it in with a transmission that was almost shot. Be prepared to not have the truck totaled, and walk away with a substantial check. Also be prepared to keep it until it's completely dead, because you'll never get much for it after a wreck like that. |
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My '06 tC was t-boned in '08, did $13,500 worth of damage to a car worth $15,000 at the time. The shop split it into two estimates so it wouldn't be totaled. One "preliminary" estimate and the another "once they got everything apart" - I feel that they did this in order to have something to fix - i.e. if the initial estimate was the full $13,500 then it would've been totaled and the shop wouldn't make any money. . on totals. |
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Make sure either your insurance company or the shop you use guarantees everything they touch, so all repairs on future issues (and there will be a lot of them) are covered as long as you own the truck.
My brother barrel rolled an Isuzu Trooper back in the '90's and insurance rebuilt it instead of totaling. Little did they plan for a guy like my brother, who drives vehicles until they are dead, dead, dead. Considering they pretty much worked on every single part of that truck, body, mechanical and electrical they took a bath on that Trooper because he drove it for probably another 10 years and 200k+ miles and every time it had any issue whatsoever insurance had to pay for it. It was probably the only Isuzu in the world with 300k miles and every single electrical component still worked perfectly and and the sunroof didn't leak. 
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The frame change by itself isn't that big of a deal...what I have seen is the force needed to bend a frame badly is normally enough to warp every panel on the truck..so if they are going to repair it, you need to make damn sure before they start to check every surface for waves and war page..
I know on my wreck, when the adjuster for the hugs insurance called he wanted to know where I wanted it repaired at and I laughed at him..after a couple of minutes of him explaining they were gonna fix it because of how spendy the truck was I told him to go look at the truck, then call me back..when he did he went straight to offer to settle but I told him his offer wasn't enough..eventually his price met mine and it got settled....demand quality treatment op..weather quality repairs or price for a total....be fair, but don't just settle or they will screw you over.. |
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My wife was driving and had just picked up my daughter from daycare. She stopped in traffic and a 4Runner hit the truck doing between 40-50. It was unknown, but the driver didn't brake and that's what traffic normally does on that road. The airbags didn't deploy. She was pushed into the car in front of her, but not with enough force to deploy the airbags. This did damage a tow hook in the front and damaged the bumper along with a few brackets. Otherwise, I think the cab is more or less intact. I have no doubt that should the frame-off restoration take place, they'd find quite a bit more damage. I know that 30% was about what I saw before. The web-based estimators don't ask about the type of damage, and I can see reasons why a frame replacement would be both better and worse than a repaired frame. Cutting, welding, or straightening them is problematic - hence the complete frame replacements these days. |
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Frame swap is not uncommon. The frame is designed and intended to crumple on hard impact. It displaces the energy of the impact around the passenger compartment.
Do press for DV compensation & then like the great John Rambo said "cruise 'til the wheels fell off" |