Carnage Report - Got hit this morning.

They called a nano second after I got off the phone with geico. The guy sounded pissed, he asked if I was sure I wanted to go through geico, then he informed me they would not pay for the rental car, and that they will maintain their records of their assessment of the damage and will not pay for extra damages that it would be on me. I told them I have paperwork direct from Toyota saying they can not use salvaged parts to repair the frame - and he said they have paper work that says differently. The. He said they already sent checks to the body shop and they already started work so he tried to say that because of that I needed to continue going through them. (Something to that affect). I knew he was lying because the body shop and I had an agreement no work would start until we all agreed on the repairs.

He was unprofessional, rude, hostile, and borderline threatening. He is lucky it wasn't a face to face because I bet he is a tie wearing pencil dicked bean counter and in that moment I would have loved nothing more than to crush his larynx with my fist.

Sorry, just got done working out - adrenaline is high.

 

I have a friend that works for State Farm, his departments job is practically to agree on a price with the other party's insurance company if they were brought in for the repair. Ex. if you go through you insurance they will call State Farm and tell them its X amount of money to fix and their job is to say they will not pay that much and just haggle back and forth on the phone over price. He tells me a lot of the time it becomes a big argument on the phone and its even worst once the customer gets involved. Its as if its a damn collection agency telling you all kinda bs to get you to go along with them with a department full of assholes.

 

All I know is - they insured the driver that hit me, while I was in my lane. I understand NY is no fault, but in a situation like this it is completely the other drivers fault. What can they say - well it's you fault for waking up and driving to work? I don't think that will fly.

The truck will be fixed to pre accident condition, which includes the frame and structural integrity. I understand materials, metal bends, once bent back it is weaker. That affects how the vehicle will handle a future accident which is why toyota says how frames can and can not be repaired when they sustain damage in a collision.

Many (most) people are hands off, and will simply try and get things fixed as soon as possible, Im that 1 in 10k who will not accept cut corners, cheap solutions, or salvaged parts for the repair when toyota spells out specifically they do not recommend salvaged/reclaimed parts from vehicles that were previously in an accident be used to make repairs to the frame.

They can haggle all they want, the truck is being fixed PROPERLY. that will undoubtedly cost more - it is not my fault I was hit, and I will not accept anything other than the correct corrective action period. How can they expect people to allow their vehicles, their investment to be fixed by subpar practices - insane!

 

I would be doing the same if I were in your shoes. Most ins companys don't deal with people that know the kind of stuff that you do. They don't want you to know the right way so they can be cheap. 95 percent of companys in the US have that moto. It is if you are not screwing someone over you are not doing your job right. Keep the rich wealthy and the heck with everyone else.

 

Keep on fighting them. We were hit by a guy that had progressive. They wanted to use aftermarket parts. I told them hell no! The ins. guy said that "their job was to put the car back the way it was before the accident." My reply was "Exactly. And before the accident it had OEM parts. You'll be paying for the body parts that the shop wants to use."

More recently my wife was hit from behind, and the other guy's insurance, I think State Farm, wanted to use refurbished parts (ones taken off another car that had been wrecked. I told the adjuster, absolutely not...the dealer says only new OEM parts, and that's whats going on my car.

Insurance sucks, but sometimes it's a necessary evil. Don't give up...get it done right!

 

As far as the person on the phone goes.... Everyone has a boss. If you don't like what you are hearing, stop the conversation and ask to be transferred to that persons boss. It's that simple. "Climb the ladder" until you talk to someone that treats you the way you should be treated.

Most of the time we don't think about that because we're so taken back by the situation. That's understandable, but it doesn't have to be the end of it.

 

In the moment I did not think to get a name or escalate it - I was so hot around the collar. But a calmer head should have prevailed and done just that. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast - I'm in no hurry, I want it fixed right, and I should have taken my time on the phone with the jerk to get above him. I will be calling and complaining and we will see what comes of it.

-Corey

 

Next time you talk to the other drivers insurance company, put your phone on speaker phone and record the conversation.

 

The word came down this afternoon - Totaled. The Geico Adjuster could not believe how far off the State Farm guy was. He found more damage too, the rear axle is bent so it would also need to be replaced along with the bed, and the frame.

Now I need to figure out if I am going to go for the 2013 Tacoma, or....

I loved that truck, the new 2013's are nice went and drove one a few hours ago, nicer inside thats for sure, not sure I'm crazy about the new steering wheel, but overall the truck seemed as solid as the old one, some body line redesign especially in the front. How are people liking their new '13 Tacoma's? The steering felt a bit different, not sure if it was a combination of the crappy dunlop tires and the stock sport suspension or what, but it was not as responsive as my '08 with 5100's and nokian tires.

The nautical blue is almost the same as the indigo ink color I had too - torn. Do I go truck or car (Subaru WRX - really the only car I could consider, can't get a Audi TDI Quatro in the states so thats not an option).

Kinda hard seeing the old truck today all torn down and beaten - lots of good times.

 

Sorry to hear that it's totaled. Glad your insurance came through for you though.

 

Its sad when a taco dies.

 

I can't say enough good things about Geico they are handling this as I would expect a professional company. I'm ready to move past this and on to a new vehicle.

 

May I hire you to fight for my truck if I ever get hit ???

If this happened to me and I had a choice to get another car I would take some of the money from the settlement to buy me a used Taco and the rest for the Subi. Best of both worlds

 

glad that the you won the battle. but saddly that you lost your taco. I would play the bagpipe for the taco's wake.. if that make ya happy. go for the new one.. the dunflops sucks.. once you get better tires on them.. they are fine

 

I love my 13 I previously had an 05 and an 11 and the 13 by far feels alot smoother and more solid feeling. For some reason its quieter but I have a thick layer of black undercoating on the bottom of the whole cab from the dealership maybe thats why, the 13 is the best yet

 

Happy to hear you finally got an answer. for new truck shopping!!

 

And my initial assessment was correct...unrepairable frame damage

 

Yes - you were spot on Hetkind, actually when I looked at it today I looked at an angle I had not previously and saw just how torqued the frame was where the rear leaf mount connects and distributes load to the frame. the axle was also bent. Even if they replaced the frame, bed, and axle there would still be "open writeups" based on the unknowns in the transfer case, transmission, etc - the truck could have a related problem a year down the road and cost who knows what to fix.

But to others on here, do not let your vehicle be repaired by sub-par practices. do not authorize anything unless your sure, talk to your shop day one, make it clear that you do not want any parts ordered, repairs started, or checks cashed until you, the shop, and the insurance company all agree on how to move forward. Otherwise you may inadvertently tie your own hands.

Slow is steady, steady is fast.

Don't rush repairs, or decisions. Do your homework - Had I not dug out repair instructions from toyota I may not have had sufficient ammo to push for the things I did. Also as a flight engineer My understanding of structural components and safety (while we operate under different rules for flying obviously) - sound safety and logic prevail when dealing with these people.

I'm glad no one was hurt, and I'm glad my insurance company is taking care of this matter, but it took me kicking State Farm off the case and going to Geico, an option I wasn't sure I could even utilize.

Lessons learned, I hope that this may someday help someone else who finds themselves in the same bad situation.

The 2013 Tacoma is looking pretty good, Dealer is saying 31ish right now and they would even put the nokians on mounted and balanced for free (just cost of tires) and that they would install the 5100's and AAL's to bring my truck back up to the height I want.

Hardest part is, Blue or Black (that blue is damn sexy if you ask me).

 

Losing a truck like that is like losing a good friend. Best of luck with the search for a new one. Hope you will be just as happy with the new truck as you were with the old one.

 

go with the blue.. and get the off road package not the sport.. i just bought a 13 dcsb off road in nautical blue, when i test drove the sport i did not like the ride.. too soft and car feeling.. the off road package feels much better