My Truck Was Stolen... Anything I Need To Know?

So after talking with a few friend I fabricated with and also a few that work at various dealerships I might take on this repair now... How often do you get a chance to build something with this kind of budget!?

- McNiel front and rear fiberglass color matched
- Baja Kits (very tentative) +2 LT with 4x4
- King coilovers
- DMZ Spring under rear
- I have rear King shocks and hydro bumps in my office
- Apex Fabworks bumpers, mounts, gussets, etc

The risk here is any driveline damage. I take full liability of anything they could have done... This build would fit the budget of $9500.... Hmmmmmm

 

I looked into this company after my truck was broken into:
http://www.ravelco.com/

It won't stop them from stealing stuff but it might keep them from driving off. I haven't gone through with it mostly because there aren't any installers near me.

 

The only issue with doing the repair yourself is those "hidden" things that the shop might find and put in a claim for with the insurance co. now fall on you and you can't really do anything about it...

 

The hidden damage is what would concern me too, I would absolutely let the shop do it plus I would talk with the insurance agent about them covering any driveline issues that might pop up in the near future.

 

does your insurance cover loss of value and depreciation? Gonna show up on the carfax, a 10,000 repair will most likely cause people some hesitancy.

 

@thebottomline they do not cover loss of value as far as I am aware. They do the full repair and send me on my way with a clean truck.

As to the other questions about the drive line I tend to agree with you guys there is a risk. I also feel like once I take the truck back from the repair facility it will be very hard for me to get any issues I discover down the road covered. They told me they pay the mechanic to do a full drive train diagnostic to identify any issues, and they fix them on the spot. So if I have a problem later on, I am sure they will try and say it was something I did and turn me away.

Of all the things I am hesitant about if I fix my truck myself, it is those unknowns. I am an experienced fabricator and mechanic myself and I have made a few calls to friends and professionals I know in the trade. I think every single one of them all said take the cash and fix it, that price is crazy. One is a 25 year dealer technician so he has seen this stuff a ton of times. He gave me a list of things I can do to check the engine and driveline to make sure everything is ok. Also some pointers to things that break that are missed during inspections usually like rear transmission mounts cracking on the case and not the mount. This is the run down I am going to do on Monday:

- Smell engine and transmission oil for burning smell
- Start the truck and let it get to temperature
- Connect my scan gauge (was that in my truck? need to find it) and check for any pending codes
- Cycle the transmission a few times. Apparently engines are almost always fine, but transmissions sometimes get messed up
- Look for any engine or transmission leaks
- Drive it and see how the engine feels compared to how I remember

From there I can get a fairly good idea of what is up with the driveline and see if there are any issues I may need to address. If everything checks out good I think I would feel safe taking it. Any other hidden stuff will be more cosmetics. I drove it about 3 miles when I got it from the cops and the alignment and everything still felt good, so I don't think there is any damage to the suspension and I didn't see anything that indicated I should look at the frame.

 

Agree. I did some damage to the front end of my old car. I was going to just eat it and do the repairs myself even though I had full coverage. But, my uncle who has been an autobody repairman forever said to file a claim and let a repair shop do the job. Two things he brought up was hidden damage and warranty. Also, when I sold the car I showed the buyer all the documentation of the repairs. This was a big selling point.

 

Well today was an interesting day with USAA. They have forwarded my claim to their special investigations unit... They said that because I have both keys and because the ignition wasn't damaged that they think something is fishy. They have not out right accused me, but said "some people damage their trucks and say they are stolen in order to fix them." So they are investigating me...

Needless to say I was instantly offended and told them this is outright rude and I was very unhappy. They did very little to mend anything and are treating me guilty until proven innocent... I am so upset about this. First my truck gets stolen then my insurance company of 9 years are assholes...

I made sure they had the case number and I am 100% certain they won't find anything but a guy who's truck has been stolen. The police report identifies that the truck had prints and DNA from other people. They have footage of it from a security camera doing a crime with discriptions of the assailants. I was told they sometimes will review and close an investigation in a day and that this is a normal thing, I'm not gunna hold my breath.

Oh and I decided to let them fix my truck... Might keep it, might sell it, I won't know until I get it back.

 

@Jystr

 

Wow that really sucks to hear they are treating you like that, hope it works out in your favor. If it were my truck I would let the shop fix it and then trade it in for a different one as you have no idea how hard those thieves thrashed on it while they had it.

 

Talk to the insurance company about fair market value loss due to theft. The vehicle just isn't worth what it would have been prior to.
Also, I've seen a few vehicles around here stolen with shaved keys.

 

Here's the truth (I had mine stolen same situation).... You will be out of YOUR truck for at least the next 3months if there is any damage at all done to it. However, that being said USAA will pay for your rental the entire time you need it, I have them as well. Once your truck is found (if it's found) they will want to restore it to how it was stock... All parts will be based off OEM stuff, so if you can get some aftermarket parts for cheaper... Now is the time to upgrade! Work with your car repair place and see about replacing like... A bumper or grill or whTeever. I was able to walk out with my front bumper and rear bumper slightly damaged, but I had pelfreybilt on order! Only ended up costing me about 1000$ after all was said and done to replace to them. Understand that it's going to be a very slow process. But don't get discouraged about it. Just let the cops do their thing.

Sorry this happened and it truly fucking sucks! It's the worst feeling knowing that your prized possession is getting ravaged by some asshole who doesn't want to work for things.

I ended up selling my 2015 tacoma because I hated the thought that someone fucked it up and put miles on it that God knows what they did.

 

Really appreciate this!!! I have good and bad days. Most have been good and I try to keep the issue in perspective. I just couldn't stay calm today when they said I was being investigated in case of fraud. To have these guys violate my families feeling of safety, my truck, and make things crappy... Then to have my insurance company be so rude. I just couldn't believe it. I can deal with shitty people being shitty people, but this one was very unexpected. They have always been great to me but now I'm not sure... They may have lost a customer unless someone does something awesome over there. They have my cars, trailer, and home insurance. And loans, CC, everything through them... They have a lot to lose here beside the repair bill if they don't pull their heads out.

 

or possibly in syria as an ISIS truck.

 

lol, I remember reading about that. Talk about shitty publicity for that guy's company, then again you know what they say...even bad publicity is good. I dunno in this case though, haha.

The worst part about that guy's situation though is he said that he received all kinds of criticism and threats from dimwitted morons who thought that he actually sold his truck to ISIS. Some people really are that stupid.

 

They will make it right, they have to do an investigation just to cover their asses. It's a normal process I assure you (no I don't work for USAA lol, just still in the military)

 

H
O
L
Y


HELL!

 

One thing I've always said about insurance companies......"They want your fucking money monthly , on time and no Bullshit, then when you need them......they try to cheapskate their way out of shit",. NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU'VE HAD A GOOD RECORD they seem to always be weasels. Motherfuckers.

 

Exactly, I don't think Chris even had a lean on it. He's not the typical "trying to get out of my payments" people.
I'm sure they will figure that out quickly.

 

It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me... I am certain once they talk to the cops and get the report there should be no more issues.