Truck got F'ed Up

Thanks chris, I know what you mean, hmmm my neck has been bothering me....ha. I know they were going to replace the whole rearend, but with a used one of course. Fuck me, I don't have the time nor the energy to deal with all this. I don't think anyone from either insurance company has actually looked atthe vehicle. The shop just gave them the qutoe and I assume insurance said do it. Why don't I get asked if this is actually what I want done? How can they start repairs without actually seeing the vehicle? Fuck insurace fuck stupid fuck cocksucking drivers fuck slimey repair shops.

 

Just my advice: hire an attorney and take the conversation off-line (not posting on the forum). You posted your license plate number in one of the previous photos so if this does get messy with lawyers you wouldn't want this getting pulled out in court.

I would work with your insurance carrier and let them deal with Nationwide. Advise your carrier of your interest in hiring an attorney because you have concerns about this claim.

 

Well I just talked to nationwide, I guess they are taking the claim now because I need a rental and I don't have rental coverage. This is so fucking annoying. Accirding to him, they won't, nor will any insurance company, total a car that's not 80% diminshed value or whatever. Now nationwide us sending someone to look at it tomorrow, and they are trying to get me a rental truck for work. fuck cock balls...

I don't really have the time to deal with getting an attorney involved, and honestly don't know what one would do. If the car is repairable and not more than 80% then fixing that's all the insurance has to do by law. Right?

 

Sorry to hear about your truck. I would go nuts if that happened to me! Really feel for you. Glad you and your passengers are okay.

About 15 years ago, I hit a deer on the highway in a little Suzuki Swift. The car was less than a year old. No one was hurt, but the car had extensive damage. I thought it was totalled for sure, but it wasn't.

When I got it back from the shop, the paint looked like they parked it in a dust storm while it was drying, and the side moulding was creased every 4 inches from them ripping it off to do the painting. They just put the destroyed moulding back. (The deer rolled off the hood and hoofed the side of the car.) I had them redo it.

When I went back to pick up the car, they had put the bent wipers back on, which scraped and scratched up the windshild. The horn did not work because it was crushed, and not replaced. Back in the shop it went!

When I picked it up the third time, I found the dash all crooked. I asked what they did to the dash? They said they were trying to fix the air conditioning! The deer did not go inside my car and break the A/C! The damage must be under the hood. They told me they couldn't find what was wrong with the A/C, so they ripped out the dash! The A/C rad was cracked, and a relay under the hood was crushed. The front of the car was pushed in about a foot, the rads and the battery were crushed, yet they ripped out the dash to find the problem! What idiots!

Anyway, the car was never the same after that. Every part the repair shop touched started rusting in two years.

Repair shops will not want it totalled. If it were totalled, the insurance company writes you a cheque and the truck goes to aution as is. If the repair shop low balls the estimate, they get to make money working on it. They'll keep adding up the costs and billing the insurance company as they "discover" new damage. That just sucks. I don't trust repair shops. They'll do the bare minimum and charge the maximum. I'd fight this and make it right.

I hope I didn't discourage you too much, but this really sucks.

 

there are very specific laws and the insurance companies try to go around them all the time. one major thing i learned after a couple wrecks is do not sign off on the truck when you pick it up at the body shop until you have spent hours looking it over (with multiple people lots of eyes catch more mistakes then one set) and you have driven it and i mean drive it put it through it paces! the last time i picked a truck up at the body shop (my truck got broke into and they assholes bend the door and chipped the paint. when i glanced at it, it looked OK then when i got it home and started to really check it out they did not repaint it they just put touch up paint on it, the doors where reshaped to much and on and on. so i tried to get them to fix it they said no! so i called my insurance and they told me because i signed for the truck i was approving the work that was done and they would not pay to have it redone or fight to have it redone! i ended up getting a lawyer and just the threat of the lawyer (once he wrote them a letter) was enough and the shop redid the work. it is all a big scam so just do not let them push you around.

 

Post 100 is probably not a good thing to say in a public forum. I don't have any insurance background, so the folks that do may correct me if I'm wrong, but I could see those types of posts coming back to bite you in the rear if your condition changes somewhere down the road. Might be a good idea to go back and edit them out.

 

Dude...That'll buff right out!

Sorry, couldn't resist cuz no one else said it yet! Seriously, was that fucktard who hit you drunk? I hope those insurance and bodyshop assholes make it right!

 

No the guy wasn't drunk, pills maybe, but I think he passed the field sobriety test. He's a 35 year old that was heading back to his mom's house (where he lives) with his mom's car (which he just wrecked to shit) to bring her chicken wings....at least thats his story.

I just want to say that this forum fucking rocks!! Y'all have been so supportive, I'm glad I have a community of enthusiasts that is so supportive. People that have pmed me thank you! You're concern is much much appreciated. I particularlly want to thank Jeff (bluehair62), talked to him and got a lot of good suggestions. Again thank you all for the support and 3 cheers for TW...HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP HOORAY, HIP HIP HOORAY!!! (sorry its a rugby thing, and I'm a rugger through and through)

 

any sites as to where I might procure said items? I believe there will be an all pro rear bumper in my future. You're right, I'll always think something is fucked up from it, no matter what. You attend CSU? I've been looking at them for grad school. I love love love Ft. Collins! Its like Gainesville (went to UF) but way better.

 

So it sounds like you are going through the claimant carrier (Nationwide) for your damages and rental reimbursement. Don't forget to ask about loss of use and if a claim for diminished value can be presented. I hate to tell you but it won't be for $10,000, typically these claims range from $1500 to $3000. Carfax will report the accident but will not report the truck as salvage, only if the vehicle is totalled and the title is physically changed to salvage will the vehicle report as salvage.

With claims it's either all or nothing, you go to Nationwide and have to work with the at fault party's policy coverage or you go with USAA and work with your policy coverage. If you go with USAA they will pay you and then go after Nationwide for reimbursement of your damages. However they will have to use your policy to determine limits of coverage to apply to your loss. With Nationwide you are falling under the insured's liability limits of coverage which are typically less restrictive for claimants.

I think some things to remember;

-get a copy of the estimate for the damages, have the shop go over the damages with you in person if needed
-remember you can take your claim back to USAA for handling if you don't get the service you expect from Nationwide, might complicate things with the rental but it may be necessary
-get a copy of all estimates found for supplemental damage, again have the shop go over the damages with you in person if needed
-stay informed throughout the claims process, be proactive with any questions or concerns you have (remember you DO get more with honey)
-It ain't over until it's over, meaning until you feel completely satsified with the scope of the damages, the repair process and the completed repairs then the claim is not settled

Remember the shop does the repairs, not the insurance company. If you are not comfortable with the shop then move it now. Some insurance companies have "preferred" shops and they will request that you take the vehicle there for repairs. However based on your state law you may not be required to use their shop. Make sure you choose a shop that is experienced and can handle the job.

And sit back and let the people do their jobs, take it a step at a time and try not to get too upset, you are OK, the truck will be repaired and in no time this WILL be a memory.

 

+1 to the above. If you can move the truck to a shop you trust, do it. I was rear-ended in my Trunda and the shop used an after market rear bumper. Within a month there was rust spots all over the inside of it and I brought the truck back for a factory part replacement.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a part time job for a while for you, but the more involved you are (in a positive way) the better your outcome.

Just to make you feel a bit better, a couple of years ago I was riding my Triumph Daytona 955i (loved that bike) to work and was hit. I was not injured beyond bumps and bruises, but the bike was totalled. The police report stated it was clearly the other driver's fault and his insurance (good to work with) paid me for the bike. I figured case closed - wrong.

Turns out the guy who hit me was an attorney with several other accidents on his record. He actually sued me claiming it was my fault he hit me. The laysuit was filed in small claims court where police reports are considered hear-say and not admissable. The claim was for only $1500 so my insurance simply paid it off - it was cheaper for them to pay than fight and since this guy was an attorney, his cost was $0. The reason he did the suit was so he could claim on insurance applications that he was not at fault for this accident. Apparently it is an insurance loophole to reduce your costs.

I read that this attorney was recently suspended for lieing (serves him right!) but it just goes to show that these things can live on even when you thought they were done.

 

if you bought the parts online you should have Email confirmation of the purchases with reciepts in them. Good luck man