Help! Rear ended and estimated price:/

My frame was bent in the exact same manner your is.

 

Almost the same kind of damage too.

 

Also.....despite what some people may say....a full frame replacement will not be listed as structural repair..... because it's not a repair.....it's a brand new OEM replacement. This is the carfax on my truck I had done a few months after I got my truck back.

 

Did your truck lose a lot of value after the accident? In a case where you wanted to trade it in/sell.

and what did the repair estimate come out to? Just curious.

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True. It is ok to report on same day though. It is common to see a doctor next day to get checked out. No one will say anything with this impact. What raises the red flag is going a week or two after. Or threatening to go to the doctor if you don’t get your way on the truck damage.

Or next time do what I do. Immediately after impact open the door and roll out as far as you can. Stay on the ground in a very noticeable area but don’t get run over. Moan loudly but not so it is obviously fake. Wait for helicopters and attorneys to swarm. Ka-Ching

 

And if you are in the TN area, you might get free food while you wait on your windfall.

 

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This was the last offer I received on my truck...being about 4 years old and with 62k on it. It's really didn't lose any value at all.

Plus, being repaired by the dealer collision center, it's a certified Toyota repair and guaranteed for the life of the truck as long as I own it.

 

Wow, I'm surprised to see the frames and composite beds pretzel up so easy on these trucks. Glad to hear everyone was okay for the most part. Also, it's my understanding that if your aftermarket parts weren't added to the insurance coverage on the truck you're SOL if they total it. That is unless you're fortunate enough to swoop on whatever you can grab at the tow/scrap yard.

 

So I talked to the auto body shop again yesterday and they got the frame replacement approved so far. Total repair estimates have came out to $15,200 so far for those of you interested. The bed has to be replaced as well and fenders have minor damage so they are going to fix that up as well. They are also examining the under side of the frame and have to figure out what other parts they need to order. As of now it is not totaled but will find out more on Tuesday. I asked at what repair total does it have to reach to become totaled and they did not have an answer due to the system just notifying when it hits a certain limit. They said they have to see if they even have a frame available and how long it will take to come in and can’t move on without it. Not sure how long repairs will take but hopefully it goes by fast.

 

I’m not sure where you live, but if you’re worried about resale file a diminished value claim and pay a specialist to handle it for you. I had 13k damage to my old STI and it was never the same. Paid 250.00 for a diminished value appraiser to work the case and State Farm sent me a check for 5k. Traded that car in and used it as a down payment.I would not advise trying to go alone because it’s worth the money to hire an expert to do it.

 

Can I still do that even if they don’t salvage my vehicle? Or how does that work?

 

Yeah the whole purpose of diminished value is to make up for the loss due to the accident if it’s fixable and not considered a total loss.

 

I mean it’s a sticky situation. Because would it affect the other insurance even more since they were at fault? It was my brother who hit me so I don’t want to screw him too bad hahha

 

Yeah I get it but he did hit you. When you go to sell or trade, will he give you the difference out of pocket for his mistake? I don’t think it will affect his rates going forward but I’m not an expert. Ask your insurance and they may know.

 

The reason you use insurance is to make a full recovery. If they repair your vehicle but it is now worth 5k less for resale because of the accident history (and there is a reason people avoid major damaged vehicles) are you back to pre accident condition? Nope, that's the concept of diminished value. If you were having neck pains would you avoid the doctor because it might hit your brothers insurance?

I wouldn't advocate for making up things. Repair, rental, injury and diminished value are all reasonable thing to ask for. Your brother paid for liability insurance and it should be fairly used.

As to 'what makes his premiums worse', is black magic as far as I can tell. If he is with one of the insurers who buy lots of data for price modeling it's possible they already had him pinned as high risk so maybe not much will change? Probably rear ending someone puts you in a new risk group regardless of damage payout.

 

For 250 bucks it's a no brainer even if you get nothing. I didn't even know hiring your own expert to lobby on your behalf was a thing.

 

Totally. The guy even knew the appraiser that was used by State Farm and advised me when to stop pushing for more money. It’s a small world in that field I think.

 

How did you go about finding him? I'm always skeptical of relying on random google results for expertise in a field I know nothing about. I feel like I'm going to get the Jackie Chiles of adjustors that way.

 

I got lucky and when getting quotes for repairs started asking body shops. I did have to rely on his reviews, but after talking with him I knew he was good. He had years of experience and glowing reviews and they were all right.

 

This is exactly why I have passed on every Car with any blemish on the car fax. Hell half the time the damage doesn't even show up and clearly a bent frame is "minor". That's ridiculous.