Got rear ended :( no bags deployed but SRS airbag light on

I need you guys advise please..

My cargo bed on my tacoma is a little bit bend, I am going to take my tacoma to a shop that statefarm told to. Should I just tell them a lot of things so they can make a total loss of vehicle, so then I get my dreamed 4x4 tacoma.. Or what should I do..

I also have things on my tacoma, such as tires wheels, skid plate, hids, lights, nfab step bar, .. I would like to remove all that, or If they are willing to give me a few more $k then I live it like that..

Should i just tell the shop to quote statefarm as a total loss or something like that.. I even know the guy at the shop, so..
I don't know what to do.. Please help lol

 

So, Insurance fraud. Is that what you are asking?

The shop doesn't make the call if it is totaled or not. The shop delivers the quote to the Insurance Co. This is considered along with the Insurance company claim adjusters estimate and then the Insurance Company makes the call if it is totaled or not.

 

No, I didn't mean that. I just don't know what's next, so I guess I am taking it tomorrow to the shop and see how they see my truck.
Thx.

 

Deminished value is mandatory in state of GA only. And only under certain conditions. The vehicle has less than 100k miles. Has not already had a DOV payment greater than what is calculated for this loss, and the vehicle has no UPD " unrepaired prior damage.

Total loss is evaluated by cost of repair including rental expense and potential supplemental payments for u seen damage vs the ACV " actual cash value" ACV is not as simple as Kelly blue book... Tons of factors come into play! Body shop has no say so. By law you can use any body shop period!

Air bag deployment.
There are multiple air bag sensors. All must be triggered to deploy airbag. I have worked more claims with air bags going off at low speed than high speed. The other posters deer strike is a perfect example of why. He was able to maintain control. Air bags deploy with ungodly amounts of force. Enough to kill you. Recently the required standard has been reduced because of sever injury caused by airbags. Your light is telling you one of the sensors has triggered. This is super important!!!!! Let's say you have 5. And 4 have triggered. You see the light but say fuck it. Ain't broke why fix it. You are cruising down the road hit a pot hole and swerve and that sets that last sensor off your bag deploys you lose control and slam into mini van full of kids.....

Pass anger side air bag off. You have option to keep you p/s airbag off. Why would I want to do this you might ask. Well you could have a small framed passenger, and elderly passenger or a child in a car seat where the explosion of the airbag could simply kill them with deployment.

Basically you need to have new sensors for your airbag installed, choose if you want your your p/s air bag off or on. Where you want to repair, and whose insurance company you want to use. I hope this helps answer some questions.

 

I am a licensed adjuster in 49 states. PM if you have more questions

 

Let them insurance guy come out and do their magic. Go to multiple shop and get some quote. Match it up and see if you accept it.

Your not going to get a total loss telling them you have aftermarket stuff on the truck. Meanless really. It would consider total when the repair cost is near the truck value or the truck render undriveable or dangerous. Also note.... A lots of insurance company DOES NOT cover for aftermarket parts you put in. Check your insurance

Asking your friend to "lie" is fraud but insurance these days are smart. They bring their own guys out to check your truck and they sure know their stuff. What you can do is getting a few quote. Bring them the highest and then you can settle at what ever offer they gave you or not. tell them to give YOU the check. Now you can go to that shop or what ever shop. Asking for a cash discount. Usually give you discount when you pay in cash. Spend whatever left on some mod.

If the money does not cover for the repair. Found out new damage stuff when repairing. Go right back to the insurance and tell them so. They will deal with the extra cost.

 

I would find out if you could take it to a Toyota dealer also not just a body shop. I would want Toyota to look at something like that.

 

Gotta buy that hitch! Paid $40 for mine at Autozone, everybody should have one on their truck. Glad you came out alright.

 

I don't think they work that way. When you start the car the System runs a self test on the SRS Airbag System if it passes the light goes off and the system is enabled. If anything fails the self test the light stays on and the SRS System is disabled. The reason is to prevent what you have outlined above.

 

How old are you? Sounds like you are extremely young.

Take your truck to the shop, let the insurance company handle it. You have taken a minor accident and turned it into a mountain of problems. You'll get a new bumper and your truck will look like it did before.

They will not total it for that minor damage.

Was your passenger wearing a seat belt? I read you said she hit her face off the dash board, which would of been impossible if she were wearing a belt.

 

OP, take lots of pictures of the damage. The accident will most likely show up on carfax, and when you eventually want to sell it, it will really help to show prospective buyers that it wasn't a really hard hit. Glad you're ok. I keep waiting for someone to hit me just like that so I can get a new rear bumper.

 

This has nothing to do with warranty. This is an insurance claim on the other drivers insurance. You should have no worries getting this fixed back to like new at the other drivers expense.

 

Thx everyone..

Yes I am taking the truck on Monday to the shop to get the quote.

If they suggest to fix the truck, should I ask for a check instead of them paying the shop? The thing is that I will have to deal with the dealer about the srs air bags..

 

I don't know the laws in CA. but in Texas we could take it anyplace we want. Also we do not have to accept an insurance companies quote. I would just take it to the dealer and let them fix everything. Let them pay the shop.

 

This ^^^^

This is why:

In the event of a minor tap it saves your bumper and tailgate from getting bent/scratched, and leaves the driver that hit you with a little "reminder" that they screwed up when they hit you.

In the event of a major collision, it won't cause any more damage than would normally occur because the offending vehicle is going to hit not only the bumper and tailgate, but also the frame and probably damage the sides of the bed as well.

 

Your kind of slow aren't you. The SRS Fault is caused by the accident and should be taken care of at the shop you choose to have the work done. You don't or shouldn't have to do anything...

If the shop you choose says other wise you need to pick a different shop.

 

No IF about it, it is totally fixable, not totaled.