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So.. need some advice... Im a house paint contractor, Today I was at a home giving a quote and the owners wife decides to leave not thinking about me being parked in the driveway. She backed down the driveway and bumped me with her huge new Tahoe at atleast 10 mph. I wasnt in the truck. It knocked it out of park and it goes careening down their slope driveway about maybe 75 feet and plows over their big solid brick mailbox which stopped it. Also on the way down I could hear my auto transmission making that whiny/clicking sound you hear in some vehicles if you shift into the wrong gear at the wrong speed)

My front bumper, rear bumper, prob receiver hitch needs replaced at the very least and theres potential damage to the rear frame(bumper and hitch are bent down), and maybe even the bed and who knows what else. Tailgate will atleast need paint When it hit a huge chunk went under neath and the truck was resting on top of it where the spare tire is. Had to jack it by the differential prob 5 inches to get the huge piece of the mailbox out so I could move the truck.
Also my front wheels that were straight or maybe slightly turned were def. more turned after the impact. The truck prob. swung around and did that. But since the wheel was locked im to assume it could have damaged the steering rack/column.

The truck runs fine and transmission seems fine(only driven it a few miles). I know the persons insurance company(nationwide) will try to fix the truck cosmetically and wont do a thing regarding my transmission or other potential issues if they arent obvious right away.

I guess my question is should I consider the tranny damaged? Should I push to get it totaled?
I paid 22K for it 2 months ago as a 10+ year investment. With the wreck on the carfax id be lucky to get 15K topps private party for it I know that. If I was absolutely sure the tranny was good and they offered me enough "depreciation" settlement Id consider letting them fix it and just paying the loan way down on it. but they would have to give me atleast 7k on top of fixing it for it to even be worth it. Dont think they would do that on a 22k vehicle.

I really like the truck and hate to let it go. It will take me months to find another one with low miles, verified maintenance and clean carfax in my price range..

Also I put the new TRD wheels on it with new tires(1200 total) and I sold the other wheels so....

So what say you??

 

You have very legitimate concerns. If there's damage to the park pawl, it could roll down a hill on it's own causing destruction and death of children playing in the playground. OK, I'm being dramatic, but feel free to mention that to the insurance company. I'm no transmission expert, but there's a good chance that the park mechanism is in the back of the transmission and dissassembly may only require pulling the extension housing and a little more pieces without actually pulling the trans. Anyway, with the bent frame and trans stuff, there's a lot of damage there. Some frame damage requires frame replacement and some can be straightened. The bottom line is there isn't going to be any pushing to get it totaled. They're either going to fix it or they're not. They will decide a value that it was worth before it was wrecked and if the cost to repair it is more than about 75% of that number, they will total it. Ask around your area for body shops that do good work and take in and leave it with them. Let the body shop deal with the insurance company. Then if it's decided that it's totaled, you can hagle with the insurance company to get a fair settlement.

 

Thanks for the response. The transmission still seems to have park. IT could be damaged but seems fine. It drives ok. I didnt know it was 75%. thats ridiculous. No wonder they fix so many severely damaged vehicles that no doubt can have future issues from the wreck.

 

If you still have the old wheels I would consider putting them back on until everything's over with insurance. I would hate to see them gone

 

Yeah I sold them.. So ill be either getting the 1200 I have invested for them (600 rims/600 tires) or ill keep them and put on some cheap whatever for them to take it away.

 

I don't think it's always 75% but always more than half. Don't let her insurance company push you into a quick settlement. They need to put you into a rental. A truck ideally while yours is at a shop that can rebuild transmissions. They can assess the damage

 

yeah im pretty much gonna refuse all that until I hear the number they are gonna throw me for loss off value. I have the truck. Im gonna meet an adjuster. Tell them the 50 things that could be wrong and explain that I paid top dollar for a clean carfax cremepuff and I dont want to be paying the next 5 years on something thats been damaged like this. And make them aware im gonna be able to find everything wrong and everthing not fixed to perfection. And I wouldnt even let them repair the tranny. It would be new one from the dealer with warranty or nothing at all. I dont play. Im confident with my ability to get the settlement. More just wanted to hear what others would do and info on the tranny.

 

So.... set your parking brake around female drivers?

 

I don't believe they'll give you that option. They're pricing your truck "as it stands / where it stands". If they total it, everything stays on it.

When my old Bronco was hit and totaled while parked, I was able to get a credit of (IIRC) about 60% of the cost of items added within the prior 6 months added on to the value of the vehicle. As an example, I wasn't allowed to swap the new tires (just a few months old) off for old ones.

Regarding diminished value claims, it depends on the state. In MA, you can't claim it against the insurance company. You are only allowed to sue the person who caused the damage for the difference in value.

You said you were at the house giving a quote as part of your business. Have you spoken with your commercial liability company to see if there's any coverage there?

 

and why in the hell was the parking brake not used?

This is EXACTLY why one should never rely on just park in an auto trans.

 

I use the parking brake all the time. Thos wasnt a steep enough hill to warranty it. I know hardly noone that uses a parking brake with auto trans on anything less than a steep hill and half the people in the world dont do that.

 

Before my Tacoma I had an '06 Silverado. Wrecked it and it was borderline totaled. My insurance company (Country Financial) said they would fix it or total it my choice and it was 80% of the value in damage.

 

i use my parking brake all the time regardless of incline. It not only keeps the rear brakes adjusted, but its the only proper way to make sure your vehicle is secure, as you found out the park position in an auto trans will come undone rather easy, the parking paw will only hold till so much force, and then once its spinning it wont stop it.

I doubt any damage was done to the paw, it came undone exactly like it was designed to do.

Park should be considered a secondary to the parking brake. Start using that technique on your current and or new truck.

 

Damn OP. This sucks to hear. I hope you get a good resolution to all of this.

 

so the loud noise the transmission was making as it went down the hill is nothing to be concerned about? Id think most would want a new transmission. I talked to the dealer. They wont even take the transmission apart to inspect. They just replace it or not.

 

I think what he is saying is that the parking paw was just slipping as it was going down the hill. Not broken.

 

Find a transmission shop in your area that is highly recommended and talk to them. In my area, there are lots of transmission shops, but only 2 that I would go to. (Not AAMCO) I would be very surprised it you can talk the insurance company into a brand new trans.

 

Try too get the truck fixed,you will lose big time money wise if your truck is totaled.

 

While its not ideal, 75 ft of rolling at not terribly fast with the paw ratcheting is not terrible. It might of worn it a smidge but nothing major.

 

Im not gonna settle and lose. They will give me what i paid 2 months ago to the penny or ill tell them to buy me another one comparable. Which they wont find quick or at all with low miles in mint shape with documented dealer maintenance,one owner with spotless frame. They prob. Wont find one for the 22k i paid and def. Not less.