bent lower a arm mount????

so my truck was involved in ahit and run last saturday. didn't notice it until i got home and noticed the center cap was gone and a lug nut was crushed. some dick head decided to hit my truck directly in the wheel and leave. more thank likely drunk or on several drugs. maniacs.

thought maybe my alignment was just off and the dealer could fix it. took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't do anything because the frame was bent behind the lower a arm mount (around where the adjustment is). took it to a body shop and set up an appointment for an estimate. talked to progressive the sunday after and they wouldn't give me the time of day without a police report or the other driver's information. went to the police today and the said they couldn't do anything without the other driver's information. other driver didn't stick around to be a responsible human being so i'm completely fucked with a side of fries. i can't drive my truck around without ruining the tires. i can't get anything done with insurance.

this isn't the way i thought Flo would be fucking me....

have any of you guys had to deal with a frame bent around the lower a arm? is going to cost me a fortune to get it straightened?

you guys enjoy the time you get with your tacos for me. i'll be stuck in a shitty accord for the forseeable future.

 

Go back to your insurance. They can't deny a claim because it's a hit and run assuming you have full coverage. If you have minimum liability then maybe you don't have coverage for that.

I would expect that pulling that part of the frame straight would not be to big of a deal.

 

i don't have full comprehensive. i have uninsured motorist and uninsured property damage but they said they couldn't use either one. i could also barely understand the guy on the phone. i'm going to try and call again tomorrow and see what they can do for me. i can't tell by just looking what exactly is bent. seems like it could be fixed with a well placed hammer. there's a reason i'm not in the body shop industry...

 

i'll also be lookig for a used silver center cap and one lug nut if anyone wants to part with one cheaply.

 

Yes. Been involved with both. Frames and A Arms. I rebuild these trucks so I know my way around factory parts.

Have you had it in for an alignment? Those guys will be able to tell you if it's the frame or A arm.

The A Arm is designed to fail before the frame gets bent. Have a pro give you the info you need.

I'm sorry to say, but im thinking you will have to foot the $50 for alignment because Flow bent you over.

Hopefully all it needs is an alignment.

Beyond that, hopefully it's just the A Arm and an alignment.

I'm having a hard time getting my head around the fact that the police won't give you a report for a hit and run. They happen all the time!

 

the police said it's useless because they're basically giving my information back to me. they also said if the report would get my truck fixed they'd make one but i have to get the go from Flo. so again, pretty much useless. i took it to my local toyota dealer (Jim Barkley) and they did an inspection of the area. I asked them for an inspection ($60) and an alignment ($90 with the previous $60 going towards the final price.) They came back and said they couldn't do an alignment because there was frame damage. They were also kind enough to not charge me for the inspection. The tech said it was the area of the frame near the a arm adjustment piece.

 

Your next visit is a frame shop. They are going to have to put it on the frame machine. If the damage is how you describe it, the bill should be pretty reasonable.

All my Toyota trucks were wrecks and they had to have the frames straightened. These guys know what they are doing. They will give you truthful advice.

I've never paid more than $500 around here. I don't know what area you are in so i can't give you any more suggestions.

 

Any chance you can take pics of the A Arm mounts? If a pro says they are bent, you should be able to compare to the a arm on the other side and see the difference, even If you are unfamiliar to these parts. Something bent looks bent to a pro or non pro if you look at good parts compared to bent parts.

Until i have eyes on the damage, I or others can't properly respond.

 

i'll see what i can do in the day time tomorrow. my guess is that it's only slightly bent. i don't have anything to measure the angles myself or i would have. as long as the bill is sub 1k i'll not freak out too much.

 

Retired Police Officer here. Contact police..again..and have them do a report. You are the victim of a crime and it is their responsibility to make a record of the crime. I had officers working for me that used the same line of bullshit to avoid writing a report--until I found out about it!!! A police report will help you in your dealings with your insurance company. Not saying insurance will pay, just that police have an obligation to listen to you and document.

 

Yep, police should make a report for you. Without the other driver's info, it will be a simple report of the incident. This past April, I had a cadillac pull out in front of me while I was doing 35. Made it about halfway through the cadillac. Frame shop was $450 to straighten the a-arm mounts, bumper mounts, and do alignment.

Previous car was hit while parked, and the drive drove off. The collision was covered under uninsured motorist, since there was no insurance info left behind from the other driver.

 

No photos of A arm mount or the entire lca? Thread revival??

 

Lol, read through the whole damned thread and didn't realize it was that old. I wonder how it turned out.

 

I know,!I want to know what happened I was in a similar accident and my driver side hasn’t been the same since. I bent my steering knuckle and replaced but now my trucks alignment still keeps going out fast. I suspect a slightly bent LCA.

 

You might also have some bent/flattened alignment tabs. Those are the tabs that locate your alignment cams. If you do, it could keep 'slipping' out.
Remove your front skid plate and have a look from side to side and see if anything looks different.
I had to stand one back up and put a bead of weld behind all of them. That sturdies them up nicely.

 

Insurance covers hit and runs.

police can file a report for something as innocuous as you losing your wallet. Which you can obtain a copy of.
That doesn’t mean they’ll solve the case. They probably won’t. The perp left no evidence.
The burden is on insurance to find the perp to get their money back. Not you.
That’s their job. That’s why it’s called insurance. To insure you. That’s what you pay for. That’s what everybody pays for and they make millions off of; it’s a for profit business. They intake more payment than claims they pay out. More people pay their insurance bill every month than there are car crashes.

if your mounts are bent look at TC cam tabs, Marlin gussets, and JD Fab pivots.
Other stuff is likely damaged as well including but not limited to wheel bearing which is probably worn from use by now anyway