Is it totaled or repairable??

Where did this figure come from? If that is a good number for your 2008, why are the 12 year old trucks selling for 10K - 12K?

 

I was in a similar accident back in feb, I thought for sure my truck was totaled, my insurance adjuster told me the damage had to equal 65-75% of value before they think about totaling it...well the damage equaled $8,500. and they told me that was only 60% the value..lol..the truck is a 05 with over 300,000 miles....well its "fixed" now but not the same as it was

 

DV check?

 

Listen, the insurance company has to make you "whole". If you can show that trucks of your make, model, mileage are going significantly higher than your offer, they will raise it to match. Go to KBB and see what that value is, scout ads on craigslist and local car lots and talk to the adjustor.

And unlike what some folks think or say, frames are repaired back to "new" condition every day of the week...And without pics we don't know enough to make any assessments. However, if the hitch is badly twisted, I would suspect some frame bending, nothing unfixable.

Howard

 

Nothing made of metal is unfixable, that isn't what anybody here has said.

 

Basically this wreck, whether they fix it or not, is going to show up on vehicle history reports so no one will pay you what it's worth when/if you decide to sell it down the road. I would hope that the insurance totals it if I were in that position

 

i dont know if i would agree with the comments about frame straightening. we straighten frames and unibodys everyday at our shop. if you have a frame rack with the proper jigs then there is no issue. we have never replaced a frame to my knowledge in 60+ years of business.

both my current tacoma and my old s10 body had their frames straightened and they both drive/drove straight and i never have had an issue. towed lots with my tacoma too with its straightened frame and nothing has been an issue.

people are too paranoid these days.

 

Hardly. I every body shop did every job perfect and every vehicle that was nearly totaled returned to showroom condition then there'd be no reason for wrecked cars to have any less value than cars that have never been in an accident. Lot more to do with give a shit to do proper work than just having proper equipment.

 

Totaled I would say.

 

Op, if it does get totalled, DO NOT take the insurance co.'s first offer. Make sure you get full value, as they will give you the lowest KBB or whatever's value.

 

Too many people don't realize that payouts from insurance companies are negotiable. I wrecked my mustang (not at fault, but totaled) a few years ago and ended up with a cheque 40% higher than their original offer after a couple weeks of haggling. Do some research and bring a selection of ads for similar vehicles to the adjuster to demonstrate what the market value of your truck is/was in your area and go from there.

You have to think of it like any other business transaction. It's in their best interest to give you the least amount of money they can to get you to sign off on it and go away. If you do not accept that low ball offer, negotiation begins. At a point they may even decide it is less expensive to give you slightly more than market value if it means they can stop paying someones salary to deal with you all week, and possibly avoid legal costs.

 

Ok I'm just going to say it, we really need pictures. When you say the frame is bent it may be a lot, it may be a little, or it might be something not even related to the frame. I'm also just going to play the repairs advocate since I do work in the industry. And yes you can "bend" back a frame…to an extent. Theres frame machines to measure exactly down to the mm where it should be. When someone says that you cannot bend it back I do not believe that to be true. You can as long as its not too far gone. And there are repair industry standards that you have to follow that are clearly outlined to make sure a frame is repaired properly. Any good body shop knows this. I'm not saying that your truck's frame can be straightened for sure or that it doesn't need to be replaced. Only the proper technicians looking at it first hand can tell you in my honest opinion. I would also like to say that just because a vehicle gets frame damage at some point means it won't be the same ever again. Yes there are vehicles where something just seems different after repairs. But in my experience this is not the case majority of the time if its is repaired properly. My own truck for example had frame damage (and was repaired) when it was less than a year old and the total repairs to my truck were over $20000. I've been driving it since and haven't had any problems with it in relation to the accident at all.

 

Ok I'm just going to say it, we really need pictures. When you say the frame is bent it may be a lot, it may be a little, or it might be something not even related to the frame. I'm also just going to play the repairs advocate since I do work in the industry. And yes you can "bend" back a frame…to an extent. Theres frame machines to measure exactly down to the mm where it should be. When someone says that you cannot bend it back I do not believe that to be true. You can as long as its not too far gone. And there are repair industry standards that you have to follow that are clearly outlined to make sure a frame is repaired properly. Any good body shop knows this. I'm not saying that your truck's frame can be straightened for sure or that it doesn't need to be replaced. Only the proper technicians looking at it first hand can tell you in my honest opinion. I would also like to say that just because a vehicle gets frame damage at some point means it won't be the same ever again. Yes there are vehicles where something just seems different after repairs. But in my experience this is not the case majority of the time if its is repaired properly. My own truck for example had frame damage (and was repaired) when it was less than a year old and the total repairs to my truck were over $20000. I've been driving it since and haven't had any problems with it in relation to the accident at all.

 

Ok, so they are planning on fixing it. In all reality, I'm glad. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that they are not using Oem parts.

 

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Uh...non OEM parts? I might contest that some if I were you. Look into the details on it and talk to the body shop. Who picked the shop anyway...you or the insurance company?

Still need pictures. Stay on top of this and use email to complain so there is a written record.

 

Where does metal fatigue come into play? If the frame was bent, then straightened, isn't the "fixed" product weaker than before? Do they reinforce the bent areas after repair?