8 Month, $32,000 Repair

So this is why my insurance is so high

 

Well I'm not sure anything is faulty. The "new" gears and axle are salvaged. I'm just hoping the work holds up over time. Seems like a lot could be messed up when replacing a bent frame

 

It's got some steering wheel shimmy and tire rub, but I think that's just because the alignment is factory spec rather than set for my lift. Ill get it aligned right and see if it fixes the issues

 

Nope lol

 

I'm not clear.

You got the truck repaired for only the cost of your deductible? Yes?

They fixed your truck, it was not declared "totaled"? Yes?

You are worried about diminished value? Yes?

You own the truck outright with no loan? Yes?

The value of the truck (used) is calculated via Kelly Blue Book. They do not care about improvements you made.

You will not get an increase in value because of a lift, bed cap, different wheels/tires, etc.

I feel there is no reason to spend time trying to get more money out of the IC.

You will always view this truck as " tainted goods". Sell it and move on.

If you could afford to buy it outright (my complments), you can afford to list it for sale and use the $ towards a new rig.

Diminished value is bullshit when it comes to a Toyota.

The only one that will use that info is a Toyota dealer taking the truck in on a trade. If you trade it in to a dealer, you are already allowing them to bend you over.

 

100%. Need to find a good shop in south Texas

 

The curbs at my local Macy's await!

 

This is my advice as well.

I want to make a personal statement that in no way is endorsed by the forum owners. Insurance companies, and adjusters are absolute scuz balls. They lie, and cheat constantly. Anything any of them recommend, is to harm you, and enrich themselves at your loss.

I will immediately contact a attorney and all contact will be thru a attorney for the rest of my life with any claim on any of my property.

They are scum.

 

Yes skill and attention-to-detail of the technician will factor into it.

In the Jeep world, upgrade frame replacement is actually a thing (to get improved suspension geometry): https://genright.com/shop-by-vehicle/jeep-jl-jlu-18-current/jl-exs-suspension-system-complete-frame/

 

Definitely placebo. You get used to driving the vehicle you are in. I have a daily driver and even after one week it feels 'odd' going back to the truck.

Things like alignment and balance can be tweaked to your liking. But I wouldn't worry too much about the overall feeling until you get a few weeks driving in

 

Only thing is that this truck has substantial body damage already from previous wheeling endeavors. Now it's been in a major wreck. I would be surprised if I could get over 15-18k for it., which wouldn't' even pay for the aftermarket stuff I've got on, and there is no way it can be reverted to stock at this point.

$40k for the truck + $20k in aftermarkets. I don't want to lose that investment just because Insurance decided not to total it. If the work they did holds up, great. I have no issues. But in the case it turns out to be shoddy I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place

 

I'm starting to agree. It's got some creaks and clicks that I don't remember being there but seems to be driving normally

 

They've also started sucking at any household claims also. I was told that they saw a large reduction in profits following the fires in Cali, Tornados in OK and Hurricanes in FL and as a result they're gotten real tight. One thing to consider IRT to them totalling it out, I suspect the resale value of the truck was a higher back when the accident happened, all vehicles were. That's no excuse to get a crappy deal from them though.

They screwed me during Katrina on a claim that amounted to 5 figures (the entire contents of my home)

 

You would think, but these trucks come apart easy. I'm 8 years into a frame replacement without issue. Very few complaints if any on the 2nd gen forum related to frame replacements long term

 

OP is at the classic intersection of "just drive the damn thing" or "just sell the damn thing". Both paths have their ups and downs I guess. Choose wisely brother!

 

It's just crazy how much effort it takes to get what you pay for these days. I'm sure that process was a nightmare

 

Leaning to just drive it. No one wants to buy this thing lol

 

All I'm going to say from my experience is fuck caliber collision sideways with the Eiffel Tower. I should have stayed with my local independent shop.

OK I lied. Second thing I'm going to say is that Farmers Insurance has been great. I dumped AAA after decades of loyalty because they tried to fuck me on home insurance. Farmers has been great handling claims on both our cars after significant storm damage and multiple roadside assistance calls.

One more thing. Fuck Safelite glass. Ever have a faceful of broken glass blast out of your AC on the freeway?

 

Hey, what do the car facts, whatever, say about the truck? You should list it for sale on Gurus or something just to see what shows up on the accident report.

 

I apologize in advance for the long reply. I think I can shed some light on things and perhaps help with some questions. I've worked in insurance claims since 1995 for a huge insurance company. I've got background in claim handling, damage appraisal, and subrogation (currently a manager in our subrogation department). I'm also an ASE Certified Master Collision Technician and an ASE Certified Collision Estimator. I don't throw that stuff out there to make anyone think "Wow, look at that guy, he thinks he's really something," but rather to give some context that I have experience in this area.

1) Regarding diminished value (DOV), you cannot collect for inherent diminished value (the reduction in your vehicle's value simply because it was in an accident) from your own insurance company UNLESS you have a Georgia policy. GA is the only state in which you can do so. This is what most people are referring to when they refer to DOV.
2) If you used State Farm's (SF) recommended shop and there are issues with the repairs, you may be able to collect $$ for the DOV that occurred due to crummy repairs. This is not easy, but it's possible.
3) If there are legitimate issues with the repairs, you are under no obligation to allow the original shop to make corrective repairs. You can force SF to have those repairs done at the shop of your choice. Since you used their recommended shop, SF is obligated to facilitate corrective repairs.
4) Just because your truck was damaged and repaired does not mean that the repairs were not done correctly. "It will never be right again" is a myth. If (key word) the vehicle is repaired by a qualified technician using proper tools/facilities and complying with OEM repair procedures, the vehicle can and will be fixed correctly.
5) Most states use what is called the Total Loss Formula (TLF), which compares the estimate amount + the projected salvage value to the actual cash value (ACV). Estimate + Salvage > ACV, it's a total. Estimate + Salvage < ACV, it's repairable.
6) Unfortunately for OP, Texas defines a total loss as a vehicle for which the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the vehicle. They're the only state that has such a clear definition saying "If it costs less to fix than it's worth, it's repairable." Now, that doesn't mean it HAS to be repaired, it just means that it's not necessarily a total loss as defined by the state of Texas.
7) Texas is what's called a Modified Comparative 50/50 state with regard to liability. This means that you can collect from the other party if they are 50% or more at fault. Anyone who is 51% or more at fault is barred from any collection/recovery per state law.
8) If there is a liability dispute, SF will present a subrogation demand (a demand for reimbursement for what they paid out) to the other insurance company. The other company will review it and respond by paying in full (unlikely if they think you/SF are at fault), in part (possible if they think their customer is partly at fault, and at least 50% at fault), or not at all (if they think you are 51% or more at fault).
9) If SF and the other company cannot come to an agreement, the claim will likely end up in inter-company arbitration. That's me making the assumption that the other insurer is a member of Arbitration Forums, the primary provider of inter-company arbitration services in the auto insurance industry. The vast majority of medium-to-large insurance companies are members. If that's the route this goes, an arbitrator will review the evidence from both companies and render a binding decision regarding who owes how much to whom. If the other company is not a member of Arbitration Forums, any disagreement will likely result in a lawsuit by one or both insurance companies.

Happy to answer any questions anyone may have.