Likely totaled truck...i want the damn tailgate though!

you dont have 2 large bolts holding it in at the bottom? On my 99 and my 96 it has bolts. to get it off you need the 14mm (i believe) ratchet and an extension. then once those are off you can take off the black cables

most people consider those brush guards to be damage multipliers.

 

Unfortunately a brush guard like that wont do shit in an accident. Those are good for keeping sticks and branches off your lights and for pushing around shopping carts...thats it

 

Not that I remember. I only took the tailgate off once and don't remember any bolts.

 

I wonder how something serious like an ARB would have fair in the OPs accident.

 

ARB has crush zones built into the mountain brackets. I bet the airbags would have still deployed. ARB claims that they do not interfere with airbag deployment. Now had it been a Relentless or an Elite well the taco would have ate the other car for lunch. From what I've seen they eliminate the factory aluminum crumple zone...

OP glad you're doing well. Lawyer up! It took me two and a half years to settle with insurance after I got hit by a drunk driver and that should have been pretty open and closed case but it ended up in court for 6 months. And i still deal with the pain from the crash on a daily basis. Get all the money you can because you never know what medical surprises you'll see down the road because if this crash.

 

this is one of my favorite threads http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2723

 

Glad that you are ok buddy. good luck on the case. Hopefully the tides are in your favor.
but if you are looking for protection do not get a brush guard. the are call cosmetic looks.

get a steel bumper for that


i rear ended a lady in mine almost 5 hours after i mounted it up!

after i slammed on my brakes and skidded into her rear end i was going about 10 to 15 mph...







the picture is about 1 hour after the accident.

 

Thanks everyone...glad I'm ok too. Someone always has it worse and I walked away from this relatively unscathed. I really wanted an ARB or some other type of aftermarket bumper, but I just wasn't at that point in my build yet. It was going to be a camper shell, suspension, tires, armor.

With your case or anyone else in here...are you in court a lot and have to miss a lot of time from work. Do the lawyers typically fight it out? Never dealt with this kind of thing before.

 

I have had to use mine unfortunately......they are very good at totaling jettas under 20 mph

only one small bend in it that cant be seen form this pic.....did a number on the jetta...i wish i had thought to get pics

 

What's odd is that someone just posted the other day that there had been 2 wrecks and that these things always come in three's, now here is the third. Glad you are okay!