Tacoma Revived! (Pic Heavy)

Update:

Went to the shop on 11/1/2017, but forgot to take pics.

Anywho, the bedsides have been painted, cab has been repaired and painted and tailgate has been repaired and painted. Bed assembly is now fully assembled and ready to be placed onto the frame. I was amazed that they repaired the original tailgate, given that most of the damage was near the body line. Now we're just waiting on the smaller parts to arrive, and the truck will be ready to be fully re-assembled.

The shop doing the work can't stop impressing me! They went as far as removing the rear window before spraying and installed a new weather seal after it was done. It may have been a more tedious process, but it was much better than simply masking the original seal off and then spraying. The best shops pay attention to the smaller details, and this is one of them.

It's awesome seeing the truck with a new frame and suspension components. It's looking like a brand new truck.

 

Been following your thread and just gotta say... good for you!! Glad your getting your rig back and didn't settle, you're persistence and intuitive research really paid off. My only worry while driving my truck is some idiot ruining what I've worked very hard to build. Can't wait to see the outcome.

 

A few pics from today. Might be looking at next week for the final product since the small parts are taking a while to arrive. After everything's put together, it'll be off to the alignment shop.

The paint looks amazing in person.









Front end's back together for the most part.

 

It's back, and it's like nothing ever happened! What a huge weight off my shoulders! Hats of to Gilbert's Body & Paint in Hayward, CA., as they went above and beyond with this job. EVERY part on the estimate was ordered and installed, nothing reused, and all OEM. The front end aligned easily and it drives straight. As a customer, it feels great that there are still shops that operate with honesty and integrity, especially in an industry full of unethical hack jobs. Right now, I can't be happier. The time spent through all of this is finally paying off!



Brand new bumper, tail lights and hitch. Tailgate was repaired and looks like nothing happened to it.









Loving the scratch free bed. lol

 

Now that one part of the insurance claim is done, I'll be proceeding with the diminished value claim and loss of use claim. My lawyer is finishing up my personal injury claim. Glad this whole situation is almost over with.

 

For those interested, I can now share some numbers in the estimate and the appraisal done by State Farm. These two documents ultimately led to my keeping the tacoma, and proceeding with the repairs.

The repair covered under insurance consisted of:

Replacement the frame, and moving all other parts from old frame to new
Replacement the rear bumper
Replacement of rear hitch
Repairs to the back of the cab
Repairs to the tailgate
Replacement of the bed
Replacement of the bed panels
Bleed brakes
Power steering fluid replacement
Replacement of AC refrigerant

EDIT after receiving final invoice...Cost: $20,111.54 after all supplements

Parts replaced on my dime:

Bilstein 5100's front and rear
SPC Light Racing UCA's
Bilstein 885x Coils
1/4" top plate spacer
New U bolts

Cost: $1136.81

IF the truck were to be a total loss, I insisted that I WOULD NOT agree to a cash payment unless I received fair market value, nor buy the truck back under a salvaged title. I fought like hell to obtain their appraisal, and eventually had it sent to me after much persistence. Before I received State Farms appraisal, I was armed with my own market research to protect my interests just in case. To my surprise, upon seeing the appraisal of my truck which included local market research of comparable vehicles (none of which had the mileage as low as mine), My truck was appraised at a net adjusted value of $34,627.22 (I wonder why they kept the document from me as long as they did).

I feel that this was the deciding factor in keeping the truck and moving forward with the repairs. Under my calculations, the repairs went from 80% of the truck's actual cash value down to approximately 54%. Being obsessed with research, and knowing my rights also played a huge role in not getting a fast one pulled on me. I must also thank @Two Tall for his extensive work and research while he was in a similar situation as me. A lot has been learned, and I have yet to settle this entire claim and won't stop until I get what's fair. While I don't wish for anyone to go through any of this, I hope this helps others who may face this type of situation. Thanks for all the kind words and from everyone in this thread. I'm glad that all of this is ending on a positive note.

 

That's interesting. It's also useful to know of a good shop just across the bay from me. The shop that repaired my Tacoma a couple of years ago never got the tailgate <-> bedside gap right and I finally gave up on the bastards.

Seeing your truck almost makes me want to take it there and ask the to make it right. And yes, State Farm is a PITA to deal with. When I had my claim a couple of years ago, they gave me the serious runaround on everything (truck damage, house damage).

 

Yeah, I loved how thorough they were throughout the entire process. The manager of the shop definitely stands out when he says, "everyday I'm able to sleep at night knowing I didn't screw my customers." The big body shops know how to strike it rich, but the quality and ethics aren't there. Shops like Gilbert's are a diamond in the rough.

My experience with State Farm has shed new light on insurance companies in rearing their ugly heads. I don't know how these people go bed with a clear conscience at night. Truly an eye opener.

 

Update on the diminished value claim:

State Farm has flat out denied the claim, and it looks like I will be taking legal action. Heck of a year as I've learned and am still learning many things from this ordeal.

 

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but to quickly update...State Farm has finally agreed to settle on my diminished value claim. Glad to have beaten their "delay, deny, defend" tactics.

 

They knew they'd lose in court. How the heck could you deny diminished value?

 

Well, they did for 7 months. Lol. They even said that my truck was restored to pre loss value, despite the hit on carfax, and carmax offering significantly less than it's current fair market value.

A simple certified letter with the intent to sue to their insured's address probably did the trick.

Glad to have a happy ending to this story, along with a brand new frame.

 

Thanks OP for providing all the information. At the end of the process would you be able to state what you wish you could have done prior and step order that is done for this types of incidences? we all try to avoid these type of scenarios but when they happen, its people like you that help speed up the process!

 

Glad this could be of help to someone. Speaking from experience, this entire process will take time to play out. It took almost 10 months to get everything I felt I deserved. The odds will be in your favor if you do everything right.

Some tips from my experience:

In the event of any not-at-fault accident, it is your duty, first and foremost to stay on top of your health. Get checked by a doctor as soon as you can.

After the collision, given that you're well enough to assess the situation, remain calm and document everything you can, after getting to a safe place away from traffic. Exchange all necessary information with the other driver and do your best to get a police report. A police report could save a ton of time when it comes to insurance determining fault, even in the event of a rear end collision. When initially filing a claim, stick to the facts. Only tell the agent when and where the accident occured, what type of collision, your drivers license info, and your insurance information, then end it there.

Do not talk to the insurance companies again until you feel that you have fully assessed the situation. Insurance companies will rush to call you and get your statement of what happened. Do not respond right away, and let them leave a voicemail, email, etc, then get back to them once you have a clear picture of everything that happened. Once you provide your statement, it should be truthful, straight forward and consistent. Any change to your statement may work against you. If you get injured, don't hesitate to get treated and then find a good lawyer. I was hesitant at first, but they handled the claims adjusters better than I ever could. A good personal injury lawyer also acts as a buffer between you and the insurance company's verbal traps. They also ensure that you get proper treatment before negotiating fair compensation for any personal injury claim. Remember to stick to what your doctor and lawyer tells you to do, and don't skip any treatment. This is big, because stopping treatment too early could lead to pain in the future. Also, keep a pain journal, as this is instrumental in getting any fair settlement.

When it comes to the property damage portion, know the laws in your state. In California, I knew that I had the right to bring my vehicle to any repair shop of my choice, the right to be compensated for loss of use, and lastly, the right to collect damages for diminution of value to my vehicle. In the event of a total loss, settle for nothing but FAIR MARKET VALUE, including tax, title and licensing fees.

NEVER accept an insurance company's first offer, unless you are certain you are being made whole again. In my case, State Farm tried to total my truck for less than its local fair market value. I pushed for a valuation to be done, and the truck's value prior to the date of loss was approximately $34,000.00. After that, State Farm agreed to all repairs, totaling approximately $20,000.00. Once repairs were completed, I then began my DV and Loss of Use claim. I managed to get loss of use fairly easy, as it is law to be reimbursed for every day the truck is in the shop.

Diminished Value is what took the longest to collect. State Farm repeatedly denied my demands for months, despite the evidence stated in the reports I provided. I could have gotten my desired result sooner, but life got in the way, and as soon as I had the time, I played hardball and corresponded to the at fault driver directly, threatening to file suit in small claims if State Farm didn't protect his interests. I made sure to note that a judgement against a defendant in court is public record, and stays on credit reports for 7 years, for added insult.

In the end, it is possible to beat the insurance companies at their game, though one just has to be willing enough to fight back. I took this personally, because I do my best to do right by everyone, and I hate getting screwed. Hope this helps.