Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
Thanks Werner. I try to share my wealth of hard knocks and having learned the hard way.
-John
|
|
healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
|
|
USAA is my insurance company and they are great. Just call the team handling your claim and ask them about the after market stuff and they'll tell you exactly what they do about them.
|
|
nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2011 - 04:23am PT
|
great advice all the way around.
I get that it's a Toyota and a bomber truck. I never looked at it as an investment and planned to drive it into the ground. But I figured the ground is 12 years away. If the frame is straight then I should be fine. It's just the gaps between the door and the fender, and the cab and the bed make me wonder.
I actually don't need to do much with cleaning it up. It's already clean. Not even sure how they assessor would know if the frame is bent.
What crimpie said is what bugs me the most. No matter what it will cost me in time and a bit of worry.
But I did the right thing tonight. I started drinking early and got rides to and from the party. Still drinking Maynard's wine.
my neck has been bothering me and it does seem a little worse today than usual. And of this I'm not kidding.
hoping for the best....
|
|
nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2011 - 05:00am PT
|
glad you are laughing brother!
|
|
Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
|
|
If you didn't get the message loud and clear the first time, just 3 little words: GET. A. LAWYER.
|
|
Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
|
|
Don't mean to be a downer about it. :( But it is really true. The actions of others can really jerk us around. :(
|
|
James Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
|
|
General rule of thumb is that a vehicle with a salvage title is worth about 50% as compared to an identical vehicle with a clean title. Some people do buy their vehicle back and repair them; but frame damage is a nightmare.
Any recent expenditures (Tires, very recent service or repair bills, registration costs with DMV) are taken into account. The $1,000 for new tires should not be pro-rated if it was just a few weeks before the accident. Get them copies of receipts right away.
You don't have to accept their initial offer, look it over and make sure all the equipment is listed and accounted for. Wouldn't hurt to go to KBB.com (kelly bluebook) and see what your truck is going for).
Be nice to the USAA agent, even when you disagree. Most people treat them poorly, so being even remotely civil will make them want to help you.
Good luck
Jim
|
|
Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
|
|
I've been through this a few times. Here is what I've learned:
Forget any advantage to be gained from being a victim. Usually this does not pay. If you get paid big for being a victim -- you become a professional victim.
Your rig will get fixed but never the same again. Get rid of it as fast as possible and create a new rig. A better one. It will most likely have to come from your own hard work and creative energy.
Hey, you asked for advice on the internet. There it is.
|
|
Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
|
|
A wreck title is a kiss of death financially. I lost nearly $10K on a wrecked Dodge pickup several years ago because of the wreck title. The insurance company had paid out over $15K fixing the truck but the frame was screwed up, too. I lost a complete set of brand new tires on a trip from Wyoming out to Kali back in 2001. The truck should have been totalled but the repair shop gave the insurance company a low-ball offer the first time and then kept finding more "concealed damage" to run up the bill. I was screwed and the wrecked title reduced the value down to $20K from $30K when I finally sold the SOB.
|
|
nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2011 - 12:00pm PT
|
come and get it!
just spoke to Joto....
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
Be nice to the USAA agent, even when you disagree.
Yes !!!! 100%
When my car got totaled once, the agent only wanted to give me $500 for my 20 year old pile.
By the time I walked out of the agents office I had a check for $2500.00 ......
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
|
|
Nature, I'm glad you were not injured more severely. The most important thing is that you take the time to assess how your body feels and to get any evaluation and PT that you need. I was in a fairly severe crash once and was told by my back doc that whiplash injuries often feel the most severe 1-2 months after an accident. That is in fact what happened. I think that in my case once the body's protective mechanisms started to relax, the soft tissue damage started to be more noticeable.
As fault has already been determined, you already know that the other party's insurance will cover your medical expenses. The lawyer issue is up to you - do you plan to sue for pain and suffering beyond actual medical bills? That is typically their incentive for getting involved.
In the crash mentioned above, my Toyota truck with camper shell was totalled. The first "offer" from the insurance co was definately low. I argued back about the condition being "excellent" not average, with documentation of service records, date of tires replaced etc.. The offer was increased by a significant amount which I took. But I think the reality is, even when they make you a fair offer, you always end up loosing monetarily. You never seem to be able to replace with something just as good with the amount of money you get. That's just life.
|
|
Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
|
|
Hey Cragman, now that you have traded your Beretta for a Mark I could you try out a round on Kiddie?
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
|
|
Kiddie...this thread is about car wrecks , not train wrecks..
|
|
James Wilcox
Boulder climber
Santa Barbara
|
|
I'd highly recommend stipulating only OEM parts be used when they prepare the estimate. It will increase the chance of being totalled because of the higher price, but will fit better, resist rust infinitely better, and have the same quality as the other parts of the truck if they proceed with the repair. Imitation parts just suck, imho
|
|
nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2011 - 10:59pm PT
|
Certainly will ask for OEM parts.
I'll probably know Tuesday first thing AM if the frame is bent. I'm wondering if it's just possible the cab or bed shift on the frame. I've done more of an inspection. Hood will get replaced and all lights in front. There is the smallest dent in the radiator. The plastic stuff in front of the bumper is toast. There is the smallest crease in the drivers side fender. Actually, it's a little bend where the headlight is. I pulled my trailer on the highway today and it handled like it always did.
And my body seems just fine. I've had a pinched nerve in my next for months now and it is a little worse today than it has been.
At what speed should my airbag have deployed? It didn't.
|
|
Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
Front airbags are generally designed to deploy at speeds above 14 mph. Engineers test collisions into concrete barriers. In reality, most objects aren't as solid as a concrete wall. So there is some gray area. My guess still stands that you were traveling between 10 and 20 mph at the moment of impact.
Notice how little the front bumper did to protect your truck? That's because the Federal Bumper Standard only applies to passenger cars. OEM truck bumpers are lightweight crap.
|
|
nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2011 - 04:48pm PT
|
assessor was just out and got my estimate back.
$4200 in repairs.
the good news is USAA will pay the body shop directly.
I'm taking it down today so they can order the parts.
|
|
Norwegian
Trad climber
Placerville, California
|
|
my pink slip says salvaged,
not worth a dime, this fella.
my wife has me under motto:
'you done better by me, than i done by you.."
but i keep dieseling though,
my timing is all off, the nerves connected
my movers to my thinker have long ago gave up.
my brain's been head on'ed in the dark and in the light.
i smoke all over an never pass a drug test.
my wife knows though that know won will ever steel me,
though i've already stold my face right off my head,
cushions are ripped. dog pissed on me in my sleep night last,
im not for sale though. not even cheap.
sorry you wrecked your truck nature.
i hope that you weren't heart.
|
|
tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
|
|
Sorry about the wreck, glad nobody was hurt. USAA is a great insurance company, I've used them for over 20 years and they are straight forward and quick to settle, I doubt you'll be screwed over. I did have accident almost identical to yours where somebody pulled out in front of me and I T boned them. I fealt that their adjuster undervalued my car and I got screwed, but some $ was better than no $, and it just wasn't worth suing them over $500-1000 difference.
My personaly opinion is that whenever a vehicle is in a wreck that is more serious than a fender bender, it really is in your best interest to get it totaled. The only time I've been in a wreck and the vehicle wasn't totalled, I regretted it. The repairs just don't put everything back, in that case the hood no longer matched the quarter panel, shortly after getting it back from the shop I had a coolant leak as the fan cut a groove into the radiator, and when I took it back to the shop to "fix" it, they result was the fan no longer cut into the radiator, but it did cut a coolant hose resulting in another leak. So my advice, if at all possible get the rig totalled, take the insurance money, get another rig that hasn't been in a wreck.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!