Hey All!

First off, I want to say thank you to all the people on this forum that post regularly. I have received so much knowledge from this forum, and it is greatly appreciated. I don't post very often, as I usually find what I need by searching. And I peruse this forum several times a week just for fun and to keep up on all the latest trends and topics. Unfortunately, this post comes on the heels of my truck being stolen two days ago.

To start with, I'll post my questions, so those that don't want to read all my ramblings can get to the meat of it early on. I've never had a vehicle stolen, so I'm looking for advice from those that have been there.

1. What's your best piece of advice when dealing with insurance. I know they are not my friend and I shouldn't take the first offer. But beyond that, what can you give me? I have State Farm, and they wait 1 week after the claim is filed before they start processing. Basically, they will contact me next week and start hashing out the details if my truck isn't found before then.

2. If you live in the PNW / Seattle area, please keep an eye out for it. I added a picture. That was from hunting season this past fall. Currently, it does not have a camper on it, but otherwise, that is how it sits. Its a 1999 F350 super cab long bed SRW 4x4. Current mileage is approximately 185k. No real stickers or distinguishing marks other than the chrome trim at the bottom of the cab and bed, but it does have a ham radio mounted under the dash with the ham antenna on the front driver's fender. Nerf bars and fender flares and coated with bed liner. Has 08+ tow mirrors and 2006 headlights, and a 4 gauge pod on the A-pillar.




3. Any other recommendations? I'm currently open to any advice.

Now for the story. Hold on to your hats, because it's a pretty good kick to the nuts. Last summer, my wife's best friend since childhood died under unusual circumstances. To make a very long story short, we are not convinced she died from suicide like her husband says. The criminal investigation is still ongoing. We were very close to her, and both my kids called her Auntie Bren. She and her husband never had kids, and my kids were very close to her. They are even in her will and are due to inherit substantial amounts of money from her estate. For the record, more than one person has said this could be a Lifetime movie or Dateline episode, and I wouldn't disagree. It is pretty bizarre, but I don't want to get into all the details on this forum for several different reasons.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Her husband finally arranged a memorial for her. Because of all things considered, we decided to go and my wife was asked to speak. It was held in the Seattle area at a fancy golf course clubhouse, and rooms were booked at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency hotel - a pretty fancy/posh hotel. This is about 3 hours away from my house in SW Washington. We made arrangements with her husband, who is now in assisted living (he's 51 for the record - another long story), to pick up quite a few items that he and his wife wanted my wife and kids to have. I also had to transport my wife, daughter, mother-in-law and father-in-law. It just made sense to drive my truck for the space.

Again, to make a long story short, my wife and I checked out of the hotel Sunday morning. We walked down to the parking garage, and my truck was gone. After a long, drawn out process with security, they finally checked their cameras and saw it driving out of the garage at 3:15 in the morning with 2 males inside. Police report was filed, and security gave the police the security footage. Now it's a waiting game.

But, here's the thing that keeps bugging me. I have a Hydra with a dead pedal setting. I usually put it on that setting and remove the selector when parking. I forgot to do that after the memorial. It just simply slipped my mind. And I'm pissed at myself for it. And I know that isn't foolproof, but it may have been enough. But on the bright side, nothing irreplaceable was lost. I had tools and some other things in the truck, but we hadn't yet gone to the house to start removing things. At the memorial, my wife got her friend's ashes and some pictures, but she took those things up to the room. I was also supposed to take my daughter to the airport at 4 AM but overslept (set my alarm for PM instead of AM- oops) so my daughter took an Uber. As much as I would have liked to catch those 2 *********s breaking into my truck, I wouldn't have wanted to do it in an empty parking garage with my daughter in tow. It absolutely isn't worth her getting hurt or killed over my truck. So, overall, the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives, but it doesn't mean I'm not pissed about it.

The other thing I'm upset about is that I only have about 3000 miles since I did 160/30 injectors from Bitterroot Diesel and a KC stage 1 turbo. Not long before that, I did a CNC Fab stage 1 HPOP. I feel like I was finally getting my truck where I wanted it. I hate thieves!

If you've read this far, thanks. Part of this post was just me venting. But I am certainly wanting anyone's helpful advice if they have it.

Thanks again!

 

Unfortunately no advice to offer, anytime I've had to deal with insurance it's been a frustrating process, can only imagine that adding in a niche vehicle with expensive aftermarket add ons ike yours won't help the matter.

Im about 8 hours away so probably not helpful but will keep my eyes open.

Sorry for your loss brother!

 

Holy crap! Just got off the phone with Bellevue Police Department. Apparently Seattle PD found my truck in West Seattle this afternoon. It has been towed to an impound yard in West Seattle. They say it "appears driveable". Hopefully, I can get up to Seattle tomorrow and get a look at it. I called the impound yard, but they have multiple locations and the guy couldn't give me anything more than "yes, we have it." I guess I was a little premature with my post, but it did make me feel better.

Thanks Kintla for the well wishes. I'll keep everyone updated once I get some more info.

 

ditch State Farm as soon as they pay off, if ever.

I saved $3,000 a year by ditching them, and going to Progressive.

State Farm has a history of slow pay, or never pay, like years if ever.

 

Sorry that your truck was taken, especially while away from home and for a memorial no less. I hope there is little to no damage to it and your stuff is still there.

I have had State Farm for over 30 years and no issues on vehicle claims, homeowners are some different stories. Stand your ground and demand it be made whole.

Good luck.

 

Impound/tow companies are professional *******s. They exist within narrow legal bounds and their profit comes from needy owners that want their vehicles back. FYI.

That said glad af you can get your truck back! Hope it was just used for transporting contraband and not stripped for parts.

Really happy to hear this.

 

I’m sorry for your loss. My condolences to you all.

Thankful to hear of the finding of your truck and upcoming return. Hope all is well with it.

I want to commend you on your attitude during the whole ordeal. Venting in a nice way and still seeing some silver lining while being ticked off.

I’ve had State Farm since a teenager and never had any issues. (actually had the same agent for over 30 years until he retired recently) No theft or “niche” vehicle losses but never an issue when it comes to being compensated for claims. Cost depends on many factors but ours has many stacked discounts which make them good for us.

 

Would love to hear the follow up on this how they found it and if it was driveable when you get it back.

 

Hey there,
I’m glad you got your truck back. My 2002 was stolen last year and about a month after my insurance paid out and I bought a new to me 1999.5, the police found my truck pretty worse for wear.
my truck was stolen right after I did the 6.0 cooler, and fixed my up pipes and redid the rear main seal in my driveway.

with my new truck I got a ravelco device installed. Literally the weekend I installed it someone tried to steal it. Broke my ignition cylinder and door lock , but saved my truck.

3 months later , it stopped another attempt right after I upgraded my turbo wheel and exhaust. (The night I finished)

it seems to happen whenever I upgrade something

anyways, long story long, I highly recommend a revelco anti theft device it has saved me twice already.

-HP

 

I made it up to Seattle yesterday and got my truck back. The good news is that it seems mechanically fine. It runs and drives as it should, other than the steering wheel cocked 90* to the left. I'm guessing they did that when they busted the ignition. Inside was pretty well trashed. As suspected, they punched the door lock (and dented the door) and the ignition. They also broke pretty much all the locking tabs on the dash bezel and other pieces inside. The knee panel / fuse cover is broken as well. The right rear window is half way down and now doesn't work. They tore off the window switch and panel, and it is nowhere to be found. The windshield wipers no longer work. The cover for the rear dome light is missing. Just stupid stuff. The rear bumper is tweaked up on the right side, and the tailgate is scratched all up. And the tonneau cover is broken, even though the tailgate was unlocked and the cover has quick release handles. However, they did leave me 2 new keys for my truck (screwdrivers) and plenty of trash, clothes, and meth remnants. They also stole pretty much everything out of it, except for the tool kit I kept under the seat. I'm guessing they were using that for stealing other stuff, as it was dumped out all over the floor in the rear. Overall, it was just gross on the inside. For the record, it was cleaned and vacuumed prior to my trip to Seattle. They put on about 150 miles in the 2 days they had it. The carpet was also clean. Keep that in mind when you look at the pictures below.

As far as the tow yard where it was stored, they were actually pretty cool. The guy behind the counter was helpful and sympathetic. He also explained how to go to court to get my impound fees refunded - even though State Farm will cover it. I had to borrow some jumper cables also, since the batteries were dead. As far as State Farm goes, I've also had them for over 30 years. They have always treated me well. Not the cheapest, but I've always been well taken care of. We'll see how this claim goes.

I cleaned out all the garbage to drive my truck home. The next step will be to get it into a shop to get an estimate for insurance. I plan to do all the work myself, but it's going to be a pain tracking down all the bits and pieces. Finding the blue dash and trim pieces might prove a little difficult.

And now for the pictures. Again, it was clean when it was taken, and they only had it for 2 days.

 

wow,
they sure made a mess out of the interior....
makes you wish you could get your hands on their nuts.

 

It is my understanding that if a vehicle is stolen and happens to be recovered it is considered a total loss and you should get a payout equal to the vehicle's value. Not sure if you end up with a branded title.

Is that not correct? Could be a win in some ways if engine and tranny are ok.

My daughter drove our 2500 Suburban off the side of the road, fairly minimal damage, though all curtain airbags deployed so it was considered a total loss.

Got the payout (which was less than what it was worth), I replaced airbags and did a few other things for about $800 and it's back in service as the family hauler.

All said and done it worked out financially pretty well. Hope the same ends up being true for you.

*Just looked it up and Washington doesn't automatically issue a branded title for theft recovered vehicle, so might not be considered total loss, but I'd double check to see if it is recorded as theft recovery because that can have a big impact on resell value, which insurance should cover for you.

Keep us updated on how the insurance part works out, I'm pretty curious how they handle it!

 

Ive seen alot worse....looks like a good shop should be able to put her back where she was without too much pain so to speak!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, it could definitely be a lot worse. Overall, I feel pretty fortunate at how it all turned out. After doing some research this afternoon, it looks like I can get most of the interior parts I need for around $600 off ebay. I'll have to paint the interior stuff to match, but that shouldn't be too tough. I could also start scouring wrecking yards also if I had to. I still need to get a hold of a shop to do an estimate for insurance, but I really think I can do most of it myself. The dented door and tailgate paint I'll probably save for a shop to do.

As far as insurance goes, I'm not sure how other insurances/states do it, but for me, it is simply a comprehensive claim now. I was working with the "theft" team first, and now that it is recovered, its just a comprehensive claim. They will pay to fix it, minus my deductible. As of now, they don't think it will be a total loss from what I have described to them. However, that is dependent on the estimate to repair everything. I never thought to ask about a branded title. I will during my next conversation with insurance.

 

here in OkieLand it is called a "salvage title" and that kills resale value by 2/3rds