Oh no, sorry to your Expy in pain ...

I will admit I’m not a die-hard Ford fan. But I have a soft spot for the Expedition. It’s the only Ford I have ever really liked. They are strong beasts, but also evoke a gently sovereign personality. They lend themselves well to a family and most Expedition owners describe them as a "friend of the family" or a "loyal traveling companion". They seem to be more than just a family vehicle, especially when that bond between man/family and machine takes hold.

The same cannot be said for a lot of other SUVs and trucks.

 

got any better pictures of the Expy all beat up?


btw, if you can, see if you can grab some Limited blacked out heads for the replacements. The repair shop should be cool with that as long as you pay the difference
I would avoid that tire like the plague.

take a few minutes and step into the 2004-2008 F-150 area. The Rugged Trail is a standard 18" tire for them...those POS tires dry-rot within the 1st year/20,000 miles typically and Ford/BFG have been replacing them for years due to this.

whatever tire you choose, I highly suggest you get "LT" rated tires only. The ride will be slightly rougher, but the LT tires will hold up to the weight of the Expy better...so you should get a longer life out of them. And the cornering stability is much much nicer IMO

 

What pictures do you want? I can take whatever you want.

Thanks for the tip on the tires. I have a lot of research to do. My wife was looking at the Goodyear Fortera Silent Armor tires. The 20 inch size seems to limit my choices. But Tire Rack has a good selection.

 

actually, the Scorpion ATR is a really good tire. The Scorpion STR is the OEM POS tire I have...hate the STR.

I like to keep things with the big name brands...Goodyear and Michelin have always treated me 100%...I know they are more $$$, but you truly do get what you pay for. You can cheap out, but I've never been happy with the result

 

You can't completely dismiss Yokohama. I put a set of Geolander's on mine and I'm happier than ever. Excellent mileage warranty and they have a great corporate warranty against cracking and breaking down.

Tim

 

never played with the Yokohama tires...their mud tires do look very nice

 

I had the Michelin LTX M/S on my 06 F-150 275-55-20, I noticed an immediate difference in ride and handling over the stock Scorpion, if your going for an good all around tire that last get the Michelin, VERY good in snow as well never left me stuck or in a feeling of out of control.

X2 on the black limited headlights.

 

That damage should fix up without any problems. It looks to be mostly cosmetic so it's just a question of having a good shop getting the detail stuff right when it's put back together. She'll be just like new.

If the other kid was issued a citation than that goes a long way most times in getting the court to side with the party who didn't get one. The citation shows that the other guy is presumed to be at fault and that the officer saw fit to cite him for a violation based on what he saw under the circumstances.

 

Here are some more pics that I took today with a better camera. My wife noticed that the rim is now a bit messed up as well.









Panel alignment issues












Started cleaning out the broken plastic from the light housing






Dain

 

ouch...but hey, I suggest you keep that rim when it's all said and done.

your stock spare rim is a steel 18" rim...I'd throw that puppy up under there personally. the chrome cladding is dented, but it appears the rim integrity itself is 100%.



lot more damage there than it initially looked. that sucks

 

Good idea about the wheel. I will do that. Thanks.

Dain

 

I agree with the comments that it's mostly cosmetic, and someone might say " it'll buff right out". I'd guess, that your probaby looking at about $4500 in damage (bumper upper/lower, fender, hood, light assembly, brakets, possibly grill, rim, tire, and bodywork/paint). I've got an acura tl which got hit similar in Nov. Everything was fixed just fine by a body shop in Frederick MD that unfortuntely I've visited a few times over the past 6 yrs. I noticed you noted USAA. I have that too. I would report it to USAA and also to the kids insurance and see how well their insurance treats you. You can always fall back to USAA, but if your OK with everything his insurance is doing, then you won't have to pay your deductable out of pocket and have to sue him for it. You can go straight USAA and they'll then subrogate with his insurance. Demand OEM parts and not aftermarket which they will push on you (even USAA). (JMT's). Also negotiate his insurance for dimishied value. You should be able to get a few hundred $$'s at least.

Also, like others have said, ask for the wheel back and use it as a spare. The shop will only throw them out. Another thing, before you sign off on the repair, if they replace the one tire, take the car out for road test. In my case, I chased a problem for about 2 weeks where finally the dealership diagnosed the issue as 'radial run out' of the brand new tire. Once tire fixed, all is good.

Good luck. Let us know how things progress

 

Thanks. I am in Ashburn, VA and I will be taking the truck to Tyson's Corner Collision Center this morning. I never thought about the diminished value. I have already contacted USAA and they have contacted his insurance company as well as the county Sherriff's office for the police report.

If they want/need to replace the tire, I will buy the other three and tell them which to buy for that wheel and have four brand new ones.

Hopefully this can get all resolved soon. We don't drive the Expy daily, but with the icy neighborhood, the Mini my wife drives will bottom out. Like today, my wife has my Jeep so I can take the Expy to the shop.

Dain

 

I am not a body guy but that damage does not look all that bad. I'm sure that it will fix up quite nicely.

 

Any updates gr8?