Quick update from the wife, I went to the doctors and got some more meds and I'm out of work for another week. I'm also in physical therapy. I'm still in a lot of pain but it will get better. Tom will update about the truck when we get home cause its hard to type on his phone

 

Did you witness that? Sounds like a kids version of what happened. Even a Saturn should not have been totaled at 5-10MPH.

 

I actually believe the kid on this one, I totaled a 2004 Impala LS (all options but leather, supercharger, and sunroof) back in January of 05 at 15-20 mph sliding into a metal guard rail and 4 of the wooden posts. I wasn't going fast enough for the bags to deploy....

On unibody cars if there is so much as a 1mm dent in the subframe the car is instantly totalled, and in my case I had one wooden post cut right thru the bumper and get stuck on the subframe Not even to mention, the impala wasn't a plastic car like the Saturn.

 

23K in damages. I'm wondering what the insurance company is getting for 23K.

 

Alright, I am not a genius but at $23K with no frame damage I believe somebody is giving you some shenanigans...

It would be most appreciated if you could post a pic of the estimate (remove all private info) because in all seriousness that is more damage than a used 07 SD costs.

Looking at it I can identify a few expensive things to fix, however I woulda guessed about $10-12K TOPS

 

Wow, things sure are different where you live. It wouldn't be an instant total where I live.

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I don't believe there is no frame damage on that Super Duty. If it's not on the original estimate, I think it will be in a supplement. Also, I don't know what the truck is worth, but in my state the estimate has to be 70% of the value in order for the vehicle to be totaled. It could still be repaired, but 70% is where the insurance company really looks closely at the cost to repair versus totaling the truck.

The repair doesn't have to equal the value of the vehicle because the vehicle has some value to the insurance company as a total. So, they may pay you the vehicle value and figure they're out ahead by not repairing it and being able to sell the salvage to a salvage company.

I hope things work out in your best interest. I hope your wife feels better soon.

 

It would be a lot less if it weren't a PSD. There is a lot of money just in the cooling stack, plus it is likely there is some engine damage. All the components on the front of that engine are expensive. Add in the 4WD components, and $23k doesn't surprise me in the least.

 

OK Tom, since I started this, I'm going to chime in again. I recently had my Expedition fixed as my daughter's B-ball hoop fell over on the hood of th e truck hoop first. While getting my damage appraisal, I asked the Ford dealer body shop appraiser many questions.

1. Will it be repaired with "genuine" ford parts?
2. Will the parts be new or salvaged?
3. What's my recourse if I'm unsatisfied with his work?

Then I called the insurance company and asked them some questions.

1. What's your quality policy on the use of body panels and other items to be repaired?
2. Do you allow non-ford parts to be used?
3. If I'm not happy with the work, what do you want me to do?

I hate the insurance industry with a passion but the auto insurance side of the house gets screwed six ways from Sunday with faulty work, fraudulent claims and BS law suits.

I feel it's in my best interest to be a good steward of their money, especially when my vehicle is in the shop.

Tom, I think you need to challenge all of these folks concerned and make them justify the cost.

If the work is done, make them prove to you that brand new OE parts From Ford were used and not salvaged parts or knock offs from China.

This is your vehicle, if you sign the ticket, the bill gets paid. You have one chance to be impressed.

Sorry for the lengthy post.

 

I don't doubt the estimate.
My wife was recently backed into by the neighbor. Caddilac sedan vs Excursion. Caddy lost a taillight,and a slight scratch on the quarter panel. It did over $4K damage to the Excursion,and it was just superficial exterior damage:


JL

 

Probably 10+ hours of body time, a new moulding, r/i quarter glass, maybe blending into the door which opens a whole other can of r/i mouldings, door handles, paint the fuel door, paint the door opening, r/i door opening mouldings, paint time/materials. I can see a 4k estimate on an Excursion.

 

If this is a 30K truck I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they total it. I think they usually go by the repair cost plus the salvage to determine if it is totaled. I would think this truck would be worth at least 7K as is. If it were mine I would want it totaled.

 

Sounds like someone needs a good spanking and then some great make up ah never mind where's this going... Just kidding! Glad no serious injuries but man what a bummer about the truck, soreness and emotional stress. Your truck looks like mine except "all that", 4X4, PSD and all. At least it did a week ago. Hope it all works out for you two and no lasting pains or mechanical gremlins. Don't be hard on yourself Tom's wife. It can and does happen to any of us no matter how perfect we think we are. )

 

Yeah, it's basically repair cost plus salvage value > or = ACV, it's a total loss. You can usually guarantee you'll have a supplement (addition to original estimate), so that's taken into account, as well as the deductible amount. Usually you'll have a 10% or so in additional repair costs after the vehicle repair gets started. So, if you get a $23k estimate, you're probably looking at a $25k repair cost. Obviously it depends, and varies significantly depending on variables, but an adjuster will usually figure they'll have additional repair costs once the repair gets started.

 

This afternoon I got a call from the insurance adjuster and was informed that my truck has been declared a total loss. It was 15 months old with 15,400 miles.

Upon further inspection there was quite a bit they missed yesterday. The frame had a "diamond" in it in several areas. Lots of expen$ive PSD-related stuff was broken, including 5 out of the 7 coolers in the front end. What put it over the top was the revelation that the cab had been tweaked and twisted in several ways. The doors don't line up anymore and there's some minor buckling in the roof.

The front axle, steering gear, right side wheels and tires, fender, bumper, radius arms, subframe, turbo piping, and lots more all need to be replaced. Total estimate the Geico adjuster came up with was just under $28,000 to restore to pre-loss condition.

On the bright side the appraised actual cash value is actually higher than I originally paid for it brand new. I bought it new 15 months ago for $35,000, and the insurance company appraised it at $38,269. Add to it the credit for sales tax on the appraised amount, subtract my $500 deductible and my total settlement is going to be $40,266. I only owe just over $30K so I'm going to come away from this with $10K just because of the inflated value of the truck.

I'm still in shock that my truck appreciated after buying it new, but loosing my truck is pretty tough to handle.

ON EDIT: I will post the appraisal as soon as I can get a copy of it.

 

Wow, I never considered the cost of diesel parts (stuck in the gasser mindset) however that Excursion repair bill seems pretty steep as well... just to put it into perspective:

1 new bed side
1 new rear cab door
1 new tailgate
1 new fender
1 new hood
Fix cab with cab about 2 feet above cab corner (bullet hole)
entire new front clip
Entire truck re-paint (excluding roof), removing all signs of keying and dents- including a dent in driver side bed almost identical to excursion damage

All of that totalled $5500 when it was all said and done. For the bed side damage was approximated at $1250 by both a shop and adjuster. Does MI have cheap auto body work or something?

Here's a few pics of the beast during the repair...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0055.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0053.jpg