Well I got the call I didn't want today.

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James FreemanJr

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Geico is totaling my truck (saying there is frame damage) and giving me blue book for it (which isn't shxt). Paid it off this month too after 4 1/2yrs and $17,000 later. I'll probably be lucky if I see $2,000 for it. All because of some jacka$$ that couldn't pay attention to what was going on around him. Some people I swear.



So now I have to start ANOTHER car payment and get ANOTHER car after I just got done paying this truck off. I loved this truck! My first real truck and my first accident and this shxt has to happen.



Thanks for letting me rant.



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I would get a second opinion on the frame damage. From what I see outwardly, it will go to auction get repaired and sold. It may just be the frame ends. Did they put it on a frame machine and check it?
 
Well Geico and The shop all said there was frame damage. If I get a second opinion and they say there isn't what is stopping Geico from just dropping me cause they say the frame is damaged? That is a risk I'm not willing to make cause there is no way I can win that battle if they do drop me. It is probably easier for Geico to total it then fix it at this point cause the cost of labor and parts are FAR more then the truck is worth (blue book) wise. Even if the frame isn't damaged there is no way for me to fix it out of my own pocket (driver that hit me also has Geico) so I know his insurance isn't gonna pay for the damage cause his Insurance is mine also. Worse case I see is this going to court which is time and money I don't have. As I see it I'm fxxked. :( As for what they did I don't know. Geico said the shop took the entire bed off and saw damage (the whole bed shifted up into the back of the cab) and left dents.
 
get your hands on your trac and try and remove items you think you can sell to members... maybe make a little bit of money back
 
ions,



I must be missing something. Did You cause the accident or did another driver? I'm trying to figure out why your insurance company is paying for the accident?



and...there are machines that straighten frames.



Geico might drop you anyway after this. Ya never know. But if it was not your fault, the other person's insurance needs to be paying. Your insurance company would not need to be involved. Unless you caused the accident.



It does not hurt to speak to an attorney. And Accident attorneys work off Contengency Fee, meaning If you don't win...you don't pay. If you do win..they ususally go after enough payment from the other person's insurance to cover their fees. TALK TO AN ATTORNY DO NOT SETTLE ...you should be getting more out of this deal. If I were you I''d make the time it's not like you have to go to court every day.....





 
James, I agree with GM...



Some dude plowed into you, his ins should be the one taking care of the damage to your truck. But I see, he has Geico as well. But Geico only knows what the service center tells them which is why I'd still get another quote from someone else.



As far as what the shop said, did they show you exactly what was damaged under the bed or did they just tell you it was totalled? And what they quoted as to what it would cost to repair.



For peace of mind, I'd take it to another body repair shop and get another quote. If they say as well that it would cost too much to repair, then you'll know your just SOL. The damage from your pix doesn't look that bad, but don't know what it did as far as frame damage under the bed.



If the truck drives fine and there are no safety issues affecting it, you could just keep the truck and maybe find another bed at a wreckers and replace the bumper as well yourself. The cost would be far less than what you'll have to shell out for a new truck. You might not find the same bed color, but could have it painted later which would still be cheaper than the payments you'd be making on a new truck.



My dealings with Geico and their service dept's have been always good. I completely trust their service dept's they use. I've only had to use them about three times in the over 20 years I've been with Geico.



In your case, I'd for sure go get a second opinion on the damage someplace else. Like I said for even just the peace of mind. Maybe the frame did get tweeked enough that the cost to repair would be higher than the value of the truck.



Sorry for your loss and frustrations with this issue.







 
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Take it to a FRAME STRAIGHTENER, get a quote to see how much to fix. Then buy the truck back from Geico.



Once the paperwork is done, go back to the shop and have the work done.



I am with the others, from what I can see, even if it is bent it is minimal and can easily be repaired.
 
Even if the frame isn't damaged there is no way for me to fix it out of my own pocket
Click to expand...



James, another thing to consider.....if the frame isn't damaged, like I said in the above post, you could p/u a new bed prob at a wrecker and repair the bent bed mounts yourself or find someone to fix them for you.



The money you'd save from not having to make new monthly payments on a new truck could go towards buying the parts needed to make the repairs yourself. I wouldn't pay the dealership prices for what they charge on their parts. Nor their friggin service fees.



Consider all your options before you write off the truck
 
Ions,



First, do not jump to conclusions. You are in the drivers seat on this deal.



Go to either NADAguides.com or KBB.com to get the value of your truck. Do not add for any of the aftermarket extras you have on the truck as they do not count for your company. You can, however, remove any of the aftermarket parts as long as you replace them with the original items (sway bar, airbox, etc.) This is the value that you should be able to settle for, minus your deductible, with GEICO.



You do not mention if the other guy had insurance or not. It will fall on him eventually and you will get your deductible back when GEICO gets it back. Don't hold your breath though as it takes time, if you get it at all. Insurance companies total vehicles when the repair costs exceed a certain percentage of the damage estimate. I would get a couple more estimates and you may find out it is repairable.



I have been in the Property and Casualty insurance business for over 20 years and have helped many clients through the same thing you are going through. Do not roll over and die, but fight them. If you have an agent, he should be helping you with this. If you bought the coverage over the internet, you maybe screwed yourself and may have to go it alone. Unfortunately, to many people buy over the internet and do not place any value on having an agent. There again, self inflicted rules apply.



If they do total it after all, try to buy it back from them as salvage. You can usually buy them back for little or nothing, then you can repair it or sell parts or whatever. Good luck with this, and I will follow your post to see what happens.



Rod
 
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James said that the other driver has the same insurance company as his. Geico. Sounds to me like Geico is trying to play one driver off the other, and will try to loball the value to screw em both.
 
Been there, done that, and burned the t-shirt. Like everyone else has said, get a lawyer. I was rear-ended in my Focus that I was trading in for my Trac by a girl that wasn't paying attention. She had Farmers and they tried to bend me over. My back and neck were jacked up, but, because there was no visible damage to her truck, (she was driving a Chevy TrailBlazer), they said I wasn't hurt. She hit me hard enough to imprint her license plate into my back bumper, and she wrinkled the inner body panels. When I had my x-rays, the doctor said that she hit me hard enough to knock the natural curve right out of my neck. This wasn't the attorney's doctor, this was my personal physician! I had to have two months of PT to get my neck and back in shape. After it was all said and done, they gave the dealership about a grand for the repairs my car needed and my son and I came out with about $2500 after attorney's fees and doctor bills. Not a lot, granted, but it sure helped.
 
Looks to me like just the end of the frame is tweaked where the bumper mounts to. It's not that the truck is a loss it's just that the cost to repair outweighs the vehicles value by whatever percent Geico uses. The problem that you are going to have is that if you go through insurance and buy the truck back from them it will then have a salvage title, but if you don't go through them you have to foot the bill yourself. Did you go to one of Geicos service centers for the estimate on the damage. There is a reason that insurance companys open there own repair facilities...lets just say that it is biased in there favor. As far as them removing the bed to inspect for damage that is a load of BS, first rule of body estimating is that you don't take anything apart until you start actual work on it cause it might not go back together. If you have the truck in your posession take it to a shop and have them just check the alignment on it, if there is any major frame damage it will show up then. If it is just a bed mount or something like that broken away from the frame that hardly counts as frame damage. It's hard to tell the extent of the damage from the pics that you posted but it doesn't look that bad. How fast was the vehicle that hit you traveling, I assume that you were stopped.
 
I didn't finish reading all of the posts, but here are a few things to consider....



1) He may be in a "no-fault" state, meaning your insurance pays for your repair regardless of who is at fault.



2) Go to every website you can find and record every ST in your year, and not the differences between the models. You will need this for step 3



3) DO NOT TAKE THE FIRST OFFER!!! They will low ball you, and expect you to sign. Ask to see their comps, and pick them apart. You will get at least a counter offer, but be on the offensive.



3a) Check on your rental car coverage, some companies cut it off when the vehicle is determined totaled. Mine gave 3 days after the check was issued.



4) Pull receipts for everything you bought and installed. My ins. would reimburse for receipts I had from the last year. Check on this.



5) Pull every thing off you can. You may have to build a relationship with the place your truck is at. My place told me I could take anything "out" of the ST, but I could not take anything "off". By the end, the were offering me the use of their tools.



I am sorry for your loss, and what you will going through now.
 
It doesn't look bad. Heck it is a four-year old truck. I'd just straighten it as much as I could, and just drive it, before I give it to the insurance company for change. You could save that money you would spend on a new car for a year and have at least a couple thousand to put down on something new, or get the truck you have fixed properly. If the insurance company refuses to pay a fair price, just tell them to screw themselves, slap a sticker on the dent that says "The Gecko sucks" and keep on truckin.
 
I was rear ended with 5000 in damage. Frame rails bent, bumper, and the whole nine yards. I highly doubt Geico is telling you the truth. I was rear ended at 45 miles an hour. Then again I was rear ended 2 years later. I'm in a no fault state. Allstate covered me both times with nothing out of pocket. Didn't cost me a dime. I would consider a second opinion.
 
Sounds fishy to me. Seems to be a very mild accident. Doesn't say much for our Tracs if the frame got bent so bad it's not worth repairing. Just find that hard to believe.
 
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I didn't read all the posts here, but from the pictures, and even if there is frame damage (can be fixed) I would just not claim it and repair it yourself. In the end you're going to spend way less.



Id say all said and done you are looking at $2000 max to repair that damage yourself.



 

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