| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| B112 |
Posted - 04/11/2015 : 17:18:20
Hi, My Durango was head on impaled when a smaller car took a left turn in front of me. Last weekend went from a great weekend day to a bad day. I am working with a shop which will give me quote on a full frame repair. I'll be looking for more suggestions and adding photos of my ordeal. Disappointing and shocking how poorly insurance companies treat us. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| B112 |
Posted - 08/01/2021 : 06:46:18
Six years later and I am still maintaining this vehicle. After the repair job, I've since learned of the NH Oil solution and I've had many comments from repair shops which do the needed brake, tire and alignment repairs. I've gotten the truck to a reliable state for now, I will need to get onto the body cancer again soon. That I'll do a combination of paying someone else and my own fixes. I don't know if I ever concluded that I squeaked under the requirements of a salvage title in time and just under the repair costs which would have driven that. I now need to keep my repairs on this vehicle timed to a maintenance cycle such that I don't end up with another totaled situation. Sad, but if you maintain your vehicle with all the money and then someone else damages what you have invested, you can loose all that investment. Thus at some point I may need to think of some classic car insurance for this vehicle. |
| B112 |
Posted - 04/17/2015 : 12:39:57
quote:
Originally posted by Cvans
How far are you going to take the frame down? If your starting with a bare frame you might consider galvanizing. they do it with boat trailers and they seem to last forever around here. I would stay away from any spray on finish. As soon as you get a rock chip in the coating rust will spread under it and can actually speed up the rusting as that spot is slow to dry after getting wet. We also had poor results with powder coating for this same reason.
Just out of curiosity are you going to be using your old suspension as much as possible? Might be a good time to replace body and suspension bushings.
I would Replace the body to frame bushings. New A-frame are cheap. I had new ball joints but don't trust a-frames. New motor mounts manifolds stainless brake lines. I'd mint the frame as the body was mint and I already was attacking surface rust. I figured 8 more years of tractor boat hauling plus. |
| B-16_IC |
Posted - 04/15/2015 : 21:46:03
quote:
Originally posted by skunkhome
In this state, Louisiana, a salvage title is a death sentence for your values regardless of the condition of the vehicle. However, If you plan to drive the wheels off it, it is of little concern.
That is why what a piece of paper says on it means nothing to me, I always drive them until the next stop is the shredder.
I would say Chris's advice is sound, I know nothing of the galvanizing but thick coatings like powdercoating and the like get ugly in a bad way once chipped. The cosmolene? coating used on some years of vehicle frames does not work. We had a 2009 Chevy in the shop recently and we had the bed off for repairs. Several people commented on how rusty the frame was which it really was only surface rust but looked nasty due to the coating peeling off in sheets. You can sure bet those peeling spots would do a fine job of holding road salt so it could soak in good. I'd be more inclined to use a good strong etching primer and black paint after a good cleaning over pc or undercoating.
I'd say the suspension going over would be a good idea too, no doubt you have some wear parts on there way out. These ungreasable tie rod ends are usually going or gone by the mileage you have. |
| Cvans |
Posted - 04/15/2015 : 20:24:26
How far are you going to take the frame down? If your starting with a bare frame you might consider galvanizing. they do it with boat trailers and they seem to last forever around here. I would stay away from any spray on finish. As soon as you get a rock chip in the coating rust will spread under it and can actually speed up the rusting as that spot is slow to dry after getting wet. We also had poor results with powder coating for this same reason.
Just out of curiosity are you going to be using your old suspension as much as possible? Might be a good time to replace body and suspension bushings.
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| B112 |
Posted - 04/15/2015 : 16:42:36
I am taking all of this in. I am leaning towards the repair and not giving up on the salvage title. What I'd like to turn this conversation is a high quality restoration. How I can prep the replacement frame so I don't get surface rust, what I can do to make the truck better and then I am going to go for a stated/agreed value insurance policy. I'll explain the financials later, but I am still tweaked on the fact that an accident can mess me up like this. |
| Cvans |
Posted - 04/15/2015 : 09:51:21
quote:
Once you have made up your mind Michael, stick to your guns. You are the one who needs to be happy with the outcome, with your vehicle situation and your finances. If it doesn't feel good to you, don't listen to someone else, even me!
I'd say this sums it up as well as anything, 
|
| skunkhome |
Posted - 04/15/2015 : 08:31:50
In this state, Louisiana, a salvage title is a death sentence for your values regardless of the condition of the vehicle. However, If you plan to drive the wheels off it, it is of little concern. |
| B-16_IC |
Posted - 04/14/2015 : 23:27:28
Salvage title depends on the state you are in, states vary on policies. The car I currently drive got flooded at a friend's property in a flash flood, insurance totaled it but I kept it and repaired, that was 100,000 miles ago. They paid me market value minus the salvage bid they got on it. This car has a clean title to this day since it never officially changed hands, I owned it before, during, and after and I would assume it would be the same in your case but I don't know your local laws. One would need to "disclose" prior damage exceeding a certain number depending on the DOT laws.
Personally I would keep it and repair if you like the vehicle and feel confident in it's reliability, you may not with a different one. You know this one's history. Unless the frame is bent behind the wheel it does not warrant total replacement, it can be sectioned (bent part cut off and replaced with a good piece). This is a manufacturer and industry approved repair, I've done it several times and I am ASE certified to do so.
Current public opinion of "salvage" vehicles is basically formed from Dateline type hoopla. There are indeed some fly by night shops that do some scary work that make the rest of us look bad. They also do insurance repairs and pass that off as good work . Besides one has to remember that a brand new car stays out of salvage status for crashes WAY nastier than yours incurred. Oh, and those Carfax reports only tell what they know which is only what they've been told which ain't always the truth.
Sorry for the rant but this is a subject I happen to know well and have made a living at for all my adult life. We bodymen are the scurge of the earth according to some, but we just try to walk the thin line formed by the manufacturers, insurance companies, and customers, all of whom want a different result it seems.
Once you have made up your mind Michael, stick to your guns. You are the one who needs to be happy with the outcome, with your vehicle situation and your finances. If it doesn't feel good to you, don't listen to someone else, even me! |
| lilypad |
Posted - 04/14/2015 : 23:15:28
Michael, you really should do the American thing and buy one of those new aluminum F-150 Fords or the new light duty Dodge diesel. Making payments on a $50,000 truck will keep you motivated to work hard. If you negotiate hard you might get one down to $40,000. |
| skunkhome |
Posted - 04/14/2015 : 22:19:51
I'm afraid you are stuck with a salvage title if they decide it's totaled and you buy it back and get repaired. The salvage title effectively cuts the value in half. My SIL's father backed into his car and the insurance company totaled it because the repair costs they estimated was $50 over their limit. He had to let the car go and buy another that wasn't as good as the one he had. I think he should have sued his father who did the damage then walked away untouched. |
| Cvans |
Posted - 04/14/2015 : 21:17:33
Good your keeping your sense of humor. It's too bad that someone's carelessness has to be a financial burden on you. Doesn't seem fair. |
| B112 |
Posted - 04/14/2015 : 21:03:42
My insurance company came in with a good current vehicle value, which may be higher than the repair estimate which the shop is quoting me. The problem is my insurance company is valuing the repairs higher than the current vehicle value and we may need to list the vehicle as totaled by law. So I can repair the truck, but it will have a salvage title. Now I need to find out if I can get the vehicle inspected and get that removed... or do I totally destroy the future resale value? If I repair the vehicle will a second accident not pay me for my repairs? So I have some open questions. The real pain in all of this is I had a perfectly good truck very well maintained, expected 8 to 10 more years of current usage and now I could be stuck with a payment of $500/month today. In any case I look at this, having an accident has changed my financial situation. Definitely need to look at the agreed/stated value policies and how that effects me. By law if my vehicle is totaled on a stated value policy, will I be forced into a salvage title? Even if I could repair it? We probably do as much work on some of our tractors as it will take to restore this truck.... crazy. Don't drive your tractors on the road (laugh). |
| lilypad |
Posted - 04/13/2015 : 23:24:19
The insurance company will only pay the book value. You can negotiate the amount based on low mileage etc. but that won't raise the value much (only if you were buying). If the repair cost is more than value you can offer to buy it at the scrap value and then pay to have it fixed. That may or may not be a good deal. Good luck. |
| Cvans |
Posted - 04/13/2015 : 22:30:22
Your right about low mileage. However it goes I hope your satisfied. It's bad enough to have to go through something like this without being hassled by the insurance company. |
| B112 |
Posted - 04/13/2015 : 13:59:16
quote:
Originally posted by Cvans
Did any of the airbags deploy?
My airbags did not deploy, but the smaller car they did. Yes, waiting to talk with the insurance company and the shop to how much it is to repair. Definitely good I had a new bumper without rust, as the rusty one would have let more damage occur to the vehicle. Mileage is 78,000. Fairly low for the age of the vehicle. I serious stored that truck in the garage many years. We're driving it more lately in the winter, but I was retiring that truck to my private use in a year anyway. I just don't want to loose that long term plan nor have to have a payment which I did not have prior to the accident. I definitely am being forced to a change in life not to my doing. Again, thank god everyone is ok and we can chalk up a lesson learned in here. Think agreed value or stated value insurance! |
