Car Question about frame damage

Friday I hit a deer in my Jimmy, and just got the estimate for repairs. To my surprise the shop is saying the adjuster wants to total the truck, and that the frame is bent.

I'm surprised because the damage to the truck wasn't that bad, the front grill and the right headlight were taken out, there was some denting to the front hood and right front side at the front, and the bumper cover had a 1 inch split in it. That's about it. Very minor to look at.

The truck is a 2000, with 95,000 miles on it, and it's in pristine, and I mean pristine condition which is why I bought it about 4 months ago.

On the outside, there is not so much as one door ding in the body, and the paint is as glossy was a brand new car.

The interior is the same, the dash, door panels, etc look brand new, the carpet has absolutely no wear, stains it also looks new.

On top of all this, a few days after I bought the truck the tranny went on it, and because it was still under the dealers warranty I got a new transmission

I say all of that to say I don't want to get rid of the truck


I drove the truck all weekend after the accident, and it drives fine, tracks fine, no shimmies, shakes, no pulling to one side or the other, which makes me surprised that the frame is bent, drove just as well after the accident as before it.

So here's the question.

Assuming they total the truck, what are the downsides of just taking the insurance money and fixing the headlight, hood, and other cosmetics and driving the truck as is while leaving the frame as is? And in the alternative, what are the costs/downsides of having the frame straightened?

[Da Klugs]

I'd get a quote on "fixing it" including the frame. Use that with the adjuster. They always take the easy path and if you give em a lil grief should be able to get what you want if there isn't too large a difference in the #'s. Totaling it is probably less $$$ than fixing it is why he is advocating doing so.

Threaten him by saying you will get your attorney involved.

[DMK]

... ummm a lot to consider.
Depending on where you are the insurance may 'brand' the ownership as salvage if they write it off. Something to consider if you want to buy it back.
From your description, the frame may have been bent when you bought it....
deer damage in my experience usually isn't enough to bend a frame, unless you have 'really' big deer...
I've straightened a dodge dakota frame and it worked out well, never had experience with a body shop doing it. I would definatley get a body shop to look at it to see what they think and give you an estimate on repairs.
Sounds like the ins just wants to write it off as the easy out.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

Threaten him by saying you will get your attorney involved.

My card in the hole,

[shaggy]

could be bent before the front suspension. that would be unnoticable if u were driving it but would show up when you went to fix it with panel alignment and such. if the front horn is bent and you can get the panels and bumper to line up then it should be good to go. i am not sure but some of the frames are now 'hydroformed' and cannot be straightened or repaired any more. tread carefully.

Originally Posted by shaggy

could be bent before the front suspension. that would be unnoticable if u were driving it but would show up when you went to fix it with panel alignment and such. if the front horn is bent and you can get the panels and bumper to line up then it should be good to go. i am not sure but some of the frames are now 'hydroformed' and cannot be straightened or repaired any more. tread carefully.

Good post, these are my exact cost.

[MTB996]

Definitely have it looked at by a good shop. You want to make sure the damage does not effect the structure of the vehicle if you are ever in another accident. Many times these minor issues will appear fine, but will significantly reduce the structural integrity of the car if another serious crash happens - that is why I would vote to have it totaled if the frame is bent.

Also, good point mentioned on the salvage title, may make it un-sellable in the future if you ever go down that road.

Good luck with whatever your decision.

[68TriShield]

Don't go with one estimate,get 2 or 3 and see what they come up with regarding the frame.

[mosesbotbol]

If insurance is going to salvage title the car, you may want to walk away unless the car is dirt cheap and you can pay cash for it.

Getting loan on a salvage title is hard and even harder to sell.

You should factor in what kind of "points" you'll get with an isurance pay-off if your state does that.

If you think the damage is not bad, maybe just fix it out of pocket may be cheapest and avoid the salvage title. Fix and sell....

[Martin]

Take their $ n drive it till it dies

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

If insurance is going to salvage title the car, you may want to walk away unless the car is dirt cheap and you can pay cash for it.

Getting loan on a salvage title is hard and even harder to sell.

You should factor in what kind of "points" you'll get with an isurance pay-off if your state does that.

If you think the damage is not bad, maybe just fix it out of pocket may be cheapest and avoid the salvage title. Fix and sell....

+1 on making it harder to sell. I have a 2002 Chevy Z-71 big tires and all. Figure it would sell pretty quick in bama... not so much. The salvage title makes it difficult. But I've decided this is my truck and I shall drive it til it dies or someone comes up and says "how much do you want" I'd see how much they'll give you.

Originally Posted by Martin

Take their $ n drive it till it dies

That's my thought.

Heard from the adjuster today. Bad news is yup, they consider it to be a total loss.

Good news is, they value it at $1,000.00 more than I paid for it.

The adjuster is supposed to call me tomorrow with what they consider the salvage value to be.

Other good news is a friend has a friend who has a body shop. Her friend tends to ask questions like......."Are you paying cash??"

I'm going with her to his shop tomorrow, so I'll be crunching some numbers. May wind up with the repairs being made and money in my pocket to boot

[Sancho]

It sounds minor Vic, even if the frame is tweaked out most of the front end panels adjust a good deal to account for manufacturing differences (I pulled a 5/8" gap out of one of my vehicles after buying it on a salvage title fwiw). Im guessing you'll have a truck that'll last you a good long time when your done fixing her up