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Ford F-250 Totaled after rear-ending my Rebel

greatone99

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Insurance adjuster here. In CA diminished value is nearly impossible to get since the insurance company pays to fix your truck to pre loss condition. I don’t think that’s necessarily fair but we deny them all day long and have never lost.

As for parts, there will for sure be parts. Some may be on back order but rare. I just replaced the frame on another 19 ram. The frames have been redesigned this year to reduce weight and the way the hitch mounts it doesn’t take a big impact to slice the frame rails. Once there is a tear no legitimate shop will touch that.

It takes a lot to total a truck in CA since they are so expensive. If your truck was $55k and salvage is $20k not considering sales tax you’d have to write the sheet to $35k. Depending on your carrier they may make it a constructive total to not deal with the repair. But in CA it is insurer discretion so they can.

My advice:
-have the other parties insurance look at your truck and have yours come out too. Weigh which company’s value is better (if it’s a total).
-if you do want to swing for diminished value, it has to go through the other parties insurance. Most CA policies exclude first party finished value coverage.
-id be very surprised if the paint coating added any value but maybe a few bucks. Don’t bank in getting $2k tho.
-no one is going to bat an eye given those damages if you’re injured and get checked out. An attorney would love you. If you get one, you’ll see why our insurance premiums are so **** high.

Sorry it happened. Good luck





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not true no vehicle with that much damage will ever be as good as new , auto body shops can't paint as good as factory .and it will have an major accident history .and most insurance companies pay the bare min to get it fixed ,so shops cut corners or do a way less than perfect job .
 

greatone99

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not true no vehicle with that much damage will ever be as good as new , auto body shops can't paint as good as factory .and it will have an major accident history .and most insurance companies pay the bare min to get it fixed ,so shops cut corners or do a way less than perfect job .
ive just dealt with this exact same thing my 19 rebel was rear ended ,50 days later its still not pre accident condition . and good luck getting a rear cab quarter ,they r backordered 3-6 months
 

carbonhuntram

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not true no vehicle with that much damage will ever be as good as new , auto body shops can't paint as good as factory .and it will have an major accident history .and most insurance companies pay the bare min to get it fixed ,so shops cut corners or do a way less than perfect job .
The republic of California must have a regulation or law that supports the claim being denied. Ohio supports it.
 

Biga

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Plus that generation Superduty dates back to 20 years before our Rams came out... Not exactly an apples to apples comparison in safety and crash worthiness... Or value, totaling that truck is way easier than totaling anything from this decade.

To the op, glad you're ok, and I hope your truck situation goes well too! Sometimes a total is a blessing in disguise, but, on the other hand, we have a TON of technology nowadays that makes repairing vehicles back to factory spec pretty darn good.

It looks like the F250's bumper when under yours which put all the impact above his bumper.
 
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maddog49

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Don't they have to redo the ceramic coat and spacers to put it back to predamage condition?
 

SacRebel

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So a quick update and question.

Truck has been in the shop for over a week. They found a few thousand more in damage after they opened it up, which was expected and approved by Geico immediately.

The body shop has all the parts except the right read quarter-panel, which is back-ordered with no ETA.

Is there any time limit an insurer has to make the necessary repairs before calling it and totaling the car? My first choice is to get my truck back but I also can’t wait 2+ months for it either.
 

JJRamTX

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So a quick update and question.

Truck has been in the shop for over a week. They found a few thousand more in damage after they opened it up, which was expected and approved by Geico immediately.

The body shop has all the parts except the right read quarter-panel, which is back-ordered with no ETA.

Is there any time limit an insurer has to make the necessary repairs before calling it and totaling the car? My first choice is to get my truck back but I also can’t wait 2+ months for it either.

Was the frame bent? I would think with the new high strength steel it is more brittle and won't repair the same... I would also be hesitant to take it back and push for totaling it. Then order a new from the factory custom order...

I would also insist on a Ram Rebel Loaner in the meantime.
 

greatone99

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So a quick update and question.

Truck has been in the shop for over a week. They found a few thousand more in damage after they opened it up, which was expected and approved by Geico immediately.

The body shop has all the parts except the right read quarter-panel, which is back-ordered with no ETA.

Is there any time limit an insurer has to make the necessary repairs before calling it and totaling the car? My first choice is to get my truck back but I also can’t wait 2+ months for it either.
that was my same issue no right rear quarters , and no Tim e frame
 

MValdez

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Glad you're ok. I'd be sick to my stomach if this were to happen to me. with the inconvenience of time waiting for the final fix and insurance nuances. I wish for time to be on your side with the quickest turn-around rate possible. That being said I have been on the fence for about 3 weeks now deciding to invest in a dual channel dash cam and after reading this post just put me into high gear with making a decision on one asap. Anyone have any suggestions with which model to go with? Blackvue vs Thinkware?
 

1997pgt

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So a quick update and question.

Truck has been in the shop for over a week. They found a few thousand more in damage after they opened it up, which was expected and approved by Geico immediately.

The body shop has all the parts except the right read quarter-panel, which is back-ordered with no ETA.

Is there any time limit an insurer has to make the necessary repairs before calling it and totaling the car? My first choice is to get my truck back but I also can’t wait 2+ months for it either.

Not sure if you ever got your truck back but you can be reimbursed for your Ceramic Coating. I unfortunately had a kamikaze driver take out the front end of my truck back in March just over $12k in damage (thankfully nothing structural or mechanical other than headlights/grille shutters) but USAA reimbursed me $1890 for the coating that was on my truck, then went after her insurance company for reimbursement. My sister is an insurance adjuster for Geico and she said she reimburses for coatings all the time the thing you have to do is supply the receipt/invoice from when you got it done and then based on what sections of the truck got repainted/have to be re-ceramic'd it'd be a pro-rated reimbursement. You'll have to have the shop that initially did the coating to give you a new estimate/invoice showing the cost to recoat it and they will refund you. I also own a detail business and have had to supply invoices for customers cars that were repainted from accidents and subsequently had to be recoated and every insurance company I've dealt with so far (USAA, Geico, State Farm, and some other off the wall companies) have covered them. Also if you have receipts for your bed liner and all that they are all reimbursable as well. Best of luck!
 

SacRebel

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Not sure if you ever got your truck back but you can be reimbursed for your Ceramic Coating. I unfortunately had a kamikaze driver take out the front end of my truck back in March just over $12k in damage (thankfully nothing structural or mechanical other than headlights/grille shutters) but USAA reimbursed me $1890 for the coating that was on my truck, then went after her insurance company for reimbursement. My sister is an insurance adjuster for Geico and she said she reimburses for coatings all the time the thing you have to do is supply the receipt/invoice from when you got it done and then based on what sections of the truck got repainted/have to be re-ceramic'd it'd be a pro-rated reimbursement. You'll have to have the shop that initially did the coating to give you a new estimate/invoice showing the cost to recoat it and they will refund you. I also own a detail business and have had to supply invoices for customers cars that were repainted from accidents and subsequently had to be recoated and every insurance company I've dealt with so far (USAA, Geico, State Farm, and some other off the wall companies) have covered them. Also if you have receipts for your bed liner and all that they are all reimbursable as well. Best of luck!

Thanks for the info. I have yet to submit my receipt to Geico for the ceramic coating as I’m waiting to get my truck back first. Yes, it’s still in the shop..a month later and the repairs have hit around $14k. But I am optimistic I can get reimbursed for that expense.

As an auto detailer, how long should I wait to have the ceramic coating re-applied after paint? Obviously the rest of the truck with need paint prep too.

Also, did you file a diminished value claim with the other insurance company? I’ve spoken to several auto appraisal companies and they all predict I’d get $7-$9k. So I’ll be doing that too when the truck is done, which by the way will be another couple of weeks.
 

greatone99

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Thanks for the info. I have yet to submit my receipt to Geico for the ceramic coating as I’m waiting to get my truck back first. Yes, it’s still in the shop..a month later and the repairs have hit around $14k. But I am optimistic I can get reimbursed for that expense.

As an auto detailer, how long should I wait to have the ceramic coating re-applied after paint? Obviously the rest of the truck with need paint prep too.

Also, did you file a diminished value claim with the other insurance company? I’ve spoken to several auto appraisal companies and they all predict I’d get $7-$9k. So I’ll be doing that too when the truck is done, which by the way will be another couple of weeks.
u r gonna need to lawyer up to get diminished value
 

Rampat

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u r gonna need to lawyer up to get diminished value

I got mine using a lawyer. Never even met them, just sent in pictures and my Progressive estimate and they got me a fair amount in under 3 weeks. My accident was super minor, only required $2200 in damages and they got me $800 in my pocket after they took their cut.
 

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