Wednesday I was riding home from work. I usually take the train but it was 14`degree's below zero wind chill so I took the Ram. I was going southbound about 30mph when a taxi going about 30mph went through a stop sign. He hit me broadside just in front of the rear wheel on the drivers side and spun me around where I was now pointing eastbound. The truck took a big hit. The axle and all the suspension is shot. The tire blew out and the fender folded under. The dash now has this big hole. Anyway the damage is $5,437 and they want to total it. I have a 8 foot long bed, the previous owner told me he ordered it special. I see prices are $8,000 to $9,999 so why would they want to total my truck. I auto-body guy said from the 5,437 ..... 2,500 is to replace the dash. So WTF ???
Has anyone dealt with the Ins Co. and got them to change their total total adidtude

 

ummmmmmmm.... this is 3rd gen dakota

 

Most ins companies base their decision on wholesale value. Your truck is not anywhere near 8k-9k wholesale. You might be able to buy the truck back from the insurance company and fix it up yourself but depending on the damage it's probably not a smart idea.

 

if its that close they usually write it off, because they also factor in the cost of the salvage. There could also be more damage discovered if it were stripped down ( such as structural damage). So it would be regarded as a border line total loss. All they have to do is basically provide you with with a vehicle in similar condition and shape( which they get at wholesale), but if you can prove to them that the value is much higher than the repairs then they more than likely wont write it off. i went through a similar situation when i got rear ended and pushed up on the curb and broke the front diff and half-shaft. but i was able to prove that i had money invested it in via receipts and that put the value of my truck at more than the price it was originally appraised at.

 

Oh wrong board, my wife has a Dakota 2006 I come here when I need info on her truck. Yea mine is the 2nd gen Ram 1500 sorry for posting here.

 

No need to jump on the guy. He's just asking a question. A mod would move it if they saw fit. Just lost his truck, we are all truck guys afterall.

 

No worries. Your question wasn't Ram specific and we could all use the info you get here in this thread. Most of us are insured.. right?

 

No worries, moved to G2 Ram.

 

whenever the repair estimate exceeds 80% of the nada book value, the insurance company will total it out. as said, they do this for 2 reasons, one is risk of hidden damage that can escalate the repair cost, and the other is the junkyard value of the truck is factored in.

you can negotiate this with the adjuster. they have some leeway to satisfy the customer, meaning they can total one out that doesn't quite qualify, or not total one that should.

i once signed a liability limit in a settlement that capped the insurance company's repair cost to the written estimate. i would have been responsible for hidden damage. i did so because i had clear title, and i was very confident that a friend could repair it for far less than the estimate, and i wanted to keep the vehicle, so i took the risk.

do you hold clear title, or have you got a loan on it.
if you have a loan, then the bank is half owner, and they'll want the payoff.
if you own it, consider getting additional repair estimates. if you use junkyard parts you might get the cost down.

otherwise, just let it go and buy a replacement.

 

Had the same problem with my truck, I would price out trucks in your area and see what there going for, also ask the insurance company what they value your truck at, when they wanted to total my truck they said it was worth($1700 now that was some bs) usually they will low ball the worth of the truck, take the adds you found for similar trucks and use that to help raise there estimated value of your truck to a fair price.

If its close to being enough you can work through and possibly get them to cover it and fix it, I never messed with this since I was able to make a settlement with the insurance company of the guy that ran into my truck, taking the settlement ment that I wasnt allowed to sue them or the driver and that I would take care of fixing the truck with what they gave me. I bought aftermarket parts and did all the work myself for a 1/2 the price and was able to get the whole truck painted when it was all said and done.