Hi everyone,
Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with this truck. Bought new parts, a few more tools and found a good mechanic if I couldnt fix it.
I was driving, open highway, country no traffic. I passed a scrap metal hauler. Something flew off his truck or up off the road, just saw something flying toward me, hit grill ( i think) hood flew up and bent over cab of truck. Scared me !!!
No one stopped just honked while I was standing on top
Pulling hood down with rope. It shattered my glass to the extent pieces came in the truck. There is also a baseball size dent in the top rim of the cab either from the hood bending bagk or from whatever hit it. My questions are:
1)The insurance will have to replace hood and hinges and I quess repaint to match.
2) I have read that there is a recall issue with the latches, but I dont think mine was bad. 98 dodge ram 1500 5.2 . The last time the hood was up
I put it down myself, remember doing it, and have driven it several times at this speed since.
3) this truck has 170,000 miles with needing hood, hinges, windsheild, dent in top of cab, and $900 ( $30 a day rental car) do you think they will total it?

I drove it slow on the side if the road to the rental place which is at the Chevy/Caddy dealer. I told ghe appraiser where I left it.
Now the funny part. Enterprise car rental ( whom I hate by now, they have very rude people working there) . I have rented a car from them many times. The last time it was a dark navy blue and my goat ( yes I have a pet goat) got out of her pen and bashed both sides of the cars doors.( she saw her reflection) When I rented the car there was no walk around becauae the kids working there had been so rude I called the regional manager and told him. He told them to have a car ready for me the minute I got there. While I was loading stuff in the trunk I noticed a ding in the truck and pointed it out to the girl. She stated they didnt worry about stuffime that, it was too small. When I brought it back damaged they also pinned that damage plus a bumper ding with red paint that I know I didnt do. Anyway insurance is still dealing with them and they claim car is totaled.
This time I took pictures of the seats inside because they are dirty and same girl said we dont worry about that. I said you worried about things before I didnt do she said " YOUR ANIMAL TOTALED OUR CAR". I hate dealing with them again but they were the only ones with a car available.
I think the truck is worth between 2-3 k. They also asked if I wanted check made to me or where it would be fixed. I said me. They also asked if I was planning on renewing my insurance as it is up for renewal in a week. They still havent settled the "goat" claimHi everyone,
Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with this truck. Bought new parts, a few more tools and found a good mechanic if I couldnt fix it.
I was driving, open highway, country no traffic. I passed a scrap metal hauler. Something flew off his truck or up off the road, just saw something flying toward me, hit grill ( i think) hood flew up and bent over cab of truck. Scared me !!!
No one stopped just honked while I was standing on top
Pulling hood down with rope. It shattered my glass to the extent pieces came in the truck. There is also a baseball size dent in the top rim of the cab either from the hood bending bagk or from whatever hit it. My questions are:
1)The insurance will have to replace hood and hinges and I quess repaint to match.
2) I have read that there is a recall issue with the latches, but I dont think mine was bad. 98 dodge ram 1500 5.2 . The last time the hood was up
I put it down myself, remember doing it, and have driven it several times at this speed since.
3) this truck has 170,000 miles with needing hood, hinges, windsheild, dent in top of cab, and $900 ( $30 a day rental car) do you think they will total it?

I drove it slow on the side if the road to the rental place which is at the Chevy/Caddy dealer. I told ghe appraiser where I left it.
Now the funny part. Enterprise car rental ( whom I hate by now, they have very rude people working there) . I have rented a car from them many times. The last time it was a dark navy blue and my goat ( yes I have a pet goat) got out of her pen and bashed both sides of the cars doors.( she saw her reflection) When I rented the car there was no walk around becauae the kids working there had been so rude I called the regional manager and told him. He told them to have a car ready for me the minute I got there. While I was loading stuff in the trunk I noticed a ding in the truck and pointed it out to the girl. She stated they didnt worry about stuffime that, it was too small. When I brought it back damaged they also pinned that damage plus a bumper ding with red paint that I know I didnt do. Anyway insurance is still dealing with them and they claim car is totaled.
This time I took pictures of the seats inside because they are dirty and same girl said we dont worry about that. I said you worried about things before I didnt do she said " YOUR ANIMAL TOTALED OUR CAR". I hate dealing with them again but they were the only ones with a car available.
I think the truck is worth between 2-3 k. They also asked if I wanted check made to me or where it would be fixed. I said me. They also asked if I was planning on renewing my insurance as it is up for renewal in a week. They still havent settled the "goat" claim. As I told them enterprise was claiming previouse damage. The rental car the goat damaged had 47k, a cracked window, and filthy seats. I told her that is my goat totalled their car with them gouging my Insurance they shouldnt be complaining. That car was ready to be auctioned anyway.
Thanks, Brenda

 

Sorry for double post!

 

Did you check NADA value? can you prove its value is greater than the cost of repairs? You might get a grand afyter the deductable. Just move on.

 

Yet another non-technical rambling post in the Technical section.

 

Thanks Gertie2000, I'll do that my desuctible is only $250.
Vwdodge- sorry my post didnt make your standard. The TECH part of my rambling post is in trying to figure out if my hood latch failed, if this is common.
If you dont like my post dont read it, and as I find your stick person bent over banner inappropriate, I will not look at it!
I have got a lot of help with my truck off this forum to the point where I have been collecting tools and gathering info so I can do my own work. Thanks to all that post on here.

 

If something is large enough, it can break or dislodge the hood latch. I have forgot to close my hood hard and noticed at 65mph that it was bobbing up and down, but it never came loose and flown up.

 

I've had a hood fly open on me, going 55, it wasn't any fun. Hood and hinges were ruined, luckily I didn't brake any glass.

I wouldn't think they'd total it, body shop got me a hood/hinges/paint&clear for $200.

 

You gotta admit the first post was long? On the other hand some are just to lazy to read anything longer than five or six words, so don't feel bad! Clowns don't just hang a the circus

 

you can usually negotiate some with an adjuster to move towards or away from a vehicle being totaled. if the repair costs exceed 80% of the book value, they will generally lean toward a total. otherwise they lean toward repair. if you want them to go the other way, just ask them what it would take to do that. i had a claim that was on the bubble once and other than some expensive body damage, it was a good car that i wanted to keep. having clear title and no bank lien, i signed a release that limited their repair cost to a certain amount (based on a couple of really high estimates) and i would have been liable for anything over that. i was confident that i could get it repair for half that amount, so i signed it, got it fixed cheap, and kept the difference.

did you get a repair estimate yet?

 

Keep those hood latches lubed boys... I kind of remember a service bulletin about sticking hood latches, from way back.

I know I notice mine get a little sticky, and need some lube every couple of years.