"Minor" Collision but Frame is Damaged

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Yesterday I had a seemingly minor collision. Someone rear-ended me. See details in another thread:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/had-a-minor-collision-but-tss-saved-the-day.34957/

At first damages didn't look like a big deal Nonetheless, after closer inspection my damages may be considerable. The frame is either buckled or bent. I attach pictures of the most obvious sections with damage, but I am positive there are other sections with less visible damage. The hitch mount is bent downwards anywhere between 5° and 10°

It's hard to believe how a seemingly minor collision can cause so much damage, but considering how low the hitch mount sits, it's not that hard to imagine how a direct hit there can excert enormous force onto the frame due to leverage.

I haven't had this assessed by a shop yet, but it doesn't look like an easy/quick fix. Has anyone had experience with such damage to the frame? Can it be reliably fixed? At what point such structural damage can total the vehicle? My truck only has 4000 miles on it.
Your opinion will be greatly appreciated.

 

I think @csuviper might have some knowledge on this subject?

 

A while back another member on this forum had a truck with frame damage. I'm pretty sure that the consensus was that the frame can be straightened and fixed. Someone should be along soon with a better answer and maybe a link to that thread. Good luck.

 

it does not seem too bad but experts will chime in

 

That doesn't look too bad at all really. Should be an easy fix.

 

Doesn’t frame damage equal a salvaged title which will kill resale value? If you plan on keeping it forever I guess that doesn’t matter however...

 

This is a concern. Assuming it cab be fixed for 5-10k, can I be conpensated by the insurance company for the loss of market value of my almost brand new truck?

 

I’ll don’t know if it means a salvage title, but it will likely be significant enough to be recorded on the carfax, which will kill the trade in and likely resale.

I had my last Camry for 11 years. In the 10th year, a Ford F-150 didn’t look before pulling into traffic and t-boned me, right at the rear driver door and wheel well. The top of the wheel was bent inward over an inch. His insurance paid for everything, and my car was in a shop for weeks while I was in a paid-for rental.

I have no idea why his insurance paid- the bill well exceeded the value of the car, and it left a mark on the car fax, which dropped my likely trade in from $4000 to $1500.

Luckily, these Tundras are pretty desireable, so I believe you could keep the repair doc’s and explain the damage in the course of a private sale to an enthusiast who will lean toward wanting the truck despite the carfax.

No such luck with the Camry. That’s like trying to sell used underpants. Good car, just too damn many of them. Like a vanilla clone wars.

 

The more I think a about this, the angrier I get with that hitch receiver. It essentially works as powerful lever that will bend the frame if pushed hard from behind. My collision should have been a bumper replacement and call it a day. Bending the frame for such a minor hit is ludicrous.

Does anyone know of an aftermarket bumper that raises the hitch receiver?

 

@831Tun has an offroad bumper that relocates the hitch. I think it’s the Outlaw bumper. Evil Offroad has one also. Or you can have one custom fabbed.

 

yep and it's even worst if you have a hitch attached to it.

 

If the amount of the parts and labor is higher than the vehicle current value then insurance company writes it off as salvage. Otherwise, they fix it..

 

Damage looks similar to yours. So I suppose 5-6k in repairs sounds a good ballpark. It' going to be a pain the ass to deal with this matter (insurers, time off, etc)... But anyway, in the great scheme of things, I was lucky.
Did your truck turn out well after the repair?

 

The Westin Outlaw accomodates hitch relocation and they sell the hitch, seperatly of course. There's nothing like a custom fabbed hitch/bumer though. I especially like the one @Spolar had made.

 

I was rear ended as well a couple of weeks ago as well, pushed my hitch and bumper inwards. $5,800 worth of damage but thank goodness my frame was not bent according to the body shop. I'm waiting on the lady's insurance to issue me the diminished value claim check, my truck only has 5k miles on it. I'll be damned if I'm going to take a financial hit when its someone else's fault.

 

There is frame damage but it's far enough back away from the shock mount that they will likely be able to repair it without totaling. My frame damage was worse and would have required a new frame from Toyota, so totaled.

Dealing with the insurance company, getting them to pay for a rental for the entire duration the truck is in the shop, choosing a body shop, dealing with the body shop, and making sure they repair the vehicle to Toyotas standard (they have specifics on what parts of the frame can be cut welded or repaired), is all a huge pain in the ass.

If you want it done right and get reimbursed for inherent diminished value, you will have to do your homework. Honestly, you will not get all the info you need asking questions here.

Hate to say it, but the panic braking happened because you did not notice what was happening up ahead, that caused the car behind you (maybe they were too close, but I never see cars leave enough space to react to a panic brake situation) to hit you. Braking earlier at a slower rate might have had a different outcome. Just something to think about when out driving. For that reason I started leaving even more space to the car in front of me so I can slow nice and easy for the guy tailing me not paying attention.

 

Seattle has some crazy traffic... about 10 years ago I was driving an older work van in lane 3.
Traffic up ahead had come to a full stop.
the guy behind me plowed into the back of me at full speed.

Messed my body up something terrible.
Ever since I travel the slow lane leaving extra space & watch my mirror when traffic slows so I can grab the shoulder for an escape route if some jerk off is not paying attention.

slows my commute by approx. 5 minutes... but worth it to me.

 

I had my first gen Tundra rear ended by an Expedition and the frame was pushed so hard that it diamonded. The insurance company was willing to repair but the body shop said it will never drive the same. Ended up selling it.

Also, make sure if the other party is paying for the repairs, that you claim diminished value and have them cut you a check because it will hurt your resale value due to the accident as it is most likely reported....

 

You are absolutely right. I should have been more alert of the whole situation and start slowing down earlier. The car behind me could have possibly seen me doing so. Ultimately, the collision happened because I had TSS and the car behind me did not, not because I was a more attentive driver.

And yes, I am preparing myself for a mini battle with the other drivers insurer and the body shop.
Thanks a bunch man. I discovered this issue early on because of your tip.

 

Yep, forming this habit will decrease your chances of a bad outcome considerably in the long term (once I was shown the effect on actual probabilities... The change is stunning).
On top of that, gas mileage remains in check

 

Yes, this is a good point. The other driver was technically in fault, so II wil have to deal with his insurer (AAA). I am just trying to sort out what the best approach is to get this diminished value compensation. Should I get assistance from my own insurer (Geico), the body shop, a private appraiser?

 

OP: Be VERY CAREFUL the insurance adjustor does not just cut you a check and have you sign off- you will be shortchanged for sure!

Not to scare you, but a couple of years ago, I had this $900 check offered by the other party's adjustor when my wife's BMW X5 was rear ended by an older Toyota Sienna van.
Looked cosmetic at first (rear tailgate panel bent, bumper cover) from the exterior.
But when I took it to a certified BMW collision center, they said the force of impact travelled all the way to the front of the engine and damaged the twin turbos.
For this car, it was a unibody and a panel was also crushed which meant having to cut out a portion of the unibody, re-weld, and check on a laser alignment setup.

Look at the message thread that I started in 2015 and find out how a "$900" cosmetic damage turned out to cost $11,000 plus rental car for a month.
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=886100

Later, also found that medical injuries were sustained as a result (neck injuries) that costed over $8000 for treatments which the insurance company paid for.

So in summary, the entire cost of the rear ender which seemed superficial at the time costed $11,000 repairs + $8000 medical + $1000 car rental = $20,000 on a $63,000 MSRP vehicle.

As for diminished value would most like be calculated by either your insurance company or body shop or if you think you are not getting a fair settlement consult an accident attorney.

 

I suggest doing research outside of this forum. It doesn't sound like you have a grip on how the insurance will handle things, and how they should be handled.

 

It should scare someone. Dealing with a car accident with the other party's insurance is a huge pain in the ass and can end up costing you thousands on a $40,000 car if you don't handle it correctly.

My rear ended Tundra had an initial repair appraisal by the at fault insurance adjuster for $6000 (my bumper looked similar to OP). He bent over and saw the frame and said, yeah if I would you I would just have them straighten it. I found the best body shop in town and sort of interviewed the shop owner before settling on this one. After their assessment, it would be $30,000 in repairs so the truck was totaled. I actually got a check from the insurance company on my 9 month old Tundra for MORE than I paid brand new from the dealer. I was happy with that result.

My wife's lexus went through the same thing about a year later. I had it back at the same body shop and they did the repairs. Initially the insurance company wanted to give me $250 for diminished value after $13,000 in repairs on an $18,000 valued car (they should have totaled it but the initial assessment was only $11k). The actual diminished value is closer to $5000.

Point is, the insurance company doesn't just cut you a check. You have to be prepared to fight for it and you have to do it the right way without saying the wrong thing or making a wrong move.

 

I talked to a couple of body shops yesterday. I will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for an actual estimate, when the other party’s insurer adjuster sees my truck. But in their opinion the damage is important but not acute enough to justify totaling the vehicle. They said they have even replaced full frames many times.

To make sense out of this statement... The replacement value is around 43k right now (kbb). Apparently in Florida insurers are required to total the vehicle if repair cost passes 80%. It does seem that insurers tend to have lower thresholds and prefer to total before getting to the legal limit (potential cost overruns, future liability involved, repair complexity, etc). So for now, let’s assume 70%. I will need the estimate to get closer to 30k before I should start thinking about pushing for getting the truck totaled.

I will get other shops’ opinions because the 2 shops I talked to do seem bias towards the “we fix worse collisions every day of the week” approach. Also, I got a couple of private appraisers to help me with the diminished-value claim. They charge a fee in the $400 range, but it’s well worth it considering that my truck is virtually brand new, and probably a few grand are at stake.

Any opinions and recommended resources for my research will be greatly appreciated.