I believe most of us have already come to that determination

 

well, with only 4000 miles, its probably not going to total, its not really THAT bad, unless the tranny is hurt. the frame can probably be fixed and im sure its possible to find a used bed somewhere..

 

I worked as a claims adjuster or manager for over 32 years and I assure you, it's not just up to the adjuster. The claim is subject to review by his or her manager, his manager's manager, his manager's manager's manager, the auditors, home office reviewers and even the state insurance department. The micromanagement has made the job much less enjoyable (?) that it was back in the good old days and it made me glad I had saved up so I could retire at 55. I haven't regretted retirement for a second.

Also, a properly repaired frame does not hurt the truck at all. Keep in mind that substantial damage may show up on a CARFAX report. You could claim diminishment of value on an accident where you are not at fault but you normally can't if your driver caused it.

 

Insurance is funny you never really know what they will do. My dad had 6500 damage to his Taurus, insurance wrote it off, then paid him 7200 salvage! It would have cost less to fix the car.

Your truck is still breaking in, they may suprise you and fix it.

 

I have heard of the dealer basically rebuilding the whole truck. In my case they told me it would be 4,000 to fix it then i showed them other stuff and they said 8,000. The final was 15,500 and at the time I only owed like 17,000 but my lawter said alot of it had to do with the gap protection like insurance paying X and ford paying Y. But who knows I still blame the body shop for a bad estimate. My frame was bent as well.

Good luck with your situation though. On the plus side I complained enough and the dealer got tired of me and gave me a hell of a way out. ;]

 

Im the guy who t-boned the Toyota, i wanted my insurance to total my truck but they would not even consider it.
They installed a new frame (shipped from Detroit) as well as all the components on the front end. Bill to fix was 12k.
It looks like you have more undercarrige damage though, especially in the rear end.
I am happy to report that the shop that worked on mine did an excellent job, now that all the new components have "settled", its no different than it was before the accident. At least that i can tell.
By the way, i was told i would have had a better chance (of totalling the truck) if my air bag deployed. Needless to say it did not.
Good luck

 

If you have the option, push for a rental car for the entire period of the repair. Adding the cost of the rental to the repair may help push the decision to total it.

Another option, which works sometimes, especially if the dealer has a body shop, is to trade the truck in and let their body shop fix it. You will take a bit of hit due to them discounting the truck out the couple of months until it is lot ready, but it may be worthwhile from the hassle stand point.

 

I think general rule of thumb is if the damages total more than 70% of total vehicle value then the vehicle is a total loss. Last summer we had a lady buy a F150 screw FX4 and she ran it through a ditch and hit a culvert doing around 40mph in the first week she had it. The truck took a new frame, front diff, axles, front suspension, hood, fenders, bumpers, grille, and so on. The total bill if I remember correctly was around $15,000.00. Its going to take a lot of damage to total a brand new vehicle.

 

Since I'm living in Hawaii hopefully they will factor the increase in cost for them to ship out parts and the delay in getting it fixed(everything here is slower and more expensive).

 

My air bags deployed and it didn't matter (i was going 5 and they were going 75). You might get lucky since the shipping out there would be so high.

 

The verdict is in. My truck is not getting totaled. I went down kicking and screaming but the apraiser and adjuster would not budge. I know getting in an accident will void your warranty but as long as I take it to a usaa approved shop they will warrant the work done for the life of the vehicle. Does this mean I can get a refund on my extended service plan?

 

The accident wont void your warranty. Accident damage is NOT covered by the extended warranty but if it is repaired at an authorized facility then the repaired items (suspension etc) will still be covered under the plan...don't cancel it!

 

I hope they total it for you. One of my customers just totaled his 04. Hit a 91 F-250 head on at highway speeds. The new truck did its job in that wreck man. The whole front was caved to the cab, motor dropped underneath. The only injury to the driver was soreness from the seatbelt, and his right hand was full of glass. The airbag deployed and threw his right arm straight up and into the glass near the roof. The crash technology in these trucks is just incredible. The Ford is the best designed truck in a lot of ways, and especially in the event of a head on collision.

I feel for you, been in post crash insurance hell myself before.

Good luck Brother!

 

It always depends on the situation but I hope they total it.

My moms Expedition was wrecked. $9000 worth of damages and they didn't even total it. DeLand Ford repaired it and did a HORRIBLE job. The new hood has paint drips on the bottom. It took about a week of complaining for them to remove all the stains on the seats, steering wheel, and headliner. They had stains on the rear cargo area too. There was no damage back there so why were they even back there. They probally used it as a spot to have lunch. If anyone has a 2004-2005 Expedition please email me cause I actually have a question to ask you.

 

The accident doesn't void you warranty at all. Don't fall for the "take it to the insurance approved shop". Take it to a good body shop. The insurance company approved shop simply means that the shop has made a deal with the body shop to repair your vehicle the way the insurance company dictates and in return, the insurance steers the work to the body shop. The "warranty" is to get you to go there even though they may or may not be the best shop to do the repair work. A good reputable body shop will take care of any problems that arises from their work without question. A good independent shop relies on their reputation for business and many of the insurance appproved shops rely on the insurance companies feeding them. Which do you think would be more concerned with your satisfaction?