Just got rear-ended. How bad is this damage?
- Thread starter Tigerman
- Start date
Thank you Boinked!
I actually have a very good family lawyer whose firm works these things, so I already called him up, went and filed all the paperwork. They will do the negotiating with the insurance company. I also found a body shop that has done really good work for a family friend exactly on the frame. They have a computerized system that checks the frame for straightness.
One unfortunate thing is that because it is a 1998 (regardless that it has only 140K miles and is nearly perfect), its value is not very high! The compatibles my lawyer's staff quickly ran, come out between 6k to 11k. The repair costs might be higher than what her insurance company will want to pay and they might total my poor Jeep. According to my lawyer, there is a high probability based on similarly damaged vehicles of low value he has done before.
(((((((
Well, If I actually saw her texting perhaps I would not be as nice, but innocent until proven guilty
I only assumed, because it made sense. She really was not paying attention. 18 year old, running late to class in the morning (texting her girlfriends).
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you never had an eighteen year old daughter...
Number one.... go to a body shop or 2 !
Really looks minor but it all adds up. BEFORE you make a claim, be sure it is not a write off. What you or I think yer '98? is worth is irrelevant. Once yer insurer says shes a goner.....
You might want to settle for cash with the teenagers parents.
But yes, I agree with Chris. It does look minor. My bet, half the readers on here have done worse on trails. And my tailgate has that warp from just slamming it shut with a big tire mounted.
Really looks minor but it all adds up. BEFORE you make a claim, be sure it is not a write off. What you or I think yer '98? is worth is irrelevant. Once yer insurer says shes a goner.....
You might want to settle for cash with the teenagers parents.
But yes, I agree with Chris. It does look minor. My bet, half the readers on here have done worse on trails. And my tailgate has that warp from just slamming it shut with a big tire mounted.
hows yer neck? that will often give an indication of the severity of the damage.
And I'd suggest once it is fixed, get an agreed value from yer insurer. Book value might be $3K.... but those pictures say $13K.
And I'd suggest once it is fixed, get an agreed value from yer insurer. Book value might be $3K.... but those pictures say $13K.
I wonder if the noise you're hearing is the gas tank skid rubbing up against the track bar. If I recall correctly, that's a minimal clearance area, as it is. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. If you were hit hard enough to push the skid forward at all (a bend or kink in it), and it was making any kind of contact with the track bar, then any suspension movement that could create a control arm noise would also be the same suspension movement that could create the track bar and gas tank skid making contact, and thusly, a noise (compression and relaxing of the suspension). You might check to see if there is any evidence of rubbing/interference in that area. Anyways, it's a thought.
tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
While it is relatively minor damage, the cost to repair it may exceed the Blue Book value given how nice your Jeep is, condition wise. Having spent a considerable amount of time repairing mine from salt damage, and now understanding better how these are built, here are a couple things I see.
Tailgate / bumper are relatively easy fixes. Make sure the rear cross sill of the bed is not bowed in. It has the rubber bumper on it that the tire rests against. Hard to tell from the pic if the force pushed it it. That is pretty major if it cannot be straightened and needs to be replaced. The tailgate ties the rear corners together so by being pushed in, it could draw the corners in slightly. Look at the bolts holding the rollbar feet to the rear wheel wells. See if they show signs of having shifted. The gas tank skid bolts to the lower part of the frame cross member. Make sure it didn't shift the tank ahead enough to contact other parts, i.e. track bar.
Tailgate / bumper are relatively easy fixes. Make sure the rear cross sill of the bed is not bowed in. It has the rubber bumper on it that the tire rests against. Hard to tell from the pic if the force pushed it it. That is pretty major if it cannot be straightened and needs to be replaced. The tailgate ties the rear corners together so by being pushed in, it could draw the corners in slightly. Look at the bolts holding the rollbar feet to the rear wheel wells. See if they show signs of having shifted. The gas tank skid bolts to the lower part of the frame cross member. Make sure it didn't shift the tank ahead enough to contact other parts, i.e. track bar.
My neck felt OK at first but actually it got stiffer and stiffer and shoulders and lower back as well, and now I can barely move my head side to side, hence my doc sent me to an MRI and chiropractor. I have pain lifting a weight with my left hand, luckily just a strain on the muscle and not a ligament torn. Overall I am good, I am sure it will be fine after the chiro...
I will check this tomorrow when I visit the body shop. I had it picked up by the shop's tow truck last night. You see the lawyer is taking care of all of this for me. He happens to work for my brother in law's firm, so I trust him. He calls the insurance and he schedules the evaluation and all the details.
Side note: I know some of you may not trust family members, but I do. It seems if you expect the best out of people and they feel it, they make an effort to deliver.
TheGanzman
TJ Enthusiast
Can you guys believe the insurance company called the body shop and wanted to send a tow truck and tow it away without looking at it, as in total loss!!????. I am so mad! We pushed back, of course, the shop stated they did not think it to be a total and required their adjuster to show up and take a look.
I also instructed the shop not to allow the vehicle be moved by anyone for any reason, even in the worst case scenario. They will have to pick it up from me directly.
I am going to make them fix it, damn it! It is not that badly damaged, wtf... I am going to keep it no matter what, even if I have to find a clean title goner and swap everything over...mad mad mad, lol.
I also instructed the shop not to allow the vehicle be moved by anyone for any reason, even in the worst case scenario. They will have to pick it up from me directly.
I am going to make them fix it, damn it! It is not that badly damaged, wtf... I am going to keep it no matter what, even if I have to find a clean title goner and swap everything over...mad mad mad, lol.
You can fight that. I had a teacher whose son wrecked both sides of his '68 El Camino (put it in a ditch, then crossed over and put the other side in a ditch, as well). Insurance company tried to total it, and he fought like hell to prevent it. He won! I also had a car that was "totaled". I fought that, and won. You got this. Stand up for your TJ! :thumbsup:
The good news is the frame is not twisted and is not bent. It is just the rear cross member and the gate. I added up the replacement parts (brand new to $300). Are they nuts? There is nothing to do there. I can re-weld the freaking cross member in a heart beat and change the bumper out and the gate and all will be done in one day, +1 to allow the paint to dry.
"All I wanna say is that, they don't really care about us!"
Ever figure out the noise you were experiencing? You had said it almost sounded like a control arm noise.
I did, it was not the track bar against the tank skid. It was the rear sway bar link. I probably started paying attention to it after the accident.
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