What would you do?

Okay so here's the story. Me and my buddies were hanging out in the shop we were using my truck as a radio. We had my truck hooked up to a battery charger so the battery wouldn't die. Well one of my buddies thought the battery was dieing (it wasn't his phone was just to far away from the truck the Bluetooth was cutting out) well he went to start it (with out my permission I wasn't even in the room) the truck was in gear and he didn't push the clutch in the truck actually started and drove probably about 15 feet right into the back of a semi which was parked in the shop. I was totally beside my self I went and sat in the corner until I could get it together enough to check out the damage. Truck needs fender, core support, ac condenser, and a bumper. Along with the paint being screwed up on the edge of the door from coming in contact with the fender. So my buddy Is willing to make it right he got me everything so far except a sport bumper there pretty tough to come by in my area (south east minnesota) found a place that has them for 400 shipped to your door but I feel bad making him pay that much and then having to get it painted on top of that. Oh did I mention the bumper had been on there maybe two weeks I just did the swap from a chrome bumper and grille to the sport front end, all with fresh paint. Any how my other option is to get a street scene bumper cover that goes over the factory Chrome bumper but thoes run about 250 dollars so that would be cheaper and I almost feel like going that route to keep costs down for my buddy however I don't like thoes as much and I would rather just have a sport bumper. So my question is should I go the cheaper route to take it easy on my buddy or make him buy me a spendy sport bumper to make it back to the way it was. He pretty much wants me to figure out what a bumper is gonna cost and figure how much getting the bumper and fender painted is gonna cost then it's up to me to fix it myself which is fine I guess but I'd rather not have to fix it myself when it was perfectly fine before you can kinda tell he isn't really into spending 400 dollars on a bumper cover so that's why I'm torn on what I should do it would really nice to find a cheaper used bumper somewhere but we have had no luck. But anyways here are some before and after pictures sorry the after picture is blurry I was shaking when I took the picture and it is the only one I have of the damage. Let me know what you think

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If it was me, i'd make him get the sport bumper, in the long run $400 is nothing, but a bumper that you aren't happy with is going to last. You're over halfway there on the cover that you don't like anyway.

I'm sure your buddy didn't mean to wreck your truck, but actions have consequences. Starting a vehicle that isn't yours without knowing how it works is asking for trouble.

On an aside, you'll want to get that clutch safety switch fixed so something like this doesn't happen again, and/or put it in second from now on. The 4.05:1 reduction in 1st is great for hauling, but it also means the starter is plenty powerful enough to move the truck a great deal and even get the engine to fire.

Also, you're going to want to replace the bumper mounts as well, just the way its sitting, those look to be trash.


In the end, if you still want to be friends with him, don't go the cheap route, all it will do is make you unhappy with the end result, that will eventually lead to you being unhappy with him for doing that to your truck to begin with.

Make him fix it regardless of the cost. You didn't do the damage, he did.

Sucks for your friend but he caused the damage, he needs to get it fixed. Tell him to contact his insurance and see if they will let him make a claim. Depending on his deductible it might be a little cheaper for him.

First I would get in the habit of using the parking brake and leaving it in neutral. . .

As for what would I do, I would ask he help repair it to the same condition it was in before the incident, using identical parts. . . but I dont think I would be too demanding because presumably you were the one last driving and it was left in gear with no parking brake and a bad NSS, I would understand that accidents happen and when left in an unsafe condition with key safety components not properly functioning blame cant be solely placed on him.

But that's me, I value my friends more than a truck, and let them borrow it whenever they want. They also make things right even when I say dont worry about it. A friend biffed my 3 day old 2010 CRF250R which scuffed the clutch lever and tore the grip just a little, he wanted me to take it to the dealer to replace the clutch lever and grip on his dime, I laughed. . .

Using the parking brake also saved my Jeep from me a couple times when it had a bad NSS, and I knew it was bad.

Sorry to hear about that, lucky nobody was hurt.

I would first like to say that putting a battery charger on for just the radio is a waste of time. I use mine for music when not working on electrical items and that thing will go all day, with subs. End of the day I can fire it up like nothing ever happened. There's not a ton of draw.

Aside from that, I say get the bumper you want. You could make it easier on your buddy and just run it as is and paint later on your own dime or right away. You'll get what you want but don't have to feel as guilty

Max78 said:

First I would get in the habit of using the parking brake and leaving it in neutral. . .

As for what would I do, I would ask he help repair it to the same condition it was in before the incident, using identical parts. . . but I dont think I would be too demanding because presumably you were the one last driving and it was left in gear with no parking brake and a bad NSS, I would understand that accidents happen and when left in an unsafe condition with key safety components not properly functioning blame cant be solely placed on him.

But that's me, I value my friends more than a truck, and let them borrow it whenever they want. They also make things right even when I say dont worry about it. A friend biffed my 3 day old 2010 CRF250R which scuffed the clutch lever and tore the grip just a little, he wanted me to take it to the dealer to replace the clutch lever and grip on his dime, I laughed. . .

Using the parking brake also saved my Jeep from me a couple times when it had a bad NSS, and I knew it was bad.

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The only thing I disagree with is putting it in neutral and using the parking brake. Everything else is quite gracious of you.
The clutch safety switch being broken is a problem I agree.

The problem with using the parking brake on such old vehicles is that they are unreliable unless the cables have been replaced ($200+ dealer part) or they have no rot on the cable casing whatsoever and you can stomp it to the floor without problem. Also, replacing the rear shoes and a drum spring kit +some sandpaper, brake grease and elbow grease is required to make sure the parking brake doesn't decide to stick one day and leave you stranded without tools.

Also, leaving it in gear is common and safe practice (see the bit about the clutch safety switch), as in many cases can provide more 'braking power' than the parking brake, especially when the nv3500 has such a low first gear, it'd be like trying to push a train. There is no chance of having your brakes lock up on an older vehicle where the parking brake system may be rusty and prone to sticking.

I would much rather deal with a stuck parking brake than a smashed truck or potentially killing someone. You should keep all aspects of you braking system in absolute top shape and replace any parts that are of questionable condition, yes it can get expense, but the consequences as seen here can be even more expensive.

To not use your parking brake for fear of having to deal with vehicle maintenance is what leads to these types of incidents.

My truck is an auto and I smash that parking brake every time before I put it in park.

Max78 said:

I would much rather deal with a stuck parking brake than a smashed truck or potentially killing someone. You should keep all aspects of you braking system in absolute top shape and replace any parts that are of questionable condition, yes it can get expense, but the consequences as seen here can be even more expensive.

To not use your parking brake for fear of having to deal with vehicle maintenance is what leads to these types of incidents.

My truck is an auto and I smash that parking brake every time before I put it in park.

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I'm sure that you would also agree that the clutch safety switch is an important and possibly lifesaving device, yet that wasn't fixed either. There are ideals, then there is reality. Since the day I bought my truck 4-5 years ago my parking brake hasn't worked. Now I do have an auto, but I make sure my neutral safety switch works every now and again, once it was broken and since it was cheap and easy, I replaced it. If I was in his position, I would've fixed the clutch safety switch as soon as possible, since its so cheap and easy its stupid not to. You'd be surprised how many vehicle I see everyday that the parking brakes are completely trashed and the nonchalant attitude of the owners due to the cost of fixing it. But you tell them that $15 courtesy lamp/switch assembly for their glovebox is broken, they drop the cash no problem, obviously one is more important than the other, yet one rarely gets fixed.

How people operate aside, in the time i've owned my truck, it's never slipped out of park, and its never been in a situation where the parking brake would've been useful. Suppose my NSS was broken and I was dinking around with the steering column on a flat drive and got out to grab something and my buddy was worried about my battery dying and got in and started it. It would start, and begin to drive, would the $200+ parking brake cable have stopped that? Absolutely, but so would a $15 switch that takes a
1/10th of the time to fix. In the end, shame on my buddy for messing with something that he knows little about, and shame on me for not doing SOMETHING more to prevent it from happening.

In short, had his buddy not messed with something he knew little to nothing about, this never would've happened. Had OP fixed the clutch safety switch this never would've happened, the same goes for the parking brake. As much as I wish it was as simple as just fixing the expensive parking brake, but in this world it's not.

Thankfully no one was hurt, really, thats whats most important. Second most important, how can he prevent this from happening again? There are a few options, there's no arguing that. But mechanical devices fail, when they do, its up to ourselves as intelligent creatures to create plans to account for such failures. A good rule to make from here on would be NO ONE but the OP and people he specifically trains/trusts are allowed to start the engine or even touch the ignition. To be honest, with such a low first gear, the only thing the parking brakes are good for in these trucks is preventing exactly what happened here. In all other cases where the key is not being used to start the engine it will not start and will be twice as hard to move in first as just about any other manual out there, which I might add, is more than some parking brakes take to overcome.

I agree that the NSS should have been fixed, but a parking brake is more important in my opinion, first being that it keeps the vehicle under control when you or someone else first discover the NSS is bad. . . Mechanical devices do fail, so the more we use (NSS and parking brake) to insure deadly objects stay under control at all times the better in my book.

There isn't much to surprise me when it comes to sketchy vehicles driving on the road, I have seen both driver and passenger side ball joints fail simultaneously on a late 90's Ford Explorer while driving 35mph down the road, it was so bad for so long that the cords were starting to shred on the inner portion of the tire, still not sure how they held air. . .

I'm a strong advocate for ensuring proper parking brake operation and utilization. One reason is I go to mines and other places that its mandatory, the other is a faulty parking brake resulted in the death of my best friends mother who not only suffered a long agonizing death while her drunk husband was passed out on the bed and her children were the ones that found her after school . . . House was downhill to the driveway, auto in neutral, parking brake set, drug her through the gate and crushed her between the vehicle and house. She managed to get inside somehow and passed away on the couch shortly after.

Use it so you know it works, or fix it so you know it works because that one time you get in a rush and go to rely on it could bite you. A parking brake is just that added insurance for everyone's safety, not just yours.

But don't worry, all parking brakes are moving over to servo actuated, and I'm sure they wont be cheap to replace!!!!

Well its obvious that the truck isnt a pennsylvania vehicle. Both the emergency brake and NSS are part of the yearly inspection and must operate properly!
As for the repair to the truck now that its damage have you called your insurance company? I would turn it in and let them handle the repairs. Then your friend could pay your deductible and you get the truck put back just as it was. Your rates probably wont go up since it was not a moving collision.
I wish you the best of luck resolving this and I would also say that if this was a good friend you will find they are harder to find then any truck.
Rodney

This happened to me when I was first starting to work on trucks in shop class. Did a state inspection and walked over to the bench owner of the vehicle started the truck and pinned me between the shop bench and the front of the damn Toyota.
I can imagine your buddy feels pretty stupid and will be happy to pay to fix his stupid mistake. I would look into a nice welded steel bumper of making one myself.
But I have to give you credit for not flippin your lid man. Cant say I would have been so calm.

Max78 said:

I agree that the NSS should have been fixed, but a parking brake is more important in my opinion, first being that it keeps the vehicle under control when you or someone else first discover the NSS is bad. . . Mechanical devices do fail, so the more we use (NSS and parking brake) to insure deadly objects stay under control at all times the better in my book.

There isn't much to surprise me when it comes to sketchy vehicles driving on the road, I have seen both driver and passenger side ball joints fail simultaneously on a late 90's Ford Explorer while driving 35mph down the road, it was so bad for so long that the cords were starting to shred on the inner portion of the tire, still not sure how they held air. . .

I'm a strong advocate for ensuring proper parking brake operation and utilization. One reason is I go to mines and other places that its mandatory, the other is a faulty parking brake resulted in the death of my best friends mother who not only suffered a long agonizing death while her drunk husband was passed out on the bed and her children were the ones that found her after school . . . House was downhill to the driveway, auto in neutral, parking brake set, drug her through the gate and crushed her between the vehicle and house. She managed to get inside somehow and passed away on the couch shortly after.

Use it so you know it works, or fix it so you know it works because that one time you get in a rush and go to rely on it could bite you. A parking brake is just that added insurance for everyone's safety, not just yours.

But don't worry, all parking brakes are moving over to servo actuated, and I'm sure they wont be cheap to replace!!!!

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Sorry to hear about her, its a shame.

As for the new electric parking brakes, yeah they're expensive. Total cost for a complete replacement on an early 2000s Subaru outback is about $750 incl. labor last I did one at work. Take a newer Subaru with the electronic parking brake costs about $500 just for the actuator, plus another 3-5 hours labor depending on the model of Subaru. The good news is, supposedly they are more reliable.