Repair or Total Loss?

Do I repair or Replace?

  • Repair

    Votes: 2 10.5%
  • Replace

    Votes: 17 89.5%

  • Total voters
    19
  • Poll closed .

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Jeepwalker

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Well that's good information. (lifter change/rebuild). Kind of changes the equation.

Oh yeah, I can see that side-hustle situation that could develope. Ask for a 2nd and/or 3rd shop to give an assessment.
 
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knightjp

knightjp

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Well that's good information. (lifter change/rebuild). Kind of changes the equation.

Oh yeah, I can see that side-hustle situation that could develope. Ask for a 2nd and/or 3rd shop to give an assessment.
That was why I took my mechanic to the place where the assessment was being done and had him look at it for a second opinion. The general consensus is to let it go even though this might be an easy fix. The thinking behind it is that there maybe some other issues that might manifest later on or if I do decide to sell later, there is no way that I will get the market value for the vehicle. I will be relegated to scrap value; assuming I ever decide to sell it at all.

My friends are saying that I should go for option 3 and sell it after the repair work is done.
 
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srwa

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Have an 01 2500 6 speed diesel, bought new, About 5 years ago"someone" sneaked up in the middle of the night and disabled the clutch switch to the starter. That means it could be started without depressing the clutch.

So, the vehicle was just outside the garage and I was standing outside the vehicle's drivers door. Thinking it was in neutral I started the beast.

It idles at 750 rpm, consequently, it ran thru my garage doing about 15k damage. Totaled the truck, damage was around $6800.

Ins. Co., Liberty Mutual, said if repairs exceeded 3/4 of the value they totaled.

Bought the truck back from the Ins. co. for about $1500, they deduked that from the body shop estimate and sent me a check.

Damages was hood, windshield, grill, driver's front fender, driver's side mirror, and some stripping. Fixed it myself for around $2k, got a salvage title from the state of Texas, got liability back from Liberty Mutual for the same price as if it had never been wreaked.

Oh, BTW, "someone", in the middle of the night, came up and reattached the clutch connection, so, one has to depress the clutch in order to start the beast.
 

Burla

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Now my wheels are turning, get damage 75% value of my truck, let them total it, take the check, buy it back, hillbilly weld back together, now I don't need full coverage, take all the money out of my truck, and still have my truck, rattle can some camo paint job on it, everyone will be afraid to park next to me, sounds like winners all the way around? HMMM
 

Gary Fields

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I've worked for a few years doing auto claims. I see this is a 2014 model- 8 years old. My first inclination is to total it out. You need a frame, at that age usually cheaper to get a used frame and transfer parts. Still is too much labor. Generally if something is close you need to do a tear down to see what else is behind what you can see. The way cars are built and utilize every space leaves lots of items to get damaged. This year truck has an upped rail that is easily damaged. To replace you have to remove dash and windshield. Also steering rack is easily damaged. If it we my truck I would total it. These are not cosmetic items.
 

Dusty

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My 2014 suffered paint damage from someone trying to transport gravel on a snowmobile trailer. The hood and front fenders had to be repainted and the windshield and grill needed to be replaced. My insurance covered it, no problem. But when I traded it for my 2019 I took a serious resale hit because the damaged was recorded as an accident, which showed up on the vehicle history report.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 059502 miles.
 

GTyankee

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You live in an area where good American vehicles can be scarce

I would lean towards having the insurance company get it repaired

Once it is repaired, you can then decide whether you still like it enough to keep.
I'm sure that someone would buy it, if you should decide to sell it

Getting new parts is always hit or miss on availability over there, or so i have read

Once the damaged parts are off your truck, it will look like this, but without a left front tire & fender

EXkx06.jpg
 

aeromax4

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I went through this in April. Guy ran a light and struck the left front of the truck bumper and pushed it about 6" to the right. Body shop stated that the bumper supports were twisted passed the weld and they were sure the insurance company would declare a total loss. After several weeks, it was declared a total loss. Insurance told me they would sell it to a salvage company to recoup some of the cost. jump ahead 5 months, I ran the Vin number on google and found the truck with no front end sitting on a auction lot. next search shows it sitting on a car lot in Arizona for sale with a branded title but stating never been in a accident. Even left the Harley sticker on the back window
 
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knightjp

knightjp

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Just an update for you guys.

I chose to take the insurance settlement and then replace the vehicle. The plan is that I take the insurance money and use that to purchase the vehicle. I want it to be another 2014 Ram 1500 with MDS and the 8 Speed box.
I don't really want to go in for another finance. I just want to use the insurance money, buy a used vehicle with and hopefully get back to what I had with my old truck.

Honestly, looking online and checking the used car lots, it isn't an easy search to find one within the budget.
There were quite a few GM trucks and 2013 Ford F150s (V8 models); but not many Rams. Tundras over here have the Toyota tax; just way too expensive for what they are, even with higher mileage.

Honestly, while the GM trucks seem to have better reputation for reliability, they have issues with their cylinder deactivation on their engines. Doesn't work as well as MDS; and the ones I am looking at only have 6 speed boxes which means that fuel economy will be more. The cabins have really cheap feeling plastic and somehow when I sit in a GM truck, I feel that they don't have as much visibility as others. I feel like I'm sitting in a large sedan. I guess anyone who has owned one will be able to explain why that is so, but I don't feel that is good for offroading.

Ford.. I would have to go in for the 2013 models which literally don't have any infotainment at all and the interior plastics are just as bad as the GM trucks. I could remedy the infotainment with one of those Android units, however we all know those aren't really the best; although my friend has one on his Nissan and it works brilliantly. There were a couple of 1st Gen Raptors and my brother suggesting I go in for something different and get one of those. The sound of those engines are awesome, but frankly, that is all the Raptor has going for it. I spend most of the time on the road rather than off it. Secondly, I would like my truck to be an all rounder like my Ram was. My brother used it to move house twice. A friend borrowed it to do the same. Its good for everything. The Raptor would not have been able to do that.

Toyota Tundras are great, but the internet is just too full of condescending Tundra owners filling every single Youtube video and forum about its reliability and how much it is better than the Ram 1500. Add the fact that the interior is incredibly dated for the year, its really thirsty on fuel and the infotainment is horrible.

I need to get another RAM. It just has the best of everything.
 
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knightjp

knightjp

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Just to give everyone an update.
Myself and a friend searched the web and used car lots for the right vehicle.
We looked at all sorts trucks and even 90s Ram van.
GM trucks, Fords and Tundras didn't really appeal to me. Then finally we found it.
A link popped up and we immediate went to have a look. We took the mechanic along as well to assess the vehicle properly and you're looking at the proud over of a 2014 Ram SLT. Just like the one I lost.
It was at a used car lot. The previous owner had traded it in for a TRX.
This truck also came with a Mopar intake and a Borla Exhaust which is also a plus.
 

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stormcom

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Generally, over here in Dubai, if there is any damage on the chassis of the vehicle, most of the time, they would deem it a total loss unless I (the insured) insist on the repair and will be prepared the take on the repaired vehicle with the understanding that there may be issues in terms of the renewing the vehicle's registration later on, etc.
Over here in Dubai, we have to send our vehicles for testing every year and renew the registration and insurance cover at the same time as well.



Then why do they buy a percentage of wrecks at copart to ship to Dubai with salvage titles? Just curious.
 

Treburkulosis

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Congrats on the new truck!
 
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knightjp

knightjp

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Generally, over here in Dubai, if there is any damage on the chassis of the vehicle, most of the time, they would deem it a total loss unless I (the insured) insist on the repair and will be prepared the take on the repaired vehicle with the understanding that there may be issues in terms of the renewing the vehicle's registration later on, etc.
Over here in Dubai, we have to send our vehicles for testing every year and renew the registration and insurance cover at the same time as well.



Then why do they buy a percentage of wrecks at copart to ship to Dubai with salvage titles? Just curious.
Glad to see someone else from Dubai over here. We consulted someone in the RTA over whether the damage on the chassis would be a problem if we chose the repair route. He said that it would not be too much of an issue. The vehicle would pass the yearly inspections. However he advised the better option would be to let the truck go if I was getting a decent sum from the insurance that I could put towards another vehicle. That is what I did. He said that if I held on to the truck, come time to sell the vehicle later on, it would be valued considerably less as the damage would be noticeable.
Another point was the unknown amount it would cost to right the truck in terms of parts.

With the way that my insurance company works, even if I insisted on the repair route, the Insurance company would first deem the vehicle a loss.. pay me out.. then put the wreck up for auction; which is when I would have a chance to bid for the wreck.. buy it using the money I got from the insurance, then with the rest, pay for the repairs.. This was the option that was given to me.
Honestly with all of that in mind, it seemed more trouble than its worth. Might as well get a cleaner truck. So as much as it hurt, I had to let it go.
I'm glad that I got one that was exactly like the one I lost. So in the end, I didn't lose anything really.

So far, I've done a complete fluid change on the truck, engine oil (Redline 5W30), transmission oil, diffs , transfer case. Its running smooth and much better than when I got it.
 
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