NoQuarter#121

Need some advice.

My son was T-boned today and my 2012 JKU Rubicon has been totaled.
Everyone involved is OK thank god.
It appears that the other driver is insured, at least he had proof today.
I was at the scene 5 minutes after the accident, local sheriffs responded, everything appears to be documented and official.

It was his fault, witnesses gave a report to the responding officers.
Soo, I assume my insurance will be dealing with his insurance.

great… I trust insurance companies…

The rig rolled 3-1/2 times.
It’s a mess.

Anyone have experience dealing with insurance in a case like this?

My JKU has a lot of expensive aftermarket performance parts installed,
Some installed by me, some by local shops.

I’m not really interested in taking the time to re install everything,
The weather is getting good and I want a rig ready to go asap.

Am I gonna have trouble getting reimbursed for the parts and labor?

Also, I think I will change some stuff on the build.
So how do I go about getting fair compensation for my goodies while changing the model of the base rig and the parts different manufactures?

I had a AEV 4.5 dual sport, I think I want to go to a long arm system. (not sure which one)
I had a rubicon with sleeved/gusseted front with dyna trac ball joints, synergy tie rods and tere flex track bars.
Thinking about getting a standard sport JKU and putting aftermarket 60's, 40" tires, ARB lockers and bead locks.

Stuff like that.

I just am not sure how its gonna go getting paid for the bloody knuckles and all the aftermarjket stuff on my jeep.

Anyone have experience and suggestions?


Thanks in advance.

#121

NoQuarter#121

I guess I wasn't clear, it was the other drivers fault, witnesses gave a report, he was ticketed for failure to yield.

Pretty clear cut, my son was driving through an intersection and the other diver was at a stop sign and pulled out, ran into the side of my jeep and sent my son rolling down the road.

DJ1

I would start pulling any modified parts that are still good and can be pulled from the totaled JK and replace them with stock parts (new/old or used). In this case you can swap them over to the new JK assuming you will be getting another JK OR you can sell the parts to help on what you'll be losing on the labor/lost time for installing those parts.


If you did any work/labor yourself on the totaled rig, unfortunately I think you can kiss a good chunk of that lost time/$ goodbye.


I think your best bet might be to take the check that the insurance company gives you and see if you can buy a used rig that's in great condition and has the mods already done. Lately, I've been seeing some good "fire" sales and good deals on modded rigs.


My 2 cents...



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nthinuf

Depends on the specific insurance companies involved, the coverage on the at-fault drivers policy (or both policies if his doesn't cover it all), whether you have receipts ~and possibly~ whether you can prove the parts were actually installed. (we all like taking pics of our jeeps, so that one shouldn't be a problem), how tough the other company wants to play it. etc, etc.

Get all the receipts and paperwork to your agent so they can be proactive with informing the other company. And then cross your fingers.

DJ1

You can also get reimbursed for things like "pain + suffering", mental anguish, inconvenience matters for example if you or your son have had to miss a few days from work. Also don't forget about any possible medical bills, trips to the chiropractor to get your son's back worked on, etc.


Good luck. I just went through something similar but our JK wasn't totaled so different outcome but good enough on our end that insurance pretty much covered ~ 85% towards the purchase of new front/rear Dynatrac axles.



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NoQuarter#121

I asked the tow truck driver at the scene and he said I would be unable to "un bolt anything from the truck". Its now in a wrecking yard. I was not interested in forcing the issue. My son and his girlfriend were OK, the other driver was OK. The important things. The mechanical and legal crap will sort itself out. Hopefully at someone elses expense without too much effort or wasted time.

Im probably gonna sick Lazlo on BOTH insurance companies.
Its pretty unlikely I will get screwed over...
Lazlo has crazy eyes and his dad was a well known superior court judge around here.

I appreciate the suggestions.
Please keep them coming.

Smudgeontheglass

Since it isn't a flood or burn damaged vehicle, your insurance should give you the option to buy back the rig. That is when you can recover the aftermarket parts. Unfortunately they do not play into the black book value the replacement cheque will be based on unless you have specific insurance for the extras. Once you strip the parts off you can sell what is left for scrap or a wrecker depending on what damage there is from the rollovers.

WhiteKnight115

I agree with what was said so far. Reach out to your insurance agency and find out if they are going to work for you or not. Some do some don’t. If so give them “copies” of all the receipts you have along with pictures. Keep track of mileage, time off work, doc visits etc and turn that in. The other persons insurance is going to contact you another reason to find out if your insurance is going to do all the work. They will want to settle right away. Don’t sign anything or cash any checks until you satisfied with the result. In some states cashing a check confirms your agreement to the settlement.

Remember you may miss some events etc this year but by next spring you’ll be glad you took your time to get your investment back. This settlement if done right probably is not going to happen overnight.
One other thing, it doesn't surprise me that the tow truck would not let you get to the vehicle. Once wrecked especially totaled it becomes the property of your insurance company and you have to buy it or parts back in a lot of states.

Good Luck, Just my:

Trail Jeeps

Damn, I'm sorry to hear about the mess, glad everyone is ok.

So I have tons of experience with this, so I can give you a lot of pointers. First thing to remember is to stand your ground while playing politics at the same time, get your insurance involved as well if the other company is giving you grief, they're on your side. There are times that you'll probably have to but heads with the adjuster, just be prepared and don't let anything slide. This is the only time our ridiculous insurance system is on your side and does actually work for you, use it!

Start by trying to gather receipts for your original parts and labor, whatever you can get! Insurance companies like receipts. After the Jeep is sent to whatever repair shop for the "factory" stuff, have it sent to an offload shop that has experience dealing with insurance companies, they're out there, we are one (and if you were local I'd invite you down to try and get you on the right track). Even if you have a great off road shop that does good work, that doesn't mean they're the right ones to go to for this. You want someone who's attitude is "oh, yeah I got this." Insurance jobs can be a hassle, but it's an opportunity to bring in a new customer, so for a shop like us, it's totally worth the headache.

Don't let whatever insurance friendly shop is doing the body work tackle the aftermarket stuff, some insurance adjusters try to steer you that way, and many standard body shops will try and take on this kind of work because it's relatively high margin and it looks "simple." They will miss the little things and won't be there if your Jeep is still isn't right after the work is done.

Good luck! At least this is an opportunity to do a refresh!

NoQuarter#121

Well, I wont be working with any body shops...
The rig is crushed like a empty beer can.
There is no way they are gonna try to repair the JEEP.
Although with some liberal effort with a cutting wheel it could be the basis for a pretty cool buggy.


I would be interested in talking to a off road friendly shop.
I'm in the Seattle area, wonder if Northridge could help?

My original post was not clear, my son was NOT at fault, he was hit by a guy who was at a stop sign and ran into him sending him into a 3-1/2 roll.

Round 1.
So far my insurance company has been about as helpful as a boar with tits.
They will cover fair market value and up to $1000 for extra stuff.
My JW Speaker headlights and harness alone cost more than $1000...

Now I get to call GEICO and find out whether or not the responsible drivers insurance will be more helpful.
If I have to contact the other insurance myself and work on a deal, what the f*** am I paying my insurance company for?

GEEZ.

Round 2 tomorrow.
GEICO, that smart ass lizard better pay the F*** up, or I am gonna make me a new belt.