question about damage and dealing with insurance co.
 

hey all

i will start off buy saying every one walked away unharmed THANK GOD!

this morning my son had my truck and was on the expressway started to rain really heavy a lady in the left lane in front driving a srt8 jeep hydro planed spun out hitting the center wall then bounced off the wall back into traffic lanes my son was in the middle lane swerved to miss her but as he passed she hit the left rear behind the tire of my truck then under a semi trailer that ran over the front end of the jeep lucky the 2 kids and her that was in the jeep got out with out a scratch on them but if you seen her jeep you'd call me a liar (i was shocked when i got to the accident scene) semi driver was fine also

so once every thing and every one calmed down i took a look at my truck first glance didn't look to bad but after taking a really good look maybe not? the bumper is bent and shifted, tailgate is not centered any more and is hitting the left bed side under the tail light and the dint in the bed

i plan on having it around for a while since i'm doing a 6.2 swap and boosting i've been slowly gathering parts and modding a little all ready

so i don't want any body filler can i get the insurance company to put a bed side? i haven't looked under it as of now but worried about the rear frame and hitch since the bumper is pushed out on the driver side and in on the passenger side also worried about loosing value on the truck since it was accident free until now (clean carfax) kinda sucks i drove from Chicago to Houston for a clean rust free truck to build

so whats some do's and don't when it comes to the insurance company? i dont want to get stick with them just taking short cuts on the repair

pics

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.per...7757c8b7a1.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.per...24a1e641ba.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.per...401b9833a1.jpg

Doesn't look bad to me. There isn't much support behind that lower corner so it doesn't take much to push it over into the tailgate. I don't think you'll need a new bed side.

i know and understand that it can be fixed, I just dont want body filler and would rather have a bed side installed plus i'm worried about how the bumper was pushed away from the body on the drivers side but some how pushed in on the passenger side i dont know if thats from being able to adjust the bumper or tweaked the frame?

that bumper is adjustable on two brackets. it may have just got pushed in, not bent

I was in the same position when someone rubbed down my wife's Sierra in a parking lot. I talked to a friend of mine who's done body work pretty much his whole life on high end stuff. He said that if the damage is minimal you'd be better off repairing it rather than replacing the bedside. You're talking about disturbing way more stuff and seam sealer on the new side etc an entire panel to match, align, etc. a competent body guy can fix that with minimal filler and you'd never know it was repaired. I'd be more concerned about the rear frame section. Those frames are paper thin back there.

Ah man this is nothing. Youre better off repairing it. Like said above, theres way to many seems that need to be patched up when installing the new bed side, and with a good body man, youll be fine with minimal body filler.
My second option would be cutting and welding that lower piece, if you really dont want any filler, and just get it repainted.

If you dont want to get screwed by insurance, ask for the report estimate they make, take it to a body man you trust, and see what he can tell you is going on.

Happened to me in my SS, had a guy hit my bed, when i took it to get estimated, the guy quoted me upwards of 1500 bucks, and i looked at the report, and with the little knowledge i knew, i noticed he was quoting for a regular silverados parts, and not taking into consideration it was an SS, and even aftermarket parts, not oem like i wanted.
I then walked back into the office and had a serious talk with the guy, because i tried being easy going, and i told him he wasnt gonna play me for a fool, because him and i both knew my truck wasnt a regular silverado. He then had it redone with all oem prices, and the estimate more than doubled. I was pissed, because when they charge you youre monthly insurance, they charge you for being a "sport vehivcle" but when it comes for them to pay up they screw you