Back to square one - LC totaled. (1 Viewer)

[RandyDaytona]

When I bought my LC back in 2020, I figured I’d have it forever. But a(nother) deer reminded me on MLK day that nothing is forever.

This was a BIG deer, probably 200 lbs or more. He appeared in front of/ on top my bumper before I knew what was happening. Boom.

At first the damage didn't seem too bad. The ARB bumper was bent upwards and back into the hood and grill. One headlight was destroyed, but the other headlight and the fogs were good.

The worst visible damage (in my opinion) was a leak of either transmission or power steer fluid. I knew it wasn’t oil since the truck was still running and there were no oils lights on the dash (good thing, too, because it was1:00 am and -18 degrees outside).

It’s been in the shop since then, awaiting an estimate. Today I found out it’s going to be totaled because the frame is bent. I haven’t read the report or gotten any more details yet. Just got a verbal heads-up from the shop owner. The shop owner says Toyota sells some kind of “frame replacement” but they don’t recommend it (?).

I have never had a vehicle totaled before. The shop owner offered to essentially strip my truck of the accessories - skids, sliders, roof rack, my new seats (), etc. No idea yet whether they can salvage my lift, tires, my LRA tank and rear bumper, or anything else.

So now I’m trying to figure out which of my accessories will fit a Lexus, if I choose to go that route. Also looking at trucks online and having a beer at 1:30 on a Tuesday afternoon

Sucky day!

 

[jmw101]

Sorry to hear this. Others with experience will chime in here. For my 2 cents, strip everything you can off the truck. Not sure how the insurance company sees this.

Hang in there. Another LC/LX is on the horizon.

 

[04UZJ100]

Pics would be great. Surprised to hear frame is bent with an ARB

 

[hoser]

There was a member with a 100 series.... 8 year old vehicle / 120k miles and the insurance company still opted to replace the frame. But yours has more damage then just the frame.

Bent the Frame

So, I've delayed writing this post for sometime until I found some more info about the outcome. In March, I bent the frame of my truck while driving on unmaintained roads in Utah. The route was washed out from a recent storm and there was no definition to the drop off. My truck dropped 2-3 feet...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[rexington14]

The frame is bent pretty much means game over. You don't want to put your family in that truck ever again

And no you can't just go willy nilly stripping things off the vehicle unless the insurance OK's this.

 

[hoser]

In CA (probably others too), the owner has the right to buy their vehicle back at salvaged value granted it is deemed a total loss. Salvage value is often negotiable too.

 

[ryanCA]

congratulations

time for a new truck

 

[rexington14]

Pics would be great. Surprised to hear frame is bent with an ARB

Or maybe it bent -because- of the ARB?

Factory bumper and impact bar may have absorbed (crumpled) sufficiently for this type of collision. But when you slap on a huge steel aftermarket bumper that energy from the collision is transferred right to the frame rails.

Or maybe it wouldn't have made a difference either way.

 

[TexusLexus]

I just went through insurance totaling my 100 series LX. Be sure to call Collision Safety Consultants and have them get you more money. Insurance will lowball you. It was the best $600 I ever spent. They got me $6k more on a 25 year old vehicle.

 

[AcmeSys]

get details on where the frame is bent and how much it is off. Might be a good candidate to buy it back and repair while pocketing insurance difference in $$$$. if it just tweaked the frame horn forward of the control arms you might be good to go with shimming/straightening or a slice and weld repair to get the bumper straight then run it for the rest of it's life. there are like 20+ datum points on the frame so they or a frame shop should be able to tell you exactly where and by how much the frame bent.

 

[bloc]

Before you consider trying to restore a salvage title make sure you can actually insure it.

Or maybe it bent -because- of the ARB?

Exactly my thought.

 

[RandyDaytona]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I should know more when I get the actual estimate regarding the frame damage. Yes, I pretty much assumed that damage to a frame was a kiss of death, but then my redneck brother-in-law-law started telling me about how many frames he’s had repaired over the years .

I had actually considered taking it to another shop for a second opinion. I’m not sure that’s normally done in the auto repair world. I have USAA for insurance. They initially gave me a choice between two shops. I took it to the one that’s locally owned. The other is part of a nationwide chain. I wonder if they’d let me tow it to the other shop?

The insurance rep I spoke with right after the accident was super nice and seemed to be going out of her way to help me, especially when I explained the additions to the vehicle that might not be taken into consideration. I guess we’ll find out how much stock to put into that. But I can’t imagine it’d cost more to fix than to total. I know they’re looking at my 190,000 miles, but unless someone is a LC/LX owner, they really don’t how little that can mean.

As far as a salvage title, that doesn’t bother me. I was planning to keep it forever, anyway.

While starting over and getting another truck sounds cool, that can be easily done when you live in a populated area like CA, NY, etc. In fact, in areas like that you probably have multiple options, both for the vehicle purchase and for the mods. For me, it took a drive Colorado or elsewhere to get stuff installed. It was all very time-consuming. Going through that again is not tempting. That said, I’m preparing for it nevertheless.

 

[ryanCA]

I am poor and dont have any aftermarket bumpers, so take my opinion with a grain of turkish salt.


Everybody on here wants bumpers. They spend $3500 on one bumper. Then those bumpers total their truck?

I am confused.

 

[Zill]

I do hope the insurance company doesn’t find a loophole and say the frame damage was caused by the bumper which is not an OEM component.

 

[kcjaz]

OP, I know your pain and it sucks. I totaled mine in 2023 and it took me a year to build the replacement. My story/journey is well
documented here in the forum. Search or DM me for links if you are interested. In order to keep all my aftermarket mods, which were substantial, I had to buy the wreck back as salvage and strip it myself. I then auctioned off the wreck at Copart. A ton of effort and time and only possible with a lot of help from local club member friends.

Also, everything is negotiable with insurance. Don’t accept there first offer.

 

[gasman4u]

I do hope the insurance company doesn’t find a loophole and say the frame damage was caused by the bumper which is not an OEM component.

I haven’t heard good things about USAA recently. OP, I hope they take care of you in this bad time. I want to be wrong.

I recently smoked a 200 pounder in a rental. I thank God I wasn’t in my 200!

Godspeed. Keep us updated.

 

[Zill]

I would be tempted to not even bring up the aftermarket bumper in this case, though, you may need to dig through your insurance contracts to figure out what the policy is.

 

[rexington14]

Everybody on here wants bumpers. They spend $3500 on one bumper. Then those bumpers total their truck?

I am confused.

They look cool!! Who cares what it does to the safety of the truck???

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I am poor and dont have any aftermarket bumpers, so take my opinion with a grain of turkish salt.


Everybody on here wants bumpers. They spend $3500 on one bumper. Then those bumpers total their truck?

I am confused.

That's only speculation. If OP was going very fast I'd be surprised if it made any difference one way or the other.

 

[Zill]

That's only speculation. If OP was going very fast I'd be surprised if it made any difference one way or the other.

That may be the case, but insurance companies are weasels and their job is to not pay for the coverage you have been paying for by finding loopholes in contracts to void a claim.

Is it right? Hell no, but we are dealing with (predominantly) soul less companies.