Back to square one - LC totaled. (2 Viewers)

[kcjaz]

Totaled is when: estimate + salvage value + allowance for unforeseens > market value. Because the 200 has a very high salvage value it can total will relatively low damage estimates.

Yes, that is how the insurance really thinks about it though technically most states define max repair cost to be a percentage of the actual valve. In KS, its 75%. The thing is that the "allowance for unforeseens" part is not regulated so the insurance can essentially do what they want. Anything remotely close will get totalled. This is why understanding everything is negotiable is important.

200 series LCs get $20K as salvage almost regardless of condition all day long which hurts if your goal is to not have the truck totalled.

 

[RandyDaytona]

My understanding is if the repair exceeds 50% of the value of the vehicle, it gets totaled. Unsure if that's accurate, but that's what I've been told.

Here in Minnesota it’s 70%.

 

[RandyDaytona]

Here in Minnesota it’s 70%.

Yesterday I discussed this very thing with my new friends at ABRA Autobody. As I did with my USAA claims adjuster, I explained to him that I wanted to repair the vehicle if at all possible and the reasons why.

One fortunate thing for me: my brother is a supervisor with an insurance company in VT, and he’s been pestering me about updating my coverage to reflect the modifications. This is easily done with USAA, at least for non-automotive stuff: you send them a list of assets with photos, serial numbers, if applicable, and original cost and they add them to your policy. I did this a couple of times with our homeowners policy, adding a list a watches, guns and kayaks.

I discovered, however, that while USAA may consider vehicle mods when making a claim, there’s no way to have stuff added beforehand. There is, however, a simple change you can make to an auto policy that adds $5400 to it. It’s done easily on their website and I did make that change about 6 months ago. It’s not enough to cover what I have in the truck, but it’s something if I end up going down that road.

Right now I’m in limbo. As I said, I’ve “officially “ switched body shops and my truck will be moved to ABRA, though they admitted they may not be able to get to it until the end of the week.

I had not used the rental car benefit yet, mainly because my wife was in VA and I just drove her 4Runner. But I’m picking up an SUV this week and, since I’m fed up with being in the arctic with no wheels, I’m going to take trip southwest in my rental to where there’s no snow and do some hiking.

 

[OregonLC]

I'd like to do the same with State Farm (added coverage). Either my agent doesn't know how or it's not possible with them.

 

[Notthatguy]

look I used to have USAA there is a reason why they got a F rating with the insurance commission. they not on your side, if you decide to fix it be aware land cruiser part are hard to get at the dealer, trust me on that im dealing with a 2019 right now. the salvage titler is not a big deal just keep in mind you won't be able to trade that car in a dealership. to get it insured is not a big deal. now I will really recommend you to stop posting your move here the insurance company those look for this type of post in the web.and don't think you will get any part at the salvage lot every crash LC in the USA get sold and send to another country.

 

[RandyDaytona]

Update. I’m still waiting for an estimate from the second shop. In fairness, they’ve only had it for a week compared to the previous shop. Interesting sidenote: I discovered that shops doing estimates get anywhere from $75-$200 a day for storing the vehicle. That could be why the first shop held onto it for three weeks after the estimate was supposedly done.

The insurance company has also switched me to my third claims adjuster. They gave me a settlement number as soon as the first estimate came in, which I did not accept. I’ll wait for my second opinion and go from there.

There was a bit of excitement while the truck was still ant the first shop. After essentially ignoring me and my questions/requests for about a month, it seemed like everyone sprang into action as soon as the first estimate came in and I receive the settlement offer.

I guess they assumed I would automatically accept it, because no sooner had I received it then I got a flood of emails from a salvage company in southern Minnesota, who informed me that they had dispatched a tow truck to the first body shop to grab my truck and take it back to their salvage yard.

Wait… What? I instantly had the mental image of the car dealership destroying Clark Griswold‘s car in the movie “Vacation” when he hasn’t even agreed to keep the new one.

I was hiking out in New Mexico at the time and didn’t have a signal until that night. Fortunately for me – and unfortunately, for them – my wife was being copied on all of the messages. We live in Minnesota, but my wife is a redneck, born in bred in southern Virginia. She called the cell phone number of the tow truck driver, which was in the email, and explained to him sweetly and politely that we had not accepted an offer, we still owned the truck, and still had possessions inside and attached to the truck. He was nice about it and very surprised. She didn’t shoot the messenger.

But then she contacted both the insurance company and the salvage company and proceeded to tear a couple of new a$$holes, respectively. She’s good at that. I should know.

When I came out of the desert that evening and found out about it, I called a buddy of mine who has his own towing company and asked him to go to the first shop and take my truck and bring it to the second shop, since the insurance company would not make arrangements to do so like I had been asking for three weeks. In retrospect, I should’ve just done that in the beginning and arranged everything myself.

I should know this week whether it’s fixable or not. I have been canvassing the country for a suitable replacement and have found a few contenders. I also have a third shop on standby, one that I have brought all of my personal vehicles and work trucks to since 2009. Owner is a friend and has agreed to strip everything from the old truck that I want and reinstall it on the replacement. Luckily, all my mods are in the 2009-2021 range of compatibility with other LC’s. I initially looked at LX options too, but I don’t know enough about the AHC and folks say it’s not ideal for supporting a lot of weight, so the safe bet seems be sticking with the OME lift.

 

[scottm]

I've hit seven deer and a construction crane. I've worked engineering in automotive for decades. ARB does their homework and engineering, finite-element-analysis is not that hard these days. Their bumpers have crumple zones built in, they are compatible with airbags. ARB designs their bumpers to protect your vehicle enough to get you home in an animal strike, without sacrificing safety for more major accidents.

 

[RandyDaytona]

I've hit seven deer and a construction crane. I've worked engineering in automotive for decades. ARB does their homework and engineering, finite-element-analysis is not that hard these days. Their bumpers have crumple zones built in, they are compatible with airbags. ARB designs their bumpers to protect your vehicle enough to get you home in an animal strike, without sacrificing safety for more major accidents.

ABRA Autobody was doing their estimate and thought they could fix the frame. USAA gave them the go-ahead and they fixed it. Now they’re finishing their estimate without frame repairs or replacement (the first shop had included frame replacement, which is why it was a total loss in their eyes). But it looks like it’s going to be repaired. If only the first shop hadn’t sat on it for 3 weeks .

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Willie G]

Wow! This story might actually have a happy ending!

Fingers crossed.

 

[scottm]

My late wife's dad had a large and successful body shop in Michigan. He fixed a lot of cars and trucks after deer collisions, many had been fatal accidents. He said he had never found a fatality in a truck, only cars. I drive a truck, and add the bullbar, to increase my odds of survival so I can relax on my long drives. Well worth the cost.

 

[RandyDaytona]

Well, we’ve hit some snags. However, my truck is slated to be finished (almost) tomorrow.

The snags are mainly to do with the first shop. I’ll refer to them as the shi$shop to eliminate confusion .

I was not present when my truck was taken from the shi$shop to Abra Autobody, but I assumed it was in the same condition as when I dropped it off, minus some dismantling to come up with their way-off-the-mark estimate.

In one of my conversations with the good folks at Abra, however, I subsequently discovered that the ARB bumper was not with the truck. Abra said they were informed by the shi$shop that it was “gone.” Huh?

So I paid a visit to the shi$shop. They said it went onto their scrap heap and was now gone. Huh? X2 . I responded that the bumper was my property and they had no right to scrap it, especially since it was only one corner of the passenger side hoop that was slightly bent. I don’t know if it could’ve been fixed or not, but the hoops could certainly have been cut off leaving a serviceable winch bumper. This was not to mention the fact that I had a perfectly good light bar, fog lights, and front camera attached to it.

The woman I talked to was simply the receptionist. She said she would have the owner contact me. That was two weeks ago. No call since.

When I contacted USAA, they said I should be happy that they had given me a $5,000 allowance for aftermarket parts and I was getting all new stuff. I thought that was a strange reaction given the fact that the camera, fogs and lightbar could have been reused, saving THEM money on the repairs. Also given the high probability that the shop they, themselves, recommend in Duluth, MN had either thrown away someone’s property or - more likely - stolen it.

I made a stink about it and explained that anyone who knows ANYTHING about truck accessories would have never simply tossed all of that in the scrap heap. Then I contacted their fraud unit, who appears about as eager to deal with the shi$shop as USAA’s auto insurance division. And I could care less if USAA reads my running commentary. The more people who know, the better, in my opinion.

Next option is filing a police report, though I’m not sure the police can do anything since it’s my word against the shi$shop.

So the truck is “almost” done because Abra has to order a new camera. Otherwise, I’m picking it up tomorrow. Holy crap. What a mess!

 

[RandyDaytona]

Well, we’ve hit some snags. However, my truck is slated to be finished (almost) tomorrow.

The snags are mainly to do with the first shop. I’ll refer to them as the shi$shop to eliminate confusion .

I was not present when my truck was taken from the shi$shop to Abra Autobody, but I assumed it was in the same condition as when I dropped it off, minus some dismantling to come up with their way-off-the-mark estimate.

In one of my conversations with the good folks at Abra, however, I subsequently discovered that the ARB bumper was not with the truck. Abra said they were informed by the shi$shop that it was “gone.” Huh?

So I paid a visit to the shi$shop. They said it went onto their scrap heap and was now gone. Huh? X2 . I responded that the bumper was my property and they had no right to scrap it, especially since it was only one corner of the passenger side hoop that was slightly bent. I don’t know if it could’ve been fixed or not, but the hoops could certainly have been cut off leaving a serviceable winch bumper. This was not to mention the fact that I had a perfectly good light bar, fog lights, and front camera attached to it.

The woman I talked to was simply the receptionist. She said she would have the owner contact me. That was two weeks ago. No call since.

When I contacted USAA, they said I should be happy that they had given me a $5,000 allowance for aftermarket parts and I was getting all new stuff. I thought that was a strange reaction given the fact that the camera, fogs and lightbar could have been reused, saving THEM money on the repairs. Also given the high probability that the shop they, themselves, recommend in Duluth, MN had either thrown away someone’s property or - more likely - stolen it.

I made a stink about it and explained that anyone who knows ANYTHING about truck accessories would have never simply tossed all of that in the scrap heap. Then I contacted their fraud unit, who appears about as eager to deal with the shi$shop as USAA’s auto insurance division. And I could care less if USAA reads my running commentary. The more people who know, the better, in my opinion.

Next option is filing a police report, though I’m not sure the police can do anything since it’s my word against the shi$shop.

So the truck is “almost” done because Abra has to order a new camera. Otherwise, I’m picking it up tomorrow. Holy crap. What a mess!

I forgot to add…insurance has already paid Abra Autobody. Just under $19,000 total.

 

[RandyDaytona]

I forgot to add…insurance has already paid Abra Autobody. Just under $19,000 total.

Well, still not done…

They had to take my truck to the local dealership to replace the power steering pump and the 4x4 relay. They did a test drive and got a 4x4 death light and also noticed the truck was leaning to one side. They fixed that stuff, and I’m thankful that insurance covered it.

But now, they have an issue with the two bolts which apparently hold the KDSS system together (?). They’re going to try and apply heat to get these things loose. They also mentioned disconnecting the sway bar.

According to the the tech who is working on it, the reason it’s so rusty - and the reason I’m posting this - is because my Slee skid plates exacerbated the rust issue by not effectively allowing the road salt and water to drain away easily. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem? And for anyone with aftermarket skid plates, check your rig and make sure yours is not as rusted down there as it is on mine!

 

[Artie]

Well, still not done…

They had to take my truck to the local dealership to replace the power steering pump and the 4x4 relay. They did a test drive and got a 4x4 death light and also noticed the truck was leaning to one side. They fixed that stuff, and I’m thankful that insurance covered it.

But now, they have an issue with the two bolts which apparently hold the KDSS system together (?). They’re going to try and apply heat to get these things loose. They also mentioned disconnecting the sway bar.

According to the the tech who is working on it, the reason it’s so rusty - and the reason I’m posting this - is because my Slee skid plates exacerbated the rust issue by not effectively allowing the road salt and water to drain away easily. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem? And for anyone with aftermarket skid plates, check your rig and make sure yours is not as rusted down there as it is on mine!

View attachment 3884423

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I still consider my self a newbie, owner for 4 years. However, rusty KDSS is not news to me and there are many posts about it. I’m not saying your skids are innocent but there are many examples of rusty KDSS without your particular skids.

 

[gasman4u]

@RandyDaytona I'm going to agree with @Artie here too. The tech saw something NOT OEM and immediately blamed the KDSS classic rust prone nature on it. It's not your skid's fault IMO. The KDSS screws being rusty is a known issue. I am not surprised your dealer tried to blame your skids vs actually say "mea culpa" on behalf of toyota.

 

[Sandroad]

Well, still not done…

They had to take my truck to the local dealership to replace the power steering pump and the 4x4 relay. They did a test drive and got a 4x4 death light and also noticed the truck was leaning to one side. They fixed that stuff, and I’m thankful that insurance covered it.

But now, they have an issue with the two bolts which apparently hold the KDSS system together (?). They’re going to try and apply heat to get these things loose. They also mentioned disconnecting the sway bar.

According to the the tech who is working on it, the reason it’s so rusty - and the reason I’m posting this - is because my Slee skid plates exacerbated the rust issue by not effectively allowing the road salt and water to drain away easily. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem? And for anyone with aftermarket skid plates, check your rig and make sure yours is not as rusted down there as it is on mine!

View attachment 3884423

View attachment 3884424

Definitely NOT the skids. This is a well known issue with the 200 series LC. Here’s a 235 post thread about the rust.

KDSS valve rust- WARNING

Guys please take a look at your KDSS valve and give it a coating of grease. I had mine replaced under warranty because it was frozen and the replacement looks like this at 12 months old. I took the wire brush to it and gave it a good coating of Yamaha marine grease. Applied grease with the...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[RandyDaytona]

Definitely NOT the skids. This is a well known issue with the 200 series LC. Here’s a 235 post thread about the rust.

KDSS valve rust- WARNING

Guys please take a look at your KDSS valve and give it a coating of grease. I had mine replaced under warranty because it was frozen and the replacement looks like this at 12 months old. I took the wire brush to it and gave it a good coating of Yamaha marine grease. Applied grease with the...

forum.ih8mud.com

Good to know - thanks!

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

Tell the tech he is full of red rust. Clean the KDSS up and slather marine lube on them. And while you are at it drop your spare tire and slather the mechanism with marine lube. That too will rust up and freeze up.

 

[gasman4u]

Or lp3 for your spare chain/mechanism.

after removing your rust on the kdss, give it the treatment with whatever goop keeps it covered!