Getting screwed after being in an accident (previously unknown damage)

I hit some ice on my street in January. I filed a claim and my insurance (Geico) was taking care of it. The vehicle is a 2011 Chevy Silverado crew cab.

The bed and bumper were damaged.

The body shop is a Geico shop (meaning they have a Geico rep on hand all the time).

When they went to put on the new bed and bumper, it didn't line up. They found that the frame was previously tweaked. Somebody had slotted a bunch of holes and brackets in order to make the bed fit square.

Geico will not cover the previous damage. The shop and Geico say the truck needs a new frame to be "safe".

I bought the truck from a reputable large Chevy dealer. I am going to go there today and talk with a sales manager. Basically, they sold me a truck with frame damage. I am not sure if they have any responsibility in this matter, but I am going to try.

The truck was bought used in 2013 with 28K miles on it.

What do I do from here. I don't wanna put 8K+ into this truck PLUS the cost of the other repairs (which Geico is covering).

What say you GRM? What are my next steps?

Thanks!

Rob R.

Lawyer up?

Does a report show the previous accident? Were you aware of one before you bought the truck? Was the slotting noticeable during a routine inspection or only once the bed was off? Any way of finding out what shop did the bad repair?

No previou accident reported.

Damage would be difficult but not impossible to see. They slotted the rear shakle mount which is obvious if on a lift.

No idea on the shop that did the repairs...

That really sucks, sorry to hear it.

Unless you can prove beyond a doubt that the dealer knew about the damage and intentionally failed to disclose it to you, I don't think there's a lot you can do. It's been 3 years since the purchase, they're response is likely going to be something like...we have no way of knowing what's happened to that truck in the last 3 years. If you ever find the repair shop, they may say the same thing. GEICO won't cover the repairs.

It can't hurt to try to push on the dealer, but I wouldn't go in with high expectations.

I'm afraid Klayfish is right.

Certified truck when you bought it or not?

Frame is part of there check and they should have noticed it. They would be in trouble in that case.

Not certified..... dumb on my part...

The dealership I bought it from is willing to use it as a trade in and give me about 7k for it as is.

I'm thinking about it....

Yea sounds like you might have to cut your losses on it. Sorry and it sucks.

Is there no way they can pull the frame enough?

Have you considered going to an independent frame shop and have them determine just how bad the frame is?

If the previous damage was masked by tweaking the fit of the bed/bumper, the frame damage may be a "live with it" situation.

Rog

Carfax it just for giggles? Curious what might show up.

Nothing shows up on carfax.

Geico won't finish fixing the truck without fixing the frame.

The frame has had somebody use a cutting torch to ovalize several mounting holes.

I don't think a frame shop could fix it.

Lawyer up, then go to the dealer. Even their regular inspection should have caught that, and depending on state laws, they could be held liable for it.

Odd carfax shows NOTHING, like somebody is hiding something? How much is payoff? How do you know the shop that has it didn't torch it. This is going to suck.

At this point it is a loose loose situation. I agree I would at least talk to legal counsel.

What is the current value of the truck with out the damage and pre accident? If ti is 10K then I would take the trad in and move on as it is not enough to make any sense chasing it with a lawyer. If it is 30K then ya legal counsel is needed. If nothing else they can tell you if it is time to toss in the towel or if there is some sort of legal way to make you whole again. This alone is worth paying a lawyer for an hour of there time.

Truck is worth about 20k.pre accident.

Geico already has 11k into it before the frame issue was found.

The place I bought it from is willing to take it in on trade and pay off the remainder of my loan,15k. They will sell me a 37k truck for 42k.

I think this might be the best deal I can get in this situation.

I just didn't want a new loan atm.

Is a used frame really 8 grand?

Just a few things, if it'll help.

Sorry to say I don't see any lawyer doing anything here, I'd bet most wouldn't take it unless your a family friend or pay them a lot of money. From the facts you've given, I just don't see much recourse to the dealer...or even the shop if you can ever find them.

Not a surprise that Carfax shows nothing. Carfax wants you to think it's the be all and end all of car history. It's not. Not even close. It's a wonderful tool, but there are tons of accidents that do not show up on Carfax.

OHSCrifle wrote: Is a used frame really 8 grand?

The frame itself isn't, but include the labor to replace it and that's about right.

Surely there is recourse with GEICO for not correctly identifying the scope of repairs prior to disassembling your truck. It's a comprehensive claim why aren't they repairing the damage? Preexisting to your accident shouldn't matter your making a claim to repair the truck. It has frame damage why are they not fixing it?

That said if your options are pay $23k (15k payoff+8k for the frame) for a 2013 crew cab or $42k for a new one I know what I would choose unless the 2013 is in terrible shape.

In reply to nocones:

If the damage is preexisting to his policy, he's out of luck.

Congratulations you now own a salvage truck, you know GEICO is going to flag it as such. :<(

Going back to the dealer is not going to get you anywhere.

Find a beater truck same model and switch all your good parts onto it. That way you get a clean title. Not cheap if you pay someone else to do it, better if you can do it yourself.

Tell the body shop to stop and pick up your truck. And start over.

I'm betting you will find more bad stuff in the front of the truck

nocones wrote: Surely there is recourse with GEICO for not correctly identifying the scope of repairs prior to disassembling your truck. It's a comprehensive claim why aren't they repairing the damage? Preexisting to your accident shouldn't matter your making a claim to repair the truck. It has frame damage why are they not fixing it?

So are you saying that if I buy an already wrecked car and then call my insurance company, they should fix it? If the damage is pre-exising, it's not their responsibility to pay for repairing it.

GEICO doesn't disassemble the truck, the body shop does. If this is a GEICO approved shop, it's likely the shop themselves wrote the estimate. If the shop had absolutely no reason to suspect the frame was previously poorly repaired, it's not a surprise...or their fault...that it wasn't seen on initial appraisal. Unfortunately, this happens often. Maybe not to this extent, but it happens. A shop or appaiser isn't going to do a complete and full tear down at first inspect. They write what they can see, then supplements happen as the car is torn down.

bentwrench wrote: Congratulations you now own a salvage truck, you know GEICO is going to flag it as such. :<( Going back to the dealer is not going to get you anywhere. Find a beater truck same model and switch all your good parts onto it. That way you get a clean title. Not cheap if you pay someone else to do it, better if you can do it yourself. Tell the body shop to stop and pick up your truck. And start over. I'm betting you will find more bad stuff in the front of the truck

I can't get the truck back without either paying for the frame or paying the 11k the shop has into it...