So this happened (sometimes trees suck)

Small storm rolls through yesterday and neighbor's tree comes apart.

My F150 and my wife's Volt are under there. Race trailer was hitched up and took a little damage too. But silver lining... the Rx7 emerged unscathed!

Met with claims adjuster today. Truck is mechanically fine but has $16k worth of essentially cosmetic damage. Every body panel damaged except the hood and passenger rear door. Roof skin is wrinkled pretty bad and it along with the passenger side roof rail will need replaced. Sunroof glass is cracked too. Probably won't get this one fixed until wife's car is done.

Volt is less damaged I guess, but rear hatch and hatch opening are crunched and the hatch glass is shattered, so not really drivable and will be towed to a collision shop for an estimate.

Dude, sorry to hear that.  If you need help with the insurance claim, ask.  I'd suspect the truck will be a total.

If the damage on the volt got anywhere near the battery, keep a wary eye on it for fire. Have a buddy who was involved in crash testing them and had a battery go up two weeks after a crash test.

Ya sorry man. I am in the same situation. I have a heavily wooded yard with older mature trees and always live in fear when a storm comes through. I have had a few trees go over, over the years but they never have hit anything. My house, garage and cars are  vulnerable. I deal with sap, bird crap, tree debris (small branches, twigs) etc. on an ongoing basis. I love nature and my yard but it doesn't always mix well with cars. Hope it all works out for you. It makes me cringe a little every time I see pics like yours. Oh, I also have a RX7 and a Miata to worry about.

That sucks. I love my trees but have lost one Suburban to them and had my Model A damaged.

Wow, big loss in one day.  If the truck gets totaled but is drivable, try to get the Volt settled (totaled or fixed) before you let them take the truck away.  That will at least give you a functioning vehicle on hand that's not a rental. As is often with these things, the rental coverage ends before all the matter is settled. 

Ouch.  In a normal world I'd say the truck sounds totalled.  But these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they want to fix it. 

That stinks.

BTDT except it took out a boat shed and boats instead of cars. 

I hate this for you but glad to se the RX7 okay. I'm sure it would be the hardest to see damaged.

My friend's in raleigh lost a tree in this same storm. In a similar twist of fate our racecar was also spared. By the time the storm line got to me out on the coast the wind was mostly out of it, and we just got a lot of rain.

If it makes you feel any better, it doesn't look like it was a good day for the tree, either...

Estimator said $16k isn't that close to totaling the 2017 F150 Lariat. He expects to easily be able to cover any other findings by the body shop and stay under the limit. I'm planning to go with a Ford dealer for the repair due to the aluminum cab. Not really keen on having a truck with such extensive repairs (almost 500 rivets spec'ed in the estimate!), but also not interested in shopping trucks in the current market. I made an appointment with the Ford dealer today to try to get them to order and receive the parts before I give them the vehicle. They usually won't do that, but agreed to look at the damage and consider it.

John Welsh hit on the main headache - we only get 30 days rental @$30/day for each, and shops are backed up with work plus supply chain issues. The Volt is out of commission until repaired and first shop we chose can't look at it until late June, looking for a better option now. Trying to get it fixed prior to sending the truck in.

Sorry seven that really sucks. Hopefully they will make you whole. Unfortunately you might have to make a claim on your neighbor's home insurance. 

Holy cow dude, sorry to see this!

Post up pics once it's cleared up of the damage they all took

sevenracer said:

Estimator said $16k isn't that close to totaling the 2017 F150 Lariat. He expects to easily be able to cover any other findings by the body shop and stay under the limit. I'm planning to go with a Ford dealer for the repair due to the aluminum cab. Not really keen on having a truck with such extensive repairs (almost 500 rivets spec'ed in the estimate!), but also not interested in shopping trucks in the current market. I made an appointment with the Ford dealer today to try to get them to order and receive the parts before I give them the vehicle. They usually won't do that, but agreed to look at the damage and consider it.

 

John Welsh hit on the main headache - we only get 30 days rental @$30/day for each, and shops are backed up with work plus supply chain issues. The Volt is out of commission until repaired and first shop we chose can't look at it until late June, looking for a better option now. Trying to get it fixed prior to sending the truck in.

This is exactly why I'm saying I suspect the truck will total.  I can't see it very well, so I can't see the damage.  However, this is what I do for a living and I can tell you I've been totaling a TON of cars that otherwise really wouldn't be a total.  First, there's going to be a supplement for additional repairs on your truck.  Then add in the parts backlog and labor backlog, you could be looking at 3-4+ months before you get it back.  You've only got 30 days of rental.  As a customer service measure, they may total it.  I do it...daily.

Is driving the damaged truck a possibility until parts and labor are available?

Here a typical salvage auction truck: https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/32468440~US

The site says that Texas Farm Bureau Insurance (TFB) is calling it a pre-accident value of $42,682.  So, TFB likley paid the owner $42,682 and TFB takes ownership of the hulk.  You can now buy that hulk for $19,000 plus fees so lets call it $21,000.  The damage isn't that bad and even if it is that bad, I'm sure this salvage titled truck will be back on the road.  Done right?...maybe not...but back on the road.  

TFB is out $42,682 but earns back $19,000 so this claim only cost TFB  $23,682 (simplified math not considering all costs.)  But then TFB is DONE.  No more cost over rides or returns back for warranty work.  No rental car dispute, etc.   With salvage prices high (because they get rebuilt because new prices are high and scarce) the insurance company can come out better totaling than if they fixed it.  

So, maybe not having pictures of the truck set the wrong impression. It's perfectly functional, just has 1 significant bit of damage to the roof and sunroof glass. Everything else is minor dents and scratches - they're just on nearly every panel. If the roof damage was more minor like the rest of the truck, I could talk myself into not doing any repairs at all.

1st world problems for sure. Seems crazy to total it, but sucks to hand over a working truck to repair for I'm guessing 6-8 weeks minimum and need to rent one several times (partial out of pocket) during that period. I've never had a claim on my own insurance, so rental was always available until the work was done. The hassle is compounded a bit because my wife's car is also going to be out of commission for a while. We have other cars to drive, they're just hoopty 2 seaters with limited utility .

John Welsh said:

Here a typical salvage auction truck: https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/32468440~US

The site says that Texas Farm Bureau Insurance (TFB) is calling it a pre-accident value of $42,682.  So, TFB likley paid the owner $42,682 and TFB takes ownership of the hulk.  You can now buy that hulk for $19,000 plus fees so lets call it $21,000.  The damage isn't that bad and even if it is that bad, I'm sure this salvage titled truck will be back on the road.  Done right?...maybe not...but back on the road.  

 

TFB is out $42,682 but earns back $19,000 so this claim only cost TFB  $23,682 (simplified math not considering all costs.)  But then TFB is DONE.  No more cost over rides or returns back for warranty work.  No rental car dispute, etc.   With salvage prices high (because they get rebuilt because new prices are high and scarce) the insurance company can come out better totaling than if they fixed it.  

Crap, that's about what my brand new truck looks like after hitting a deer in PA yesterday.

In reply to sevenracer :

I'd be tempted to let them total that and buy it back. Looks like it's just slightly uglified. Perfect working truck at a major discount. 

In reply to chandler :

Sorry to hear the new company truck got banged up!  Ya know, given the miles you drive per year, a bull bar on your truck might be money well spent.  No guarantee it will stop all damage but might stop enough. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

If you intend this to be your "long time" truck then, yeah, I could see the owning it, just dented.  But, if you have it repaired, choose a shop and don't give them the truck until they can assure that they have all the parts on-hand and in-shop before you drop it off (and begin the rental car.)   

That looks totally drivable.  Wait until the Volt is all sorted out and then until your shop of choice is ready for you and has the initial parts, only then drop it at the shop for repairs.  

I could be mistaken, but if that was your neighbor's tree, then their insurance should cover the repairs and car rental.

In reply to Don49 (Forum Supporter) :

Claims adjuster said that would only be the case if I had previously asked them in writing to remove the tree because it was a hazard.

sevenracer said:

In reply to Don49 (Forum Supporter) :

Claims adjuster said that would only be the case if I had previously asked them in writing to remove the tree because it was a hazard.

Solid advice there.  Even then it may have to be documented why it was a hazard etc.   They wouldn't be liable for damages their trees cause unless they were negligent in some way which is difficult to prove.

Sorry about the damages.  No way around it being a hassle.