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3rd Gen High Performance and Accessories (5.9L Only)Talk about Dodge/Cummins aftermarket products for third generation trucks here. Can include high-performance mods, or general accessories. THIS IS FOR THE 5.9L ONLY!
This is my sad day story and I’ll probably even tear up as I type this. I just need to type this to let it out a little. On August 10, on a clear sunny day, an idiot turned in front of me on the service road and the truck I’ve been building, since I bought it new back in 2006, is now a pile of scrap metal. The impact was at about 50 mph or so and was intense. He never saw me, which I find very strange considering that I drive a large diesel truck and I drive with my lights and fog lights on. This truck was my dream truck. I’ve spent about $30K in modifications and countless hours of hard work over the years and built it to be exactly the way I wanted it. Even though it was almost 15 years old, it looked brand new. Not one stain on the carpet or leather seats. Paint was in great condition with no body damage. I always parked on the outskirts of parking lots to avoid door dings and very rarely allowed any eating inside. I could still, after all these years, park it and look back while walking away and say that it looks great and I’m happy with what I built. I got tons of compliments. Now, that guy's insurance company is saying because of the age, mileage (only 130K) and the fact that the airbags deployed, that it is a total loss. And that is without even seeing it. I know it’s an old truck and the only one that sees the value of it is me. I’m just furious that someone does something stupid and I have to pay for it. They will never give me enough money to buy a new diesel and I just finished building a house, so I’m going to be house broke for quite a few years. So, no spare money for another build. Now I’ll be forced to go out and buy someone else’s old used truck with a lot more miles and nowhere close to the condition mine was in. I will have no way of knowing the true condition of the truck. It just sucks. Physically, everyone walked away, which is a miracle. I have some injuries that I’m dealing with, but I’m alive. So, I’ll go from complete custom truck with low mileage, a lot of go fast parts and an incredible stereo system, to old, beat up, high mileage bone stock truck because of the actions of some moron. This just pisses me off so much. Rant over!
I can really sympathize from a personal standpoint...My 2003 which I had owned for 15 years since new went down in a freak accident, and no matter how many pictures and receipts I had, the lowlife insurance company had their say...I managed to squeeze them for every nickel, but the loss still hurts......Ben
I feel for ya, Rock. Get as much documentation as you can on your truck, find similar ones in similar shape that have sold and have those sales numbers ready for when the insurance company makes their first low-ball bid. Just cause they offer X$, doesn't mean that is the end of negotiations. Counter offer. These guys do this for a living and are experts at squeezing you. Negotiate. You may not get back into a truck like that, but may give you a few more bucks.
As a last counter bid, you can offer to take their last cash offer if they toss in the totaled truck to you also. You should be able to pull some salvageable parts out of it. The insurance co will want to 'sell' you the totaled truck. It does have some value, even wrecked. Go to auction sites like Copart.com and you can get an idea of what wrecked trucks go for. Know that when the insurance co sells your truck on auctions, there is transfer paperwork, fees, and the time it takes to do all that. Giving you back your truck is easy, but may cost you a few bucks.
I hope your bad luck is all behind you and you heal quickly.
Back to morning brew . . .
I really liked having the 5.9. I could modify all I wanted to legally, with very few restrictions. If I buy newer, I’ll be stuck with DEF, which I think is one of the biggest scams in diesel history. Plus, I really like the low street truck look I got with a two wheel drive. I have a 4WD Jeep LJ and I don’t want two of those tire bills. And, they no longer make the Mega Cab in 2WD. Not sure what year they stopped the Mega in 2WD. My truck was a rare find. I had the dealership do a search and they had to get one that was about 4 to 5 hours away. And they said it was the only one left in Texas. Mine is a 2006 Laramie Mega Cab 2WD with every option and bucket front seats.
Well, they picked up the truck sometime yesterday and took it to Co-Part to decide whether it is salvageable or not. I submitted my receipts today as well. I made it to $29K in receipts, but I'm still searching for a few. I'm really hoping it's salvageable because I really love this truck.
Well, they called today and offered me $14,000. They said it is a total loss. I told them that number was unacceptable and to go over the KBB value and my receipts and call me back with a much better offer. KBB values my truck between about 19K to 22K in a private sale. And that’s without any upgrades.
I told them that number was unacceptable and to go over the KBB value and my receipts and call me back with a much better offer. KBB values my truck between about 19K to 22K in a private sale. And that’s without any upgrades.
Keep up the pressure, Rock. That adjuster is looking for a company bonus. Think about what your bottom line is as to what you will settle for. Don't mention it here, don't know who is watching. Next time they make an offer, you might consider offering a counter offer. If they come close to, but not 'at' your bottom line, you may consider accepting it if they toss in the wrecked truck and they cover all the storage fees.
Ok, so here is what has transpired. My insurance company is stepping up and taking care of me.........sort of. They are giving me a dollar amount in a more realistic range, as far as value of the vehicle itself. This ends up being around twice what the other insurance company was offering me. I’m still not getting anything for the $30K in mods. With the vehicle being totaled, and it being at a Copart facility, they will not authorize it to be towed back to me so I could swap out my turbo, exhaust manifold, intake manifold, etc. back to stock. So, most of my mods are a loss. They won’t even allow it to leave the facility if I pay for the tow. They did give me the opportunity to go to Copart and remove some items. I retrieved my train horn system, gauges and few other items. The other insurance company would not continue a rental car for me to allow me to find another vehicle. I could not justify, nor afford, to buy another new diesel. And, I didn’t feel comfortable buying a used one that I don’t know the history of. I loved building the truck to where it was and really enjoyed driving it. But, I very rarely ever needed to tow anything more than what a gas truck would tow. Buying back my truck was too costly and I just don’t have the time right now to build one truck out of two. I just have too many things on my plate right now. So, I just decided to go buy a new truck. I bought a 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab. I like the truck, but it’s just not the same. I still really miss my truck. I will also miss this forum, and others, that are dedicated to helping each other out when building, or repairing our trucks. Everyone here has always been so helpful. Thank you!
For anyone looking for a truck that still has a lot of good parts on it, along with a built transmission, turbo, modified injectors, upgraded intake and exhaust manifolds, cold air kit, etc., it will soon be available at the Dallas Copart auction.
Copart Dallas South Lot# 47698260
Also, to add to my good luck, I owned my new truck for just a few days and found that it is leaking water into the back of the cab when it rains. Back carpet is wet. So, now it’s back at the dealership for who knows how long. Here are some pics of the new truck.
That just about happened to me back in March of 2020. Someone pulled in front of the wife and slammed on brakes in the rain. I got lucky and the frame horns could be straightened.
I am still kicking at 199k thank goodness.
08-14-2020, 06:00 PM
...Ben
...Ben
