Traffic stopped quickly and unexpectedly in front of me this morning... I didn't hit anything, but I spilled coffee all over my laptop, dropped my cell phone and there is toaster strudel all over my steering wheel!


But seriously, I had my 1500 totaled when I was rear-ended by a Ranger on the freeway. The police were kind enough to call it a 'no-fault' and I had to fight it to get my truck paid for. That's a bad day-- I feel your pain!

 

Sorry to hear about your truck.Hope everyone is okay.

 

Sheetmetal and parts can be repaired or replaced. Be glad that there was no fatal injury, and let's hope that she's going to learn her lesson from this.
A friend of mine was in an accident with his Ram when a microcar (size of a golf cart) ran a stopsign. Driver dead on the scene. Even though it wasn't his fault it took him a long time before he could get some sleep without nightmares.

AlpineRAM

 

If you haven't found a body shop and AAA lets you take it where you want to, I recommend First Class Collision in Murrieta. They did an awsome job on mine when a young Marine totaled his rented Toyota on my left front tire. New fender, drivers door, reskined the back door, fixed the bed, new wheel tire and steering linkage and steering box. Paint matched perfectly and all body panels lined up great.

 

Thanks for the info. My pops really likes Faith AutoBody. He's had my moms car repaired there a coupl'a times. The AAA adjuster says he knows thats Faith is a good place, so's it's ok by them......

 

Same thing happened to me. Honda hit back of my 94 4x4. put a couple dings in back bumper and a slight twist. Didn't mention to the insurance adjuster I had a ding already from a tree. Got $1600 from their insurance. now waiting for the next hit. The Honda---- I think she was on a cell phone. It was not worth fixing with my back bumper halfway to the windshield. Totaled!!!

 

Leaving the hitch in is a good thing for protection unless you are in the northern states or Canada where there is snow and salt on the roads. Then the hitch rusts in the reciever, the rust expands and its in there as if it was welded. I left mine in since the first of the winter and went to remove it just yesterday and had to pound it pretty good to get it out. Will probably sand it a bit and coat it good with no seize or grease or something. I should have known better as I had a Ford before this one and left the hitch in and it rusted . I even hooked a chain to it and around a tree and gave it a hard tug but it never moved. Its probably still in there.....

 

I use the "Shin Method" to keep the tow bar loose in the receiver.

'Bout once a month, (as I'm walking behind the truck not paying attention to where I'm going), I nail it with my shin thus knocking the rust off.

 

I use a mixture of the shin method, and some wheel bearing grease. Grab a couple finger's worth of grease, and coat the snot out of the hitch. That, and we constantly tow different things so even though I always have a hitch in, its rarely the same one for long.

As a side note, my shins really don't like the pintle hitch I have. That sucker covers some surface area!