Boulder 1- Ranger 0

[ScarzRanger21]

2 decades of driving without any accidents until today… Driving home from work I hit a patch of gravel while taking a curve at about 50mph. Truck fishtailed and went off into the embankment on the side of the road. Hit a boulder and smashed up the front end pretty good.

All things considered, could’ve been worse. I was going fast enough to skim over the top of the boulder instead of hitting it straight on. Radiator is destroyed, coolant was all over the place. Not sure if anything else was severely damaged. Lower control arms took a beating. Rear diff had some scrapes but not sure how bad it could be internally. No telling if the transmission is hurt. Not sure if the engine block is ok.

Had it towed to a yard near our house and gonna call insurance tomorrow to see what they think. Hopefully she’s repairable…

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[Frenchy]

Ouch ?

Good excuse to get an ARB Summit Bar if the damage isn't too bad?! ?

 

[got3fords]

Dang that sucks! Looks like your bull bar helped minimize damage, eh?

 

[Frenchy]

Dang that sucks! Looks like your bull bar helped minimize damage, eh?

That's not a bull bar, that's a baby brush guard at best

 

[got3fords]

That's not a bull bar, that's a baby brush guard at best

Yeah, I never understood the naming convention of those things.

 

[ScarzRanger21]

Dang that sucks! Looks like your bull bar helped minimize damage, eh?

Maybe some but like Frenchy said, it’s more of a brush guard. What really took most of the impact was the bracket for the winch. Thinking about it, that’s bolted directly to the frame under the engine so I’m hoping there’s no frame damage. The front diff could’ve been damaged too, the skid plates were all torn up. Insurance is having an adjuster check it out so I’m just waiting to see what they say. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad.

 

[RangerPNW]

Maybe some but like Frenchy said, it’s more of a brush guard. What really took most of the impact was the bracket for the winch. Thinking about it, that’s bolted directly to the frame under the engine so I’m hoping there’s no frame damage. The front diff could’ve been damaged too, the skid plates were all torn up. Insurance is having an adjuster check it out so I’m just waiting to see what they say. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad.

Fingers crossed its not too bad, but if there's any frame or drivetrain damage hopefully they'll just total it out... i wouldn't want it at that point personally

 

[ScarzRanger21]

Fingers crossed its not too bad, but if there's any frame or drivetrain damage hopefully they'll just total it out... i wouldn't want it at that point personally

I agree. Just sucks that I’ve dumped so much time and money getting it all set up how I want it, then this happens… My family has always joked since I was a kid that I can’t have nice things lol I’m not sure what I did in my past life but I must be paying for it in this one! ?

 

[rang19ca]

Wow that does suck. Hope that you get someone who knows 4X4 vehicles to estimate damage underneath.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Oh, wow that is some bad luck. Does sound like some hidden damage may rear its ugly head.

 

[ScarzRanger21]

Adjuster called with an update this morning. The mechanic said there’s definitely some frame damage in the front end but it’s not too bad and should be repairable. They’re still looking it over to determine what else is damaged. Their transmission guy should be there later today and he’s gonna crack it open to check it out. Waiting to hear more details.

 

[Frenchy]

Adjuster called with an update this morning. The mechanic said there’s definitely some frame damage in the front end but it’s not too bad and should be repairable. They’re still looking it over to determine what else is damaged. Their transmission guy should be there later today and he’s gonna crack it open to check it out. Waiting to hear more details.

Hopefully it is fixable within reason. Worst care you get another vehicle

 

[ScarzRanger21]

So far the total damage is radiator and intercooler, front frame section, and passenger side strut assembly. They didn’t see anything obviously wrong with the transmission or differential but they won’t know for sure until they make the other repairs and test drive it. No oil is leaking out of the engine so they think the block is fine. Depending on cost and efficiency, they might decide to do a frame swap instead of make repairs.

This shop doesn’t do frame work so they’re moving the truck to another location that can get it done. They’ll have an exact estimate on the damage by Monday. The guy I talked to today said he doesn’t think it’s totaled and should be repairable. No timeframe for when it will be done but hopefully not too long.

 

[ScarzRanger21]

Got a call from the shop today. They said since the truck is lifted and modified, they won’t touch it. Haven’t talked to my insurance adjuster yet, but the mechanic said he already talked with them before calling me. Sounds like AAA is going to offer to pay me 15,000 cash (estimated repair cost) and tell me to deal with it myself. If I don’t hear from the adjuster by tomorrow afternoon, I’m giving them a call to see what’s going on.

Kind of pisses me off that AAA is basically throwing the ball back in my court... Also irritating that they’re the ones who recommended this specific shop, since they’re partners, and now they’re telling me they won’t do the work at all. WTF is that crap?! Had I known that from the beginning, I would’ve had the truck towed to a shop that I KNOW could have fixed it. They also told me that I only get one tow per claim so whichever shop I choose to have it moved to, I’ll be paying for out of pocket… So they’re basically telling me to come pick up my truck, they’ll give me some cash, and good luck finding somewhere to make the repairs.

Needless to say, I’m not very happy with AAA right now. I’m not sure if it’s their fault or the auto shop for the miscommunication? They’re partnered businesses though, stuff like this shouldn’t happen. It’s pretty obvious that my truck is lifted and modified. The shop’s estimator should’ve seen that right away and told me that they couldn’t do the work. Instead they moved it to their other location, left me hanging over the weekend, then told me they still won’t do the work anyway.

 

[Frenchy]

Here is my question to you. What lift did you install? If it was Rough Country the. I understand. If it was one that required modification of the Chassis then I understand. Many ships would rather not deal with a Chassis that has been modified like such. It's a bit different if it was as simple as swapped struts, shocks and leafs.

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