The Body Shop

I went by the body shop to check on my truck today. When I got there the owner of the shop was finishing the disassembly of the damage and was ready to call in a parts and labor estimate to the insurance company.

I was concerned that the damage to the vehicle might exceed the economic value of the vehicle, resulting in it becoming "totalled". He told me that the impact didn't get into the frame rails, the radiator and condenser were still intact and that most of the damage was in the sheet metal. I'll need a new bumper, grille, hood, and maybe a left front fender. Maybe not. I'll also need new bumper hangers. Those are "crushable" and they're crushed, but they're easily replaced. New lights on the drivers side. But, the damage isn't as bad as I originally thought.

He doesn't think the vehicle is totalled and he's in the business to know such things. That's good. So far, I've been very pleased with this pickup truck and even though it's got over 130,000 miles, it's still good for another couple of years. The big plus is that it's paid for and I'm not in the mood for a truck note right now. If I can drive it for another year or so, more the better.