Dented 2 hour old truck

Long time listener, first time caller.

I just drove 6 hours one way to trade my 16 for a 24 limited Trd in lunar rock. The fam and I was taking a break having lunch and I could see the truck out the window and I watched a truck back into my 2 hour old truck with 200 miles on it. I'm devastated. What do you guys think, get it fixed and move on? Is it worth seeking diminished value? It's my first brand new truck and I'm just sick knowing it's already having to be repaired. It's going to need a door and a fender. She didn't leave and she got a ticket for unsafe backing. Thanks for any feedback.

 

I’d find a diminished value expert. I’d ballpark it at $5-7k. Should cost about $400 for a report.

 

Get it fixed and move on.

 

That's a huge bummer man. If it makes you feel any better, the 2nd dent doesn't hurt as bad.
In all seriousness, I'd follow @AZBoatHauler advice and go the Diminished value route. Keep the picture handy and get a copy of the police report. That way when it's time to trade/sell you can say yes, here is the "1 accident" the vehicle was involved with. If you plan on keeping the truck for a while (beyond 150k mi/7 years) it really won't matter in terms of resale, if you plan on selling it next year then yes it will be a big factor in value. Good luck, and welcome.

 

The situation completely sucks, but frankly it's not worth thinking about. Is it better if it happened at 10k miles? 50k miles? The first scratch/ding on anything we buy always sucks, but it's bound to happen. Lady can pay for the damage and everything will be fine.

 

Damn that hits hard for me as i just picked mine up on Saturday. Id be beyond pissed. I would cuss that m****er out.

 

Oof, they always say the first one's the most painful, but damn. Hope it's all better soon!

 

Yikes. At least she stuck around. Similar thing happened to my wife's CX-5 when it was new. Grocery store parking lot with no other cars around it. No note and nothing visible on their security cameras.

 

Ugh! Get it fixed and move on. Seems like no matter how careful you are there is always some idiot there to mess it up. Parking lots are the worst. Duct Tape can't fix stupid.

 

A guy in a new Mercedes SUV almost hit me yesterday as I was backing out; he was going wide open around the Chick fil A building corner. He pulled out on to the highway and was doing probably 90 in a 45 zone. Few miles up the road he was handcuffed on his hood with 3 sheriffs cars surrounding his vehicle. Occasional there is justice in the world.

 

Sheesh, at least they didn't bail

 

This reminds me of when I brought my brand new 2008 Tundra home. I drove it to a neighbors property to take down a hunting tree stand. The landowner had warned me that his horses liked to chew on the paint of his old blue feed truck (my new Tundra was also blue). When I parked my truck, the horses were nowhere around, so I hiked to my stand, took it down, and hiked back out. It only took about 20 minutes. In that time, his horses had found my truck, and had chewed the paint down to metal on every quarter panel, doors, hood, roof, and tailgate. I had to have the entire truck repainted before the temporary tags had even expired, and it was no one's fault but my own.

OP, don't let it bum you out too bad. It's just a tool that can be fixed.

Matt

 

Thanks for the comments. The more I think about, I'll probably just fix it and move on. I can't stand the thought of dealing with trying to get diminished value. Here's a pic of my 16 that I traded cause I know everybody likes pictures

 

I was rear ended in my wife’s 2018 bmw last year. $11k in damage. The other drivers insurance took care of everything. I asked their claims rep when the work was done if I could get diminished value. She stated no problem, and paid me $7800 a week later.

 

Good that she stuck around and wasn't a jerk. But it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Depending on what type of person you are will determine the course of action. It's not a Brand new truck anymore so if you plan to keep it a while, have it fixed. I took my key and scratched my new truck right in front of everyone at the dealership before I drove it off the lot. They thought I was nuts! I said I want to know exactly how the first dent/scratch/ding happens and that it's good luck to Christen the truck (like breaking a bottle of champagne on a new boat launch). It's been the best good luck as I haven't got another ding/scratch/dent in 7 years!

 

Makes me sick and it’s not my truck!!! Trust me I know how you feel!!! Fricken people!! Yes and get diminished value because it will go out on the CarFax! And when you trade if that ever happens just remember how much you received and tack that on at the end even though you spent it five time since then! HA!!

 

Fuuuuuuuck! To think I’m over here bitching about a mark on my rear bumper on a 3700 mile 5 month old truck. I feel you man.

 

I have a good scuff on the front bumper. Ugh.

That door and fender dont make me feel that bad anymore.

 

It's a truck......fix it and move on. Probably won't be the last wang it gets

 

Definitely get diminished value claim. I had a similar thing happen with my last truck. Had a 2021 GMC Denali. Hadn't even made the first payment and lady pulls right in front of me. $10,000 damage to the truck, luckily all just cosmetic like new headlight, grill, bumper etc. Nothing structural. Her insurance offered me $2200 in value loss. I hired a guy for like $300 bucks to figure out what it should be. He was saying $7800 is what they should pay. Long story short, had to get my own insurance to pay the loss of value claim, which ended up at $6700. They went after her insurance, who finally paid my insurance back and after that, I got my deductible back.

Just remember, when you go to trade it in, you have that lost value check already in your pocket. It will show its been in an accident.
If that lady got a ticket, most likely, your brand new truck has an accident listed on its Carfax now.

 

Pics? I’m very interested to see what a horse can do to a truck. We have wild horses all over central AZ.

 

Thanks for all tips, definitely going to pursue the diminished value after hearing some more from you all. I'm glad I can help you guys feel better about your dings

 

"Thanks for the comments. The more I think about, I'll probably just fix it and move on. I can't stand the thought of dealing with trying to get diminished value."

Her Insurance should automatically give you diminished value after your repairs are completed. It's up to you to accept their number or tell them to do better. Remember, the entire idea of insurance is to make you whole again after an incident. If your new truck has an accident associated with it, you are not whole until they compensate you for that. It really wasn't that difficult. You just have to be patient and do a little homework. I took my truck into carmax after my accident and got an appraisal from them. Then look around and see what other dealers are asking for a similar vehicle to yours without an accident reported. That will give you a good idea of what your offer should be from her insurance company.

I will say, diminished value claims differ from state to state. I live in Georgia where they have the best laws when it comes to this thing. Some states didn't even let you get diminished value money when I was dealing with my claim

 

Yes diminished value,that's what I did after a deer strike on my 19.

 

The claim process has started. I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks for all the comments and advice. Truly appreciated.

 

I had a similar incident with my first car when I was 16. I cried. That was over 20 years ago and I still get a bit heated thinking about it.

Just get it fixed and make the most of it. Maybe get the mustache painted if it isn't already while they have it in the paint booth. See if you can turn it into a positive.

 

I feel your pain. My truck received serious hail damage about 4 months after I got it. It needs a new roof and new hood - damage is far beyond repair with PDR. Seven months later I am still driving around a "new" truck that looks like swiss cheese because of the back order on parts and the sheer amount of hail claims the autobodys around here had to process due to a terrible summer of hail storms.

My truck is about to turn 1 year old in a month - I drove a shiny new truck for only 4 months...

 

PDR will fix it easily. The plastic cladding will have dent, but otherwise you could not tell the fender and the door were dented.

Or replace both. Not your fault.