My Avalanche is dead. (56k modem users will be totaled.)

Diggler · #1 01-23-2008, 08:50 AM

My wife was going about 45mph yesterday when a Trailblazer coming the other way lost control on a patch of ice, went broadside and slid into her lane. My wife hit the steering wheel and has a few bruises on her face and is sore, but is otherwise OK.

Hopefully it's totaled, they're never the same after 'fixing' them. I've already got a few Toyota Tundras in my sights...

morf · #2 01-23-2008, 08:58 AM

jeez, glad the wife's ok.

Geoff St. Germaine · #3 01-23-2008, 09:01 AM

I'm glad your wife's alright. Tundra eh? I have a friend that bought one and he's contemplating getting rid of it already. I looked at them and some of the problems and Toyota's way of handling the problems steered me away.

Diggler · #4 01-23-2008, 09:07 AM

Yeah I'm thinking Toyota just to break away from the Big Three for reliability issues.

What year was your friend's that he was having trouble with? I don't want a new one because of 1) depreciation and 2) 2008 models are now full size instead of 3/4 size.

FL Knifemaker · #5 01-23-2008, 09:08 AM

Ouch! Glad your wife is OK. Can you go to where the Avalanche is and "enhance" the damage??

Totalled is much better than "fixed"!!!

Diggler · #6 01-23-2008, 09:11 AM

I'm not much for insurance fraud...

I can't see how they could possibly fix it with the engine compartment pushed in like that.

GregC · #7 01-23-2008, 09:11 AM

Yikes! Really glad your wife's OK, sorry about the truck. And yes, I hope it's totalled, too!

vinny · #8 01-23-2008, 09:14 AM

Sorry for your situation, but I doubt that's totalled. It proabaly depends a lot on who your insurance carrier is. The year/model will have a lot to do with it. If it's any later than '02 or '03 they're probably gonna fix it. You're right though, they're just not the same after that.

FL Knifemaker · #9 01-23-2008, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diggler

I'm not much for insurance fraud...

I can't see how they could possibly fix it with the engine compartment pushed in like that.

Just say you were so upset that you went ape*#)^ on it with a crowbar

Diggler · #10 01-23-2008, 09:29 AM

It's a 2002. It's been fixed from minor/moderate damage before, when we hit a deer and the airbags went off. Kelley Blue Book is about $15k.

Oddly enough, the airbags didn't go off, and our OnStar system didn't activate... wonder if they Chevy dealer didn't fix it right?

middy · #11 01-23-2008, 09:34 AM

I've seen newer cars totalled for much less.

Matt_W · #12 01-23-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by middy

I've seen newer cars totalled for much less.

Ditto, there is no way that car is not a write off. Surely?

Bryan316 · #13 01-23-2008, 09:53 AM

That vehicle is absolutely repairable. There's probably minimal front end frame fixing. Not even any damage past the front doors. Most likely, replace the whole engine and front drivetrain. Possibly a new tranny if that got wrenched by the engine moving.

That thing will be resurrected and running peachy keen.

burk48237 · #14 01-23-2008, 10:25 AM

Easily repairable, touch up paint, a little duck tape, and a plunger to get out the dents.

Glad your wife is OK. I would raise hell about the air bags and the On star. At the very least you should have a refund of your On star payments, the subscription isn't much good if it doesn't work when you really need it. If I paid for a burglar alarm alert system and the alarm didn't go off and there was no response to from the alarm company to a break in, I would demand a refund. If their were any damages caused by the air bags not functioning they should cover that too.

Geoff St. Germaine · #15 01-23-2008, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diggler

Yeah I'm thinking Toyota just to break away from the Big Three for reliability issues.

What year was your friend's that he was having trouble with? I don't want a new one because of 1) depreciation and 2) 2008 models are now full size instead of 3/4 size.

It's a 2007. It's had the torque converter replaced (which didn't fix the transmission problem anyway) and the welding on the tailgate has come apart from loading an ATV into the back once. Toyota told him that the tailgate is not load bearing and they will not warranty it. I've seen tons of Dodge's, Chevs and Fords that have ATVs loaded in them all the time and the tailgates don't come apart. The tailgate issue is also a pretty widespread problem.

If your not looking at the new Gen then my comments don't apply.

Geoff St. Germaine · #16 01-23-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diggler

It's a 2002. It's been fixed from minor/moderate damage before, when we hit a deer and the airbags went off. Kelley Blue Book is about $15k.

Oddly enough, the airbags didn't go off, and our OnStar system didn't activate... wonder if they Chevy dealer didn't fix it right?

Wow. That is extreme negligence if that's the case, and I can't see how it wouldn't be the case. I'm sure you will, but if you aren't I would follow that up pretty aggressively.

Diggler · #17 01-23-2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burk48237

Easily repairable, touch up paint, a little duck tape, and a plunger to get out the dents.

Glad your wife is OK. I would raise hell about the air bags and the On star. At the very least you should have a refund of your On star payments, the subscription isn't much good if it doesn't work when you really need it. If I paid for a burglar alarm alert system and the alarm didn't go off and there was no response to from the alarm company to a break in, I would demand a refund. If their were any damages caused by the air bags not functioning they should cover that too.

I don't pay for Onstar, never did... HOWEVER, my trial period was over for a year and a half when we hit that deer and deployed the airbags... The airbag deployment triggered the onstar call even though we didn't have the subscription.

If you listen closely to the onstar commercials, they say something to the effect that full usage of onstar services starts at $x/month. They don't advertise that you don't need a subscription for the basic safety service.

Oxblood · #18 01-23-2008, 11:07 AM

Glad to hear your wife made it out alright, but like most people have said, it DOES look fixable.

I'd get it fixed, then sell it and buy something new anyways. My girlfriend got into a fender bender a month ago when she slid on a patch of ice into a parked truck (I was also riding in the passenger seat). We are getting it fixed Friday, possibly getting a new paint job, and selling it to buy a bigger & safer SUV. She has a PT Cruiser and the front ends on those things are a JOKE.

Pilgrim · #19 01-23-2008, 11:15 AM

I can't see any reason why that air bag didn't deploy...that bumper took a big impact. Something's wrong there. IF it's going to be fixed, you ought to have the repair shop take a careful look at the air bag sensors before the take things apart. You may have an action against the Chevy dealer.

Glad your wife is OK - but you ought to be extremely curious and more than a little pissed that the air bag didn't deply.

**Ryan L.** · #20 01-23-2008, 11:47 AM

Ouch. Glad your wife is alright.

But I'd seriously raise some hell about the airbags not going off.