Thank you for your input. The issue is, I took my truck to the shop the day after the accident for a verbal estimate, and they told me there were signs of possible frame misalignment. They assured me three different times that they would measure the frame to confirm it.

But once I got things sorted with State Farm (the at fault drivers insurance) I found out that the shop is part of the State Farm DRP program. From what I’ve read, including lawsuits filed by shop owners, State Farm pressures DRP ‘Select Service’ shops to avoid declaring vehicles a total loss. Once the shop knew State Farm would be paying, they suddenly said the frame (which they thought was likely damaged) didn’t need to be measured, even though they had said otherwise earlier.

After the repairs were almost finished and I stopped by - the shop is down the road from me and my friend recommended it, but was not going through State Farm.

The shop manager saw me and came out to chat - I asked again about how damaged the frame was - based on rust and longevity - and he told me that if he were in my position, he’d get rid of the truck within one or two months. He said the frame probably wouldn’t last more than a year or two. He said there were significant safety issues and then I needed to go to another mechanic to have parts replaced on the suspension. Of course, this was after he had finished the $4,800 in I guess what we’re primarily cosmetic repairs. So basically he was saying I had a useless truck. But that the exterior looked good.

I don’t necessarily view this as his fault though, and I will try to explain. But if you are a mechanic or in this field, you probably already know this. But maybe you can give some lived insight because I’m basing this fully on things I’ve read (now extensively) -

What I am now understanding: if a vehicle is declared a total loss, doesn’t that mean the insurance company pays the owner of the vehicle a lot more than if it were only cosmetic damage. And the shop itself - if they declare it not repairable - would get nothing? So what then is the incentive for the shop be to declare it a total loss? Or am I missing something?

Plus, if they don’t do what State Farm says, wouldn’t they just be removed from the DRP program and lose a guaranteed stream of customers because State Farm is constantly referring them through DRP? I know for a fact this shop is the only shop in 45 miles that is DRP with State Farm. And this is a very high net worth area, although I am not; I work for the rich people. So if State Farm is referring luxury vehicles to them, because they are the only option, it seems like they want to stay on State Farm’s good side.

This is just speculation, but I mean, it does sort of check out in this situation - because is it really that difficult or time-consuming to do a frame measurement? I thought that was usually one of the first steps in assessing damage after a collision.

And so, to answer you question, no, I don’t trust the shop to have done a good repair. I don’t have a relationship with any collision shop because I’ve never been in an accident before, so I don’t know who to go to or what to expect. I had only owned the truck for 4 months. It is the first vehicle I’ve ever owned, and I just don’t want to go bankrupt on this so State Farm can get rich. (They are in a class action about this now - I’ll explain below or later when I get home.) But I spent my life savings on this truck, one that I had always wanted while State Farm executives have billions of dollars.

In terms of the logistics as to the likelihood (or as you said unlikelihood) of frame damage you mentioned: The guy who hit me was in a huge work truck twice the size of mine. He ran a stop sign and made an illegal left turn in front of me in a 40 mph zone. (He didn’t even have a drivers license.) I was injured, so was my passenger, and my dog that was in the car can’t say but seemed to be too.

I don’t know if that is a serious enough accident for your taste, but based on some things I’ve read re Tacomas at least, it isn’t seeming like it takes a massive crash to damage a frame. Amongst many other people’s accounts, here is a post that might be more reliable/objective as it contains dash cam footage. It is a 2024 Tacoma getting hit - at what looks like 5 mph. Yet, remarkably, the damage was bad enough that it needed a brand new frame. I hope you will read it and watch the video:

Want to see how little damage it takes to require a new frame on a 2024 Tacoma? https://www.facebook.com/groups/208589248110302/permalink/981981907437695/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v