should I be worried about dent on B pillar?

about a month ago my truck was hit at very low speed from the side by another driver. The only thing damaged was both driver side doors. No airbags, drove car home. i took the car in to a certified toyota body shop and they sent me this pic of b pillar with creases . the shop said it’s fixable, and it’s not structural damage since the reinforcement behind b pillar is not damaged and since t4r is body on frame.

should i demand my insurance totals the truck?

 

If you don't lose any money after insurance totals it then why not. Get the check and go get another one. But looking at used car market right now, you will lose a lot of money, insurance will pay you market value. Plus I doubt they will total it for that, it is not damage to the structure

 

shop (toyota dealer) is quoting 13k to fix the damage which insurance is willing to approve.

Are you sure it’s not structural damage?

is the car worth to keep, or should i sell it after it gets fixed?

 

13k
It raises questions. Did the other driver's insurance accept fault?

 

still working that out? 13k is dealers appraisal with everything i suspect a local shop could do it for much less?

 

The dealer is doing body work lol.

 

well if insurance is paying, might as well let the dealer do it

 

I wouldn't trust the dealer for body work, it is not their thing, body shops are way more experienced. Get a second opinion from a good body shop

 

If you ever roll over, you want that pillar at 100% structural strength. Also you might get water leaks as door seals would not seal nearly as well.

 

When dealing with insurance, you are asking wrong question. You want to go with a body shop certified/recommended by insurance. This way they are responsible for a) price negotiation b) forcing the shop to address substandard work if they botch the job. That is, if you decide to keep the car.

Alternatively, you can take cash settlement from the insurance and part of that your car (with a salvage title). Then repair it on the cheap and keep driving it. You will get some cash out of this, but long term you will likely lose money as resale value of your car will go down by at least 50%. However, this would be a good way to, for example, build a dedicated extreme offroader.

 

this shop was recommended by insurance company and is toyota certified. also the b pillar itself (the reinforcement) i’m told is fine. the b pillar of the 4runner has an exterior “shell” covering up a metal reinforcement (the actual structural part of it). i’m told that they put the car on their frame machine and all the measurements are correct within factory spec.

i have attached a diagram of the 4runner b pillar design below. Part #7 which is the b pillar shell has been slightly damaged. however after tearing apart the vehicle, the shop tells me that Part#8 which is the actual metal reinforcement structural component of the b pillar is intact and has been unaffected.

Also insurance refuses to salvage title this or list it as structural damage

 

If the other driver is at fault go after diminished value if your state allows it.

Resale will now be lower because of the accident. Insurance companies will try to say there is no such thing as diminished value thinking you will believe them and go away. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking the other driver to small claims court with an appraisal showing the value is lower. As long as the judge approves it the insurance company will then be forced to pay as they will be the ones representing the driver that hit you per the policy usually

 

I will definitely look into this for sure, however totaling the car is out of question.