Wife Side-Swiped a Pole With My New Truck Today

[Seabeejason]

I just bought a fully loaded GMC Sierra Crew Cab a couple months ago. I LOVE my new truck. Today, while I was working the wife called me and her first words were "I have to tell you something and please don't get mad at me". My stomach sunk and I my first words were "Don't tell me you wrecked the truck.". She turned too sharp and smacked a yellow pole at the Sonic Drive-In. I was fuming mad, so I just told her that I would call her back. Truth was that I had to get all the cussing and frustration out before I could call her back in a calm manner and say that things happen and that we"ll just have to get it fixed.

She told me that it was "just a baseball sized dent". So, I felt better after that. Once I got home and pulled into the driveway I seen the damage. I honestly felt like throwing up. The driver side of the truck bed is dented in three or four places and there was yellow paint covering about a 3 foot area in front of the fender well and above it as well. Once again, I had to calm myself. I just grabbed the keys and went straight to a couple body shops and once again reassured the wife that I "wasn't mad" (I was still fuming). I felt bad for her at the same time though because she knows how much I like my truck and was really upset at herself for wrecking it.

The first body shop gave me an estimate at $1,100.00. The other body shop estimated the damage at $1,000.00. I looked at the paperwork they gave me and noticed that most of the cost is labor. I also did not want to claim it on the insurance because I simply do not want another claim on my record. I then started brain storming on some DIY methods I could use to at least remove all the yellow paint transfer on the side of the truck. I consulted Google and YouTube (the all knowing) and found an unorthodox method of removing paint transfer from a vehicle. The solution? Non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner. I bought some at Advanced Auto Parts, along with a few white towels (don't use colored ones because it could possibly transfer the dye onto your vehicle). I sprayed the brake parts cleaner on the white towel and wiped it across the yellow paint. It took it right off!!! No pressure or anything! The white paint on the truck looks like new again. Now, all that is left is the dents. I plan on calling a dent specialist tomorrow to see how much it will cost to pop them out. The dents are not creased, so they should be able to pop them out for a couple hundred dollars without hurting the paint job on the truck.

I just thought I would share this little part of my day.

[Dad03]

Been there brother!. Get it fixed and use the guilt she will feel for buying some more guns.

[kckndrgn]

Sucks, I know. While my truck is a couple years old, it's still my "baby", had some fool not paying attention and just "following the heard" and made a left turn in front of me. Well, my chrome bumper did almost $9K damage to his mini van, My truck had about $4k in damage to the bumper, grill, tire and misc. parts.

His insurance paid for it, so I was without the truck for about a week and a half.

All in all, I know your truck is new, but, it is just a truck.

[Seabeejason]

Been there brother!. Get it fixed and use the guilt she will feel for buying some more guns.

Oh, I definitely plan on playing that card. I may even go out with the guys and get stumbling drunk at the bar for a night and make her come pick me up.

The gears are already turning.....

[Pain103]

Oh, I definitely plan on playing that card. I may even go out with the guys and get stumbling drunk at the bar for a night and make her come pick me up.

The gears are already turning.....

But in her car right? lol

[Seabeejason]

Sucks, I know. While my truck is a couple years old, it's still my "baby", had some fool not paying attention and just "following the heard" and made a left turn in front of me. Well, my chrome bumper did almost $9K damage to his mini van, My truck had about $4k in damage to the bumper, grill, tire and misc. parts.

His insurance paid for it, so I was without the truck for about a week and a half.

All in all, I know your truck is new, but, it is just a truck.

That is ultimately what I had to convince myself. The damage is done, so there is no point in dwelling on it. Stuff happens.

[Seabeejason]

But in her car right? lol

It will definitely be in the car. That would be my luck. Me using her wrecking the truck as an excuse to go out with the guys and her wrecking the truck again because she had to pick me up from the bar at 3 a.m. That would suck

[LagerHead]

I have owned 3 vehicle that didn't even make it to the first payment before damage was done. One was stolen, one I ran off the road (motorcycle taking a curve too fast) and one was sideswiped by a lady that didn't even make a pretense of pausing at a stop sign. I more than feel your pain. You do get over it eventually, I promise.

[Dolomite_supafly]

When we bought our truck about 3 years ago it wasn't a month and someone had hit the front bumper damaging it. Worst part is they didn't stop. Within 72 hours we had are first door ding. And finally someone backed into the rear bumper and put a baseball sized dent in the quarter panel underneath. Again no one claimed fault.

I hate people who do things like this. I was at a Burger King on MIddlebrook when an old beat up truck was backing out of a parking spot. He misjudged and bumped into a brand new Mustang's door with his bumper. Rather than stop he just gunned it and his bumper put a crease down the whole side off the brand new car. It was during lunch time and at least 100 customers saw it happen. Once the driver was clear of the Mustang he just waved at everybody and sped off. Problem was that guy ate at that Burger King every day and a lot of people knew him. One customer even gave the Mustang owner the guys name and where he worked.

Dolomite

[Murgatroy]

I was hit while driving the wife's car a few years ago. I called the police, I called work, then I called my wife. My first words were "How bad did you want a new car?"

It took a while, but she got over it.

As for the hit and run...

Several years ago I was living in Indianapolis, several friends and I attended a Colts game. As we were leaving, a truck that was parked near us backed out and hit a car, the driver pulled back forward and attempted to drive off. That was when nearly twenty people, myself included, swarmed his truck and forced him to wait for the owner of the car to arrive.

It helped to restore faith in humanity, because it was a nearly instantaneous action, no one stood there mouth agape wondering what to do, the crowd moved en mass to stop him from fleeing the scene.

[Mike.357]

Not sure what "its just a truck"means

I have a baseball sized dent in my passenger door. Put there by the wife when she backed into it with her moms car. Same spot i always park in. It never ends with wives damaging husbands rides.

It also had been keyed within the first year i had it. Got that fixed.

Now thirteen years later it just has a lot of character.

And the yellow pole she hit in your new truck is called a ballard.

Edited March 16, 2012 by Mike.357

[frankmako]

several years ago my son worked at home depot. he parked his car away from the store. but his car still got beaten up from other vehicles. at one time i looked for a target on his car. we got a world full of "no driving people" that all they can do is talk on the cell phone.

Edited March 16, 2012 by frankmako

[Erik88]

Several years ago someone keyed my dads new truck from the tailgate all the way to the hood. That one really hurt.

He waited almost a year to get it fixed and once the work was done some lady in a Porsche backed in to him on the same side and left a huge dent.

A year or so later he got rear ended.

[gunrunner32]

That is always a bad call to get. I've gotten a couple like that from my wife. Thankfully she was always driving her Escape at the time. She was on the Western KY Parkway and hit a Turkey...shattered the windshield. She didn't know what to do. I was furious, but it happens and I was glad it wasn't my truck.

I've also gotten the call that she backed into someone who was also backing out at the grocery store...again in the Escape and not my truck. She knows that if she ever crashes or dents either my truck or her new Highlander that she may as well not come home for a while.

She knows the pecking order around here....My truck, my guns, my daughter, myself, her....now that's a joke, but it amuses me.

[BryanP]

Just chalk it up to Stuff Happens and bank the Husband Points for handling this without getting angry at her.

[Guest RobThatsMe]

Some vehicles are just "Bad Luck" vehicles. Kind of like some people that have a "Dark Cloud" hanging over their head.

They just seem like magnets and attract accidents and midhaps.

[Mike.357]

The warden knows better than to think she can use my truck. In over thirteen years she has drove it two times. And her denting my door is still a very sore spot.

I don't wheel her car either, just stuck paying for it, LOL

[Lumber_Jack]

Pics or it didn't happen

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Stuff like that just seem to show up on my fleet. Changing the oil on the wife's 535. What's this white crap

on the bumper cover? Sure ain't part of an oil change! At least I don't have to replace the bumper cover,

I'll touch it up.

[Seabeejason]

I have been trying to find a dent repair place all morning. I called one guy and he said he can't get to it until Tuesday. That is fine, but I am not sure if I will even be in town on Tuesday. I called another guy and he won't even return my call.

Anyone know any good paintless dent repair places in the Knoxville area?

[Seabeejason]

Well, I took the truck to another couple shops today. The Dent Station told me that she hit the pole in such a spot that they will not be able to get their tools behind it to fix the dent. So, now the only viable option is to get the dent popped out as much as possible and us bondo to smooth it out. That means the paint will need sanded off and a new coat of paint applied to the entire left side of the truck bed. The Dent Station gave me an estimate at $620.00 with taxes.

I'm not too happy right now.

Edited March 17, 2012 by Seabeejason

[Lumber_Jack]

I would take it to as many body shops as I could before I let The Dent Station Bondo and paint my new truck.

I took my 08 to the dealership to get the hail damage fixed, but that was an insurance job. I will say it looks brand new. I'd go get an estimate at least.

[Garufa]

Wife does not drive husband's car/truck or whatever.

After your repairs keep that in mind.

[Seabeejason]

I would take it to as many body shops as I could before I let The Dent Station Bondo and paint my new truck.

I took my 08 to the dealership to get the hail damage fixed, but that was an insurance job. I will say it looks brand new. I'd go get an estimate at least.

I am a bit hesitant to let The Dent Station do the body work. They have a nice little shop, but I still feel that a GM dealer would do the best work. I went to Beaty Chevrolet (where I got the truck) and their body shop said that they could do it next week. They will have the truck for about 5 days. He said that he thought the $1000+ estimates I got from the other two body shops was a little high and that they can likely do it for less. The Dent Station came in at $620.00. If the dealership can do it for about the same price as The Dent Station then I will take it there instead. Mainly because they have a lot more experience working on GM trucks and paint. I just feel better letting them do it. I have another appointment to let another dent guy look at the truck on Monday. If he says he can't fix it then I will just have to suck it up and pay out for the body work.

Edited March 17, 2012 by Seabeejason

[Parrothead]

First off, i bet your wife feels MUCH worse about the incident than you. Keep that in mind. It's just a chunk of metal.

However, this is a new truck and i assume you will be driving it for a while. Pay the money to get it fixed RIGHT. When's the last time you bought the cheapest item you could find and it proved to be equal to the higher priced alternative? Think about a high-point pistol--its cheap and it works. If it was the best option everyone here would own 10. But, has you know, you can buy a better gun that achieves the same goals for 10x's the money. Most, if not all, of us have made this decision. Quality and workmanship is worth a lot. Keep this in mind, we are talking about a 30k dollar truck. Whats another $400 to get it fixed right?