Truck(s) Struck by Lightning.

TARM · Jul 18, 2014

Arisley said:
It was probably a "finger" off the main lightning bolt that hit the ground. In that case, it fried the radio "it melted the antenna", and just took out the PCM. We can keep hoping.

Yes most likely as a full direct strike would have done serious damage and no fusible link nothing is going to stop that kind of current flow. It will easily arc /jump feet let alone less than a inch etc.

This is more the typical end result of a direct hit ( also why the insurance may have been stating the points of totaling the vehicle of this is what they were expecting):

As you can see a wee bit more than a melted antenna and blown PCM and radio

Arisley · Jul 18, 2014

Yep. Lightning does not care that the rubber tires are insulating the vehicle from ground.
I once got a close up view ( about 50 feet) of lighting hitting a huge tree. There was a stump, charcoal and toothpicks left.

Sent from my truck while eating, adjusting the radio and passing a Mustang sideways.

ToMang07 · Jul 18, 2014

Yeah, I know it messes stuff up. But I'm in no position to buy a new one right now. My credit has taken a nose dive in the last couple years (due to work changing and I make ~$25k less a year now) and I highly doubt I can get a new auto loan right now, and nor do I want to. I had 1.5 years left on this one and it was paid off. :doh:

Brad.S.19 · Jul 18, 2014

That was one hell of a storm and you are not the only one either I heard a few people got vehicles effed by it. Good luck to ya.

TARM · Jul 18, 2014

No it sounds like you got lucky with only a small tag. Even if the want to total it you have the choice to take the difference between the salavage value and actual covered value and keep the truck. That would allow you using used parts to replace the idm pcm radio and likley have money i your pocket as well. Be sure if it happens to haggle hard over the value they give it for salvage as you are saving them the time and try to get them to tell you he salvage value before they know you plan on keeping it.

Arisley · Jul 18, 2014

I bet we can dig up some used stuff here for some really decent prices. I would keep the antenna though, good conversation piece.

lincolnlocker · Jul 18, 2014

OBS-Addiction97 said:
My bad, I didn't know if that would work
with a fried PCM or not.

Maybe if it was a mechanical injected truck

ToMang07 said:
Yeah, I know it messes stuff up. But I'm in no position to buy a new one right now. My credit has taken a nose dive in the last couple years (due to work changing and I make ~$25k less a year now) and I highly doubt I can get a new auto loan right now, and nor do I want to. I had 1.5 years left on this one and it was paid off. :doh:

I hear you there!!

mandkole · Jul 19, 2014

your original plan to spend the deductible and just see a shop is the way to go for the moment. Let them take the time to do most of the troubleshooting.

Now if you were only going 88 at the time...

ToMang07 · Jul 19, 2014

Well, ran NADA, and KBB for private party and dealership price, and all three averaged over 15k. Hopefully that gives me more leverage for bargaining with the insurance company.

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Brad.S.19 · Jul 19, 2014

Hey tom I found a guy over in starksboro VT that buys sells parts out OBS and some NBS 7.3 parts and whole trucks. He has stuff on ebay and cl pretty fair on prices will negotiate history on some of the stuff though. I am up in that area on a regular basis off and on right now.

ToMang07 · Jul 19, 2014

Brad.S.19 said:
Hey tom I found a guy over in starksboro VT that buys sells parts out OBS and some NBS 7.3 parts and whole trucks. He has stuff on ebay and cl pretty fair on prices will negotiate history on some of the stuff though. I am up in that area on a regular basis off and on right now.

Cool, I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

And thanks all for the thoughts/support all.

Gotta play the game with insurance for now. I'll post up as I go. I'm sure it's going to be a long process.

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Brad.S.19 · Jul 19, 2014

ToMang07 said:
Cool, I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

And thanks all for the thoughts/support all.

Gotta play the game with insurance for now. I'll post up as I go. I'm sure it's going to be a long process.

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Your lucky guy a Audi A8 got effed in that storm and at least it is not a brand new truck sometimes the older stuff wins big time.

Jake · Jul 21, 2014

Damn that Audi got hammered! Remember electrical systems are not the only thing affected by lightning. Bearings also get destroyed also. I have worked on a lot of cranes that have been struck and the bearing damage had been just as bad if not worse than the electrical systems.

ToMang07 · Jul 26, 2014

Finally got an update on my truck late last night. (They waited until after 6pm to send the email....when they close at 5pm)

They "appraised" my truck, and found the PCM dead (I knew that) and supposedly the Instrument Cluster is fried. )It seemed to be working fine, but whatever, it's on insurance.) Somehow the guy missed that the radio doesn't work.

Either way parts should be ordered by the Dealership, and hopefully will be getting installed next week.

Still not a peep on my brother's F-150. Of course getting ANYTHING out of the appraisal company is like pulling teeth.

ToMang07 · Jul 28, 2014

Well my chip WAS fried, not that that will surprise anyone.

So now to add that to the claim. They apparently didn't notice the radio was fried, even though I reported it when I made the claim.

SCA (www.sca-appraisal.com) SUCKS. The a-holes don't communicate worth a damn.

ToMang07 · Aug 1, 2014

Holy hell SCA SUCKS.

5 days later I can't get a hold of the jackwads.

CSIPSD · Aug 1, 2014

Bet they have a facebook page... blow it up... I did that when progressive was dragging me out on my deer strike. Got a call the next day.

ToMang07 · Aug 1, 2014

CSIPSD said:
Bet they have a facebook page... blow it up... I did that when progressive was dragging me out on my deer strike. Got a call the next day.

I thought about that. But you can't post on their page. It's not the insurance company, it's the company my insurance company uses for their field work. My insurance company has been fine. It's getting SCA to communicate AT ALL, or get off their asses and actually do something.

ToMang07 · Aug 8, 2014

FINALLY got the money approved for replacing the chip, special thanks to Sean from PHP for helping me deal with the insurance dickwads.

Ordered the Hydra today.

STILL don't have my truck back.

My brother's truck is officially totaled, which sucks. It had NO rust whatsoever and had the best running 2v 5.4L I've ever seen with 160k+ on it.

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