my brother counted his blessings

[94 lngbd]

Yesterday the timing belt went on his 2003 Kia Rio which toasted the engine ,its a zero clearance 16 valve engine.

So today he had to drive his 2000 Dakota ext cab 4x4 ,4.7 V-8 , on his way home he was rear ended by a flatbed tow truck that had a jeep cherokee & a 4 dr Dakota truck on the flatbed.

Hit him center of the bed floor which buckeled & pushed the bed into the ext cab section, & buckeled the frame on both side's.

He's sore but he drove the truck home,which is more then he would be doing if he was in his Kia Rio.

His 31x10.50/15 BFG a/t are less then a month old & he just filled up the fuel tank yesterday.

Being that the truck is still drivable & with a full tank of fuel he said he'll drive it until out of fuel being that the insurance wont pay him for the fuel & being that its a 2000 were sure that it will be totalled especially with the frame being buckeled.

 

[Insanejughead]

Mid size trucks are built so much better than those compact imports. I'm thankful that your brother is alive.

I'm sorry on his loss of both vehicles too.

God Bless!!!

 

[michowski]

If the frame is buckled I wouldnt drive it. Sounds way to unsafe to me. Just syphon the gas out and put it into whatever your gonna drive now. Glad to hear he is ok tho. Thats the important thing.

 

[baadboy11]

When i got in my accident a few weeks ago i had just filled up my tank too...there goes my 40 bucks. Glad he's ok.

 

[CJREX]

Go get a set of used 31x10.50s and put on it. You won't get squat for the new tires.

X2 on siphoning the gas out.

How many miles were on the Kia? Was it past due on the belt replacement?

Seems that timing belt breaks are pretty rare nowadays.

 

[94 lngbd]

Kia had 87,000 on it & the belt was changed at a kia dealer ship when there was 58,950 miles on it.

The dakota's frame is so very slightly buckeled,even my brother didn't notice it until I pointed it out to him.

 

[Mutant Pony]

I just diagnosed a nearly identical Kia Rio last week. 80 some thousand miles, broken belt. Valve contact on all four plugs.
I think the only problem with the Dakota would be the loading capacity. A full load could cause the frame to fold. Otherwise, if both frame rails are bent the same the only thing it will effect is appearance.