I hit a deer!!

[jpl2407]

Driving home last night, could not avoid the big buck that decided to run out into the road, I had a quote of $1300 to repair the damage, which looks pretty light, its pretty much just the headlioght.....do you see anything here that would warrant a $1300 insurance claim as opposed to just replacing the headlight myself??







Regards,

Jake

[MARTHA]

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I'm no insurance person but if the repairs are $1300 you will probably have to pay your deductible, lets say $500, and the insurance will pay the remaining $800.
I would accept the cash from the insurance company and use that money to make the repairs yourself. You wouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket.
The one problem with repairing it yourself is that if you have damage to that same area in the future the insurance company will not pay to have the same area repaired twice unless it has been repaired by a shop, or.... Some insurance companies allow you to bring the repair by their office to document the repairs.

[fanguy]

Your on the top of the list for lucky person of 2016. If you didn't for G&G's take it to the dealer and get an Est.

Some Ins Co now send the check to the body shop.

[BFeller]

The gap is wrong between the fender and hood. I would aslo suspect that the gap is worng at the fender and door. Based on the gap - i expect a damaged fender to the cause. I would also look at the hood gap on the drivers side and alignment of hood to windshield. Just to ensure the hood was not damaged.

[jpl2407]

Originally Posted by BFeller

The gap is wrong between the fender and hood. I would aslo suspect that the gap is worng at the fender and door. Based on the gap - i expect a damaged fender to the cause. I would also look at the hood gap on the drivers side and alignment of hood to windshield. Just to ensure the hood was not damaged.

additional pics, the assessor was under the impression that the fender gap on the passenger side was due to the fact that the headlight assembly had been pushed under and it may have been exerting pressure on the fender and that it should pop, or realign once the headlight was out.

door to fender:





fender to windshield




hood to bumper


inside fender


and my deductible is $100

[Anker]

Have the insurance company take care of it and make sure a really good body shop does the work. They almost always find damage that isn't visible and deal with the insurance company to have it done.

Anker

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Anker

Have the insurance company take care of it and make sure a really good body shop does the work. They almost always find damage that isn't visible and deal with the insurance company to have it done.

Anker

+1
I expect that the mounting plate for the headlight is cracked. It's not rocket science to replace, but can be a pain to get it all properly adjusted.

[mfm22]

You are lucky indeed , I've seen cars totaled & people maimed / killed by direct Deer hits

Boxster front ends are like "Cow Catchers " on the old trains .

No doubt go to nearest Porsche dealer and get an estimate - this is when the "porsche " price works in your favor

Then get a few lottery tickets , Nice adult beverage of your choice maybe a good cigar & enjoy you good fate

[rexcramer]

Glad to hear you are okay. My niece hit a deer in Utah and it totaled her car.

[husker boxster]

You left out the money shot - the entire hood / fender gap on the passenger side.

Don't get excited to submit to your ins if it's something you can fix yourself. Even tho you only have $100 deduc, you'll still have a claim on your record. Be sure it's worth having before submitting.

[Burg Boxster]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

You left out the money shot - the entire hood / fender gap on the passenger side.

Don't get excited to submit to your ins if it's something you can fix yourself. Even tho you only have $100 deduc, you'll still have a claim on your record. Be sure it's worth having before submitting.

So long as no collision claim needs made, deer strikes typically are considered an "act of god" for comprehensive coverage with no "at fault" chargeable claim to your policy. That said, local agents always seem to remember anytime they're asked questions "a friend of mine..." so tread carefully.

Good luck

[jpl2407]

ok, first, thanks for all the responses, I am still trying to figure out if I should DIY this.

more pics,

1st, I took the headlight out (surprising easy!!!)



the tray that they headlight sits on is not cracked, broken or misshapen in any way

so with the light out and hood closed:



This tab was the only broken thing on the headlight casing, so, I fixed it with some epoxy and a screw:



however, when I put it all back in it still does not sit where it should:



and the money shot



I don't get it, the fender does not have a mark on it, no wrinkles, nothing, I measure the headlight hole dimensions between driver and passenger side and they match, so strange!

PS, I don't know why vbb inverts the images when I upload them, apologies if you get neck strain .

[jsceash]

I feel your pain on Saturday one ran into the side of my truck. Bent the door B pillar and front edge of the bed. It landed in the bed jumped up hopped out of the bed and hobbled off. My wife and I looked but could not find it. $3200 damage.

[BoxsterSteve]

Originally Posted by Burg Boxster

So long as no collision claim needs made, deer strikes typically are considered an "act of god" for comprehensive coverage with no "at fault" chargeable claim to your policy. That said, local agents always seem to remember anytime they're asked questions "a friend of mine..." so tread carefully.

Good luck

It worked for me...
Back in the day, I had an old beater of a Pontiac Parisienne and wrote it off hitting two deer crossing the highway together.
No collision insurance on that turd, but got $1200 for it from State Farm under my comprehensive policy because it wasn't a vehicular collision.
Bought it back for $50 and parted it out for another $1900.

Good luck whichever way you choose to fix your car.

[BoxsterSteve]

Oops.
Double post...

[old911doc]

You're going to get in trouble with the Pennsylvania Game Commission; deer season doesn't open until November 28th.

[PaulE]

You need two new headlights, having one new light and one old light with burn marks on the inner lens won't be symmetrical! Seriously, glad you are ok and damage isn't worse. There are lots of plastic bits under the bumper cover that the cover slides into or otherwise attach the cover. Some of those could be cracked or broken, it would be worth pulling the bumper cover off to have a look!

[steved0x]

To me the hood/fender gap is bigger on the side where the impact happened. Glad you are ok.

[Anker]

Remember that if you ever sell the car the only ethical thing is to disclose that you had this accident. And if you don't have a body shop do the repair you also need to disclose that. I can tell you that I would never buy a car that had been in an accident and hadn't been checked and repaired professionally.

I have had accidents where there was next to no visible outside damage, but required thousands of dollars of repair.

Just food for thought/Anker

[jpl2407]

its already booked it for repair.