Collision with Deer - 20k in repairs

[SandDawg]

In today's cars all the big electronics are in the front end, radar, lidar, etc. I imagine that stuff will get damaged with the slightest bump.

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[rocks]

Depending on how it's mounted, a collision with a deer on a vehicle with a nudge bar can actually result in more damage. Without an engineering study there is no way to know how impact forces will be imparted to the unibody.

The bar works well with police vehicles in pit maneuvers. That deer hit was too the left and might have missed the bar if one was installed.

 

[Kraken1]

I am a little short on the million-dollar engineering study so I guess I will take my chances with my nudge bar that can take a big hit. I might even use my brakes to cut down on the force of the hit.

 

[RushMan]

Depending on how it's mounted, a collision with a deer on a vehicle with a nudge bar can actually result in more damage. Without an engineering study there is no way to know how impact forces will be imparted to the unibody.

Yup! A couple of week's ago, my niece hit a deer with her 2019 Grand Cherokee with brush bar was valued at $24,000. Insurance totaled it. Front and side airbags went off. Deer damaged most of the side of the car also. Sold at auction for around 4K$.

 

[coopny]

Anybody buying a new car, if they ask for my advice, I give several... but one I always give is....

Gap insurance. Gap insurance. Gap insurance.

With modern safety systems sensors, computers, unibody construction, etc. it is stupid easy for an insurer to be required to total your car by state law threshold (often 75%, but it depends on the state), or not be forced to but the insurer decides to total the vehicle anyways.

Compound that with cars being more expensive and budgets being tighter and the average American buying a new car gets a loan, on average, of 68 months (yes we're averaging all the loans to a number that's almost six years...). That means your car is underwater (value of car is less than what you owe on the loan) for longer and longer. Especially with some Americans resorting to 82 month(!) loans to get that monthly payment down. If you have gap insurance on your loan, and the car gets totaled for less than the loan amount, you just pay your total loss settlement to your lender and they eat the rest.

Ford Credit March 2023 did not promotional APR the 2023 BS so Chase Auto was less... at a shocking 7.79% APR for 48 months. I checked with the dealer and got badgered into financing, but made sure there was no prepayment penalty. I checked refi with Penfed and they were offering 6.05% APR for 60 months, and their gap insurance for that term for a $30K loan was $600... about $10 a month extra to not be screwed if the vehicle was totaled in the first three years of the loan.

I ended up weighing it, and after seeing three days after my car loan that I had accrued $32 in interest, paid the loan with Chase off (2022 was a wild time for used car prices, so I got way more than I expected for my totaled Fusion, and I had been saving money to the side for a new vehicle purchase for years in lieu of paying ford Credit 2018 onwards on the last car). But if I had decided to continue financing, I absolutely would have refinanced with PenFed. Not only for the much better interest rate, but for the gap insurance.

 

[Mark S.]

I might even use my brakes to cut down on the force of the hit.

I think avoidance is a much better strategy too.

 

[wjtank]

That's a lot of money did any air bags go off?If so that's why the cost is so much to fix it!!A lady i work with was in an accident with her 2019 Cadillac XT4 didn't have much body damage at all but the air bags went off and the cost to replace them was going to be $16,000 they totaled it!!

No airbag deployment

 

[wjtank]

I think avoidance is a much better strategy too.

No chance for avoidance in this case.

 

[Kraken1]

It's very hard to avoid a side hit especially if the deer is coming out of the bush.

 

[wjtank]

Yes, exactly. Especially when they are running at top speed.

 

[Bucko]

Ask your insurance agent for Diminished value as well. After the repair, the vehicle will be worth less and that hurts you when its time to sell or trade in, as the insurance company and/or repair shop will declare the repair that shows up on a report, such as Carfax.

What is an example of a diminished value claim?

For example, if the market value of your vehicle is $15,000 with moderate damage to structure and panels and 20,000 miles, your formula to calculate diminished value would be: $15,000 x . 10 = $1,500 — This would be the maximum you would receive for a diminished value from an auto insurer.


You are entitled to this lost amount, but you have to ask your insurance agent for it most of the time.

 

[wjtank]

Ask your insurance agent for Diminished value as well. After the repair, the vehicle will be worth less and that hurts you when its time to sell or trade in, as the insurance company and/or repair shop will declare the repair that shows up on a report, such as Carfax.

What is an example of a diminished value claim?

For example, if the market value of your vehicle is $15,000 with moderate damage to structure and panels and 20,000 miles, your formula to calculate diminished value would be: $15,000 x . 10 = $1,500 — This would be the maximum you would receive for a diminished value from an auto insurer.


You are entitled to this lost amount, but you have to ask your insurance agent for it most of the time.

Thank you for that excellent information. I will definitely do that if the vehicle ends up being repaired.

 

[S Duncan]

Anybody buying a new car, if they ask for my advice, I give several... but one I always give is....

Gap insurance. Gap insurance. Gap insurance.

With modern safety systems sensors, computers, unibody construction, etc. it is stupid easy for an insurer to be required to total your car by state law threshold (often 75%, but it depends on the state), or not be forced to but the insurer decides to total the vehicle anyways.

Compound that with cars being more expensive and budgets being tighter and the average American buying a new car gets a loan, on average, of 68 months (yes we're averaging all the loans to a number that's almost six years...). That means your car is underwater (value of car is less than what you owe on the loan) for longer and longer. Especially with some Americans resorting to 82 month(!) loans to get that monthly payment down. If you have gap insurance on your loan, and the car gets totaled for less than the loan amount, you just pay your total loss settlement to your lender and they eat the rest.

Ford Credit March 2023 did not promotional APR the 2023 BS so Chase Auto was less... at a shocking 7.79% APR for 48 months. I checked with the dealer and got badgered into financing, but made sure there was no prepayment penalty. I checked refi with Penfed and they were offering 6.05% APR for 60 months, and their gap insurance for that term for a $30K loan was $600... about $10 a month extra to not be screwed if the vehicle was totaled in the first three years of the loan.

I ended up weighing it, and after seeing three days after my car loan that I had accrued $32 in interest, paid the loan with Chase off (2022 was a wild time for used car prices, so I got way more than I expected for my totaled Fusion, and I had been saving money to the side for a new vehicle purchase for years in lieu of paying ford Credit 2018 onwards on the last car). But if I had decided to continue financing, I absolutely would have refinanced with PenFed. Not only for the much better interest rate, but for the gap insurance.
[/QUOTE

I had an unavoidable collision with deer on 08 Dec 2023 in my 2023 Big Bend with 7k miles. We are living in an age where a collision with a deer can cost 20k in repairs !! I'm still waiting for preliminary work at paint and body shop - measuring frame to make sure it isn't bent before any work begins per insurance company. Doesn't look like a total loss unless frame is bent badly.

A few posts back someone posted about getting advice to buy a Deer whistle, they posted the link on Amazon, I ordered some since I was going to our cabin up in the mountains where there’s lots of deer and elk. The reviews on Amazon are great. I do believe it works. They are nine dollars each. I would look into a new Insurance Co. Goodluck! Glad you’re ok.

 

[coopny]

Ask your insurance agent for Diminished value as well. After the repair, the vehicle will be worth less and that hurts you when its time to sell or trade in, as the insurance company and/or repair shop will declare the repair that shows up on a report, such as Carfax.

What is an example of a diminished value claim?

For example, if the market value of your vehicle is $15,000 with moderate damage to structure and panels and 20,000 miles, your formula to calculate diminished value would be: $15,000 x . 10 = $1,500 — This would be the maximum you would receive for a diminished value from an auto insurer.


You are entitled to this lost amount, but you have to ask your insurance agent for it most of the time.

At least in New York, diminished value is basically asking the at-fault party to pony up money for the reduced value of the car.

So yeah, the deer (if it survived) is uninsured and without assets... good luck on that one.

Unless you live in Georgia (which both yourself and the OP appear to do)... Apparently a DV claim against your own policy is a thing that exists in that state.

It doesn't hurt to ask your insurance company about the possibility, but in most of the US it isn't an option.

 

[SallyP510]

This week must be the week for deer, I just had my first accident in beloved bronco this past Monday heading home for the CFP game, and collided with an 8 point buck in my 2022 BL. I will say if it is totaled, I'm buying the same thing. That car kept me so safe and and I walked away completely unscathed. Love this car and good on ford for creating a quality vehicle.

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