DeathMobile Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Hey everyone, ...so my girl smacked into a huge deer the other night. I've never been in an accident or had to make a claim with insurance before. What have people done in the past in regards to claims and accidents? I have a 500 dollar deductable, and the damage is pretty good. I'm at work, so I don't have the pictures handy. The passenger side door is smashed in so bad that it wont open. The passenger side fender is folded inwards, the lower bumper is broken into a couple of pieces, and the hood is crinkled on the one side. The windshield is also smashed. The car still seems to drive ok, but im not sure if it did any internal damage. Should I go about this a certain way when the insurance adjuster comes out? Like...am I looking to total it, or do I get them to fix the damage and take my chances with anything that might have gotten hurt that you can't see? It has 105K on it. We bought it at about 80K. I've replaced the turbo with a 16G, replaced the AVCS valves, and some other little maintenace items. We bought it for 16,500 dollars. Thanks in advance for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowImg Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 There's a decent chance a deer strike will be totaled. But there's no strategy here, they're just going to come evaluate it and decide if it's fixable or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06LegacyRBP Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 What shadow said, basically file the claim, they evaluate the loss, determine total or not, you pay ur 500, total you'll get a check, not total you find a shop...either your insurance will decide! Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathMobile Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 I wasn't sure if there was a grey area with internals. I know a subaru is a little more sensitive to damage than say a truck or an suv. I'm concerned if they say...its 8000 in damage...here is a check...go get it fixed, but a few days later I find out that the engine was damaged and I loose the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 sounds like just panels were damaged. I wouldn't worry to much about internal damage if it still drives the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 If you can pop the hood, and see if the cam gear covers are damaged at all. The passenger side has the power steering system and the motor harness plugs. If the cam gear cover is cracked then you might have skipped a tooth on the timing belt and that would be very bad for the motor. The biggest concern I would have is if the A pillar got pushed in. Then the cost of repair would total the car. Sounds like everything else was bolt on though, so new door, new fender, new bumper and new hood might be the worst of it. -Jake http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg http://upload.pbase.com/image/137566671.jpg Call directly for your best Whiteline Price! | We also carry almost every manufacturer now, so before you buy parts call us. AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: paisan@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Jobber "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybaster Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 hit a deer - what next? Let's Eat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strizzy Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 ^Happened to me two years ago, except I was snowmobiling with some friends. We loaded that b*tch up on the sled, threw it on the snowmobile trailer, went home and made the best damn sausage I've ever had. Revenge never tasted so great. My bad luck build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 another deer victim http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/hate-deer-173939.html?t=173939 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landark Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 For most insurance companies the cost to repair the damage has to be 75% of the value of the car before they total. So that means it has to have around $10,000 in damage. Deer hits generally are light impacts that damage the outer panels. That doesn't mean they can't cost a lot to fix, but I wouldn't be worried about internals with a deer hit. If you discover damage related to the accident after the repairs that wasn't addressed, the insurance company will fix it. You have to do more to prove it was related, but most won't give you too hard of a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy51 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If you make jerky give me a shout. Everybody keeps forgetting to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeleodee Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Legacy with 80k for $16,500? What year? And what is the book value? You'll want to know that. I guess your choice of a username was an omen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hukne001 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 If they total the car. It will probably best to take the lower offer so you can still keep the car and either keep driving it since it runs, fix it if you choose or part it out. Always have people looking for parts on here. I don't think they will total it based on the info you have given. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathMobile Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 I'm filing the claim this week, so I'll let everyone know what the damage is. It probably won't be totaled, but I wish there was a way to get insurance to do the timing belt . I made a mistake, I must have been thinking about this other car we were looking at. I think the car was listed at the dealer for $15,300. It has about 78,000 miles on it then. Very very clean. I'm pretty sure the blue book value on it currently is around 11,000. Do they go by blue book to determine if it's a total? 75% of 11K isn't very high compared to the cost of a new: windshield, door, hood, quarter panel, fender, bumper... I guess we will find out what the actual cost of the damage is this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landark Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Do they go by blue book to determine if it's a total? 75% of 11K isn't very high compared to the cost of a new: windshield, door, hood, quarter panel, fender, bumper... I guess we will find out what the actual cost of the damage is this week. I can't speak for all companies, but I used NADA for insurance companies. We had a dedicated program that was updated monthly and based on where in the country the car is located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjpete04 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I'm an insurance adjuster, important thing if they do not total it is to find a shop that will really tear it down and make sure they find all of the damage. If the insurance company writes a check for it to be repaired and the shop later find it exceeds the threshhold (varies by state law but usually in the area of 75%) the insurance will pay the shop for the labor they have into it + the market value of the vehicle. Also keep in mind the insurance company will only pay for used and aftermarket parts if they are available. Most policy's have that written in them. If you want all OEM you will likely be paying more then just your 500 deductible. Hope all goes well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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