A deer hit me in the middle of the night, ran right into the drivers side back door (it must have been blind- my car is white, the street was well lit, and I was only driving about 35 MPH). Now there's a significant dent and it appears the entire door needs to be replaced. Fortunately the damage is limited to the door only and not the actual body of the car. However, based on the 2 repair estimates I got, I was told that the entire left side of the car needs to be repainted along with a new door (because it arrives unpainted). And they have to be able to paint the entire side because it blends in with the rest of the color better. Anyways, my insurance deductible is $500. But if I pay out of pocket, one of the body shops was willing to cut me a deal for just $1200 (with free rental car). What should I do? My insurance company told me that they waive any raises in monthly fees for one single accident claim. Beyond that it will surely go up though.......
i would get it fixed did the deer have insurance? when you get it fixed, you should switch insurance companies.. some insurance companies consider animal strikes as comprehensive and not collision, and comprehensive claims are not supposed to raise your rates
Are you sure you have to pay the deductible? In the past when we have had deer damage, it was considered a comprehensive claim, not a collision. Tom
You also might check here also, he might have a white rear door, factory painted, and depending on your year, I bet it will match pretty darn close, if not perfect. 04 and newer Prius Parts Cars
They do NOT have to paint the entire side of the car. I had to have my passenger side rear door repainted because it was keyed. They only painted the door, not the entire car. My deductible is $500 and the job was $565, so I opted to pay the entire thing myself. No way they have to paint the entire side of the car. If I were you, I'd try to find a rear driver's side panel at a scrapyard from a wrecked prius. You might even get lucky and find a white one. Then have the door painted before it's mounted.
When I lived in upstate NY, deep in the woods near Syracuse, I was hit at least twice (that I recall) by deer. It was a very common accident, and my Allstate policy was such that I never had to pay a cent for repairs. Maybe it was an 'act of god' clause The police did, however, have to obtain proof of a deer hit: With gloved hands, they picked out pieces of deer fur, and gingerly placed them in evidence bags.:rofl:
It's not an act of god clause, it's your comprehensive coverage. It's the same thing that pays for broken windshields or when a tree falls on your car. Tom
It depends on the color. Some are harder to match than others, especially so with metallic paint. In such cases they paint additional surface in order to blend the old and the new.
when both our doors and our rear quarter panel got keyed, they repainted the entire side of the car, except the front fender. they were able to blend the first half of the door i guess. either way, the match was just fine on a car that 2.5 years old at the time. still looks like nothing happened.
Yeah but the car in question is white. I had to have my rear bumper painted and that was the only piece affected. No problems with the match. I had body work done on a red Camry several times and the only panels that had to be painted were the ones with actual damage. Again no problems with matching.
I work for the insurance company who are known as the good hands company. Anyway at least at my company and I also know State Farm is the same way hitting an animal is considered Comprehensive, they wont raise your rates for it and they also will not access a surcharge either. Plus that is why you have insurance. Get it done, Get it done right.
That's what I was thinking, but I got estimates from 2 different places and they both said the same thing (that the whole side must be repainted).
Don't know. I drove back and forth on that stretch of road looking for a deer body, but saw nothing. I guess it scurried off into the woods with a REALLY bad headache. I assume these guys are strong enough to withstand hits like this?
Umm, I do not know. But it's too bad I couldn't find a body. I would have sold the deer meat, which would have probably earned me enough money to pay for the repair and for all my wasted time. LOL! Just kidding..
It's my understanding that both collision and comprehensive insurance have deductibles. But that a claim under comprehensive insurance should not immediately or directly result in increased rates because the underlying act (hit by deer, hit by a falling tree, etc.) was not your fault and involves unknown third parties or acts of god. Check your policy. In all likelihood, the deductible is the same as the one on your collision insurance.
using your insurance can sometimes drive down the repair cost. if the adjuster determines it's not necessary, the insurance won't pay for it and the repair shop won't do it. you'll lose your deductible, but i bet it's cheaper than paying out of pocket, especially if they're charging you for things you don't really need.
