I hit a brown fox on highway, now Prius is sad...

I'd at least start a claim, see what they assess, and verify what deductible is involved, sometimes there's more than one level of deductible, depending on cause of damage. The radiator (that's likely the AC one) is pushed in some, for starters.

 

I wouldn't report it.
You're probably looking at about $2500 in damage to fix the car as before....or you might be able to negotiate a lesser price for a "good enough" repair to the radiator support, grille, etc.

Even if you spend the entire 2500, you might be better off not reporting the accident because as you've just proven, bad things can happen to good drivers, and a previously wrecked 2007 is always going to be worth thousands less than a non-wrecked one.
I'm not in any way suggesting that you try to deceive a future buyer, but a self-repair following a road-kill looks better to a prospective buyer than ***ACCIDENT!!!**** on a car's resume.

Your call.

I'd get a quote for a privately funded repair at a decent shop (leaning more towards mechanical than cosmetics) and write a check.

AAA is a really good insurance company.
I use them myself.
I carry Comp and Collision on my 06 and 09 with the same $1,000 deductible.
This insurance is meant to mitigate a hull-loss accident---not to fix a fender-bender.
I use this strategery to keep my liability insurance low, since I HAVE to have that, and it represents most of your insurance bill.
I want this to be as cheap as possible while covering me enough to keep sniveling, bed-wetting attorneys at bay.

The fox probably didn't make it, which was really better in the end than wounding it.
Some carrion-eater got an easy meal.
Next time, try to hit the horn instead of the brake and don't jink at the last moment to miss the animal - especially if it's a squirrel.
They don't think you're trying to miss them. They think you're trying to eat them, and they always either zig or zag in the last moment....meaning that if you do likewise there's a decent chance that you'll both jink in the same direction.

Act like you're trying to hit them and they'll usually get away.

Good Luck!

 

did it come off the fan? can you see what it might plug into? thetas a lot of damage from little brown foxy! i hit a coon the size of a buffalo a few months ago and just barely cracked the lower lip.

 

yes, there are two behind the radiator.

 

I'm not sure why you wouldn't at least approach your insurer, get it looked over.

 

Call a competent mechanic first.
Preferably a trusted independent one.

It would be a shame to file a claim and sully your vehicle's pedigree over $1000.01 worth of repairs when you have a mere $1000.00 worth of damage.

Good Luck!

 

That hanging piece is the MFD external temperature sensor, and clips to the vertical support. If it's broken it's only $20.

John (Britprius)

 

your core support is bent and it wouldn't surprise me if the a/c condenser is damaged enough to leak. call the insurance company or at least take it somewhere and get an estimate for all the damage right away. insurance company shouldn't jack you up too bad; no ticket, no other cars involved. btw, you sure it wasn't a coyote? awful bad damage for a fox. and if it was a coyote, good riddance.

 

Get an estimate before filing a claim. Even if you don't complete the claim it's still on your record and your premium goes up when you renew. It's happened to me.

 

Good Luck and Tally Ho!

 

I talked to a vet about this when I saw something similar happen with a large dog. He told me that their systems are basically operating on shock and adrenaline and they can run for a short bit before the severity of their injuries ultimately takes over.

 

Any hunter knows (or should know) that animals can run an amazing distance after being mortally wounded.
As far as coyotes are concerned I share 69shovlhed's opinion.

 

OK. I see that now relooking at your picture.
This can be fixed with a tie-wrap. The attached thermistor is pretty resilliant. You just don't want it flopping around. You're going to want to make sure that your radiator cooling fans are still operative. Technically I think that you're in SoCal which means it's going to get warm soon.

Partially.
I'd fix that first.

Yes.
Coyote - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Don't be quick to discount the fox theory though. My daughter's Saturn Ion ingested a red fox (confirmed through a postmortem) and it did $1100 worth of damage.
Since she was still on our insurance, and we carry high deductibles ($1000) we had to do a self repair.
I sold the car 4 years later with a perfect Carfax record and all maintenance documented. I did carefully explain to the buyer what had happened, and you couldn't tell that anything had happened at all.
I had to pay for that repair but I kept low insurance rates (with a teenage driver) and I asked for and got more money than a previously wrecked 4-year-old car might have received.

It worked out for me.....but in your case it might be worth an inspection by a mechanic.
If you have the insurance company do the repair, then IMHO you should demand and receive a full cosmetic and mechanical repair to OEM specs.
It's gonna be hard with that 7-year-old paint, but a good body shop can do it.

If you're lucky......your insurer won't ding you for one incident.
If you start to get unlucky....and center-punch more wildlife, or get vandalized, or get into a wreck then this trivial wreck might cost you more in higher rates than you'll benefit from the difference between your deductible and the repair.

Your call, but I use insurance to protect me from an unsustainable loss.
Many people in America are over-insured for comp and collision, and under-insured for liability.

That seems backwards to me....but YOU have to manage YOUR finances.
FWIW, keeping cars for 10 years and having a high deductible is evidence that you're doing a great job!!

Oh....I use USAA, not AAA as I might have indicated earlier. Both are good.

Best of luck!

 

Maybe it's different in the states then. In BC we have (more-or-less) one insurer, they're a "crown corporation" (a quasi government arm), and as far as I know you can file a claim with impunity. Nothing would happen to your rates until you follow through, in an at-fault accident. And hitting an animal that ran out, I don't think that would raise your rates, it's an act-of-god (act-of-dog?) event.