I Got Some Bad Trail Wounds

[The Last Cowboy]

On the pic that shows the full passenger side, the rocker is buckled up by the rear door hinge. Looks like the rear door is buckled at the bottom hinge too. Does that door open and close without issues?

There’s more damage there than you realize. You may want to check you frame and skid plates for damage too.

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[RockAltered]

First SORRY. Second, if your insurance doesn't cover it, I'd buy a new soft top and keep an eye out for a used hardtop. Keep the scars. Been there done that.

 

[jonahgetz]

On the pic that shows the full passenger side, the rocker is buckled up by the rear door hinge. Looks like the rear door is buckled at the bottom hinge too. Does that door open and close without issues?

There’s more damage there than you realize. You may want to check you frame and skid plates for damage too.

Yes, so the doors operate fine no issues. First thing i looked at was the frame, that appears solid. The rubi rails aren’t as beat up as thought, i took them off and the body pinch seam is straight no dents. It appears the rock i leaned against folded in the rear door when pressed against the hinge, about a millimeter or less. All of the damage was done farther up on the side of the vehicle and not below. The front took all the force, but the rear pressed from the hinge and and rocker and the rear passenger door was not touched.

I ran my hand along on the entire passenger side body and the front passenger side door is definitely buckled in a bit, but the actual door remained seated well in the frame and operates fine. I got really lucky, this could of been worse if the doors didn’t work i would be in more of a hurry to repair.

for some reason that picture makes it look really bad but i think theres reflections distorting the image. You can be the judge, in 30 mins im going to go take some daylight photos to post

im not doubting this is going to be 5k or more to repair. Id be surprised if its under 3k. Really a bummer but its over with, live and learn. At least i earned the badge.

 

[mowens1126]

I added a few more photos. Sorry the lighting is dark. Im currently still on the trail but i think ill head back to town. Was going to camp here, but this whole thing ruined my night. I was the dumbass. Trying to do this trail.

I assume that is the "Python Squeeze" on the trail?

 

[A Sober Animal]

Grew up in agency, my brother and father are both agents, and I worked in insurance for about 8 years, half of that as a claims adjuster, so I'll throw in my two cents.

Whenever you are in some sort of accident like this, you need to first figure out what the approximate cost of repairs are before deciding if insurance is necessary or not. My concern looking at your photos is the potential for body damage, which can get expensive very, very fast.

Since it's a jeep, and like most of us, you plan to upgrade many components, you can then factor in potential upgrades to the over repair cost, and decrease that amount to help you determine if insurance the the right route.

Let's say your total repairs are $1.5k, and your deductible is $1k. Is it worth having a claim on your record, dealing with potential rate increases, just to save $500? No, it's not. Deal with it yourself. But if the damages are $5k+, then paying your deductible is worth saving the $4k. Even with potential rate increases over the next 3-5 years, you'll still likely be ahead. Plus, if they jack up your rates at renewal, you can always jump to another carrier.

However, the vast majority of insurance policies do NOT cover off-roading - that is, if it is not a state, city or county maintained road, damages are not covered. Your specific policy provisions will state what is or isn't included - some are more generous than others.

My rule of thumb is that if I ever think it's going to be cool to get a photo of what I'm doing with my jeep, my insurance won't cover anything that happens to it while I'm doing that.

However, it's very common for people to slide off road while on their way to campgrounds, especially if it's dark out. Campgrounds are full of hard to see trees and unfamiliar terrain. Based on your story, this sounds like what you were doing. Just make sure you are able to provide the insurance company with a camp ground location in the vicinity. My friend messed up his truck last year when we were offroading, and this is exactly how we handled the claim and had it fully covered.

Anyway, best of luck in all of this - you've already learned a ton from it so far, and you're starting to learn the limits of your vehicle.

Your insurance will cover the repairs. You own a trail rated Jeep, and you were using it for its intended purpose. This is why you have a trail rated badge on the side of your Jeep. Your Jeep is per the manufacturer built to be driven on the trail.

This is just factually incorrect - the type of vehicle does not dictate coverage. I'd also take look at all of the posts out here about people being denied warranty claims because the dealer determine they were offroading based on small scrapes on their skid plates.

 

[Fsttanks]

I have run that trail a number of times over the years in both my LandRovers and Jeeps and have never seen anyone damage a vehicle that bad, let alone on BOTH SIDES. Not including roll overs of course.

I must say trying it with street tires was not a wise move and anyone with a heart and experience would have warned you away just on that fact alone.

So where on the trail did all this damage happen? Was it in more the one section? Was this a night run that tend to increase the difficulty of the trail?

 

[jonahgetz]

Grew up in agency, my brother and father are both agents, and I worked in insurance for about 8 years, half of that as a claims adjuster, so I'll throw in my two cents.

Whenever you are in some sort of accident like this, you need to first figure out what the approximate cost of repairs are before deciding if insurance is necessary or not. My concern looking at your photos is the potential for body damage, which can get expensive very, very fast.

Since it's a jeep, and like most of us, you plan to upgrade many components, you can then factor in potential upgrades to the over repair cost, and decrease that amount to help you determine if insurance the the right route.

Let's say your total repairs are $1.5k, and your deductible is $1k. Is it worth having a claim on your record, dealing with potential rate increases, just to save $500? No, it's not. Deal with it yourself. But if the damages are $5k+, then paying your deductible is worth saving the $4k. Even with potential rate increases over the next 3-5 years, you'll still likely be ahead. Plus, if they jack up your rates at renewal, you can always jump to another carrier.

However, the vast majority of insurance policies do NOT cover off-roading - that is, if it is not a state, city or county maintained road, damages are not covered. Your specific policy provisions will state what is or isn't included - some are more generous than others.

My rule of thumb is that if I ever think it's going to be cool to get a photo of what I'm doing with my jeep, my insurance won't cover anything that happens to it while I'm doing that.

However, it's very common for people to slide off road while on their way to campgrounds, especially if it's dark out. Campgrounds are full of hard to see trees and unfamiliar terrain. Based on your story, this sounds like what you were doing. Just make sure you are able to provide the insurance company with a camp ground location in the vicinity. My friend messed up his truck last year when we were offroading, and this is exactly how we handled the claim and had it fully covered.

Anyway, best of luck in all of this - you've already learned a ton from it so far, and you're starting to learn the limits of your vehicle.


This is just factually incorrect - the type of vehicle does not dictate coverage. I'd also take look at all of the posts out here about people being denied warranty claims because the dealer determine they were offroading based on small scrapes on their skid plates.

Very solid information. I’m about to reach out to progressive, and I’m on my way to a body shop to get an estimate.

 

[jonahgetz]

here you go everyone. Thankfully its overcast today so i dont have light distortion. Im no expert but the pillar seems buckled as a previous user mentioned. Something I did not notice initially. The bondo and paint is not meant to repair anything, i just wanted to get the metal covered and not exposed to the elements because we’re getting a lot of rain starting this week. Please let me know what you all think. I’m going to get an estimate from the body shop and I’m also in talk with progressive.

the last photo is the driver side, just for a reference photo.

 

[Afishinado]

Wow... This confirms that I am correcting a mistake! I bought a new JL Sahara thinking it would serve to replace my Tahoe which I really only need to do a round trip SD to FL every year and my 24 year old TJ. So last month I shipped the old TJ down to Florida to retire as a mall crawler. The more I looked at the old TJ in Florida with all its scars, the less I liked plan A , it's now on it's way back to SD! I'll wait another year or two before I put the new one through this stuff.

 

[jonahgetz]

Wow... This confirms that I am correcting a mistake! I bought a new JL Sahara thinking it would serve to replace my Tahoe which I really only need to do a round trip SD to FL every year and my 24 year old TJ. So last month I shipped the old TJ down to Florida to retire as a mall crawler. The more I looked at the old TJ in Florida with all its scars, the less I liked plan A , it's now on it's way back to SD! I'll wait another year or two before I put the new one through this stuff.

Wish i would of thought of that 2 days ago.

 

[Jebiruph]

I know some of you guys are about to cringe, but i got it to where im content with taking this 1500 mile trip to PNW. Once im up there i can talk to some shops, i know theres a whole bunch of custom jeep shops up there.

so i sanded down and got the parts filled in to make it level. Then covered it with the paint. I bought this jeep knowing ill never sell it. Im just really thankful my door still works and the damage isnt effecting drivability.

thank you all for the advice. My main reason for trying to avoid insurance is because i had an accident 5 years ago that made my premium go up, it took 5 years for it to drop off my record and about 6 months ago my premium finally got super affordable.

and yes, im keeping this jeep forever. this is my fiest one and I bought it knowing itll never be resold. When the motor dies its getting another one. I may own many other vehicles, but this jeep will always be in the side yard. I had fun and i want to do every jeep badge with her.

i wanted to take these with the sunlight, but its been a long day.

Any extra work you create for the body shop like having to remove the body putty you applied will not be covered by insurance. It's best to not touch anything if you are going to get an estimate.

 

[Chaosmtb]

my take is this... you used it as a jeep, and got jeep related injury, its cool and normal. now being a little too over your head happens and it sucks, but a hardtop is a marketplace item, or pick up a cheap soft top for time being, im a rag top tj guy, but as the adult life pushes me to have more piece and quiet on a 6+ hour drive plus space i really like a hardtop all of a sudden but alas in a trail i see ppl tap the cage on trees too often to think its really not suitable for trails. i keep my in box soft top as a just in case. first time i hit roush i folded my lower rocker area in a bit, no sweat i already factored in if i want to mess about in the woods, no sneaker, no mtb, no backpack, no anything will be perfect in the elements. you can have a body shop fix said damage, maybe take it easier, but thats your call if it were me id get the dents as close as possible, fill roller prime. and use monstaliner. its a roll on epoxy coating that can handle serious events without scratching. when my billet silver jeep gets to many pinstripes ill probably hit the doors below the handles to the rocker keep as much factory paint as possible, like a duo tone setup, i dont want to go into the woods with 1000's of $ of body work just done and worry about sticks.... it comes w the territory and the bumps are a part of the fun you have with the machine...

 

[jonahgetz]

my take is this... you used it as a jeep, and got jeep related injury, its cool and normal. now being a little too over your head happens and it sucks, but a hardtop is a marketplace item, or pick up a cheap soft top for time being, im a rag top tj guy, but as the adult life pushes me to have more piece and quiet on a 6+ hour drive plus space i really like a hardtop all of a sudden but alas in a trail i see ppl tap the cage on trees too often to think its really not suitable for trails. i keep my in box soft top as a just in case. first time i hit roush i folded my lower rocker area in a bit, no sweat i already factored in if i want to mess about in the woods, no sneaker, no mtb, no backpack, no anything will be perfect in the elements. you can have a body shop fix said damage, maybe take it easier, but thats your call if it were me id get the dents as close as possible, fill roller prime. and use monstaliner. its a roll on epoxy coating that can handle serious events without scratching. when my billet silver jeep gets to many pinstripes ill probably hit the doors below the handles to the rocker keep as much factory paint as possible, like a duo tone setup, i dont want to go into the woods with 1000's of $ of body work just done and worry about sticks.... it comes w the territory and the bumps are a part of the fun you have with the machine...

Thanks for this. I like hearing from fellow adventurers. It comes with the territory. That advice you mentioned about doing a liner cover is totally something i was researching, i was looking at vinyl as well. I like the idea of getting it covered because i know its only a matter of time until another boulder threatens me in the trail and i dont want to drive around always paranoid ill do more damage and then the repair money was waisted. Im like you, ive looked into the rocker body protection from poison spider, But i cant justify spending 1000s on some metal. Some painters tape, liner, and a roller might do the trick. The doors are the least of my worries, theyll be half doors at some point anyway.

 

[jonahgetz]

I assume that is the "Python Squeeze" on the trail?

That is correct. It was fine coming down, but going back up was when my passenger side love tapped the right side boulder.

 

[blnewt]

Yep Jonah, I like that advice about locking in on that hardtop previously listed in this thread for sale, that's a nice deal and like @entropy mentioned you can get check from the insurance that will cover a new top and that deductible won't seem as high.

Of course this assumes your insurance is on board w/ repairing this for you.
G'luck!

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