Wreck in a leased JL

[mischman]

Thanks for advice everyone. Did more reseach and inspected the jeep. I have stock take offs already. I took the side wing of the bumper off, besides the wheel being a little scratched, the bumper and fog light. There looks to be no damage. Im going to get an alignment check but i took it on a straight smooth back road just now doing 75MPH and it drove like nothing happened.

Also, my deductible isnt worth paying for an insurance claim for a new bumper and fogs when i have take offs already. Ill have a mechanic give it a once over just to be safe and then slap the stock parts on.

And yes, i hit that deer center mass at 60 and am shocked how this jeep held up. every wrangler should have a steel bumper. Any car would of been totaled.

Thanks again for the advice.

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[four low]

I was fooled.

I thought this was a wreck!!!

Sorry to disappoint you !

 

[Kurt0]

Did you gut it and chop it? If i hit a deer in my gladiator id give it a face shot with a .45, toss it in the bed, and hit the local butcher. The meat you get for free off that thing will offset the Quadratec bill for a new bumper.

glad youre ok.

 

[FulThrotl]

Actually.. I just remembered, in my case the deer hit me. No joke, it ran into my door so I believe that’s why I had no deductible. Still, call and find out, no harm in checking.

so, the deer had insurance? good. not all deer maintain financial responsibility.

 

[me109stock]

Take-off parts are cheap and easy to find. If you started with the plastic bumper and still have it I'd just go that route. If you added the steel bumper and the only thing keeping it off is the side horn, remove both sides and go with the shorty front bumper.

 

[JeepXalfa]

Nothing to worry about if there are spare parts that you can install yourself. If there are any other minor damages, I recommend you to fix it yourself. However, before you actually return it, I highly recommend you to swift/carvana/trade-in estimate it prior returning it. You most likely will have $$$ back instead of paying extra to dealer.

 

[G.D.S. 4x4]

Some insurance companies will call this a claim if you inquire regardless if you collect or not.

 

[COJLGirl]

I need some advice. I have a leased JL, lease is up in a few months. It has a steal bumper and fog lights on it. I have stock parts.
Being a lease, it obviously has full coverage.

I hit a deer tonight on a back road doing about 65mph. The fog light is cracked and the bumper is bent bad, the removable edge piece is bent into the wheel(i had to take it off to drive home). Its midnight so i havent checked anything else under the hood or jeep but it drove home fine.

Assuming its just the steel bumper and fog lights, should i even call insurance or just put stock parts back on? If i do call insurance, what happens? FCA take money and do repairs or is like i own the vehicle and they give me a check and i do repairs? i have take off parts. Also, what about my insurance rates?
I have the same question above only what happens if there is some real damage to is besides the bumper and fog light?
TBH, if its just the bumper and fogs id like to swap to my stocks and leave insurance and FCA out of it and not have the headache.
thanks

I’m an insurance agent and I would get it fixed. Hitting a deer is considered a comprehensive claim and less impactful to your insurance premiums than a collision claim. Now, if you swerve, miss the dear and hit a guardrail instead, that’s a collision claim.
If you have all of the original parts, the body shop can use those when they are completing the repairs on the rest of the vehicle.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I’m an insurance agent and I would get it fixed. Hitting a deer is considered a comprehensive claim and less impactful to your insurance premiums than a collision claim. Now, if you swerve, miss the dear and hit a guardrail instead, that’s a collision claim.
If you have all of the original parts, the body shop can use those when they are completing the repairs on the rest of the vehicle.

Put in a claim but provide the parts for the repair? Pay someone else for the 6 bolts? Less impactful doesn't sound like unimpactful to me. He put on a non-stock bumper. Odds are, with the winch I see in there he was going to swap the stock bumper back on when the lease was up. All the deer did was accelerate that move. If it were me, I'd hammer the bumper back straight and either sell it or put it back on the next jeep after the lease is up.

 

[Unixmandt]

One thing to check. Look at your lease agreement. Some say the insurance check must be cut to them (leasor), and the dealer will keep the check and repair out of the funds and then apply the excess money to your lease total balance. You may not get anything in return except a repaired vehicle.

 

[A Sober Animal]

Okay, you've gotten all of the details here through a variety of responses but here's a nice summary:

1. Go to a body shop and get an estimate of damages and cost to repair. You never know what is hiding below the surface that you aren't seeing.
2. Contact your insurance carrier to confirm what your deductible is, and if you'd be responsible for paying it or not.
3. If the damages are minor and you can do them yourself, do them, regardless of deducible responsibility.
4. If the damages are larger, and you will be paying your deductible, then determine if you want to pay the cost now in the form of a repair, or later on in the cost of increased premiums. For example, if your damages are $3k, your deductible is $1k, it probably makes sense just to pay the entire thing out of pocket versus paying the $1k now and whatever your premium increases will be in the future. Even if you aren't paying a deductible, larger claims can still have a downstream effect on your premium (despite what your carrier may incorrectly tell you).

Your responsibility under the lease is return it in good working order and make any major repairs as necessary. Any future depreciation falls on the dealership to absorb.

Most people (incorrectly) view insurance as something to handle most repairs, when in reality, it's designed for catastrophic damages. It is, unfortunately, a necessary evil. This is especially evident when you're working with people who have filed claims - I used to be a claims adjuster, so I've witnessed firsthand.

 

[COJLGirl]

Put in a claim but provide the parts for the repair? Pay someone else for the 6 bolts? Less impactful doesn't sound like unimpactful to me. He put on a non-stock bumper. Odds are, with the winch I see in there he was going to swap the stock bumper back on when the lease was up. All the deer did was accelerate that move. If it were me, I'd hammer the bumper back straight and either sell it or put it back on the next jeep after the lease is up.

I

Clearly, I told the poster a comprehensive claim is less impactful because it can affect insurance premium, just not to the degree of a collision claim. Next time, you should read the post before popping off at the mouth on what I had already stated.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I

Clearly, I told the poster a comprehensive claim is less impactful because it can affect insurance premium, just not to the degree of a collision claim. Next time, you should read the post before popping off at the mouth on what I had already stated.

Awful defensive when you literally suggested the guy file a claim for 6 bolts he's already changed out previously? I pointed out that less impactful, as you stated, is still impactful. It's bad advice period. He has the replacement parts, he was already going to change them. Why file a claim? Pulling the bumper off will make it very clear that the frame is still straight underneath. Bolt oem plastic bumper back on and the deer is a distant memory.

 

[Notorious]

If your Jeep is red, you name her Dixie AND THEN wreck, is it okay to say, “my red Dixie wrecked?”

Also, I’m going to agree with the @COJLGirl. Hitting a deer that jumps in front of you would be considered a “not at fault” accident. Report it to the insurance company and get it fixed.

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