Hit a deer in MY

[Marks321]

After several close calls with Deer each fall this morning I unfortunately made contact with one in MY. I was able to slow from 70 to about 25 after I spotted the deer wandering across the highway. Honked and slammed on the breaks but still made impact and the deer bounced off front of car and subsequently run away. It left quite a bit of damage but could have been worse and at least I was able to continue driving to work(keeping it under 65)
I Made Tesla service apt and was referred to a Tesla approved body shop. I guess no Tesla loaner vehicle in this scenario ?

Really bummed about the damage and having to make an insurance claim and not having this car for several weeks while it’s repaired...

 

[Young Phenom]

Bummer.

May still be "in spec" though

 

[jfawns76]

Ouch, sorry to hear that.

 

[Electric > Gas]

Could have been way worse, I'm glad you are okay! For non service issues your auto insurance determines if you get a rental car or not. My policy says I get $40 daily toward a rental car for any body work needed as a result of a claim but your policy might not have that feature or may cover more than mine does. Some body shops have free loaners to help win the business so hopefully you get lucky if your auto insurance won't cover it.

 

[Kandiru]

Glad to hear you are OK OP.

Bell deer whistles on every car for 15 years, please go to Walmart and get many pairs, they really work, my state trooper neighbor at the time confirmed reduction from 5-10 deer hits a year to one or none here in deer infested OH. Mating season is in full swing now and they run in a straight line to the pxxxx emanating oestrus oblivious to all else, just like some of us.

Have you tried using a plunger? Just messing w/U

 

[richyrich]

I Made Tesla service apt and was referred to a Tesla approved body shop. I guess no Tesla loaner vehicle in this scenario ?

I'm not sure how you thought this would be a Tesla service issue? I mean people complain a lot about MY bodywork but this is an accident, not something that failed and is a warranty-covered issue.

Personally I would:
1. NOT call my insurance first - there's a very good chance they will open a claim just because you called.
2. Call a couple of decent bodyshops and get an assessment - it's very possible a lot of the bumper damage can be "popped out" especially with some heat applied. With that done the damage may be minimal.
3. Depending on the estimated cost, THEN decide if you want to involve insurance or pay it out of pocket, bearing in mind likely premium increase, claims record etc. Personally I would NEVER go the insurance route for something this minor.

Whether you get a courtesy vehicle depends on the paint shop and your insurance (if you choose to go that route) - it's all baked into the cost. Bear in mind that renting a car for a couple of days is cheap, especially right now.

 

[Berkshire1]

Hit a deer with my Lexus...$7500 damage. Covered by insurance less deductible under comprehensive and not collision. Should not affect your rates.

 

[Kodemonkey]

After several close calls with Deer each fall this morning I unfortunately made contact with one in MY. I was able to slow from 70 to about 25 after I spotted the deer wandering across the highway. Honked and slammed on the breaks but still made impact and the deer bounced off front of car and subsequently run away. It left quite a bit of damage but could have been worse and at least I was able to continue driving to work(keeping it under 65)
I Made Tesla service apt and was referred to a Tesla approved body shop. I guess no Tesla loaner vehicle in this scenario ?

Really bummed about the damage and having to make an insurance claim and not having this car for several weeks while it’s repaired...
View attachment 607374 View attachment 607375

Glad you are okay. A lot of people get killed by deer in Michigan. My Mom used to live there and had some close calls, but after she got deer whistles they would take off. Those things really do work.

 

[Ldub22]

After several close calls with Deer each fall this morning I unfortunately made contact with one in MY. I was able to slow from 70 to about 25 after I spotted the deer wandering across the highway. Honked and slammed on the breaks but still made impact and the deer bounced off front of car and subsequently run away. It left quite a bit of damage but could have been worse and at least I was able to continue driving to work(keeping it under 65)
I Made Tesla service apt and was referred to a Tesla approved body shop. I guess no Tesla loaner vehicle in this scenario ?

Really bummed about the damage and having to make an insurance claim and not having this car for several weeks while it’s repaired...
View attachment 607374 View attachment 607375

When I smashed my Model S in 2018, it took 4 MONTHS to repair because parts were impossible to come by.

Make sure that the parts are available when you start the timer on your rental car. I had to pay out of pocket for my rental car after the 60 day limit happened. Make sure you get assurances from Tesla that they will cover any rental car overruns. They eventually paid me back, but I had to front the money to Enterprise!

The worst part was driving a Jeep Compass for 4 months!!

 

[richyrich]

Hit a deer with my Lexus...$7500 damage. Covered by insurance less deductible under comprehensive and not collision. Should not affect your rates.

"Should not" but I've worked on underwriting systems, I know exactly what happens and it's not that simple because it depends on the person. A claim like this is still costing them money because there is nobody to recover from. If you've had no other claims ever you might get away with a zero/small increase but otherwise it probably will increase your premium. It's all risk-based and the simple fact is that someone who claims is riskier than someone who doesn't, moreso if there have been multiple claims, so you charge that customer more to try to balance it out or discourage them from renewing.

 

[laservet]

You can probably buff that out. Well, maybe not. You are fortunate, a friend’s mother was killed hitting a deer. Her car clipped its legs off and the torso came through the windshield and decapitated her. I get much closer to deer before they notice me in the Y, guess they are used to hearing the engine.

An employee hit a seagull with her Bronco and it was $3500, trashed the grill and the radiator. She was speeding for sure, birds are pretty lightweight for their size.

 

[Daks]

I'm just happy you didn't get hurt. Cars and parts on cars can get repaired. It sucks - all accidents do.

 

[laservet]

"Should not" but I've worked on underwriting systems, I know exactly what happens and it's not that simple because it depends on the person. A claim like this is still costing them money because there is nobody to recover from. If you've had no other claims ever you might get away with a zero/small increase but otherwise it probably will increase your premium. It's all risk-based and the simple fact is that someone who claims is riskier than someone who doesn't, moreso if there have been multiple claims, so you charge that customer more to try to balance it out or discourage them from renewing.

This. A good friend had three little dings happen to his car, had them repaired, each cost him less than $100 usd. He was later talking with his insurance agent and asked if it was worth filing. The agent said, “That’s what you’re paying for, file them.” He did and was then assigned to a frequent filer category because he had three claims in a 30 day period and his rates went up ~ 4 fold. For two years IIRC. And it wouldn’t have helped to switch companies, all of them had him on this list. And add insult to injury the insurance company denied all three repairs, paid nothing, and blew his rates up. I’ve never seen anyone as angry.

 

[wraithfive]

Really bummed about the damage and having to make an insurance claim and not having this car for several weeks while it’s repaired...

Glad you are ok. But if the car is drivable I do not recommend dropping it off at a body shop without a little prep work. Else you could be months without the car. One, the insurance is going to want to use the body shop of their choice, which may not be Tesla approved in which case they can't get the parts from Tesla to do the work. And that is almost certainly going to need a new front bumper and frunk lid.

So make the insurance tells you which body shop they are going to want you to use and check with them first if they are Tesla approved. If not then fight with insurance to use the Tesla approved shop. Then let that shop examine the car and give the estimate to insurance, but make sure they get the check and order the parts from Tesla and have received them before you drop it off for service. Since Model Y's are still new and in relatively short supply it will probably take a while for the body shop to get parts from Tesla.

Just my opinion on the best way to avoid being in an ICE rental for longer than you have to. Especially if your insurance only covers a rental for say, 30 days, like mine does.

 

[mark95476]

Agreed. I'd rather drive a banged-up MY than an ICE loaner.

If this was me, I'd do a bit of ghetto repair (pop the front fascia out and straighten out the hood) while the body shop waits for parts.

Glad you are ok. But if the car is drivable I do not recommend dropping it off at a body shop without a little prep work. Else you could be months without the car. One, the insurance is going to want to use the body shop of their choice, which may not be Tesla approved in which case they can't get the parts from Tesla to do the work. And that is almost certainly going to need a new front bumper and frunk lid.

So make the insurance tells you which body shop they are going to want you to use and check with them first if they are Tesla approved. If not then fight with insurance to use the Tesla approved shop. Then let that shop examine the car and give the estimate to insurance, but make sure they get the check and order the parts from Tesla and have received them before you drop it off for service. Since Model Y's are still new and in relatively short supply it will probably take a while for the body shop to get parts from Tesla.

Just my opinion on the best way to avoid being in an ICE rental for longer than you have to. Especially if your insurance only covers a rental for say, 30 days, like mine does.

 

[richyrich]

This. A good friend had three little dings happen to his car, had them repaired, each cost him less than $100 usd. He was later talking with his insurance agent and asked if it was worth filing. The agent said, “That’s what you’re paying for, file them.” He did and was then assigned to a frequent filer category because he had three claims in a 30 day period and his rates went up ~ 4 fold. For two years IIRC. And it wouldn’t have helped to switch companies, all of them had him on this list. And add insult to injury the insurance company denied all three repairs, paid nothing, and blew his rates up. I’ve never seen anyone as angry.

Yep. In my book both motor and home insurance are only ever to be used for things where the insurance company will definitely be able to make a recovery from a third party, OR gigantic unmanageable damage you can't pay for yourself. The days of "just claim it, that's what you're paying for" were over a long time ago. Protect your precious no-claims record or you'll end up paying lots more in premiums, potentially much more in the long run than you ever got paid out for the claim.

 

[Marks321]

Thanks for the replies went the insurance route and using Tesla recommended body shop that seems like a good establishment. They took some detailed pics and put in a quote with insurance with all the parts they anticipate needing. It got approved by insurance and they are now ordering parts hoping to get in 1-1.5 weeks. He said car seems drivable and suggested keeping it until they get the parts in then getting the rental as many of you have suggested

 

[Marks321]

I’m slightly tempted to try to pull that out a little if only so the radar unit located behind the indent will work properly. Right now autopilot only works foe 15 or 20 miles then it realizes there is an error with radar data not correlating with camera data and it kicks you out says take control immediately and autopilot and cruise control all disappear

 

[hcdavis3]

Thanks for the replies went the insurance route and using Tesla recommended body shop that seems like a good establishment. They took some detailed pics and put in a quote with insurance with all the parts they anticipate needing. It got approved by insurance and they are now ordering parts hoping to get in 1-1.5 weeks. He said car seems drivable and suggested keeping it until they get the parts in then getting the rental as many of you have suggested

Same for me. My car was in the Tesla approved body shop for 3 weeks. 2 weeks to get the parts. They did a great job. I drove my car until all the parts were there.

 

[Rshephorse]

Glad to hear you are OK OP.

Bell deer whistles on every car for 15 years, please go to Walmart and get many pairs, they really work, my state trooper neighbor at the time confirmed reduction from 5-10 deer hits a year to one or none here in deer infested OH. Mating season is in full swing now and they run in a straight line to the pxxxx emanating oestrus oblivious to all else, just like some of us.

There have been very few objective tests of these. Georgia State police did pretty good tests driving past deer with and without these... The really don't work and might actually be dangerous because driving slowly is really the best defense, and if these whistles make you more confident....

Have you tried using a plunger? Just messing w/U