Hit a deer on my way home last night. Help needed please.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

Hit a deer on my way home last night. Updated with Insurance estimate.

I hit a deer on my way home last night as I was driving around 35-40 mph. So sad that this happened to me, the passat only has 6k miles on it.
Any one know how much this would cost me? Do I better fix it myself or file a claim through my insurance? Will this affect my carfax report if I file a claim?
I live in chapel hill, north carolina. Is there any reputable shop I can take my passat to?
Any input will be appreciated! Thanks guys!

DubFamily · Dec 11, 2013

Animal hits are generally covered under comprehensive, not under collision; but you need to check/confirm with your insurance company on that. Assuming it is covered under comprehensive, it won't effect your rates, but again, confirm that with your company; I am just passing on what I know from my company.

Assuming you have a reasonable deductible it would almost certainly cost less through insurance. As for Carfax, it would probably get reported using insurance.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

DubFamily said:
Animal hits are generally covered under comprehensive, not under collision; but you need to check/confirm with your insurance company on that. Assuming it is covered under comprehensive, it won't effect your rates, but again, confirm that with your company; I am just passing on what I know from my company.

Assuming you have a reasonable deductible it would almost certainly cost less through insurance. As for Carfax, it would probably get reported using insurance.

Thank you for the input. I do have comprehensive insurance with $500 deductible and I am worried that the money saved from filing a claim would ended up cost me more than fixed it myself if it gets reported to carfax.

nord · Dec 11, 2013

Fairly minor from the standpoint of physical damage. Sheet metal, headlamp assy., and paint from the looks of the photos.

I expect the incident will be reported to CarFax but the extent of damage is fairly small and probably won't have an effect on future value. (Keep your photos.)

Comprehensive will cover the incident. Just remember that you'll start off $500 in the hole. If the total repair were to only total about $1000 or less, then I might consider not going the insurance route as you're already in for the first $500.

dwfdiesel · Dec 11, 2013

Hope you got a steak at least.
looks like more than a $1000 to me but I don't know rate in usa. Last one I hit cost $4000 and it didn't look too different than yours. Nice new car get it fixed right.

dzcad90 · Dec 11, 2013

Td1Guy^ said:
Thank you for the input. I do have comprehensive insurance with $500 deductible and I am worried that the money saved from filing a claim would ended up cost me more than fixed it myself if it gets reported to carfax.

Why are you so worried about CarFax?

Do you plan on keeping your car at least 5 years? If so, this won't be an issue - I don't think anyone's going to care about that damage when buying a 5 year old car. If you plan on trading in, then let the dealer worry about that. Not all dealers use Carfax, and not all incidents get reported to Carfax. If you plan on selling it to a private party, then worry about that. Whether it gets reported to CarFax or not, I guess it depends on your morals and ethics as to whether you disclose any previous paint work. For me personally in a person to person sale,I wouldn't disclose anything unless asked. If asked, I'd be straight up about it. Good, proper paint/body work really differs little from any other repair as long as it's done right. As a dealer trade, I would let them evaluate the car and make an offer. If I don't like it, I can always go to another dealer.

CarFax has to buy their information from insurance companies DMVs, and dealerships. (There's two states that do not sell collision data to CarFax, and one of them is Illinois. I forget the other.) Collision shops have been reluctant to sell their data due to customer privacy issues. Source: My father in law used to be a sales rep for CarFax before he retired. CarFax isn't infaliable either - I heard stories of dealers getting pissed that VHRs would come back clean when they bought a car but a month later there would be potentially negative information that shows up on the report, or obvious accident damage never showed up on a VHR after they had already purchased a car.

My last TDI had been hit pretty hard in the rear twice and I still received over book for it, and under invoice on the new Passat. I don't think the dealer I purchased from used CarFax, though I never did pull a VHR on my car. However, those with a good eye can in most cases spot any previous paint/body work, so CarFax reports are not the be-all end-all.

Mr. Furious · Dec 11, 2013

I took my Passat to Triangle Auto Body in Durham to fix damage to its front end following a collision on 40. They're a VW Certified shop, and they did an absolutely fantastic job.

BenzBob · Dec 11, 2013

I second Triangle Auto Body. Both my Father-in-law and I have used them. Once they are finished you will never know there was any damage. It may even look better as the bumper cover and the vehicle is painted in two separate facilities and you will always see a slight difference in color in these two pieces when you buy a new car. If the bumper cover requires repainting, they will get you a much better color match.

copbait · Dec 11, 2013

I used to own a collision center, I would say you are looking at roughly $1500-2000 for it. Parts are very high for the NMS. Carfax gets there info from your insurance company and police reports. As it was stated above though, I would not worry about a Carfax mark, keep the pictures to show that it was only cosmetic.

Mr. Furious · Dec 11, 2013

Ugh. I guess mine's going to show up on CarFax. I went through my insurance (it was about $4200 total), I called the police at the time of the accident to ensure that there was no "ow, my neck hurts" BS from the guy I bumped into* after he got the inevitable deluge of ambulance-chaser letters.

How much of a ding on the vehicle's value am I looking at? No frame damage, the bumper cover, grille, and one of the headlight covers were replaced, and the hood and passenger side fender had minor damage that was repaired.

* which turned out to be unnecessary, because he was a really nice guy

pparks1 · Dec 11, 2013

I've never seen so many people worried about a carfax report. I wouldn't have given car fax a second thought. You pay for your car insurance for this very purpose, might as well use it.

So, wouldn't you guys disclose this information down the road to a future buyer anyway? I know that I would. I've give them pictures, and the receipts and such for the repair in case there was any issue.

STLTDI · Dec 11, 2013

As others have said, Carfax probably only matters if you're trying to trade in within 5 years. Unfortunately, it does affect resale and what a dealer will give you in that scenario.

My wife's car got rear ended 2 months after we bought it. Not her fault, she was stopped and someone slid on ice and rear ended her. $1000 of bumper damage. We plan on keeping her car for well over 6-7 years and 100K miles, so won't matter. If we tried to trade at 3 years and 40,000 miles the dealer would hold it over our heads no doubt.

superchud · Dec 11, 2013

The dealer tried to hold over my head that Carfax reported my previous car had been submerged when in had never even been near any body of water. I still got KBB for my trade in but had to argue over something that never happened.

Basically, CarFax is hit or miss anyways on what they report on.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

dzcad90 said:
Why are you so worried about CarFax?

Do you plan on keeping your car at least 5 years? If so, this won't be an issue - I don't think anyone's going to care about that damage when buying a 5 year old car. If you plan on trading in, then let the dealer worry about that. Not all dealers use Carfax, and not all incidents get reported to Carfax. If you plan on selling it to a private party, then worry about that. Whether it gets reported to CarFax or not, I guess it depends on your morals and ethics as to whether you disclose any previous paint work. For me personally in a person to person sale,I wouldn't disclose anything unless asked. If asked, I'd be straight up about it. Good, proper paint/body work really differs little from any other repair as long as it's done right. As a dealer trade, I would let them evaluate the car and make an offer. If I don't like it, I can always go to another dealer.

CarFax has to buy their information from insurance companies DMVs, and dealerships. (There's two states that do not sell collision data to CarFax, and one of them is Illinois. I forget the other.) Collision shops have been reluctant to sell their data due to customer privacy issues. Source: My father in law used to be a sales rep for CarFax before he retired. CarFax isn't infaliable either - I heard stories of dealers getting pissed that VHRs would come back clean when they bought a car but a month later there would be potentially negative information that shows up on the report, or obvious accident damage never showed up on a VHR after they had already purchased a car.

My last TDI had been hit pretty hard in the rear twice and I still received over book for it, and under invoice on the new Passat. I don't think the dealer I purchased from used CarFax, though I never did pull a VHR on my car. However, those with a good eye can in most cases spot any previous paint/body work, so CarFax reports are not the be-all end-all.

Thank you for the input!! I definitely want to hold this car for the long haul since I purchased an extended warranty when I brought the car home. I usually try to sell my car to private buyer and they seems like don't want to take a car with an accident report on the carfax. I personally don't want to buy a car with an accident report either.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

Mr. Furious said:
I took my Passat to Triangle Auto Body in Durham to fix damage to its front end following a collision on 40. They're a VW Certified shop, and they did an absolutely fantastic job.

I will call them tomorrow to try to get an estimate on the damage tomorrow. Thank you for the recommendation.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

copbait said:
I used to own a collision center, I would say you are looking at roughly $1500-2000 for it. Parts are very high for the NMS. Carfax gets there info from your insurance company and police reports. As it was stated above though, I would not worry about a Carfax mark, keep the pictures to show that it was only cosmetic.

If it is that much. The best bet for me would be go through my insurance.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

BenzBob said:
I second Triangle Auto Body. Both my Father-in-law and I have used them. Once they are finished you will never know there was any damage. It may even look better as the bumper cover and the vehicle is painted in two separate facilities and you will always see a slight difference in color in these two pieces when you buy a new car. If the bumper cover requires repainting, they will get you a much better color match.

I love my passat and definitely want to fix it right! Good resource, I will give them a call tomorrow.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

dzcad90 said:
Why are you so worried about CarFax?

Do you plan on keeping your car at least 5 years? If so, this won't be an issue - I don't think anyone's going to care about that damage when buying a 5 year old car. If you plan on trading in, then let the dealer worry about that. Not all dealers use Carfax, and not all incidents get reported to Carfax. If you plan on selling it to a private party, then worry about that. Whether it gets reported to CarFax or not, I guess it depends on your morals and ethics as to whether you disclose any previous paint work. For me personally in a person to person sale,I wouldn't disclose anything unless asked. If asked, I'd be straight up about it. Good, proper paint/body work really differs little from any other repair as long as it's done right. As a dealer trade, I would let them evaluate the car and make an offer. If I don't like it, I can always go to another dealer.

CarFax has to buy their information from insurance companies DMVs, and dealerships. (There's two states that do not sell collision data to CarFax, and one of them is Illinois. I forget the other.) Collision shops have been reluctant to sell their data due to customer privacy issues. Source: My father in law used to be a sales rep for CarFax before he retired. CarFax isn't infaliable either - I heard stories of dealers getting pissed that VHRs would come back clean when they bought a car but a month later there would be potentially negative information that shows up on the report, or obvious accident damage never showed up on a VHR after they had already purchased a car.

My last TDI had been hit pretty hard in the rear twice and I still received over book for it, and under invoice on the new Passat. I don't think the dealer I purchased from used CarFax, though I never did pull a VHR on my car. However, those with a good eye can in most cases spot any previous paint/body work, so CarFax reports are not the be-all end-all.

My friend's CC hit someone in the parking lot and towed to a body shop a year ago. He did go through insurance, but he was not at fault. The carfax did not show anything about that. Still no accident reported and he sold his car for $3000 over kbb to a private buyer last month.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 11, 2013

Mr. Furious said:
Ugh. I guess mine's going to show up on CarFax. I went through my insurance (it was about $4200 total), I called the police at the time of the accident to ensure that there was no "ow, my neck hurts" BS from the guy I bumped into* after he got the inevitable deluge of ambulance-chaser letters.

How much of a ding on the vehicle's value am I looking at? No frame damage, the bumper cover, grille, and one of the headlight covers were replaced, and the hood and passenger side fender had minor damage that was repaired.

* which turned out to be unnecessary, because he was a really nice guy

Sorry to hear that man. How much did your insurance go up after that? I did call the police yesterday but she wants me to call my insurance company first to make sure they want a police report for my repair before giving me one.

PassatSE4me · Dec 12, 2013

Well at least the hood looks fine. I'd say go through insurance and be done with it.

Mr. Furious · Dec 12, 2013

Td1Guy^ said:
Sorry to hear that man. How much did your insurance go up after that? I did call the police yesterday but she wants me to call my insurance company first to make sure they want a police report for my repair before giving me one.

Thankfully, it didn't. I've been with the same company for 25 years (since the day I got my license at 16), so I qualify for a program where my rates don't go up for an at-fault accident. When I called them to make sure that was the case, they said that it's recorded as an "occurrence," which I took to mean that they'd drop me if I do it too often.

When I pulled my policy before I called them, I noticed that a repair my wife had on her RAV4 was listed using the same code. Her right front fender got crunched in a parking lot when she was nowhere near the car, so I'm not sure what the deal is there.

no-blue-screen · Dec 12, 2013

Ouch...not from your area so I don't have any recommendations but I am glad you're OK things can always be a lot worse. Cars can be repaired people are a little more difficult. Get it fixed for reputable shop in your area and pay out of pocket if you want to avoid an insurance claim.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 18, 2013

Update
Insurance estimated at $4000 for this repair and they will give my car back as early as Jan 3rd.

dzcad90 · Dec 18, 2013

What insurance do you have? Looks like they are using all OEM parts, which is a good thing and rare to find nowadays. My wife's Passat got hit on Friday and the other guy has Geico, and their policy states to use aftermarket parts whenever possible, and according to IL state law it's completely legal.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 18, 2013

dzcad90 said:
What insurance do you have? Looks like they are using all OEM parts, which is a good thing and rare to find nowadays. My wife's Passat got hit on Friday and the other guy has Geico, and their policy states to use aftermarket parts whenever possible, and according to IL state law it's completely legal.

I am with progressive. The shop other guys from this thread recommended me was the nearest VW certified body shop(or collision center). That might be the reason too.

Td1Guy^ · Dec 18, 2013

Mr. Furious said:
Ugh. I guess mine's going to show up on CarFax. I went through my insurance (it was about $4200 total), I called the police at the time of the accident to ensure that there was no "ow, my neck hurts" BS from the guy I bumped into* after he got the inevitable deluge of ambulance-chaser letters.

How much of a ding on the vehicle's value am I looking at? No frame damage, the bumper cover, grille, and one of the headlight covers were replaced, and the hood and passenger side fender had minor damage that was repaired.

* which turned out to be unnecessary, because he was a really nice guy

My insurance just estimated $4000 for my repair. I don't even know my car was hit so bad and I also ask my insurance, body shop and VW road side assistant, they all told me that they don't sell any information to carfax at all. So yours might not show on on your carfax.

dee74 · Dec 18, 2013

I just went through this but I did a little over $7000 in damage. The impact actually broke both radiators and broke loose everything on the passenger side in the engine compartment. There was a delay in the repair when they replaced the headlight. The computer had to be reprogrammed to recognize the replacement. The car went to the VW dealer and it took a couple of days for them to determine that the body control module controls the headlights. (According to the info I received, I would not have a clue where to start) My car is back together and running great now.

Hit a deer on my way home last night. Help needed please.

Active member

Veteran Member

Active member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Rolex & gin

Veteran Member

Active member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Well-known member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

TDI Nut

Active member

Rolex & gin

Active member

Active member

Veteran Member