GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Well, as some you already know, my Vibe took a bad hit tonight.Deer shot out in front of me, couldn't stop in time. Did major damage to left front fender, headlight is destroyed, hood is damaged, some damage to bumper, other serious dents.I'm fine. Airbags did not deploy. Thankfully, the deer did not survive. I say thankfully because I wouldn't want the poor animal to survive after the impact.Was only going 35 mph, but we can all see how much damage can occur at even such a low speed. Sorry the shots are bad, will get better ones tomorrow.And I just waxed her again too. http://photos.ragingfish.com/deerhitFor those who don't like to go off the site, here are thumbnails. Full size versions available at prior address.

sorry man i hate deer so much, we really have a problem in our state, especially in my area (north jersey residential area).

*sniff sniff* Sorry to hear about that Mike and glad you are ok - keep us posted on the progress for repair. She'll be back like new soon enough!

Poor Emily. Glad you're okay though, even if the Vibe isn't. Look on the bright side...you'll get at least one piece of new, wax-free cladding.

quote:After a couple weeks in the body shop, it should be brand new.Better the hell be less than a few weeks. As I told Nick, I'm hoping they can order the parts, but I can still drive her until they come in. I really have trouble parting with my car for extended periods of time.quote:you'll get at least one piece of new, wax-free cladding. this is true! WOOHOO!!

Those pictures make me cringe. Glad you're ok, Hope your insurance steps up to take care of you. Free meat?quote:Look on the bright side...you'll get at least one piece of new, wax-free cladding. That is really funny Kari

quote:Hope your insurance steps up to take care of you. No plans to bring them into this. Will pay out of pocket. Somehow.Glad I hadn't done a drop yet, it coulda been much worse had I had 2" less claerance!

quote:Did you get a police report?Absolutely.

quote:did it die right away?I assume so. Took the police about 10-15 minutes to show up. By then, it was dead.

quote:No plans to bring them into this. Will pay out of pocket. Somehow.Anymore people are afraid to even ask their insurance companies a question for fear of being cancelled or having the rates jacked up, but maybe it's something to consider after you get the repair estimate. Wasn;t your fault. Not like you were out hunting with your car.

quote:Did it have antlers? Sorry, that is the hunter in me. I really don't know. It happened extremely fast, and I did not go back to look.

quote:Anymore people are afraid to even ask their insurance companies a question for fear of being cancelled or having the rates jacked up, but maybe it's something to consider after you get the repair estimate. Wasn;t your fault. Not like you were out hunting with your car.I already have one accident on my record, for which I was not at fault, and 2 points from the lovely state of Ohio (sorry Nick). Not going to give them any more reasons to rate me "high risk."Especially in NJ, where insurance companies are like the Mafia. You don't cross them.Plus, if you get dropped in NJ, good luck getting anyone else to pick you up.

quote:Oh ok. I thought you would have stopped right away.I did, when it happened, but then I drove up to the next parking lot so I could get off the road and evaluate the damage and call the police. I only stopped on the road to check the mirror and be sure it wasn't lying in the road.

Not directing this at any particular member in this thread, and I'm not intending to come off as vicious or an a-hole or anything, but can we get off the discussion of the animal in terms of meat, body parts, etc? Besides grossing me out, I am really stressed about both my car and having taken the life of an innocent animal tonight. Thanks guys.

I feel ya. If it were me, I'd be ready to cry over my car and then compound that with the animal lover in me and I don't think I'd be posting on this board...I'd be a basket case.

Will keep this thread updated.I'm sure my dealer will do everything he can to keep the cost as minimal as possible.Good friend of the family, always has come through for us in times of need.

quote:Mike, if ya need help looking for parts, let me know. about all I can do to help is look stuff up in the service manual, just ask

I appreciate the outpouring of support guys.Fantastic and amazingly comforting having a place, and a "family" like this in times of need.

yeah man, you know we love you. Glad you're ok

The time I nearly got rear-ended (the person behind me ended up beside me in the median because they had the good sense to swerve), it took me forever to calm down...my Vibe was nearly maimed, and that was enough to upset me. Lord help me if I ever hit anything or anyone ever hits me...I'll have to be restrained.

Whoa.. I just woke up this morning and came to this thread.RF glad you are ok but feel horrible that your Vibe got wrecked up a little. Nothing worse then seeing a beaituful Vbe Wrecked up but I am hopeful that it will be back to 100% dude so hang in ther ok

Wow sorry about emily hope she feels better soon and i'm glad to hear your alright. deer can do alot of damage.

Mike, sorry about your car and glad your OK.

Hey Mike very glad you're ok....don't worry about the Vibe, it will be as good as new....Honestly if there is anything I can help you out with let me know...

As with everyone else, Mike, i'm glad you're okay! I feel your pain as far as insurance goes...being a fellow Jerseyan, i'm uber-paranoid about that sort of thing.I never went to my insurance when my poor Ford Probe got slammed twice while I was at school. (Freakin' Long Islanders..)Having the dealer be a family friend is definitely a bonus. I'm glad it seems to be mostly outer body damage... Good to know the car holds up with that kind of thing!

I have returned from the dealer. Worse than I thought.Here's a brief rundown of the estimate:Front Bumper Lower $357.58Head Lamp Assembly 301.27Upper Tie Bar - Radiator Support 74.14Hood Panel 355.49Hood Hinge Left Side 27.29Fender Left Front 254.65Fender Liner Left Front 82.11Fender Trim - Flare 209.70TOTAL PARTS AND MATERIAL 1662.21TOTAL LABOR (3-4 days) 688.50TOTAL REFINISHING 301.50SUBTOTAL 2652.21PAINT & MATERIAL 167.50WASTE DISPOSAL 26.00TOTAL 2845.71TAX 170.74GRAND TOTAL $3016.45Simplest way for me to put it is...ouch.

Wow Damn Ouch Might be worth spending some time calling a few local junkyards.

UPDATED PICTURESDamage looks much worse during the day than at night!http://www.ragingfish.com/deer

Excuse me if I'm being an idiot...but...what is this...?

Oops. That wasn't supposed to be in there. Fixed.

Ah, okay. I was thinking, "Okay I don't see anything wrong there." Unless it bent your seat track or something, which is possible. I'd check it if I were you, if it hasn't already been checked. Also, did they check your frame? My friend hydroplaned and drove the corner of her Mustang into an embankment and had the same sort of damage you did, but the frame was also bent. More cost...but...better safe than sorry.

No structural damage. They assured me.That pic was of the M&T amp for another thread.

Oh, okay. No structural damage is good. I'd still check your seat though, make sure it goes all the way back and forward with no snags. Those systems are made to do interesting things in crashes to keep the seats from being thrown around. But at least now I know what the M&T amp looks like. LOL

There wasn't a crash. It was an impact, but the car kept moving. Because the car kept moving, the impact was less dramatic than it would have been if it had stopped. One thing I learned in physics. No major damage beyond the sheet metal.

that would be one hell of a deer to bend your frame! i'd say its ok!

quote:that would be one hell of a deer to bend your frame! i'd say its ok!Perhaps one of them Alaskan moose trdvibe speaks of!

I didn't see any part you need on ebay today.

And if Alaskan mooses (meece?) are migrating to NJ...then there is a big problem there.

I'm a little late with this, but glad to hear you were ok. I guess, since you were only going 35, that you were not on I-195. That road can get very dark at night.$3K is going to be tough to swallow, but I can understand about the insurance thing.

if you got hit by one of our moose, you would be chatting w/us from your hospital room!!! moose will total your car easily and it takes the roof off of the smaller ones......sorry to hear about your encounter and am glad you are okay....the ironic thing is that if your car was a matrix it would be up to 20% cheaper on some of those parts, sad isnt it.....thats a chunk of change to put out.....didnt know the insurance companies were that diabolical in nj/ny area....i thought that alaska had the worse rates and service.

Not to be a smartarse...but I forget, do you have Silverstars? I'll tell ya...I refuse to drive NJ backroads without those things...

Sorry to hear about your deer problems, I just picked up my car from the shop after getting my deer damage fixed! My damage was in the same place (pics are on another thread in this forum) but not quite as extensive. Your quote seems very high though, my total bill was $680 canadian. Have a look at the damage on mine and see how it compares to yours (sorry, I didn't take nearly as many pics as you did). They were able to repair my fender so the only part that had to actually be replaced was a small plastic connector (about $25). There is a VERY slight crease in my bumper so it does not line up perfectly with the repaired fender but I can live with it rather than pay $750 for a new bumper. And in fact, it will only be out of line when it's cold out since the bumper is pliable enough in warm weather to push it into the connector and line it up with the fender (it's fine in the shop but pops out when it sits out in the cold).I would recommend that you get several more quotes on your repairs. I got 4 quotes for mine and they ranged from $580 - $850 (a 50% difference). Also, several of the auto body places told me that they used to tell customers anything under $1000 wasn't worth taking to your insurance company. But, since 9/11 they now say anything under $2500 you should pay yourself. These are all canadian dollar figures and policies so I don't know if they really relate to your situation.

Carol's deer damage thread was http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6334 Glad you got the car back, be careful up there.

Mike, dont feel bad, your not the only one with a damaged car. I would definetly call your insurance agent and look into having this covered. This is an act of nature and "should" not raise your rates. I beleive this would fall under the comprehensive portion of your policy. Just like if a tree fell on the car. You shouldnt have to cough up all that money. Well just my 2cents. Glad your all right and at least you can still drive the car. I havent seen my matrix in over 2 weeks.

Glad you're okay Ragingfish! My dad hit a deer this spring with his GMC Sierra. He had, I think about $4000 and $5000 damage, but his didn't look nearly as bad as yours. Although thats Canadian funds so its not quite the same. He put his through the insurance. I haven't asked if he got dinged for that when his renewal came up.

Man that looks rough! Sorry about the car, but at least you are OK. I almost nailed a large deer today (with antlers) coming home from work, right after sunset....I was coming around a turn and thinking "It would be cool to take the car into lift", so I gave it gas and that's when a deer jumped out. I came real close, but managed to avoid it.....after that I drove 35-40 all the way home, with high beams.

quote:Sorry to hear about your deer problems, I just picked up my car from the shop after getting my deer damage fixed! My damage was in the same place (pics are on another thread in this forum) but not quite as extensive. Your quote seems very high though, my total bill was $680 canadian. Have a look at the damage on mine and see how it compares to yours (sorry, I didn't take nearly as many pics as you did). They were able to repair my fender so the only part that had to actually be replaced was a small plastic connector (about $25). There is a VERY slight crease in my bumper so it does not line up perfectly with the repaired fender but I can live with it rather than pay $750 for a new bumper. And in fact, it will only be out of line when it's cold out since the bumper is pliable enough in warm weather to push it into the connector and line it up with the fender (it's fine in the shop but pops out when it sits out in the cold).I would recommend that you get several more quotes on your repairs. I got 4 quotes for mine and they ranged from $580 - $850 (a 50% difference). Also, several of the auto body places told me that they used to tell customers anything under $1000 wasn't worth taking to your insurance company. But, since 9/11 they now say anything under $2500 you should pay yourself. These are all canadian dollar figures and policies so I don't know if they really relate to your situation.Thanks for the input Carol, but my damage is significantly more extensive than yours. The fender must be replaced, as well as the tie rod that holds the radiator up. Need a new hood, new lower bumper, new headlight assembly, etc.The dealer I dealt with is a family friend. They gave us discounts to get us to the $3000 mark. No one is cheating me here, I know it. Thanks everyone for looking out for me though!And now for the kicker on all this!I GOT PULLED OVER TONIGHT! Why you ask? FOR A BURNT OUT HEADLIGHT!!!!!!!!! I wanted to say are you freaking STUPID? A deer took me out, and you're pulling me over cause a little bulb shattered? OMFG!Thankfully, he let me off without a citation.I swear there's an APB out on my car, and they're instructed to pull me over for any reason at all...

quote:I swear there's an APB out on my car, and they're instructed to pull me over for any reason at all...You know, I bet it is the waxed cladding. It is a crime against nature, and nature is getting revenge on you for it. Forget the crumpled front end, get that wax off right away!

quote:You know, I bet it is the waxed cladding. It is a crime against nature, and nature is getting revenge on you for it. Forget the crumpled front end, get that wax off right away! SOB!You're right! Until that problem, I never got pulled over!

screw that noise. that what the insurance is for. i hate insurance companies. if i were you id cause some more structual damage with a sledge hammer then call the insurance and get a new car. seriously though why pay all that money to those people for nothing.this isnt mafia protection money. when my grand am got totaled they towed it to a shop then got rid of it after i put new tires and rims stereo and stuff on it.( i got my personal stuff out then came back to get stuff OFF the car) i made a list and they had to pay for it! bloodsuckers. on a side note i moved recently and i had i month left to renewal . i called in a payment like i always do and my wife goes "dont forget to tell them your new address" the insurance guy goes "you moved" "i gotta enter your new address" my new address bumps my premiun up 107 dollars for 6 months but seeing as how i got one month left and just moved i have to still pay the whole premium so my last bill was 107 dollars higher. i just got my new policy and now i pay exactly the same as my old policy. i was looking forward to that discount.a**holes. if my vibe ever gets hit it will be bad enough to get a new one. garrunteed!i dont want a hackjob the car is never the same.