Hit a deer - bodywork advice

[Blinkyjoe]

Hello to the collective- 2020 SR5. Hit a deer out in the Methow Valley (1st deer contact in my life, luckily). Front passenger lower quarter bumper and driving light damaged and need to be replaced, that's it. The deer bounded up the hillside never to be seen again. I was very amazed at the flimsiness of the stock 4Runner bumper, to be honest. I want to get a deer-proof aftermarket bumper like a C4 or ARB. Mule Outfitters out in Preston WA (Near me) are very highly regarded but they want me to fix the bumper back to its original condition before they will install an aftermarket bumper. They are leery about any frame misalignment that 'may' have happened in the deer impact. So I'm looking at $2500 or so to restore it back to factory condition, and then another $5k for the aftermarket bumper and upgraded lights. Does that seem reasonable? Any advice from folks who have gone straight from impact damage to aftermarket bumper without needing to get it back to factory condition? Thanks in advance!!

 

[AZ Craig]

Shouldn't your comprehensive insurance coverage be picking this up with maybe just your deductible?

I know when I broke the axle on my 2012 Jeep with high-siding in a wash-out I did not see on a forest road I actually went ahead and ran it through my insurance as a collision claim (damage was pushing $4000). State Farm was particularly cool in that you could go to their in house adjuster and get a check cut to you for the value of repair and have a shop of your own choice do the work.

Long story short, I had the front of my jeep rebuilt with a terraflex axle housing and upgraded control arms at a local 4WD shop for basically the same, or less money than OEM.

 

[Blinkyjoe]

Thanks AZ Craig. I didn't want to file an insurance claim and have my rates go up, but I think I may just do that.

 

[Matt831]

Are you referring to the physical frame of the truck being bent or the plastic bumper cover being damaged?

The plastic covers are not structural at all and are an easy replacement.

I recently hit a turkey at about 70 on the freeway. When all was said and done the total bill was about $3600. I paid my deductible, it is a comp claim and insurance rates should not rise because of an animal strike.

They installed a new front drivers fender, wheel well liner, bumper cover, fog light, misc hardware and mounts, paint, headlight and a new TRD PRO Toyota name plate which was $500 of the bill alone because they could not remove the old one without damage.

At $2500 I assume you have no frame damage.

A steel bumper can take a hit and keep chugging but what about the rest of the truck? Fenders, underbody, hood? Do you also plan to upgrade your suspension to accommodate the weight of a heavy duty bumper?

 

[Blinkyjoe]

Yeah, I do not think any frame element was damaged. It was a pretty light strike. The guys at Mule mentioned that I may need to upgrade the suspension due to extra weight, as you mentioned. I am going to file a comprehensive claim with my Insurance (State Farm).

 

[AZ Craig]

Yeah, I do not think any frame element was damaged. It was a pretty light strike. The guys at Mule mentioned that I may need to upgrade the suspension due to extra weight, as you mentioned. I am going to file a comprehensive claim with my Insurance (State Farm).

Yeah, comprehensive shouldn't really affect you and an animal strike is considered an "Act of God."

I actually had no increase back with my collision claim, but I've been lucky that my wife and I are both super overdue for some form of a vehicle accident (neither of us has had one in over 15 years).

Since you are working with State Farm, see if you still have the option to take the work out of network if you want to roll it into non-OEM after market parts/labor. I did this back in ~2014; so I'm not sure if stuff has shifted with what's allowed since then.

 

[Blinkyjoe]

Yeah, comprehensive shouldn't really affect you and an animal strike is considered an "Act of God."

I actually had no increase back with my collision claim, but I've been lucky that my wife and I are both super overdue for some form of a vehicle accident (neither of us has had one in over 15 years).

Since you are working with State Farm, see if you still have the option to take the work out of network if you want to roll it into non-OEM after market parts/labor. I did this back in ~2014; so I'm not sure if stuff has shifted with what's allowed since then.

Great advice!! Will do.

 

[wcjeep]

ARB bumpers designed to bend before the frame. ARB also has decent pedestrian protection built into their bumpers due to regulations in their home market. ARB also claims airbags will still work as designed.