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As the title suggests, my front bumper is damaged and I don't know what route to go to fix it.
A raccoon sadly darted out in front of me during a night ride and there was nothing I could do to avoid it (I tried to find the raccoon but it fled the scene; hopefully its ok, I did slow down considerably before impact).
I've never damaged a car before, and I don't know what to do.
I got the Gloss Black Aerokit and the painted black bits seem ok, but I had to re-seat these parts as they got knocked out of place, so some tabs might be broken. The bumper itself is cracked though, and the radiator might be useable but I would replace it for aesthetics (maybe time for upgrade?). I submitted for coverage for the PPF, but it has yet to be approved by the insurance company. Insurance is a $2500 deductible.
Work to be done: Reuse black painted parts if the tabs are ok > Replace bumper & radiator > paint > PPF redone
I'm assuming my premium would increase if I went that route (even though I've never used it before lol)?
Do I first get a quote?
I'm super particular around my 911, if anyone knows a top-notch shop in the Bay Area please let me know.
Options I see:
1) Wait for the PPF to get approved by insurance. Then submit a claim.
2) Get it fixed on my own, assuming it's roughly around $2500-$3000 this would be probably the way to go (avoiding a premium increase?)
Also, my PPF Vendor had a plan to pay an extra $300 and get 1/2 off for any future PPF - I'd probably go this route if so.
3) Does anyone see any other options? Can the bumper be repaired/bondo (without looking like crap)? I wouldn't go any route that doesn't end in it looking like brand new.
Sorry if I'm all over the place - this was my dream car I literally saved for the last 10 years to buy (I dreamed about owning a 911 since I was 14), I don't have unlimited funds, and this is a huge deal to me, this car is everything to me.
I would definitely get a quote and see the repair costs which in all honesty is likely to significantly north of $2500 given costs associated with Porsche body work.
Also, I wouldn't be too sure that your premiums will go up. My son hit a deer on the way back to college (luckily was not hurt) and the insurance company (Chubb) did not raise our rates at all.
First call your insurance. They will walk you through the process. Tell them all about the PPF. If you've never had a claim before and have good insurance, not cheap $hit, you'll be just fine and based on that incident alone, your rates should not increase.
First call your insurance. They will walk you through the process. Tell them all about the PPF. If you've never had a claim before and have good insurance, not cheap $hit, you'll be just fine and based on that incident alone, your rates should not increase.
Oh man. Sorry. Such a beautiful car too.
But I have to disagree with PHX here. Go to a body shop that you want to do the work. Get a quote first. (Like others have said it'll be a lot more than your premium.) Then decide if you wanna go through insurance or not. I'll wager the chance of your insurance NOT going up after this if you make a claim, quite small. Given the high dollar repair, although not crazy relatively speaking, the insurance Co. will recover their money.
Although it's possible some insurance companies particularly slightly shadier ones will increase rates...in general, most claims over random events (like hitting an animal, tree hitting a parked car, etc) in which there is no fault of the driver will not trigger an increase in premiums in contrast to accidents where there is fault or due to moving violations.
I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but get it repaired and it will look great.
Hi Rennlisters!
1) Wait for the PPF to get approved by insurance. Then submit a claim. 2) Get it fixed on my own, assuming it's roughly around $2500-$3000 this would be probably the way to go (avoiding a premium increase?)
Also, my PPF Vendor had a plan to pay an extra $300 and get 1/2 off for any future PPF - I'd probably go this route if so.
3) Does anyone see any other options? Can the bumper be repaired/bondo (without looking like crap)? I wouldn't go any route that doesn't end in it looking like brand new.
Sorry if I'm all over the place - this was my dream car I literally saved for the last 10 years to buy (I dreamed about owning a 911 since I was 14), I don't have unlimited funds, and this is a huge deal to me, this car is everything to me.
You are in California. It is illegal for an insurer to raise your rates for an accident unless you are 51% or more at fault. Furthermore, most claims involving animals darting out and hitting your car is covered under comprehensive coverage, not collision coverage so it cannot be a chargeable accident.
So if I were in your shoes, I'd report it to your insurance company and pursue a claim with them. You should only have to pay for your deductible. When you tell them what happened, make sure you make it very clear that the racoon literally ran directly in front of your car with no time for you to even react. This way, they can't claim that you hit a stationary object in the roadway that you saw from a long distance away and should have been able to avoid.
You are in California. It is illegal for an insurer to raise your rates for an accident unless you are 51% or more at fault. Furthermore, most claims involving animals darting out and hitting your car is covered under comprehensive coverage, not collision coverage so it cannot be a chargeable accident.
So if I were in your shoes, I'd report it to your insurance company and pursue a claim with them. You should only have to pay for your deductible. When you tell them what happened, make sure you make it very clear that the racoon literally ran directly in front of your car with no time for you to even react. This way, they can't claim that you hit a stationary object in the roadway that you saw from a long distance away and should have been able to avoid.
This, exactly.
This damage is a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, which will not increase your premiums.
That said, submitting a claim will make sense only if the damage exceeds your deductible.
The one thing I would look into is whether this depreciates the car?
I'm not an expert but if the repair through insurance shows up on carfax and depreciates the car it may actually be worth calculating whether it's cheaper to fix yourself (I presume at least 5-6k) vs. deductible cost + depreciation cost
This damage is a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, which will not increase your premiums.
That said, submitting a claim will make sense only if the damage exceeds your deductible.
depends on state laws. I live in PA. Not legal for them to raise rates, on deer collisions I would guess the same for all animal collisions, but you have to check.
I had a rabbit jump and hit the front of my truck (at speed) just right to take out plastic grill and radiator. My comprehensive insurance coverage fixed it all.
depends on state laws. I live in PA. Not legal for them to raise rates, on deer collisions I would guess the same for all animal collisions, but you have to check.
That (a deer collision) would be a comprehensive claim, not a collision one (despite the nomenclature)
You are in California. It is illegal for an insurer to raise your rates for an accident unless you are 51% or more at fault. Furthermore, most claims involving animals darting out and hitting your car is covered under comprehensive coverage, not collision coverage so it cannot be a chargeable accident.
So if I were in your shoes, I'd report it to your insurance company and pursue a claim with them. You should only have to pay for your deductible. When you tell them what happened, make sure you make it very clear that the racoon literally ran directly in front of your car with no time for you to even react. This way, they can't claim that you hit a stationary object in the roadway that you saw from a long distance away and should have been able to avoid.
Thank you so much for the CA specific info! I literally have no idea how all this works because I've never had to before thankfully. This gives me some (much needed) peace of mind!!
The one thing I would look into is whether this depreciates the car?
I'm not an expert but if the repair through insurance shows up on carfax and depreciates the car it may actually be worth calculating whether it's cheaper to fix yourself (I presume at least 5-6k) vs. deductible cost + depreciation cost
Does anyone know the answer to this? Not that I plan to sell the car ever, but would it show up on CarFax as an "accident"?
05-03-2023, 06:18 PM
Front Bumper Damage - Need Advice
