jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Hi All, Was travelling back up the M40 near Oxford last night at about 9:30 when I spotted a deer about 20 metres in front of me in the dark just walking in the middle lane. I had time to slightly slow but there were cars behind and either side so ended up ploughing in to it square on at about 70mph. Inspected the damage late last night with a torch and have literally just taken some photos this morning. As you can see part of the animal went straight through the grill and ended up coming out under the wheels (complete with deer fur) with the rest of the animal going over the roof. Car drives fine but obviously isnt road legal as it took the plate straight off which is probably enjoying a session on the M40 as we speak. On reflection it could have been much worse but either way im still pretty gutted and p****d off about it. My question is what would be my best possible action, im thinking of claiming on my insurance but I dont have no claims protection (currently have 7 years no claims) but this may be worth it as it could be costly. Would damage like this be enough to warrant a Cat C on the car? I initially thought that the damage was cosmetic but you can slightly see a puncture to the top of the radiator, but I dont see any signs of fluid leaking. The large section of metal to the underneath centre of the car is also not sitting flat and is slightly sagging on the passenger side. Car seems fine, no lights on, no loss in temperature or oil level. What would you guys do in my position? See images attached, Thanks all Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) I would get the bumper off and assess the damage properly. Was expecting much worse actually. You must have been almost stopped or the deer was the size of a rabbit. Alex. Edited May 1, 2016 by ZMANALEX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Before I comment on whether to go through insurance, did you inform the police of the incident? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 I would get the bumper off and assess the damage properly. Was expecting much worse actually. You must have been almost stopped or the deer was the size of a rabbit. Alex. It wasnt a large deer, probably 20 - 30kg, Im just glad I managed to slow a little Before I comment on whether to go through insurance, did you inform the police of the incident? I didnt, we were far from home and just a bit shook up about it. We## Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 NCB only goes to five years, you'll lose three by claiming so you'll only be back on four years IYSWIM. No point having insurance if you're never going to claim. Alex is right though, get the bumper off and have a proper look. Tbh, I'd probably take it to a garage and get them to assess via the insurance, you can always cancel the claim if you think they'd want to write it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 NCB only goes to five years, you'll lose three by claiming so you'll only be back on four years IYSWIM. No point having insurance if you're never going to claim. Alex is right though, get the bumper off and have a proper look. Tbh, I'd probably take it to a garage and get them to assess via the insurance, you can always cancel the claim if you think they'd want to write it off. Thanks for that Ekona, Im not particularly mechanically minded but taking to it to get assessed at the local garage sounds like the best bet. Will most likely try and book it in on Tuesday. Interested to see what eSure make of the damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exec Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Bumper itself looks okay, needs plastic welded and re painted. new grille needed and also assessment of damage behind bumper required. Radiators possibly damaged and check crash bar etc. Personally I wouldn't take this through insurance. I wouldn't inform the police as someone also mentioned? I thought you only had to declare dogs? I would however eat the deer. Edited May 1, 2016 by Exec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Bumper itself looks okay, needs plastic welded and re painted. new grille needed and also assessment of damage behind bumper required. Radiators possibly damaged and check crash bar etc. Personally I wouldn't take this through insurance. I wouldn't inform the police as someone also mentioned? I thought you only had to declare dogs? I would however eat the deer. Hi Exec, Il be on an all venison diet from now on. In 7 years ive never hit an animal and this is the second deer ive hit in the last 4 weeks, although the first was in my gf's Punto. As far as I know and read from the first time this happened, you dont have to inform the police of a collision with a wild animal. Thanks for the advice, seems like taking it to the garage down the road would be a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Gutted for you jonty (also the deer too obviously). As the others have said you really need to get that bumper off & see how much damage has been done. If the deer was as small as you say though then you may get lucky & just need a new bumper with grill. In which case I wouldn't bother going through insurance as you could get both items secondhand for a few hundred tops & a bumper respray would be around £100-£150. Guess claiming on insurance also depends on your excess amount (voluntary & compulsory) ~ if it's almost as much as the repairs then obviously it's a no brainer not to claim imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modo Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Oops. O dear, sorry couldn't resist that. Hope there's not much underneath. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Gutted for you jonty (also the deer too obviously). As the others have said you really need to get that bumper off & see how much damage has been done. If the deer was as small as you say though then you may get lucky & just need a new bumper with grill. In which case I wouldn't bother going through insurance as you could get both items secondhand for a few hundred tops & a bumper respray would be around £100-£150. Guess claiming on insurance also depends on your excess amount (voluntary & compulsory) ~ if it's almost as much as the repairs then obviously it's a no brainer not to claim imo. Your right GM, I think the excess is £500 so if it does happen to just be cosmetic then I will sort it myself (fingers crossed). The small looking puncture / dent to the radiator concerns me as does the slightly hanging sheet of metal to the underside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Second hand bumper then repaint it to suit, no need to bother anyone and it will not even cost as much as the access 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllyB Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I'd repair it and tell nobody. I have full protected no claims and am in the process of a claim, look at how much your excess is and factor in about 20% higher premiums for the next few years..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Thanks for your advice guys. Bloody hate it when unexpected problems occur with your car. To be safe il get it to the garage next week, get them to check it over and if all is well get a replacement bumper and get it done at a local body shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Don't forget if you need parts to have a look on here first for good quality used items. Zmanalex, Emperor Tuning etc could help you out, ...heck even I've got some spare parts in the garage from my old DE Zed so you never know you may get everything sorted for a bargain price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Don't forget if you need parts to have a look on here first for good quality used items. Zmanalex, Emperor Tuning etc could help you out, ...heck even I've got some spare parts in the garage from my old DE Zed so you never know you may get everything sorted for a bargain price. Thanks Ballistic, will definitely keep and eye out on the trade section and will probably get a wanted post up as well Will update you all hopefully Tuesday or whenever I can get the car in for a check over, praying the radiators ok! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samsniss350z Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Deer oh Deer (sorry, bu I just had to), you've not been having much luck recently have you Jonty. Just glad to hear that you and your passenger are OK. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceejay29 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Aww poor deer Glad to that you're ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 If you're XS is 500 I'd not even bother with insurance (unless their is more damage hidden anywhere). If you're a young driver it will hurt your future premiums regardless of how many years NCB you have. Damage isn't half as bad as what I'd expect, could find a cheap used bumper on here and get it re painted for less than £500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkwright Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) A deer is not classed as an 'animal' under the Road Traffic Act so no need to report it to police. Looks to me like you were very lucky. Most deer accidents I've seen have resulted in the car being written off. Edited May 1, 2016 by Arkwright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 First off good to hear you are not injured, I know a guy who hit a horse and was lucky to be alive! Secondly Zmanalex is right (as usual, dude know his cars.) Get the bumper off and have a look, also check the washer bottles as they may be damaged because if there is liquid leaking it might not be the radiator. Getting someone who knows these cars and has a good rep e.g. Horsham etc is a good option. After that maybe consider aftermarket items, Nismo style bumper perhaps? Don't blame me if you end up doing a load of other mods as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Thank you for your help guys, much appreciated. Might even try and get the bumper off before I take it to the garage, no idea how to take it off though. On reflection it could have been much worse, especially at the speed we were going. Thankfully the animal wasnt larger or else damage would have been much worse. I like your thinking Mack, just mod it! 😂 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 A deer is not classed as an 'animal' under the Road Traffic Act so no need to report it to police. Looks to me like you were very lucky. Most deer accidents I've seen have resulted in the car being written off. Good info - didn't know that Bumper removal guide: http://www.350z-uk.c...e-front-bumper/ (may need to change your browser to see all the pics as Safari is just throwing up the question mark boxes in the first post for me) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 A deer is not classed as an 'animal' under the Road Traffic Act so no need to report it to police. Looks to me like you were very lucky. Most deer accidents I've seen have resulted in the car being written off. Good info - didn't know that Bumper removal guide: http://www.350z-uk.c...e-front-bumper/ (may need to change your browser to see all the pics as Safari is just throwing up the question mark boxes in the first post for me) I get the same - so obviously something wrong with the picture links (on chrome, IE and Mozilla) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonty88 Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Had a quick look on another guide online as I currently dont have another jack so may just get the local garage to get it off for me before they inspect it. Slightly worried that what I can see hanging down is part of the splash guard. Anyone know if this is something fairly inexpensive to replace? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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