About 7 months ago we moved to a small town out in the country... My daily commute includes 25 miles of 2 lane country highway.


I figured roadkill is simply a matter of time.


On my way home from work tonight (around 9:45 pm) a big ole raccoon started lumbering across the road maybe 100 ft in front of me. When I say big I expect he was a good 30 lbs maybe more...I was cruising along at about 65 mph... by the time i saw him i hit the brakes hard but to no avail... I heard a thump/splat and knew that it was all over for that guy.


I was in the middle of no where so I made it to the next small town and pulled over to take a look.


First thing I saw was the foglight blank hanging on by a thread, second thing I noticed was that the impact was enough to pop the turn signal indicator on the side of the fender out of the mount. Third was the lip was hanging about 1/4" lower than it should on the passenger side. It looked like the very corner of the passenger side of my front bumer/lip caught him pretty good.


I popped the 2 pieces back in and drove the rest of the way home. When I got home I took a closer look. It is possible that the lip actually cracked just below the mounting clips, but I am not sure. The front bumper actually has a 3" or so crack from the bending I am sure it had to go through.


Now I have a couple choices.... First question...


Do i file an insurance claim or do I just eat the cost of repair?
Does insurance consider this a collision ($500 deductible) or a comprehensive claim ($100 deductible)?

Do i go with OEM parts or aftermarket for bumper/lip?
I do not want something way over the top or something that will sit noticably lower than stock; but it would be nice to have something different than all the other xb's on the road. Any suggestions? I have also heard that urethane is much better than fiberglass, easier to prep, less variance, and also more resistant to cracking/chipping which is important on the low lip of the xB IMO.


Thanks for the help!


(at least it wasn't a deer.... I am just counting the days till that one. I see deer standing on the shoulder probably 3 days a week minimum...)

 

I think it would be a collision claim--maybe you want to get an estimate first. Maybe you want one of those rally systems to go over the front end to ward off the critters.....

 

Please - tell me there are pictures.

And did you save the raccoon? They're great on the BBQ. All dark meat, though.

 

Haha, I can get pictures sometime. It was a little dark for pictures when I got home.

i did not go back for the critter, I am sure i will see the results tomorrow. I doubt my wife would appreciate a bloody rodent brought into the house.

 

it would be covered under your comprehensive portion of the policy because you hit an animal....your policy will not go up because accidents where you hit animals are not surchageable.....so all you will have pay is your comprehensive ded of $100...the reason why i know is because i work for GEICO....so just call your insurance company tell them same thing you told us and you will be good to go...

 

Good to hear, I had heard that before too. If it was collision I would just eat the cost, but if it is comprehensive I will likely file a claim, since I am sure a new bumper will be more than $100.

Looks like I will be getting a bumper without license plate holes finally. My dealer had the screws in the bumper when I got there, I was too late!

 

Yea, you're not the only one to have a raccoon sandwich. I swear it was freakin' huge. Like 30 lbs. Mine caused 1300 in damage. Only cost me 100 to repair. Insurance covered the rest.

 

Insurance companies usually figure it in this manner..Up and over is a comprehensive collision. Down and under the vehicle, its a standard collision. However since it was a little beastie, they consider it a comp claim, so you wont get charged for it and thankfully your rates wont leap. As far as replacing your spoiler lip, the damn thing cost about 300 bucks...(i got a cat a few weeks ago,...also IIm an Estimator at a body shop out in Chino, CA. and Ive seen a few other xB's suffer the same problem.) I would advise you go with OEM, as they seem to e sturdier, and fit. I too decided at first to go aftermarket..looked good in the store...it was crap when i got it on my car, and the aftermarket stuff doesnt always hold the paint on as well, most aftermarket parts are done thru reverse engineering so its the whole hit or miss with fit and finish.
But thats just my 2cents.

DWATTS
Cherry Auto Body, Chino,CA.

 

Thanks for the input, I am gonna bounce the idea off my body shop guy, he is a big consumer advocate, knows his stuff real well, if he is of the same mindset you are then I will go oem, if he thinks he can do it and have it come out right for about the same cost (within a hundred or two) i may go that route. i am looking at the kenstyle lip kit urethane front, and depending on the estimate maybe more. I would probably order from m2motoring as they seem to have a rep for no fitment problems....


Although with me living out in the country the extra height of the stocker might be the decision maker.