Well, last night I was coming home from Annapolis (about an hour and 15 min drive) and I got about 200 feet from my apartment when I hit a d**n fox. It ran from my drivers side of the car. It came in to the front and cracked the bottom of the bumper. I pulled it for a few feet then I spit it out under the passenger side front tire. Now there are a few cracks in my bumper and on the black mesdh grill and my driver side foglight doesnt work. I am soo frustrated. I finally get the exhaust and pulley and now I need to let it sit at a shop to get fixed and I don't get to enjoy my extra power for awhile. Does anyone have any suggestions where I can get the work done in the southern maryland area or should i take it to the dealer and have them fix my poor baby. I have not called the insurance company yet but I am going to in a few minutes. Send me a pm if anyone knows about how much it will cost to fix the bumper and foglight. Thanks for all the help. Here are a few pics.

 

2 Guys in California is the best in our area! I have had to use them a few times and everytime perfect!

 

Well, if your calling the insurance company, its going to cost you your deductable. Since you hit the animal its not at fault for you, so you don't have to worry about premiums going up (CR&PW can probably confirm and elaborate on this) But it definatly isn't going to be a cheap fix, atleast 2k I'm betting. Good Luck!

 

geez what is happening to our MINI's ??? they are in the war's lately... must be pick on MINI month...

 

that's a bummer, but what ever you do, do not take it to TATE!!! Check out the "My car is broken" thread, and you'll see why.

 

I've been saying that for years.

 

Hey Jeremy... good work. I'm going to turn you into a Claim Rep yet !

Jeremy is right, of course. This is not considered a collision (read: at fault) loss. Hitting an animal is a Comprehensive claim and is therefore not considered to be at-fault. You won't be hit with any surcharge or other premium increase as a result of turning the claim in to your insurance company. The only impact is paying your comp deductible.

With the wide range of losses that fall under the comp umbrella, I strongly advocate carrying a $100 deductible on your comp coverage.

 

I'm sure the fox hates you more

 

Get a DEER ALERT
About 6 months after I got my MINI, I hit a 6-point buck at about 50 MPH.

It did about $14,000 worht of damage (between paint, parts, and mechanics time to reassemble).

You could protect you investment by getting one of these:

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-trailbl...i-2123498.html

It is an ELECTRONIC deer alert (not like the old deer whistles).

This things WORKS - I live in an area with LOTS of deer - not a day goes by without me seeing one, and this device FREEZES THEM in their tracks.

It will ALSO startle or scare away other animals. (dogs, gophers, wild turkeys - we got them around here too).

GET ONE.....it is an EASY INSTALL (PM me if you need help).

Radio Shack is selling them for under $5.00 - you can find them on the Web elsewhere for about $20.00 - but it is well worth it!

-B

 

B&D,

I read the item description on the RS website. But I don't see how that electronic device differ from the older style whistles, other than you can wire it to turn it on and off. Seems to be based on the same premise--create a noise that is audible only to animals and will (supposedly) scare them off.

I ask because the insurance industry invested a lot of time and money into research (due to the unimaginable amount of money they spend every year to repair damage due to animal strikes) on the whistle devices. They found no evidence to conclude they actually reduce the likelihood of hitting a deer or other animal.

If you have more info on how this particular device is proven to actually work, I'd be interested in reading it.

 

That's not something I would want to happen when they're already in the road.

 

I wonder if you can get a device that stops old ladies from runnng up the **** of you.... hmmmm maybe one that says "legs 11" or "Bingo" really loudly say ever second, that would attract the older lady to see you and not hit you.

 

Marianate, roast, and eat the offending fox? It won't fix the MINI, but it will make you feel better!

Wagon Works here in Crystal City does excellent body work.

 

I called the insurance company and like you all say.. I am not at fault for the accident. I only have to pay the deductible and I have an appointment with the insurance adjuster tomorrow (the 13th) to see how bad the damage really is. I am assuming about 2k... And I am taking the car to Two Guys Collision to get the work done since I havent heard anything bad about them.
And yes I am sure the fox hates me more since its in fox heaven or hell.

 

I hope you at least picked up the little sucker so you can add a fox fur collar to one of your jackets

 

Ouch! That happened to me a few months ago. I went out one night to grab some burgers and hit a fox. I was in the Subaru, not the MINI, thank goodness.

Set me back about 1200.00 by the time it was all over. Those were some tasty burgers though!

 

Or a fox tail for your next antenna topper....

 

Nope, I left the darn thing on the side of the road. I wasn't about to put road kill in my MINI. Should have though.

 

Bumper cover is about $200 air dam is $35 painting $90, I hit a dog and that what it cost me.

 

1. A "Deer Whistle" only works when you are going at a certain minimum speed, and can only be heard for a few hundred feet, whereas an "Electronic Alert" can be heard for a quarter mile.

2. My info comes from my PERSONAL experience, having installed it on THREE vehicles so far, with the same results - NEVER HIT A DEER SINCE INSTALLING THE DEER ALERT, and I have seen deer FROZEN in their tracks on the side of the road countless times.

3. More personal testing was done by taking my MINI into the Watchung Reservation here in Jersey, where deer were very used to the sound of cars, but when I switched on the deer alert, with my motor running, without it running, with other traffic around, without other traffic around, it all had the same effect: The Deer STOPPED WHAT THEY WERE DOING (eating, walking, running, playing, sparring, sniffing) and FROZE, ears up and listening.....("what could that sound be?")

4. Other members of my MINI group have installed the Deer Alert with the same effect and results.

ALSO: for the naysayer who DID NOT WANT a DEER FROZEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, lemme ask you something:

If there was a vehicle stalled in the road, or a pedestrian stopped in the road, or a log in the road, or a ladder that fell off a truck in the road (get my drift?) would you just go ahead and HIT IT??

MOST if not ALL of Deer Accidents (or animal accidents) happen when the animal RUNS INTO THE ROADWAY at precisely the wrong time. I'd rather have the animal STOPPED in it's tracks than running around and possibly INTO the road.

-B

 

Agreed, only problem would be is if the deer is on the road behind a blind curve. But since you are supposed to slow around blind curves (yeah right, MINIs don't slow at curves.) everything shoud be ok .

 

B&D,

If your electronic deer device gives you a feeling of security, I'd say it's well worth the few bucks (pun intended ) you paid for it. However, I hope, for your sake, you don't get too confident in your device that you're not as alert as you would be without it.

If you're going to try to tell me that you and a few of your friends statistical data is more reliable than the data gathered by all the major insurers in this country, I'd say your more than a little dillusional.

Here's one link that says :

Do not rely on devices such as deer whistles, deer fences and reflectors to deter deer. These devices have not been proven to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.

Linky: http://www.iii.org/media/updates/press.730200/

Another: http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/021118/02111812.htm

Another: http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go....D1B7A14170055E

Another: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublicatio...77/eb1677.html

The chances of you hitting a deer with your device are statistically the same as anyone else who drives the same roads at the same time as you who does not have the device.

Will you hit a deer ? Probably not.

Might you hit a deer ? Of course.

 

Before this thread goes any further, I want to remind you all to keep a cool head. Anger and frustration can very easily trigger shouting and insults... and that won't get you far here:

From the NAM Site Guidelines:

2. RESPECT
When posting, both members and vendors must ALWAYS be respectful of fellow members and vendors. Personal attacks and flames will not be tolerated. If you feel you are being attacked, report the post or private message rather than replying or flaming back.

Discuss and debate, but don't make it personal.

 

Sorry to hear about the fox and your bumper. Hope for a speedy recovery!

 

Thanks, Edge, but I don't see anything in my post that is disrespectful (bad grammer though... "You're" instead of "your").

I didn't take B&D's post that way either.