So i had a little bit of a reality check this past weekend. I was Driving home with my wife after picking up some supper. I was westbount on a four lane road in town. i was cruzin at about 35mph up to this intersection in the right lane. As i came within a few feet of the intersection, the Ford Explorer in the left lane decided to make a right turn onto an on ramp. I slammed on the breaks, but still hit the ford in the rear passenger fender area with my driverside front bumper. I was shocked and alittle pissed at first wandering just why this guy wanted to turn right, right in front of me. So i slowed down and pulled over to the side. he slowed a bit, then all the sudden took off like a bat outta hell. Well, my JK isn't really a performance vehicle, but i kicked it in and chased after the guy. he lead me on a chase through many turns and neighborhoods. All the while my wife is on the phone with the police dispatch explaining our situation. We finally got close enough to get a description of the car, and that it was KS plates, but didn't get numbers. We decided to head back to the scene and give a report to the officer who was in route.

the officer said it was 100% his fault. When i called my insurance company i was given quite a shock.......and this is the purpose of this post.

Due to my age, new Jeep, a few traffic violations, all i could afford was insurace with a $1000 deductible. Well turns out, even with a hit and run where it is clearly evedent happend, the insurance company of the guy left behind is responsible for covering. Well in this case they had to file it as a collision, and i have to pay my deductible. Total cost of estimate.......$1168. That means i end up with a check in my hand for a whopping $168.

I had heard horror stories but never thought it would happen to me. Well.. now i am stuck with $1000 worth of damages to fix because of some f'ing dooshbag.

I have since lowered my deductible. So i guess the point of this story is to think twice about lower insurance rates for higher deductibles.....probably come back to bite you in the ass.

 

Well, remove the claim so your rates don't increase, for starters. Second, it's stock stubby time. Do a search if you don't know what I mean. Third, you were probably considering an aftermarket bumper eventually. The $1000 in your deductable will buy 95% of the bumpers available for the JK, and 2 of some.

Oh, and don't lose sleep. Be thankful you and the missus are OK, and know that Karma is a bitch. After all, he's already driving an Explorer.

 

Watch eBay......there's people getting rid of stock bumpers on there fairly cheap. Hope they catch the guy!

 

That really sucks man. But even if you had a lower deductible I do not know if it is worth claiming $1100 worth of damage on your insurance. I have claimed these piddly amounts myself in the past and while they say that my rate won't be effected, my rate always seems to go up more than it should come renewal time.

Is the damage limited to the front bumper like it looks in that picture? If so, have you thought about just putting an after-market or even a MOPAR bumper on it yourself? Or look in the For Sale forum for someone selling their stock bumper? Both of these solutions are going to be cheaper than $1000.

 

1k for a fender? you can get a nice metal one for $500

 

Yep, it all falls underneath collision. I'd recommend that you contact your insurance company and see if you cannot remove the claim assuming the only damage is your bumper. You can get someone's bumper on here easily enough and much cheaper and it won't nick your insurance. If you've already went through all the filing and it's nicked your insurance then you might as well proceed.

 

I will sell you ours for $168

 

I agree with the guys; cancel the claim if it's still possible, and chop off the ends of the bumper.

 

Good job dsp, way to step up for another Jeeper!

 

It's too bad that you're learning the hard way how insurance works. You would have been much better off had you been able to get his tag number. But, in the heat of the moment that is likely not the first thing you think of.

As for insurance deductibles: You never want to make a claim against your insurance. Never. But, you need insurance to cover against a catastrophic loss. "Catastrophic" is different for each of us, but basically it means more than you could afford to pay should something unexpected happen.

The chance of your being involved in another $1000 accident in the near future should be pretty remote (assuming you're a reasonably safe driver). If not, I'd suggest that you reconsider your driving habits. It so, then you should be just fine with $1000 deductible, unless you can't afford that. Then you need a lower deductible, but with a significantly higher rate.

Personally, I carry $2500 deductibles on my three vehicles and home. In the last 20 years I've never made a claim. I've never suffered a loss--no accidents that were my fault (unless you want to count my son backing into that pole a couple weeks ago!), etc. I've easily saved that $2500 in the premium savings over the years.