trowand

Hey guys, I own a SWEET 2013 Unlimited 10th Anniversary Rubicon in Anvil Gray on Red Leather. I managed to hit a tractor trailer's spare tire that was lying on the highway at about 45mph and bent the passenger's side axle tube of my front D44 axle. My front wheel/tire now sit at a 6% angle and it's visibly noticeable and very annoying. So I have two issues. One, is what to replace the weak, bent stock front axle with. (I'm thinking a Dynatrac ProRock D44 but it will cost like $4400) and two, do I pay for it out of pocket or submit a claim to my insurance company thus marring my precious 10th Anniversary Rubicon with a 'CarFax Accident Claim!' which will scare people away from buying it and effect the resale value. $4400 is a TON of money to me right now and that's just for the parts not including installation. I'm going to try and see what my options are with the repair shop as far as getting insurance money and buying upgraded aftermarket parts with that. Please give me your opinions. THANKS!

sellnotsale

Once you start doing modifications the car fax report is moot anyways. The people that are going to care about an "accident" are the same ones that will think if you took it off road you must have beat on it. The money you get from filing a claim may be more than the hit you get on the value anyways.

Dynatrac

Sorry to hear about this happening to you. Really stinks when things out of your control cause problems.

As you're dealing with insurance and figuring out your next steps in getting your Jeep repaired, give us a call at 714-421-4314 and one of our techs can go over everything and work up an exact quote from you on what a replacement ProRock would cost, take the guesswork out of that part at least.

Trail Jeeps

Ugh that SUUUUCKS! At least the Jeep is still in one piece.

I don't think you having any sort of claim against the Jeep is going to have an adverse effect on resale, especially if you go with the fine folks at Dynatrac. That axle is an upgrade and will far offset any misgivings someone has about your accident. If you're really concerned, make sure and take plenty of pictures documenting everything. If it really is just a bent axle, then show it is only a bent axle in pictures, make sure you don't drop your phone into the toilet before you upload those pictures onto your computer (true story) and save them for a time when you decide to sell it.

resharp001

My first instinct was to say take the claim on the insurance; however depending on your situation, you might have additional things to consider. If you own multiple vehicles for example, how much will your policy rates increase now having a recent claim on your record? What would your break even be getting money for the axle (less your deductible) vs. the expected new increased insurance rates over the next few years. That calculations has some variables that will differ between owners.

In the most simple situation I'd think the claim and parlaying that to an aftermarket axle would be the best thing to do.

Trail Jeeps

These are good points, but I doubt the total expenditure doesn't equal the cost of repairs unless the deductible is sky high.

resharp001

I hear ya. It all depends on variables. I am close to going from 0 to 2 teen drivers on my policy.....and holy crap if THAT doesn't change things. I can't imagine any driver on my policy having a claim on top of those kinds of rates. There COULD be situations out there where it doesn't make sense. I sure hope I never have to feel that pain!

Trail Jeeps

I can only imagine! I have dealt with many, many insurance jobs, and I always tell customers to use their insurance, especially for these big things. We pay it for a reason and it even if you have to fight with them, it'll go your way 9 out of 10 times.

Jahamm88

That's the thing I don't understand about insurance. We all pay for it, and when we need it we are scared to use it because we will either a.get dropped or b.have to pay more because of something that happened that was out of our control.
Are you able to submit something to the state it happened in? Kind of like if you hit a pothole that could eat a VW and broke a rim?

Ryan0260

Get the ProRock 44 housing. It is absolutely grade A beef, and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that bent axles are a thing of the past. You can get a bare housing and swap your Rubi lockers and internals over if the money is the issue. You can swap the axle shafts later if need be, or if the budget allows you can upgrade the axle shafts, re-gear, throw on some aftermarket knuckles, and finish it off with ProGrip brakes for a very impressive and capable set up.