[pipdipchip]

I got a new 2011 Malibu about 3 weeks ago and this is not the first post I was hoping to have on the forum. Driving home from work today, I hit a deer head on going full-speed at 60MPH. The body actually held up fairly well, all things considered. However, both the battery and engine light came on. The car definitely took a good hit. I was only about a mile from home so I drove the car home. However, I tried to start the car again and it started but the RPMs were just going from 500RPM to 1000RPM, back and forth, so I turned off the car. I feel bad for my boo 'Bu. I'm going to try to get it repaired at the dealer since I don't really trust anyone else to fix it. Any thoughts on this?

 

[08chevymalibultz]

Well that sucks, Brand New Car! At least you did not get hurt, I hope! In a lot of cases the deer will come up over the hood and land into the Windshield after impact! Can be very dangerous/life threatening when this happens! Sorry to hear this! You may want to take it back to your dealership since they will most likely be able to get any parts needed quicker than some where else! The Dealership will know your car better than some other auto body shop and can also fix other things if needed!

Good Luck and Welcome to the site!

 

[DrivenDaily]

Wow, that is just so sad! Do you know how the deer fared? Did it die or wander off somewhere?

Take some pics before and after, please. Mostly for you but also to share with us. Also, keep tabs on what they discover needs replaced. If the airbags didn't deploy (seems like they didn't) then there's a lot less to fix! The battery and engine ligths coming on indicate a system or systems were affected by the collision. Only natural with that kind of damage.

When you take it wherever you take it, this might be a good opportunity to get the LTZ front end. The only difference between it and yours is the grilles are silvery-white instead of black, and the LTZ has fog lights instead of fillers.

Hope you get it back all new all over again!

 

[boohoo]

did you at least keep the deer to make deer jerky out of it?!

 

[bullitt4204]

Agree with taking pictures before repair. If you try and sell it down the road, and the history shows prior damage, you can explain what it looked like before the repair. This may never be an issue, but having pictures to back up your story wouldn't hurt.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

pipdipchip,

Wow, so sorry to read about the accident that you had with your new Malibu and the deer. The pics are nice. I agree with you about how the body held up to the deer.

I can't wait to see your new pictures of the vehicle repaired.

Have a great weekend!
Michelle P., Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[mrblanche]

Always seems like it's a new one that takes the hit, doesn't it?

 

[jlpm59]

Wow...sorry to hear about deer accident but I'm glad to hear you didn't get hurt. I agree, the body held up remarkably well for taking out a deer at 60 mph. I'd say the front end did what it's supposed to do and absorb the impact so you don't.

If you don't want to take it to your dealer for repairs, any good, reputable body shop should be able to fix it where you'll never know it had a boo boo. And your insurance company may actually be able to recommend a shop.

Good luck with the repairs. It shouldn't be too long before you have your shiny, new bu again.

 

[tomx20]

Glad to hear you are ok!

 

[pipdipchip]

I'm doing fine. Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately, I didn't see the deer until it was on my front bumper. I sure did give the brakes a good test, the car stopped on a dime. The smell of burnt rubber was pretty strong after I came to stop. The front of car had steam coming out of it. The battery light came on right after impact. I didn't know how bad the damage was at first. It was dark and both of the headlights worked. I was only about a mile from home so I decided to drive home. The engine light came on the way home and the car definitely didn't sound too good. I turned it off and let it cool down for a while. I started the car again and the RPMs were going up and down so I turned off the car. I tried the remote start a little later and that didn't work. The car just made the clicking noise similar to what you'd get when the battery is dead and wouldn't turn over. I was surprised that the car started the traditional way. I'm not sure what the differences are between a remote start and traditional start in terms of the starting process but there must be some sort of difference.

The deer, as I far as I know, died on impact. He was thrown about 20-30 feet into the opposite ditch. And no, I didn't make jerky out of it. I thought about upgrading to the LTZ frontend but insurance is covering it and I don't even know how I would request an upgrade. As far as pictures are concerned, I did take a lot of pictures but the car is leased so it's going back to the dealer in 3 years anyway. The body shop doing the body work and dealer doing the mechanical work are across the road from each other so they are working together on it. So hopefully they'll get it back and up running in top notch shape.

I'll definitely post pictures when it's done and report back on on the damage report on the car. I foolishly didn't add the $2/ month rental car insurance and am now going to try my luck getting a free rental car from the repair shop.

 

[pipdipchip]

If anyone was wondering, the body damage came to $7,500. Supposedly the reason it's a little higher than normal is because they used all new parts versus used/ third-party parts since the car is so new. It will be a week or so before I know the cost of the mechanical damage but I'm guessing that the total damage cost will be around $10,000. They said it will take 2 weeks to get it all fixed. I didn't realize how attached to the car I had become in the last few weeks. I really want it back.

 

[Screechymon]

If anyone was wondering, the body damage came to $7,500. Supposedly the reason it's a little higher than normal is because they used all new parts versus used/ third-party parts since the car is so new. It will be a week or so before I know the cost of the mechanical damage but I'm guessing that the total damage cost will be around $10,000. They said it will take 2 weeks to get it all fixed. I didn't realize how attached to the car I had become in the last few weeks. I really want it back.

Condolences, with the amount of damage done I'd might suggest that you have the shop foreman, or head mechanic take a ride with you before taking delivery of your car.

Did you see if you could get stock fogs installed, or was that not a concern for you?

I hope you car is returned to you like the way you bought it.

 

[jlpm59]

If anyone was wondering, the body damage came to $7,500. Supposedly the reason it's a little higher than normal is because they used all new parts versus used/ third-party parts since the car is so new. It will be a week or so before I know the cost of the mechanical damage but I'm guessing that the total damage cost will be around $10,000. They said it will take 2 weeks to get it all fixed. I didn't realize how attached to the car I had become in the last few weeks. I really want it back.

Cost and time for repairs sounds about right. I'll agree, the bu easy to get attached to.