My Lightning Found a Deer. It Wasn't a Draw. Repair vs. Upgrade Advice Needed

[Wjburgin]

Hit a deer this morning on my 60-mile commute through rural Georgia. Truck is fully drivable, I walked away fine, it could have been way worse, but the front bumper took a beating and I'm looking for advice on both repair and (possibly) upgrading to something more deer-resistant.

The damage:

• Pre-collision sensor bracket is broken, throwing a "misalignment issues" error on the dash
• Plastic covers around that sensor (the ones clipped to the bumper) are both broken
• Bumper itself is slightly curled under on the driver's side (if you know where to look, it's obvious)
• Tow loop took an impact, not sure if it shifted at all
• Unclear if there's any damage to the moveable wind dam underneath
• And... there was chum all down the reinforcement plates that I had to wash off. (Not how I wanted to start my Monday.)

Here's where I need the forum's brain trust. I've avoided any modifications to the truck specifically because I didn't want to take the efficiency penalty - I bought this thing for a reason and I like the range I've got. But I also don't love the idea of keeping a bent bumper, and if I'm going to fix/replace it anyway, I'm wondering if I should upgrade to something that'll handle the next impact better.

Most of the staff at my workplace run full Ranch Hand bumpers, which I know are overkill for a lot of people but probably would have laughed off this deer. I'm open to suggestions - whether that's a specific aftermarket bumper that doesn't murder your range, a good repair approach, or just thoughts on whether the wind dam and tow loop are things I should be worried about.

One complication: I'm hesitant to take this to my dealer because I really don't want this damage sitting on my insurance report if I can avoid it. So if there are DIY or independent shop routes that make sense for the sensor recalibration especially, I'd love to hear them.

Anyone dealt with similar damage? What would you do - repair and keep stock, or use this as an excuse to beef it up?

Appreciate any input.

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[COrocket]

Hard to say which bumper is better for a specific impact…I’ve always run stock because the bumpers are designed to deform and absorb small/moderate impacts. If you were running a ranch hand you may have been totally fine, or it could have transferred the impact directly to the frame which could have created a much bigger bent frame headache vs replacing a crumpled bumper.

 

[RickLightning]

Or the massive bumper, that may interfere with sensors, takes the deer and throws it up to the windshield, which then kills you the driver.

 

[CD4TNF]

Lightning Mike has a 6 part series documenting the repair of his Lightning after a deer strike. Might give you an idea comparing his damage to yours.

Here's his final video with the repaired truck.



As Lightning production has turned off, it becomes more important to repair and keep these guys on the road.

Should consider the Ford Repair Line outlined in this thread. Since it's their job to get Ford vehicles repaired and on the road.

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/post-accident-repair-tips-and-tricks.37180/


IMO it becomes a question of cost and future parts availability. If you go stock now, will the future cost of OEM parts and availability force you to go to aftermarket parts eventually anyways in the event of another deer strike?

 

[KahnDawg]

Hit a deer this morning on my 60-mile commute through rural Georgia. Truck is fully drivable, I walked away fine, it could have been way worse, but the front bumper took a beating and I'm looking for advice on both repair and (possibly) upgrading to something more deer-resistant.

The damage:

• Pre-collision sensor bracket is broken, throwing a "misalignment issues" error on the dash
• Plastic covers around that sensor (the ones clipped to the bumper) are both broken
• Bumper itself is slightly curled under on the driver's side (if you know where to look, it's obvious)
• Tow loop took an impact, not sure if it shifted at all
• Unclear if there's any damage to the moveable wind dam underneath
• And... there was chum all down the reinforcement plates that I had to wash off. (Not how I wanted to start my Monday.)

Here's where I need the forum's brain trust. I've avoided any modifications to the truck specifically because I didn't want to take the efficiency penalty - I bought this thing for a reason and I like the range I've got. But I also don't love the idea of keeping a bent bumper, and if I'm going to fix/replace it anyway, I'm wondering if I should upgrade to something that'll handle the next impact better.

Most of the staff at my workplace run full Ranch Hand bumpers, which I know are overkill for a lot of people but probably would have laughed off this deer. I'm open to suggestions - whether that's a specific aftermarket bumper that doesn't murder your range, a good repair approach, or just thoughts on whether the wind dam and tow loop are things I should be worried about.

One complication: I'm hesitant to take this to my dealer because I really don't want this damage sitting on my insurance report if I can avoid it. So if there are DIY or independent shop routes that make sense for the sensor recalibration especially, I'd love to hear them.

Anyone dealt with similar damage? What would you do - repair and keep stock, or use this as an excuse to beef it up?

Appreciate any input.

Are you around Athens? Classic City Collision has done good repair work on our Lightning Fleet at work.

 

[waasiw]

As someone who works on bodies, human ones, I would say you can replace a truck but not a body. Modern vehicles are designed to take the hit, crumple, and save the human. Do the F=ma equation- the human has tiny mass compared to the vehicle. Let the truck crumple!

 

[JIMINGA]

What did you decide to do?
What shop is repairing your truck?
My deer strike happened August 5 in Lawrenceville, GA (left side impact). USAA insurance claim submitted; chose State Collision Center in Hoschton for repairs.

 

[Jseis]

I’ve hit two deer, one with an Escape, 2nd with the Mach E. Those strikes resulted in $3k-$4K damage respectively. The MME took about 4 months to get repaired (parts and body shop backlog). We were happy with both repairs. The MME had a bent hood, broken head light, missing trim pieces, slightly skewed hood and skewed left front fender, damaged bumper. Hit was at 45 mph. If at 55, 4X+ $$$.

Since my former daily 90-100 mile commute covers rural forest land teeming with elk, bear, deer, etc. the S.O. was adamant I needed a bigger vehicle to protect me irrespective of the vehicle getting damaged. It was me she was worried about and hitting a 600 pound elk at 55 would likely total the truck. A deer will do far less damage but at those speeds, be $$$. There’s really no bumper that’ll prevent that (Local loggers drive log trucks with narrow bumpers as any deer and bigger animal will catch the bumper, wrap it into the tire, blow tire, and truck gets totaled).

Animal strikes are no fun, luckily you weren’t injured.

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