Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Wildlife accident

Sorry to read of your incident but pleased you’re ok.

Just missed a Muntjac deer last summer when it ran out in front of me. Eight days later saw it? lying dead by side of road. I thought "I'm having that" and took it home. Skinned it and tanned the hide which is now a small rug in my garage.
Think of it as a sort of deer karma - your dent (bad), my rug (good).

Hello Heinz, bad luck for you, your Moggi and mostly for the deer.

Because of the damages. I had a similar damage 2 years ago on my 4/4. The car was 6 months old and a young lady drove backwards without looking in her mirrors and smash into my lovely Morgan . It looked nearby the same. A bended headlight with some cracks in the paint behind it and the cowl moved 4-5 cm backwards on one side. On her car you couldn't see anything.

When I came to my Morgan dealer near Stuttgart, they told me directly two ways to repair. The cheap version to rework the wing and repaint with costs around 2-3000 Euro or change everything with new parts for 11000 Euro.
But the rework isn't easy. To get back a perfect shape in Aluminum needs an artist in bodywork. And if the edges from the accident are to hard, you have a high risk that the wing isn't the same after it.

Because my car was totally new, the assurance from the Lady has to accept the costs and everything worked well. They changed the inner and the outer Wing with a new one from the factory. The fitting is perfect and also the paint shop made a fantastic job. You couldn't see any difference.
But they have to assemble and remove the wing several times, because the wings from the plant are one size for every version 4/4, Plus4 and Roadster. So they have to cut off the inner side of the wing to bring it to the right shape. This is the reason for the high costs for that job.

Now I know why I always will have a full insurance for my Lady

So I hope that your assurance will keep the costs. And if you have a Morgan dealer beside to your home, get in contact with him. This is not an easy job.

Good Luck for you and your 4/4. And if you need more information you could send a PN

Oliver

Hello Oliver,
Thank you for your detailed and interesting story. To be honest, I was afraid it was going to be so expensive. I still have a problem with the insurance, because the 1000€ contribution is new for me. But with that sum in total, I'll be glad if they pay at all.
I've already seen twice how my workshop, Flaving, rebuilt a totally wrecked car very well. When it comes to bodywork, they are absolutely top of the line, and I'm sure they'll do it perfectly.

Was your cross member and the ladder frame still okay?

Yes, there were no problems with that.

Only the inner wing with the fixing points for the radiator were bended inside. Because of that they had to change it too.

At Flaving you are in good hands.

Heinz
Last May I hit TWO Roe deer in my Roadster at about 50mph in Glenlivet. They jumped out together (I think they were holding hands). One went over the car and one under. (Both died). I needed a new nearside wing, cowl, radiator, bumper,headlight, driving lights etc. Plus the offside wing needed a repaint as there was cracking behind the headlight. No damage to the chassis apart from bending of bumper irons. Luckily they were Roe Deer rather than red deer. If they had been red we would probably gone under them and they would have come through the windscreen. We were not hurt, just shocked. The whole thing was very competently repaired by my local dealer (Revolutions ) and now looks as good as new. There was concern that we would not be able to get a new wing due to availability from the factory the fallback was that they would beat it all out. New wing was available so no issue in the end. It all worked out in the end but not an experience I want to repeat. My insurance paid with no quibble (£100 excess) but my renewal just came in and they have increased the premium by 50% so needless to say I have gone elsewhere this year.
Good luck
Andy

Thanks for postong your experience, Andy. That must be a scary moment to hit two of them. Your report makes hope for a good repair.

Sorry to hear of the accident Heinz.
I hope it all gets sorted out quickly.

Yesterday my shop told me that on next Monday the new wing will be shipped. Good news so far. The insurance had sent an evaluator to the shop in March to examine my car and they will pay up to 1000€ retention after all. The high deductible that my insurance only requires for a Morgan is explained by the fact that so many windscreens had to be replaced a few years ago, and that even minor sheet metal damage can quickly become expensive. Anyway now the repair can start.

Good you have some progress Heinz .