The good news is that both headlights still work! (Thank you forum!)

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TheZombieNinja3

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So here we go... last night marked the end of an era for me. Sadly my 04 kj got totalled. On my commute home from work I was given a rough decision that was lose-lose. I had a big ol' deer run out from behind a pitch black tree line. Slammed the brakes, swerved to avoid it, and locked up the wheels(abs was acting up). After I started to skid sideways I was presented with the choice of hitting a telephone pole, or the deer. I chose the latter.

After all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into it, it's over. Today I went to get my belonging out of it and talk to the claims adjuster who told me it was marked as totaled. After cleaning it all out. I sat in my jeep, shed multiple man tears, and said my final goodbye. It has served me extremely well for the last 5 years.

This community here on this forum has been so helpful since day one and I sincerely want to thank you all for all of the knowledge and insight you have provided for me. I have learned so much. I plan on getting another jeep asap, just not sure what model yet. I'm still going to lurk the forum and help and post when I can. But thank everyone so much, this site truly is a blessing!




Tl;Dr
My kj was totaled last night, I cried, this forum is amazing.
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ltd02

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Ouch! Sorry for your loss. The deer are crazy around me too. I don't know how many I've come close to hitting over the past month or so. Hope you find another vehicle of your liking soon.
 

HoosierJeeper

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RIP...it served you well. I’d be upset too, they become your best friend and part of the family. A new one won’t take its place but it’ll be time to make new memories and make a new friend. Glad you’re ok!
 

LibertyTC

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Sorry to hear about the deer impact, that ***** big time.
On the next build consider an Arb front bumper !
I've got a PB-400 Police Setina re-enforced -also down to skid plate.
Makes me want to consider the extra wrap around bars now as the "cop hits deer" video protected the vehicle big time.
 

Jo6pak

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DAMN! Glad you're OK.

Part out what you can, then your KJ will live on in other folks rigs.
 

JasonJ

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Honestly, while that is a lot of damage, it is isolated to just a few major parts. It doesn't look like it'd be too bad to repair, depending on the core support damage. And even then, you could weld in a replacement.

Front bumper, grille, fender flare, tire, headlight... there is a large wiring bundle behind the bumper that may be damaged (mine was in a similar accident), but those wires were easily spliced and repaired properly.

If you source the parts and labor yourself, might only cost $1500 or so to repair, properly. It'd be a good opportunity to put an ARB front bumper on. That alone probably would have made this entire situation moot. Smashed the grille and headlight, probably.. but the remainder would be fine and it would still be on the road.

I wish after my last accident, given the cost of repairs with OEM parts and paint, that I had just taken the check for the estimate and done it myself. I would have an ARB front bumper, new fender flare, new tire, new washer tank, fixed the wires myself, an alignment and had cash left over to buy the full OME/Bilstein kit for lifting it.

I still kick myself and give a slap in the back of the head to this day for just letting the dealer body shop repair it.
 

renegade 04

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I would buy it back for sure. It doesn't look like you have any major damage at all. In fact your damage looks like mostly plastic damage and that stuff is cheap. The main core support looks fine.
 

TheZombieNinja3

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Honestly, while that is a lot of damage, it is isolated to just a few major parts. It doesn't look like it'd be too bad to repair, depending on the core support damage. And even then, you could weld in a replacement.

Front bumper, grille, fender flare, tire, headlight... there is a large wiring bundle behind the bumper that may be damaged (mine was in a similar accident), but those wires were easily spliced and repaired properly.

If you source the parts and labor yourself, might only cost $1500 or so to repair, properly. It'd be a good opportunity to put an ARB front bumper on. That alone probably would have made this entire situation moot. Smashed the grille and headlight, probably.. but the remainder would be fine and it would still be on the road.

I wish after my last accident, given the cost of repairs with OEM parts and paint, that I had just taken the check for the estimate and done it myself. I would have an ARB front bumper, new fender flare, new tire, new washer tank, fixed the wires myself, an alignment and had cash left over to buy the full OME/Bilstein kit for lifting it.

I still kick myself and give a slap in the back of the head to this day for just letting the dealer body shop repair it.
The dash is now lit up like a Christmas tree, airbag light is on though it did not deploy, power steering system is leaking, check engine light, ect. Plus there were some underlying issues that would make fixing it not very budget friendly for me. I'd rather part it out and make a few bucks toward the next jeep.

Sent from my SM-S906L using Tapatalk
 
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JasonJ

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The dash is now lit up like a Christmas tree, airbag light is on the it did not deploy, power steering system is leaking, check engine kight, ect. Plus there were some underlying issues that would make fixing it not very budget friendly for me. I'd rather part it out and make a few bucks toward the next jeep.

Sent from my SM-S906L using Tapatalk

Sounds like a mess.. probably take too much time to sort out. Best of luck to you!
 

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