Had a deer jump right out in front of me last year near Little Rock—talk about heart-stopping. Managed to brake enough to avoid serious damage, but still cracked a headlight and dented the hood. Got me wondering, does comprehensive coverage usually cover smaller stuff like cracked headlights, or is there typically a deductible that's too high for minor repairs? Always thought comp coverage was more for major incidents...
"Got me wondering, does comprehensive coverage usually cover smaller stuff like cracked headlights, or is there typically a deductible that's too high for minor repairs?"
From my experience, comprehensive coverage does technically cover smaller stuff like cracked headlights, dents, and other minor damage from things like deer encounters. But here's the catch—your deductible usually kicks in first. Say your deductible is $500 (pretty common), and your headlight repair plus hood dent totals around $400-450. In that case, your insurance isn't gonna pay out anything because it's below the deductible.
Honestly, for smaller incidents like this, it's often not worth filing a claim since you'd end up paying out-of-pocket anyway. Plus, reporting minor stuff can sometimes nudge your premiums upward at renewal time... learned that one the hard way after a windshield incident in Missouri a few years back.
My practical advice: keep your deductible in mind when deciding whether to file a claim. Comprehensive coverage is great for bigger hits (like if you'd had a more serious run-in with that deer), but for minor bumps and bruises, it's usually cheaper to just handle it yourself.
Totally agree with you on this. A few years back, I had a similar situation—hit a raccoon (poor guy) and cracked my front bumper and headlight. Repair estimate was around $350, but my deductible was $500. Didn't even bother calling insurance because it was obvious I'd be footing the bill anyway.
One thing I'd add though: if you're worried about premiums going up, some insurance companies offer accident forgiveness or minor incident forgiveness programs. Might be worth checking if your insurer has something like that. Also, sometimes repair shops will give you a better deal if they know you're paying out-of-pocket instead of going through insurance—saved me about $50 that way last time.
Bottom line, comprehensive coverage is great peace of mind for bigger stuff, but for the small dings and cracks...yeah, usually better to just handle it yourself.
"Also, sometimes repair shops will give you a better deal if they know you're paying out-of-pocket instead of going through insurance—saved me about $50 that way last time."
That's definitely something I've noticed too. Had a cracked windshield from a stray rock last summer, and when I mentioned I'd be paying myself, the guy knocked off around $40 without me even asking. I'm still skeptical about accident forgiveness though...feels like there's always a catch buried somewhere in the fine print. But hey, might be worth a quick call to find out.
"I'm still skeptical about accident forgiveness though...feels like there's always a catch buried somewhere in the fine print."
Yeah, same here. Had a minor fender-bender a couple years back—nothing major, just a bumper scrape—but I decided to pay out-of-pocket anyway. Didn't want to risk losing my "accident-free" discount or having premiums spike later. Sometimes those perks sound great until you actually need them...then suddenly they're not as forgiving as advertised. Better safe than sorry, imo.
