Air dam……. It

[Dinozero]

Welp,

Driving to the airport at 2am this morning a raccoon darted out of the side of the road, I thought I was gonna miss him, but, “bump”.

Now, let’s pause here.

About 2 years ago, I was driving my 2021 F150 home on a curvy rural road, and a dog darted across the road, doing a lot of damage to my Air damn. I got quoted $400-500 to replace it, and decided nope.

With the 2021, I was able to repair it with zip ties. It actually still functioned as well.

Back to my lightning. I kept telling myself “there’s no way this little raccoon did any damage to my truck” as I was driving.

Sure enough, when I got to the airport, I see my air damn is completely dangling on one side. I think it looks like the actual motor is dangling with it. I didn’t have enough time to look closely.

This seems like a terrible design for a truck. Specially, in the country area.

Can I just remove this thing from both sides? I need my lightning to be as efficient as possible. I have a long daily commute but I really don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference.

im not excited about paying to replace this.

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[Maquis]

What’s the deductible on your comp insurance? That’s the most it will cost you.

 

[Dinozero]

What’s the deductible on your comp insurance? That’s the most it will cost you.

would that affect my rates? I’ve just gotten to a good spot insurance wise and don’t want to screw it up

 

[Pitbull2o08]

Yes an

would that affect my rates? I’ve just gotten to a good spot insurance wise and don’t want to screw it up

a claim you file related to animals usually won’t affect rates.

 

[RocketGhost]

would that affect my rates? I’ve just gotten to a good spot insurance wise and don’t want to screw it up

Unless you company has an explicit policy that they won't raise rates on a comprehensive claim, or you state laws and regulations forbid comprehensive claims from being a factor in your rate, then it's possible they will raise your rates. Not that they necessarily will, but you'd have that risk. If you have a local independent agent who you can talk to "off the record" I'd give them a call and see what they say.

But first I'd get under the truck and see what's busted. You may be able to make a satisfactory repair yourself. If part(s) need replacing, look up the cost. Then weigh your options.

Keep in mind that if the truck may detect a fault and set a code.

 

[Dinozero]

Unless you company has an explicit policy that they won't raise rates on a comprehensive claim, or you state laws and regulations forbid comprehensive claims from being a factor in your rate, then it's possible they will raise your rates. Not that they necessarily will, but you'd have that risk. If you have a local independent agent who you can talk to "off the record" I'd give them a call and see what they say.

But first I'd get under the truck and see what's busted. You may be able to make a satisfactory repair yourself. If part(s) need replacing, look up the cost. Then weigh your options.

Keep in mind that if the truck may detect a fault and set a code.

thank you good info. I guess I was sort of seeking some people that may have removed their air dam on purpose and how It’s going for them.

Searching on Google it seems like I can find at least one lightning person that has intentionally removed it.

I would keep the permanent air damn, just remove the one that actuates. It’s a pretty weak design if something the size of a cat can cause that much damage to a 6500 pound truck.

I guess part of it’s my fault too. I’m not used to the front of the truck having such low ground clearance. When I see a small animal on a road like a rabbit or a squirrel I usually try to center myself on the animal so that I can go right over it and I don’t swerve like crazy.

I’m hoping nothing else under the truck is damaged. But my previous F1 50s had more skid plates and under body protection so I will definitely have to take a close look.

 

[RickKeen]

My insurance guy told me once when I asked this question "a claim is a claim".

 

[djstough]

I struck a moving recap at speed. Same damage. I removed the dam for several weeks with no issues, but had it all repaired under my comp insurance.

 

[Wendy]

Did the Raccoon file any medical claims?

 

[Dinozero]

I struck a moving recap at speed. Same damage. I removed the dam for several weeks with no issues, but had it all repaired under my comp insurance.

That’s good to know. What made you go through the hassle of a claim to fix it? Did you notice range loss ?

 

[tdowens]

I hit a small deer which busted the shutter assembly and with a $1000 deductible, decided to replace myself. Though I made the repair more complicated than it needed, it basically involves the primary step needed to replace the air dam - removing the front bumper assembly; you cannot access the attachment bolts for the air dam with the bumper on the vehicle. Tedious but doable and in retrospect I should have video'ed the disassembly. A Youtube video from Kurt'sRPMGarage made the task much easier. Not sure how vital the air dam is.

 

[htobin]

Just out of curiosity, I googled air dam removal and found quite a few YouTube descriptions. It didn't look like it was too complicated although I'm not sure if it's any different on the lightning compared to the standard F150.

 

[Maquis]

would that affect my rates? I’ve just gotten to a good spot insurance wise and don’t want to screw it up

It used to be that comp claims didn’t affect rates. These days, it’s hard to say.
If you’re afraid to file a relatively small claim for fear of a rate increase, you’re really only insuring against catastrophic claims, which is a valid strategy. But if that’s the case, you should choose the maximum deductible available for the lowest rate.

 

[watts/up]

I guess I was sort of seeking some people that may have removed their air dam on purpose and how It’s going for them.

Apparently no adverse effects to air dam removal noted by this user (swapped for a skid plate).

 

[Lytning]

I have a trusted independent insurance agent I have done business with for many years. I can openly ask him questions regarding claims and potential claims. A few months ago I hit a deer that ran out in front of my truck at night and did about $4500 in damage to the grill and adjacent parts. I talked with my agent and he informed me that a comprehensive claim on my policy would not affect rates. Insurance rates are important to me, but having an agent I can work with as a partner is the most important consideration.

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