So my wife was going about 35 through Malibu Canyon in the dark the other night when a large buck deer jumped in front of the VX. She swerved and avoided an head-on but made contact on the passenger side of the car.

The animal's antlers smacked down on top of the hood leaving a large dent as if someone had whacked it with a hammer. And now I notice that the hood has shifted about a quarter inch to the driver's side -- the headlight has been pushed back about a quarter inch --the fender has moved so that there is a larger gap between it and the cladding -- and the gap between the fender and the part around the door is larger.

In other words the metal on the passenger side has been pushed back slightly.

I took it into the local body shop and the guy tells me that I need a new hood, a new light and a new "bumper." I think the guy's full of crap but I'm no expert so I'd like some guidance on this. Since the cladding is not metal I doubt it's bent. And I suspect that what needs to be done is the fender and headlight need to be adjusted back to their original position -- if that's possible.

The insurance will pay for whatever is done so it's not a matter of cost. I just don't have much faith in their ability to actually get the parts in a reasonable period of time.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

PS Anyone had body work done by a shop in the Santa Monica area that you felt was done properly?