Damn Deer!! (long)

[rockyfeller]

7AM drivin back home from parting in the city. Exhausted but alert, sobered up after a few drinks...light fog, sun is coming up. Winding country forest road. 1/2 mile from home; almost there, last curve...I'm drivin faster, just wanna hit that bed. Damn, EAT chip always makes going 60 in a 35 to easy..Hittin a blind hairpin..

Outta nowhere!

WHAP!!!

I see a deer tumbling in front of my car. No warning, no way to avoid it. I heard the sound of hitting it before I realized what I was seeing. Head on, no brakes, foot on the accelertor. The dang thing decided to prance across the road between some brush right when it saw my fog lights. Car blazed right through the poor thing, car didn't ever quiver for a second. I'm thinking....just a scratch on the bumper maybe? Hopefully? Wait I was going 60mph....Pull over....Daym! Whole front end is smoooshed above the bumper. Both headlights, grille, right edge of hood with some buckling. I guesstimate $3000 worth of damage. RIP Mr Deer, sorry!

Well...Here are the positives...I'm unscathed, I was right near my home, I didn't hit a human, no fender/bumper damage, airbags didn't deploy (Thank God!), no radiator damage, the car still runs perfect. I always did want those Euro headlights with built in eyes, good thing I didn't do that before....Anybody have these on their car yet? Anybody know how much I could get a hood for? I don't think salvaging this hood will be worth it. It was chipped/sandblasted from previous owners anyways. Anyone know where to get quality body parts cheap? BMA?

There's tons of shattered scrap plastic pieces everywhere! It seems complicated the way the car is put together. I must say in the end I definitely realize for the 100th time, this is such a quality car. I'm not sure how big this deer was but it was quite big....and I was flying. I hit it at 60mph and to only see this much damage is amazing this, dang car is made of iron. I'm a car fanatic carefully trying to maintain that my car has never had more than a scratch. So it's hard to look at my beautiful car and see what I did to it. I'll just have to get over it. I haven't had an accident in 12 yrs so if I was due for one, Thank God I don't have much to complain about!

[bahnstormer]

oh ****.
that's one of my worst nightmares...

a buddy hit one with his golf. the dam thing ram away after doing $1500 of damage

[Reidal]

Ouch. Thank goodness for the design and build quality.

Kangaroo's and Wombats are the things to avoid here in Aussie.

As you say, an opportunity to make those mods.

Good luck

Reid

[Jr ///M5]

Know exactly what you mean. About a year and a half ago, a deer tried to leap the M5 while traveling 65mph....The damage doesn't look that bad, but about 10 weeks later, the bill came close to $7000. My first guesstimate was $4500. Glad you are ok, these BMW's can sure take a whallop. On the bright side, you'll see your entire front end without a rock chip. Be careful of the insurance company trying to total it. Good luck, and glad you are unharmed.

Jr

[winfred]

shoulda gone back and gotten em, dress em and fry em up, that'll teach the bastard and take care of brekfast

[mikemaster]

Deer-2, me-0

318....$4000 damage
535....$5200 damage

Unavoidable, they just run right into you.

[Tiger]

Check your bumper... push it in to see if your foams are still intact... By the way, did you take that deer home for big BBQ bash? Labor Day is coming up...

[Tiger]

Get deer whistler

[callen]

I'd get factory hood.....and if Dealer too expensive buy a used one....have to paint it anyway.

[rockyfeller]

Here in CT sometime in your driving career you have high chances of hitting deer. I'm sure a lot of you or your friends have similar stories....Jr!! It's uncanny, Damage to my car looks nearly similar, except my hood isn't as buckled. No bumper/fender/corner damage either....So you're telling me the headights, grille and hood cost close to $7000????? Damn!! I guess I better claim through insurance rather than out of pocket. I can't afford that!! I was saving up for type 5 rims for the last 2 yrs without sucess. LOL!! I drove the car into town today...Paid my respects to Mr Deer, who still lays 15 ft off the road. (Yep the car actually deflected him off with that much force!) He is in early stages of decomposition with a number of scavenging creatures feasting so I don't think he's edible anymore. My parents told me I should have dragged him home. (accident was barely 1/2 mi away) but at that moment I was devasted about the car. It runs just fine, so it seems everything is just cosmetic. For insurance to junk this car would be absoultely absurd. What exactly was done on your car Jr?