Cause if so, our EB/W now has more character than Dennis Hopper!

Ya know the speel from Mini. Don't worry about some scratches or dings, cause that just gives your beloved Mini some character right?

Well, if the rear-end damage from the tractor trailer that ran into my wife the other day wasn't bad enough.

WE HIT A DEER ON THE WAY HOME LAST NIGHT!

And we were dropping the Mini off at the body shop this morning for the rear end damage.

The good news... well, this good sized buck came over this burm and down a 6 ft embankment from a field and was right in front of us in the blink of an eye. I pounded the clutch/brake pedals and got her stopped pretty darn quick... so much so that I THINK we just pushed the rear legs out from under the poor SOB so his hindquarters fell onto the hood, just inside the driver's side headlight (he was running from passenger side toward the driver's side of the vehicle).

He didn't even crack the headlight or damage the grille, but managed to leave two little dents and a crease in that curved part of the hood between the grille and the headlight

So the body shop, that was about to replace the rear bumper and paint the rear end (and tint the rear windows) is going to ask their paintless dent guy if he thinks he can push out the deer damage.

IS THIS CAR JINXED OR WHAT?

I'm half tempted to sell it and order a new one. I mean, jeeeezzz, I ordered this back in OCTOBER and its my wife's first new car and now, I really don't feel like it is new anymore.

And, I'm not sure what the body shop is going to say. I gotta check my deductible, but I really don't want to submit a claim. The bodyshop claims that a deer strike is an act of god and therefore my premiums won't go up, but I think I've got a $500 deductible in the first place and I don't know if it will be worth it....


arghhhhhhhhh

 

wow were you going slow? Sounds like the MINI really held its own! Deer have been known to total many a car....Consider yourselves lucky to only have a dent or two from the deer. Hope it all turns out ok.

 

Jimminies! Well, you are gathering a lot of stories and that's the best part of the characture the scars offer. When your Mini is all fixed up you'll still have the stories. Hang a rabbit's foot from the mirror, it may not keep the deer away, but you'll scare the rabbits.

 

>>wow were you going slow? Sounds like the MINI really held its own! Deer have been known to total many a car....Consider yourselves lucky to only have a dent or two from the deer. Hope it all turns out ok.>>

Well, we WEREN'T flying (for a change)...

and I'd like to think I've got decent reaction time. But it all happened REALLY fast.

But, however it happened, it was a pretty low speed hit. The front end was a little wet. I couldn't tell if the buck peed all over the car or if something sprayed from the headlight washers (I'm guessing pee).

What sucks is that I shoulda been even more aware and driving even slower. It was just after dark and we were driving these roads near home between farms, woods, fields etc. It's really hilly, curvy etc. On this section the field to our right was about 6 feet or more above our heads and we couldn't see the field and there were dense woods on the left.

But the weather is starting to change and we know the deer are starting to rutt (sp?).

And YES, we're finding the Mini is pretty tough. At least in low-speed hits.

It stopped the loaded tracter-trailer that idled into it (with mostly bumper damage)

And now it gently nudged a buck out of the way.

I just don't want to find the Mini's limits if you know what I mean.

 

>>Jimminies! .... Hang a rabbit's foot from the mirror, it may not keep the deer away, but you'll scare the rabbits.>>




That way we'll avoid vampires AND rabbits!

I'm actually kinda glad that the deer SEEMED unhurt. There's no way to know for sure, but I'm optimistic. On the other hand, think of the stories I could tell.

"Yeah, I got my first 6 point buck with a Mini!"

 

Well, I've got to check the insurance policy for the deductible, but the paintless dent guy says he doesn't think he can do it, so the bodyshop recommends, bending, filling and spraying to the tune of another $800. CRAP, WE REALLY DIDN'T NEED THIS RIGHT NOW... nuts...

 

Are you beginning to get the feeling that it might be in your best interests to move to a more urban setting?

 

>>Are you beginning to get the feeling that it might be in your best interests to move to a more urban setting?

Don't know ... the tractor trailer hit Jenn in Philadelphia.

The Buck hit us in the country...

Of course, at least the tractor trailer had insurance

I gotta keep to keep from

ya know?

 

Sorry to hear about the deer.
I near ran my rental van into a Moose at 4am up near Grand canyon a few years back. I didn't see him then all of a sudden he was right in front of me then he was gone.

My MCS has lots of scratches and dings from doors and rocks on the highway kicked up that hit me.
I guess there is not much you can do when your car is exposed. I have a daily driver and not a show car so I will just keep motorin until I need a new MINI in a few years.

Beat up=Character???
Grrrrrrrrrr!

 

I have a set of deer whistles discretely mounted to the lower grill. I don't know if they work or not, but since installing them I have yet to hit a deer.

I also suspect that they work for protecting against Bigfoot, as not only have I not hit Bigfoot, I haven't even seen him since the whistle installation.

A couple little dings add character, but they also mess up a beautiful body.. . . sigh.

Sorry to hear of your deer-related misfortune! I bet the deer regrets it too!

 

Hmmm, I don't live in the Pacific Northwest, so I guess I don't need Bigfoot whistles

I maybe should consider the deer whistles. I've had close calls before, but I'm usually well aware and driving pretty slow through the deer populated areas around here. Guess I got cocky and thought my reflexes would always do the job.

On the other hand, it's sometimes nice to drive slow and look for deer to point out to our daughter (we'd ironically been doing that on the same stretch of road just an hour earlier) sigh.

I guess we can always drive the Jeep when looking for Bambi

 

Kev -- Sorry to hear about your poor car being in ANOTHER mishap -- just glad none of your family is hurt. Hmmmm-- have ya thought about checkin the roof of your car --perhaps someone with an evil sense of humor has discreetly placed a target up there!!
We are firm believers in the deer whistles. Have had them on our motorcycles for years. Deer have been standin right by the road as other bikes in our group have driven by -- then turned and run as our's approached. (Of course, that COULD have been cause they got a look at old fuzzy face's beard flappin around!! ) Anyway, they're very reasonably priced (don't get the five buck cheapies though) and can be mounted where they're totally hidden. Hey, I'll take any small advantage I can get on the road. You can bet there will be a set on "Elvis" when he finally slips into our garage. Now, we don't depend totally on them. Ya never can tell when ya might meet up with a "deaf deer". So we still keep our eyes open.

Ps. -- just remember to check em for bugs occasionally. Being on the front, they sometimes get plugged up with a moth or bee.

 

>>perhaps someone with an evil sense of humor has discreetly placed a target up there!! :smile:

 

Wow, sorry to hear about your car... again. You just can't win with deer. My uncle drives like a snail and just about a month ago he had one come bounding out from the side of the road and run straight into the side of his truck.

If he had been driving faster he would have missed it or if he had been a little later he would have as well. If it's meant to be it's meant to be.

Still sucks all the same though.

 

Kev:

Sorry to hear about the deer. Saturday morning Isaac and I jumped the early train from Hbg to Philly. We picked up my MCS at MINI of the Main Line (yes, your advice was right on!--Amos took care of me like he did you!).

On the way back there was a 7-8 mile backup on the eastbound side, mile 304--across from the rest area. A car had hit a deer. Killed it, totalled the car. There were state troopers, ambulances, and then a medivac helicopter...what a mess.

So, all things considered, a dent in the bonnet isn't so bad. (Of course, we'll see what I say when it happens to me!)

Hope it isn't hard to fix.

btw, we have some good pix from the Bucks Co rally. I dropped some off for Kim and Jay; send me a pm with your address and I'll drop them in the mail.

David

 

Kevin, So sorry to hear of all your bad luck. The deer are way too overpopulated in our area. One time I was heading down Rt. 30 in front of Wedgewood shopping center when a deer was standing in the middle of the road. I slowed down and tried to go by her when three others darted in front of me. She decided to join them but my car was in the way. She tried to jump over me but ended up hitting my door, landing on my roof and sliding down my hood. With all the commotion all four deer ended up falling in the road. I just sat there at a standstill, dumbfounded with dents all over my car and four deer struggling to get back on their feet. At least it wasn't my MINI.

After that, I did get some of those deer whistles. They really do work. I pass deer all the time when I go to work in the middle of the night. Any time I pass the deer without whistles they just stand there like "deer in the headlights" but when I had the whistles, they would shake their heads and run into the brush. It might be a good idea to invest in whistles again.

 

Hey Robyn, thanks for the condolences.

Deli, that's awesome, glad you've finally got your baby. Hope you guys had a good drive back. Saturday, that already seems like a LONG time ago... but I think I remember it being a nice day.

Dan, Yeah, I'm really thinking that deer whistles should be in my immediate future. I see them ALL the time around here. And, you know when there is one, there are always a couple more. I've seen people stop for one, then start again right away only to have the next one run into them

Well, I just hope they match the paint well, otherwise we're going to have an electric blue version of an oreo ... fresh paint on the front and back with factory paint in the middle but where's the creamy filling

 

Well, we got our baby back late last week!!!!!

I'm very happy to report that both the rear end (tractor-trailer) and front end (deer) damage seems to have been handled masterfully. She looks as good as new (and still feels like herself).

We're very glad to have her back and are dramatically less nervous about just enjoying her and not worrying about it.

We also took the opportunity to have the rear windows tinted and are very happy with the result!

I'll put more details in my report on the regional board so that people looking for a body shop in the area can be assured we've found a good one.