Hit a racoon tonight...some damage to driver's side near fog light. The Cap was off and laying in the road...that is destroyed..looks like i have a crack on the molding that is right near the bottom black grill part..so I'm thinking that whole piece will need to be replaced..anyone know how much and where I look up replacement bumpers at?

I'm really worried about any damage it may have caused to the inside of the car by the windshield fluid pump? It doesn't look bad but I'm worried about long term problems or anything like that. There is a metal piece right behind that black grill that looks dinged..I know nothing about this so it scares me to death............the kicker of the whole thing:

Had the car for 5 full Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had an 04' Mini Cooper and unfortunately had a lot problems with it...finally decided to get a new one and now this happened..I'm just concerned about any problems that they will find on the inside of the underneith front end. Getting a quote tomorrow morning! Any websites for replacement bumpers? Thanks

Depressed

 

Insurance. And could be worse you could have been the raccoon. :( Sorry

 

Heh, kinda reminds me of my sister

Me: "Yeah, so my windshield was cracked by a flying rock. Had to call State Farm to file a claim. Glad I paid extra to have $50 comp coverage."

Sister: "Wait a minute, car insurance covers cracked windshields??!?!?"

OP, my apologies if this doesn't apply to you

 

Sorry to hear about that. I hit a dog (or perhaps a chupacabra) a week and a half ago. I don't have it back yet, but so far the estimate has them replacing the front bumper, passenger side driving light, AC, Compressor, intercooler, bracket that holds the radiator, wheel well lining, and some other parts. I was amazing at how much damage it could actually do. Total repairs will probably top out around $4k.

Insurance is certainly a good thing, no?

I know about the depressed. My car is coming up on its first year anniversary, and it is pristine. Just kills me to have this damage. :(

 

Wow, I feel lucky. I actually hit a BEAR yesterday evening. I guess I was able to slow down enough that he just glanced off the front of my car. The hood beneath the left headlight is pushed in slightly, it knocked off the wheel arch trim and broke the reflector light in the trim, but other than that, nothing major.

And the bear ran off into the woods after I hit it, so I guess it was OK.

I've never actually had an accident before, so I don't know if I should get an estimate to fix the damage first and then contact my insurance company, or the other way around. I didn't 'notify' anyone after the accident (the bear took off before I could talk to him, and I'm sure he doesn't have liability insurance), mainly because the damage was so minimal.

So which comes first, contact insurance or get a repair quote?

 

Ok, I've gotta ask. Where were you at?

 

+1 ....it costs me an additional $11 a year to drop my comprehensive from $200 to $50 and already paid off in january when I hit a deer. - I never even realized animals are comprehensive and not collision until I asked what my bill would be....

That's also why they tell you to hit the animal rather that swerving around it and hitting a pole/guardrail b/c then that would be collision.

and a big +1 to where were you when you hit that bear?

 

Thanks for all the responses! I guess I am lucky to not have been injured or had more damage occur. It looks like it's going to cost me just under $600.00 to get the damage fixed. Comprehensive covers animals? I have $250.00 deductible for Comprehensive...do I file it or pay all cash?

 

call your insurance agent.

 

a BEAR? BEAR?????????????
aren't those CREATURES as large as the MINI?!!?!?


Imagine if you hit it head on

 

I'd be concerned with chunks of flesh stuck on the car causing a haunting smell...

 

I was going south on the Taconic Parkway in New York state, near Rhinebeck - about 2 hours north of the city. If you haven't been on the Taconic, it's a wind-y forested 4 lane 'parkway' (designed and built back in the 1920s when driving was considered a luxury and it was all about sight seeing). There are limited shoulders and lots of signs about deer crossings.

We were keeping our eyes peeled for deer (it was 8pm, prime deer hour) and we saw a few. The bear came down from an embankment between the north and southbound lanes. It was surreal actually. I don't remember exatly how big it was I was just so shocked that it was a bear. Definitely not small though.

I emailed someone at the DEC and they said that most likely the bear was fine and they've been getting reports of a lot more bear sightings further south.

Thanks for the insurance advice. I'll call them today.

 

Ok hitting a bear maybe he thought the Mini was a friend of his about the same size and all.

 

_________
Sorry about your cars, last winter I slid into a snowbank and thought I was going to have a ton of damage because the whole driver's side bumper was hanging off and I couldn't get the snow out of my grille for days. When everything finally melted I realized that all the clips just popped out and everything was easily fixed. That big metal mesh thing behind the grille you were talking about is for the A/C I believe. Mine was a little bent up (very very minor) by the snow but it wasn't cracked or leaking. It was pretty much able to be bent back into it's original form. Hopefully you have a similar situation, an easy fix. The stress is the worst part.

And as for the BEAR, I've heard about several sightings as well. Someone just hit a black bear on the 400 around Buffalo NY a few weeks back. Decent size sedan killed the bear, bear totaled the car. I guess one was walking around my parents neighborhood a few days ago. Until this past month or two, I don't think Western New York has ever seen a bear.

 

That's the downside of MINI's: you can't murder w/ animals with ease like you can w/ a huge gas guzzler.

 

Unfortunately, there's a bit more damage than I initially thought. I tried opening the hood last night and it won't open.

I'm assuming that the best place for the repair is my dealer and not some random body shop. Any opinions on that?

Thanks!

 

Chances are your dealer just outsources it to another body shop. Find out who your dealer uses and if they are convenient, use them. Otherwise, just find a closer body shop with a good reputation.

Assuming you're going to run this through your comprehensive policy, your insurance may recommend some shops. Working with a shop that your insurance has a relationship with may make the claims processing easier and faster, but either way you should check out the reputation of whatever shop you use.

Good luck!

Steve

 

Coons are not so bad, they roll when you hit them.

Armadillos JUMP when startled. Sux to the max.

Good luck with the repairs/insurance stuff.

 

My brother hit one of those in Austin with his Toyota Tundra. Couldn't believe the amount of damage that little animal caused to that huge truck.