I was loading my car up at Home Depot this afternoon when the lady in the F-250 parked across from me tried to drive through my car.

Scratched the bumper and mashed in my grille - fortunately everything else seems to be okay, including all people involved.

I'll get some quotes on Monday for the damage, but I'll probably end up fixing it myself.

I had painted my grille black (looked great, but has gotten very chipped in the 80k miles since) and I want another black one - so either I get the stock grille and paint it myself or I get a black aftermarket grille like this one. Has anyone used one of these? How to they look? Any better ideas?

Also, I'll need a new (used) bumper that is unscratched. Anyone selling one that's in good condition?

Attached Thumbnails

 

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

Did she pay for trying to go through your car?

Glad the only damage was to the grille/bumper! Thats easily fixed! A few more inches and the real destruction would have begun

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Did it damage the aux fan or the ac condensor?

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

The crunching looks to be very minor in the pic, I doubt it even came close to those.....the headlights would have been smashed before the fan/condenser get hit.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Yeah, after taking a second look your right.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Been there, done that...... Couple of years ago, a woman in an SUV backed a trailer hitch right through the middle of my grill. Actually, not too much damage. Would have been a lot worse if she had missed the grill and hit the metal parts, or the lights.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

It happened a few hours ago, so not yet.

When she first got out and looked at the damage, she acted all relieved that "it looks like the only damage was to my bumper!" (Referring to her truck.)

I guess my car was completely invisible to her! Luckily her husband had more sense.

I opened the hood and inspected the aux fan and the condenser immediately... No damage. She bumped me pretty solidly but my bumper did its job (by mashing the plastic underside of her bumper - if her bumper hadn't been truck-height we might have gotten away with no damage at all).

It's a bit of a hassle but I'm getting a new grille out of it so I don't suppose I should complain .

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

I think you best bet is a new(good used) EOM grille. the ones sold on Ebay are cheap and you'll replace it long before an EOM one. IMO

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1986 Euro 500SEC "RUF" 9:1CR, "Rose"
1985 Euro 500SEC Cabriolet AMG Widebody
1982 Euro 500SEL "Blue"
2001 Texas Heeler (Aussie/Queensland X) "Sulphie",
2012 Queensland Red Heeler "Squeak"
Best dogs I've ever had.

if you want the look of the grill you found on ebay just get some extra chrome strips from autozone and fasten them onto the grill

My biggest concern is I want it to be black... I could paint an OEM one like I did last time, but it's clear that doesn't stand up well to road debris over time.

If the aftermarket one is made of black plastic that wouldn't be an issue. Of course, it might be painted too...

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

use plastic paint. it will absorb into the plastic that way it wont chip or fall off.

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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

Why weren't you parked in the back of the parking lot? No matter where I go, I park in the farthest spot available. I'm never more than a couple of minutes from the store. My wife really dislikes it, but I always insist.

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2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000
1995 E300D 306,000 Sold
1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold
1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold
2016 Ford Fusion 24,900

my dad was telling me a story of a old grocery store managerhe knew who would always park his nice car at the very end of the parking lot. Then one night a bunch of teenagers decided to do donuts in the back of the lot and slammed into his car

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

I always try to park near enough to the BMW section or the Corvette section or whatever's out that day... about 2/3 of the way out in the lot, after the crowd thins out, there always seems to be a "nice car" section I can park in or near depending on how exclusive it looks.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

use krylon fusion