240TD vs deer - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

yellowrosefarm · #1 03-11-2009, 09:00 PM

I was coming home from work today at 4 pm on a warm sunny spring afternoon, on a semi urban 4 lane when I see a deer come out from behind a building on the left. It scrabbled and slipped across the other 2 lanes, crossed the median, missed the car to the left of me, slipped one more time and made the fatal plunge in front of my 240TD. By then, I was only going about 25, but there was no where left to go. I felt the impact and saw plastic fly up in the air. I pulled over to see how bad the damage was and a couple of guys stopped and moved the deer carcass into the median. It certainly could have been worse with only the headlight door, turn signal, lower valance, grill and LH fender damaged. I have all the parts to fix it back since I bought the parts car my tan right fender came off of. I guess in a month or so, I'll have a white wagon with a tan front clip

It might be a good time to swap the rear hatch too, to get rid of the rusty original one. I'm sure glad the parts 300TD came up when it did, that'll be the best $100 I've spent in a while.

bgkast · #2 03-11-2009, 09:04 PM

Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

fruitcakesa · #3 03-11-2009, 09:20 PM

Tough luck but it could have been worse.
So far my wife has hit a moose{glancingly} in a POS Chev Impala[long gone thank you very much} and a deer in the Jetta.
Think maybe I should steer her away from the Benz.

yellowrosefarm · #4 03-11-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruitcakesa

Tough luck but it could have been worse.
So far my wife has hit a moose{glancingly} in a POS Chev Impala[long gone thank you very much} and a deer in the Jetta.
Think maybe I should steer her away from the Benz.

The weird thing is, I've hit 2 deer in my 32 years of driving. The other one was 2 years ago on this same road, about 6:30 on a dark morning, 1/4 mile or so closer to home from where I was today. I drive a lot, see deer all the time, and have had many close calls, but I guess that stretch of road is just unlucky for me.

sd300td · #5 03-11-2009, 10:36 PM

that'll buff right out.

If you didn't already have parts I'd say now is the time to get some euro's. Do you think you'll repaint the tan fender's/front clip sometime soon?

clarencethecool · #6 03-11-2009, 11:14 PM

probably get some of those deer whistlers for your bumber, they scare deer out of your path with a high pitch whistle...

after your wagon made such a kill, what stopped you from loading up the back, and feasting? lol jk

I am amazed that it only did that at 25 miles an hour!! you know i think a kia wouldnt do much worse lol

cmbdiesel · #7 03-11-2009, 11:45 PM

I've seen those deer whistles smashed right in with the rest of the car.
They might work on one thats just standing there, but if they're moving it's just a roll of the dice.
Be glad you weren't driving japanese, the deer would have been right inside with you, and the car would have been totaled.
Glad you're alright, and have the parts!

dieseldan44 · #8 03-11-2009, 11:56 PM

Im sorry to hear about the accident....bummer.

I just replaced a front fender (rust, not a deer). A body shop painted it for $75 before I installed it (it was new). Just to let you know getting it painted isn't stupidly expensive.

They had a Euro 'paint matching system' (whatever that means) and matched the color dead on.

My girlfriends one request with our benzes is that all the panels need to be the same color :-)

dd

cmbdiesel · #9 03-12-2009, 12:04 AM

Most any decent body shop has a color matching system that, with a tech who cares, can produce a pretty close match.
I would call around and see which shop is spraying spies-hecker, my vote for best auto paint being made today

PanzerSD · #10 03-12-2009, 12:08 AM

I agree, if that were a newer car or even a truck these days the damage would have been alot more.

pizzachef · #11 03-12-2009, 02:52 AM

Aww, you should have called this guy: WANTED: ROADKILL

Seriously though, sorry to hear that happened, and I'm glad you have a parts car with everything you need on it. I had two close calls with deer just this weekend. Both times I cringed thinking of all the headaches I'd have to go through if I hit one.

nickofoxford · #12 03-12-2009, 04:06 AM

Man what a PITA deer are. I can't go 3 days without seeing one around here and come close to hitting one once or twice a month

. I witnessed a soft top convertible hit a deer going 55 (at least that was the speed limit) The deer went all the way through and was hanging out the back window half way out on the trunk

. luckily there was no passenger in that car and it only got the drivers arm and side of his head on the way through. Long story short, glad your ok and you have everything to get her back on her feet.

LUVMBDiesels · #13 03-12-2009, 06:04 AM

The area around here is too built up for hunting. The deer and turkeys have made a huge return. The dumb@ss neighbors feed both of them so now we have a herd of 12~15 deer and about 30 turkeys hanging around with no fear of cars or people. I cringe everytime I have to leave the house in the morning and evening. I keep thinking 'how do I make a silencer for the 12ga'?

I had a girlfriend with a 1970 GTO convertible. She had just put over $5000 into a restoration and about as much into electric blue paint. She was driving it home about a week after getting the car back on the road when a buck jumped across the road and slammed into her car - he hit the left fender and actually pushed the car into the ditch. The car was destroyed and she was pretty banged up. The deer ran off (I hope it died in the woods) She was heartbroken. It took another $5000 to put a new front clip on the car with the endura nose...

All in all you are VERY lucky!

t walgamuth · #14 03-12-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruitcakesa

Tough luck but it could have been worse.
So far my wife has hit a moose{glancingly} in a POS Chev Impala[long gone thank you very much} and a deer in the Jetta.
Think maybe I should steer her away from the Benz.

You think the benz took it badly?

I hit one in my 300td and all it did was bend my headlight back in a bit...but come to think of it I was slowed down to 20 or 30 by the time I hit it.

But really you thinking the benz is not very safe in a crash?

I don't feel that at all!

winmutt · #15 03-12-2009, 07:31 AM

This thread is worthless without pics.