How the Mercedes Bendz
 

Less than a mile from home, 35 mph, midnight, high beams and fogs on, a flash of white fur and a big dog ran across right to left. He was taller than the 300 CE hood. He almost made it.

Took out head light (upgraded 11/24), cracked front bumper and tore off a section of the lower edge of it (replaced 11/24), and got the grille. Pix of damage, after upgrade, and before upgrade.

As I had bought the car cheap, and recently been hit in the rear and got a settlement, I had reduced coverage to liability only. It was costing me $1800 a year for a car I had $500 in.

Boneyard opens at 8:30. I'll be there with my tools.

Sucks. Poor dog, poor merc, but at least the merc can be repaired.

I hit a road alligator (delaminated 18 wheeler tyre) - and it smashed up the lower part of my front bumper really bad.

cant find the bumper at the pik n pull.

I did go back in SWMBO's van a few minutes later, no sign of animal. The bumper is broken in multiple places and sections torn away. Guess the Mercedes bumper parts are made outta margarine, just like the door locks on my old Audi 5000 (your first visit to the stealership will show you what puts the "owW! in "Audi").

I usually was quite surprised that the MB bumpers were made of brittle plastic rather than flexible plastic used in most cars.

The older plastic is very brittle, the insurance adjuster told me that on the MB they pay to replace the whole bumper, vs a few hundred dollar repair on others. Don't ever let some one ding your bumper without accident report and claim on their insurance.

The type of plastic that Mercedes used for bumpers must have changed through the years. My wife's 89 W124 bumpers can take a beating but the ones on my 95 W124 crack very easily.

I talked to a guy who repairs bumpers for a spare one if he had, he told me the brittle ones are replacement parts, original german bumpers are flexible and give when pushed.