Dead Cat - Body work needed - Ontario - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

vvanherk · 27th March 2005, 17:56

Hey All.

So, washed the car this morning before church, and took it for a quick spin to dry it off (can't find chamois).

Cruising nicely down a straightaway, and a very large cat ran out in front of me. I've trained myself not to swerve for small animals, but I almost wish I had tried. Anywho, nailed it head on. Pics below. Sucks.

So, obviously some bumber damage. Pdc sensors popped out a bit, and one headlight washer on drivers side is broken off. Engine coolant light came on, and when I pulled into driveaway, a bunch of coolant leaked onto gravel.

I'll need to call insurance dude tomorrow, but looking for any advice here.

Couple of questions.

1. Not sure where to take it, as I dont know any good body shops in the area. There is a dealer about 20 minutes away (Budds BMW, Hamilton). Is a dealer the best place for this sort of thing.

2. Is this something I should try to muck with myself. I'm not a super mechanic, but if it just a matter of ordering painted bumper and bolting on, I might be able to swing it. The coolant thing probably negates that....just reaching...

3. On the coolant side, I'm hoping it is not rad damage. Is there an easy way to poke around in there and see if it is just hoses or something.

4. I really hate the idea of this thing getting towed. Those guys are so rough with hooking up. Would I be able to drive short distance (20 minutes) with little to no coolant.

5. While I'm fixing front end, is there any after market parts that would look better?

6. Any other comments to something I might not be thinking of?

I know it is just a 'thing', and it could have been worse if I swerved and lost control and blew up in a fiery crash, but it is still a bit of a damper.

Anywho, I'm well, the cat not so much. Happy Easter to you all.

Regards,
Vic

Richard in NC · 27th March 2005, 18:34

It sounds like there was too much coolant loss to drive as is. You could add water and coolant to hope to drive it a short distance but that is risky. If driven a while over-heating, many costly problems could develope down the road inckuding head gasket, water pump, radiator leaks and who knows what. The safest thing is to have it flat bed towed somewhere. Make sure they don't tie it down by the suspension pieces. Do a search for tips on this. You might be able to find the source of the leak and fix it in the driveway but unfortunately I would bet something poked into the radiator. Thats a lot of effort to fix on your own if not something you normally do. The A/C condensor might also have damage. I would have that checked.

Sorry to hear of your unfortunate turn of events. Years back I had a new car and spent 4 hours washing it to perfection. That evening I few asleep at the well, wrecked the car and did $4000 in damage to it. It was never the same after that.

hudson · 27th March 2005, 20:05

Vic sorry to hear about you accident.

I would let the insurance company handle this. The bumper comes upainted so you would have to refinish it. Not a do it yourself job. Installed and refinished just for the bumper is about a $1000 to $1100. The coolant leak could be a few things, as Richard mentioned a radiator, or the lower hose, or the coolant reservoir tank. Can't really tell without seeing it, a pressure check would tell right away.

Most flat bed guys can move the car without hurting it but I would be there when they pick it up just to be sure. DO NOT TOW, flat bed only, you can't lift the car because all the lifting points are aluminum. If it gets damage the insurance company has to pay for it.

Hope that helps
Joe

boostmiser · 28th March 2005, 05:01

Tough luck my friend. That blows.
My car is going into the body shop tomorrow. Some Arse hit my rear bumper in the parking lot...no note, no nothing. I was going to just pay for a new bumper until I found out it was going to be between $1,200 and $1,400. Bumper, shock, paint and tirm. My agent said go through insurance since it's covered as 'unisured motorist' which means it doesn't affect my rates. I'd check into that for your situation. Deer, animals, etc might also be the same type of coverage. And since you have some type of coolant line damage, I'm thinking even more ou should go trough insurance. Good luck.

Greco · 28th March 2005, 19:55

Budd's is in the top 5 in customer service of all BMW dealerships in Canada. I would take it there.