what a day....

[charby]

... in the life of Charby

So I head out of work to go to class tonight in Des Moines and someone knocked my mirror loose on my Jimmy. I'm kind of miffed by it, someone probably caught it with a bag or ran into it, a note would have been nice.

So I am in Des Moines Iowa driving on I-235 and some human is tailgating another person down the on ramp, I'm in the middle lane on a three lane west bound. Mr Tailgater whips out from behind the person he was tailgating and misses my front fender only because I slam on the breaks and about get rear ended.

Class is over with and I'm five miles from home on I-35, some other stupid human is insisting upon riding in my blind spot with his headlights in my mirror and I'm coming up along side another guy in the left lane , the other guy slams on his breaks then I see two deer pop up, well I hit the second deer slowing from 70 to about 35. I pull over to the side of the road, one person stopped about 300 yards in front of me. I get out, deer busted my headlight fixture on the passenger side, crinkled the fender and finished removing the mirror for me on the passenger side. As soon as I started rolling the guy that had pulled over did the same thing, I hope something nice happens to that person because they stopped to see if I was ok.

I made sure I wasn't rubbing tire and drove it home. Of course I called my wife 5 times before she would answer her cell phone, but I'm done being mad at here. Got home called the sheriff's office, have to call back tomorrow if the damage is over $1000 to file an accident report. So if it isn't probably won't be covered by insurance then. The good news I'm uninjured.

So I wonder what a estimate will be?  I had a 84 suburban that got a front fender crinkled by a school bus turning too sharp and the rear of the bus caught it and it was $1100 in damage.

So, I'll be spending Wednesday going to body shop.

-Charby

[Manedwolf]

... in the life of Charby

So I head out of work to go to class tonight in Des Moines and someone knocked my mirror loose on my Jimmy. I'm kind of miffed by it, someone probably caught it with a bag or ran into it, a note would have been nice.

So I am in Des Moines Iowa driving on I-235 and some human is tailgating another person down the on ramp, I'm in the middle lane on a three lane west bound. Mr Tailgater whips out from behind the person he was tailgating and misses my front fender only because I slam on the breaks and about get rear ended.

Class is over with and I'm five miles from home on I-35, some other stupid human is insisting upon riding in my blind spot with his headlights in my mirror and I'm coming up along side another guy in the left lane , the other guy slams on his breaks then I see two deer pop up, well I hit the second deer slowing from 70 to about 35. I pull over to the side of the road, one person stopped about 300 yards in front of me. I get out, deer busted my headlight fixture on the passenger side, crinkled the fender and finished removing the mirror for me on the passenger side. As soon as I started rolling the guy that had pulled over did the same thing, I hope something nice happens to that person because they stopped to see if I was ok.

I made sure I wasn't rubbing tire and drove it home. Of course I called my wife 5 times before she would answer her cell phone, but I'm done being mad at here. Got home called the sheriff's office, have to call back tomorrow if the damage is over $1000 to file an accident report. So if it isn't probably won't be covered by insurance then. The good news I'm uninjured.

So I wonder what a estimate will be?  I had a 84 suburban that got a front fender crinkled by a school bus turning too sharp and the rear of the bus caught it and it was $1100 in damage.

So, I'll be spending Wednesday going to body shop.

-Charby

I don't know how those are made, but on some vehicles with separate body panels, if the car's finish is still close to new, it can sometimes be cheaper and more durable to just get an entirely new fender panel, primed, and have them paint it factory color and clearcoat it, swap it for the old one.

I don't know much about those to know whether it'd apply, unfortunately!

Oh, and to save $$$, do NOT EVER get the new headlight fixture from a dealer, they'll do an arm and a leg. Find the part number, and then get it from a parts place on the web, or even off eBay. Headlight fixtures in general aren't hard to change out yourself with a Hayne's Manual.

[Gewehr98]

Look on the bright side. How many pounds of fresh venison do you have for your efforts?

Here in Wisconsin, folks buy beat-up old cars and trucks every winter. We call them "winter beaters".  Some may tell you we buy them to keep our nice cars garaged, free of salt, and off the icy roads.  Others know better, they're exactly what you're looking for when you want those free venison steaks the nice State Trooper gives you after you tag the deer on county roads during the fall and winter.  (Driver gets to keep the deer, or donate it to whomever they designate) 

[charby]

I didn't even go look for the deer, I guess the coyotes and crows will be eating good for the next few days.

-C

[Sergeant Bob]

I bought a headlight assembly for my Ranger (I hit a deer, almost stopped so that was the only thing it broke) for $70, brand new. Even came with a bulb!

I was actually kind of glad I hit that deer because that headlight lens was all cloudy and my other headlight was like new since it had been broken (along with the grill) by a deer the year before.

Around here we have more deer than cars. I counted 100 (thats right, one hundred) in  one field, about a half mile.

[charby]

Just got off the phone with the insurance company (I needed to calm down before I talked on the phone), looks like everything is cool even if I don't have a police report on the accident but I went out and surveyed the damage and looks like it will be over a $1k in damage.

Also when I called the sherrif's office, there was already was a deputy out working the scene, I guess the deer I hit decided to crawl out onto the road and try tripping some more cars.

 

[Monkeyleg]

"I guess the deer I hit decided to crawl out onto the road and try tripping some more cars."

Repeat offender?

[charby]

baawwwaaahaaaaa

I got skunked during deer season, this sort of makes up for it in an expensive way but no venison for the freezer.

-C

[RocketMan]

"I guess the deer I hit decided to crawl out onto the road and try tripping some more cars."

He was looking for revenge, charby.  Good thing you skedaddl...skidaddled...skedad.... ran away.   

[Manedwolf]

What's a bit more gross to see is some of the highways where deer run in front of semis going at high speed.

What's left, scattered at impressive distances, tends to look like the deer got nailed with an RPG...

[mtnbkr]

My wife has killed more deer with cars than I have with guns.  I've suggested she go driving through the deer woods during hunting season.  She doesn't find that funny.

Chris

[Sergeant Bob]

What's a bit more gross to see is some of the highways where deer run in front of semis going at high speed.

What's left, scattered at impressive distances, tends to look like the deer got nailed with an RPG...

I've road rifled a few with a big truck and it ain't pretty. 26 wheeled meat grinder.

[charby]

Just got back from the body shop, estimate at $2100.  I have a $250 deductable so it won't be too bad, bad news is that $250 is going to come out of my buy a firearm account.

I guess my Winchester Model 12 that I want to buy is going to have to wait another month, I'm buying one from a friend as soon as I get all the $$$ together.

[mountainclmbr]

I can't count the number of near misses I have had with deer and also a few elk. I have avoided all of them, but nearly got rear ended by several tailgaters in the process.

[tokugawa]

A damn good day for you. You dodged a bullet!

[mtnbkr]

My wife just got home and let me know she barely missed another one.  Her comment, "I need to get a hunting license".

Chris

[BrokenPaw]

My wife just got home and let me know she barely missed another one.  Her comment, "I need to get a hunting license".

Chris, I live pretty close to you, and I see an awful lot of deer on the roads.  I've been known to be...pragmatic in my adherence to the speed limit, but I don't seem to have nearly as many run-ins with the local venison supply as often as your wife does. 

Is she, like, a scary-fast driver or something?

-BP

[armchair warrior]

Its not hard to get $1000 worth of damage these days.
Just be careful they don't total it! 

[mtnbkr]

My wife just got home and let me know she barely missed another one.  Her comment, "I need to get a hunting license".

Chris, I live pretty close to you, and I see an awful lot of deer on the roads.  I've been known to be...pragmatic in my adherence to the speed limit, but I don't seem to have nearly as many run-ins with the local venison supply as often as your wife does. 

Is she, like, a scary-fast driver or something?

-BP

No, she's actually a pretty careful driver and one that rarely exceeds the speed limit (as in 55mph on I66 east of Manassas!).

Her mistake is not looking far enough up the road or far enough off the sides.  I'll see things (deer, other critters, signs, etc) long before she does, if she sees them at all.

Only about half her run ins were in this area though.

Chris

[charby]

Its not hard to get $1000 worth of damage these days.
Just be careful they don't total it! 

Thats my biggest worry since the truck is only worth about $6200 retail.

-C