I hit a raccoon and it tore most of my front bumper off and bent back my radiator or whatever the front radiator looking thing is and all of my coolant fluid leaked out. Two questions.

How far can I drive it without any coolant?

And does anyone know where I can find a picture of what it is SUPPOSED to look like so I can see about fixing it. I am in a bad spot.

 

Um, I wouldn't drive at all if the engine has no way of being cooled....

 

I figured. I can't see where the coolant is coming out of though.

 

I broke a thing in the back of the radiator or intercooler, whatever it is. Should I claim this under my insurance?

 

might be a good idea. if i remember correctly the intercooler is a pricey part to replace

 

Yupp. It tends to be cheaper to buy a aftermarket upgraded one then buy OEM. Or so I hear.

 

Definitely file a claim. They can't go up on your coverage's for things like that if I'm not mistaken, at least that what my State Farm agent told me.

 

Get an appraisal and then get the money and buy something after market...

 

I would have did the aftermarket route if I didnt have body damage that needed repaired as well.

Ok well here is the official word:

It falls under comprehensive coverage and no I have no tickets or previous claims so my insurance will not bump up at all. The only thing I have to pay is the $500 deductible.

My claims agent just left and gave me my initial estimate. The intercooler, radiator, and AC condenser are all seperate but very close together. The OEM intercooler alone is 500 dollars..... soooooo it was a good idea to claim it in the end. Plus once the shop takes the bumper and what not off there could be more costs... which I am sure they will find something. Plus I am blaming my ABS light on this sooo.... yeah. lol. They should be replacing a wheel bearing(I would assume that is what it is) on this.

I do not have rental coverage on my insurance so I am looking for a shop that can give me a loaner until my car is fixed since I am not old enough to rent a car myself(even if I could afford 70 dollars a day). I may have to take my car to Johnstown PA which is about an hour away but it will be worth it considering I drive 40 miles 1 way to work daily.

Total current estimation cost: $2,844.38.

 

I'm sorry but a shop is charging $2400 to replace a bumper, radiator, ac condensor, and heat exchanger? Like is this gonna be a 5 year trip to the garage?

 

There was more than that I just forgot everything. Plus 600+ for labor. I don't really care how much it costs as long as it is done right. I am paying the deductible regardless so let them replace as much as they want.

They just better replace the bumper with a 08+ like what was on it before.

 

I hit a raccoon and did the same damage. Took a good week and a half to fix.

 

Yeah I am figuring atleast a week and a half. I really don't mind. The Hyundai Accent that they gave me is going to get a little better gas mileage and is saving my car some wear and tear.

 

Only difference there would be the grilles, and it's your job to point such out to them.

 

I pointed it out. It seemed like the fog light housings were different as well? But the shop said they got the right bumper.

 

Iight well I got my baby back today.



They gave me the wrong damn grill!!! Buuuuut I don't think it looks too bad. Should I complain or isn't it worth my time? I kinda like it though other than the fact that it's a little lighter of a shade as the upper grill. Suggestions?

Ok so I am extremely impressed with Progressive. They were super helpful and timely. Didn't give me any bs and made my first claim a breeze. The claims agent is the one that helped me get a shop that payed for rental cars too which would have been disasterous considering how far I drive for work on a daily.

Something kinda/almost funny is the lady at the shop told me they test drove it to make sure it ran alright. Well I get in and look at my digital MPG reading and it said 19.3. It had been set for a while and was reading around 28 for a long time so in order for it to get down that low would mean it was given some real pedal. Ah whatever. lol.

 

Im sure they reset the meter by disconnecting the battery or something... if you hadnt done so in some time to get it down that low they would have to drive it at like 11mpg for a while. but a reset and a "sprited" but not crazy test drive sounds a little more plausible

oh and i agree it doesnt look bad with the wrong grill. id still prefer the correct one but the pic looks alot better then id assume (cant tell any color diff thou)

 

my brother told me he drives the **** out of every car he works on when he test drives it. that way he knows if something still isnt fixed

 

My battery wasn't disconnected because none of my other digital readings were reset.

But I am really not concerned with it. It's not a huge deal. It's not like I never get on it. haha.