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Advice Needed - Hit a Badger. Updated.

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SpaceCoyote

Member
Raising this thread from the dead

Having some bad luck with my Z4 at the moment, got broken into in February and tonight on the way home, I hit a badger that was lying in the road at 60ish.

From what I can see with a torch it must have pushed the front bumper in at the bottom, which has since sprung back, but seems "out of place", the front fogs seem loose, I've lost one of the headlight washers and the tow bar cap and there looks to be some stress cracks in the paint on one side.

Normally I would just insurance something like this, but when the car was broken into I checked my insurance policy and remembered I'd set my excess at £750 (not sure what I was thinking when I took it out) and while I was going to get the insurance company to reduce it, I never got around to it - isn't that always the way?

With this scant information, can anyone give me an idea if repairing the damage is likely to be less than £750, or should I just bite the bullet and contact my insurance company?

Thanks in advance.
 
Even if it's more than £750, you'll still have to weigh up whether it's worth the loss of some of your no claims and the increase in risk.
 
I do have a protected no claims policy, but yeah, I will have to disclose a claim for the next 5 years. Bloody badger's going to cost me large isn't it.
 
Search ebay for a new bumper, you may hit lcuky (Excuse the pun) and find one the right colour that doesnt need any work. Even if it does need painting still cheaper than new bumper. You can cut the holes for Washer jets so that's not a problem, add anew fog light and it shouldnt be to bad, less than £750 by a mile.
 
Well decided to get it looked at by my local dealership.

£832.75 :o

So I think I'll sort it myself, rather than face a £200 increase in premiums for the next 5 years.

Still, an expensive journey home on Wednesday.
 
Have you got any pics? Just sounds like things need re-seating to me... Your washer jet pipe has probably just popped off also, are you losing washer fluid?

I'd just whip off the bumber and have a closer look. Check your radiator carefully for leaks also.
 
I'm really not sure what to do here.

The price quoted above, I have accepted and have it booked it on Wednesday to be fitted, but it seems so high for what really is cosmetic damage. Plus I am planning sell immediately afterwards. I am considering telling them not to bother and try and at least buy a second-hand bumper.

There are a couple of facelift Z4 bumpers on eBay for about £85, but they all need respraying and don't seem to have the headlight washer holes. If I were to source one of these bumpers, do you think that BMW would respray and fit the headlight washers?

Unfortunately I am a bit of a numpty when it comes to mechanicking, so I would need to get all the work done for me.

badger_hit.jpg


The picture below is quite a bit larger than displayed, but the damage is a crack near the tow point, the black plastic grill beneath is cracked, the headlight washer looks like the plastic has cracked and the fog light has been dislodged and is currently loose.
 
Asking BMW to sort will only increase costs, get a ebay bumpber and get a local bodyshop to do the job a figure on here I saw on a thread today was £170 which most agreed was good for a remove paint and refit (put through the books) so that's what you are looking at. Reckong you could do the lot for £300 including the new covers if you tried.
 
ksher said:
How big was the badger?
Click to expand...

Dunno, badger sized? I was surprised at the damage, but then I'd never hit anything larger than a pheasant before.

I think my Z4 has some sort of blood lust though, since I've had it I've generated more road kill than anything I've had previously.
 
SpaceCoyote said:
I think my Z4 has some sort of blood lust though, since I've had it I've generated more road kill than anything I've had previously.
Click to expand...

'They all do that sir'

z4-eats-bunny.jpg
 
Well here's resurrecting a thread I was hoping was long dead.

Need some more advice on this please.

Now, where to start... on my way home on Wednesday while I was joining the motorway I felt something hit the underneath of the car, not hard, but definately a bump. When I looked behind me I noticed something grey, flat and "shaped" in the road and I had a feeling it was something off my car, but because it was in the motorway I couldn't stop to check. Got to thinking about it on the way home and decided that it was worth having it checked out. I had a quick look underneath when I got home and I couldn't see anything missing, but then I'm not that au fait with the underneath of my cars. Anyway, got it booked into Stratstone in Chesterfield the next day thinking it would be nothing. How wrong was I? Picked it up and was told that the bit that had dropped off was the undertray and that the inner wheel arch trim was damaged too; £380 ish to replace. :x

I've already spent £830 getting the accident repaired myself (with Stratstone). As far as the extra bits go, I've come to the conclusion that this damage must have happened when I hit this bloody badger and I was wondering if I am within my rights to persue this through the garage. Why wasn't this picked up when the initial repair took place? And now I've lost a part I have to replace it, and have no other option.

As far as I'm concerned if I ask a garage to repair the damage from an accident, I expect it all to be repaired, not just the bits they could see!

What do you think?
 
I think they will be hard to convince that they are at fault. Accident was 4 months ago so from their perspective anything could have happened since you might have hit a speed hump or kerb for instance. You can try but sounds like more expense thanks to Mr Badger.
 
Solid little buggers,Badgers. I hit a muntjac deer a few years ago at 80 mph in a CelIca,not pretty and bloody expensive. :x
 
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