Badger badger badger

[rococco]

I had a run in with a badger tonight while driving in the countryside. I saw him start to cross the road from far away but couldn't scrub enough speed to avoid hitting him. Poor fella.

The offside front wing is fairly smashed up. One of the fog lights is broken or gone. A lot of fluid leaked from the engine, possibly washer fluid rather than radiator since the engine temperature stayed normal driving home afterwards.

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The front wing will need to be replaced at a minimum. Hopefully there's not too much internal damage where the engine is concerned. I suspect not. I will take it to VW in the morning. Does anyone know what a front wing is likely cost me?

[tweeter]

The fluid that disappeared was probably the windshield washing fluid.

It probably hit the reservoir behind the fog light or disconnected the hose from it (could also have broken the hose connection needing a new reservoir).

This you can see for yourself with a flashlight on that spot.

[rococco]

Yeah, I reckon you may be right there tweeter. There did appear to be some loose hoses. Also windscreen washers not working but AC is.

Going down to VW to get an estimate now. Assume the brace position!

[chrisyboyc]

Bloody furry woodland creatures

[BunnyJen]

Lol poor little badger and poor Rocco. I'm terrified on my daily drive as it's along a country road and you constantly have pheasants, rabbits, foxes, badgers and owls leaping out in front of you! Even the odd cow when they escape their fields, now that's scary on a 60mph bendy road! I've been known to hop out and herd creatures off the road from time to time too. >_<

When I get my Roc I'll be driving along at 30mph everyday, just in case, annoying people haha! Hope you get yours fixed up soon and it doesn't cost you too much. :-(

[rococco]

Thanks Jen. I sure am glad it wasn't a cow or a horse!

You will find the 'roc has good brakes to help deal with unexpected animals. Just not good enough in this case unfortunately. :/

[skyblues11]

Don't worry Rococo, these things happen. As long as its not human, anything else is ok.

On my last car i hit a large seagull near cardiff. Its beak punctured the aircon radiator and caused a refrigarant leak.

sometimes, its better to hit than swerve or brake hard, because someone else might hit you from behind.

[jazzer12]

What did it taste like?

[Ryy]

I did have a quote around somewhere for a front bumper... Just not sure where. Sorry.

[Withnail]

Badgers do seem the worst at the highway code, a close second behind Mr hedgehog with juvenile pussy about third. The foxes seem rather smart but at least we don't have to contend with elephants and flamingos. Apparently in Australia if you see a road toad you aim for it.

[rococco]

Road toads are one thing, and road toad target practice even sounds like a guilty pleasure. But badgers weigh about as much as bag of spuds and leave more than a sticky mess on your tires.

As you say, thank goodness we don't have elephants! Or moose!

[rococco]

On my last car i hit a large seagull near cardiff. Its beak punctured the aircon radiator and caused a refrigarant leak.

sometimes, its better to hit than swerve or brake hard, because someone else might hit you from behind.

Seagulls, is there anything they can't ruin? They are such pests and I am amazed to learn they can break a radiator. But then they are massive, like flying dogs.

I have always appreciated the danger of swerving for animals, and would never run the risk of taking myself or someone else off the road to save one. That said, the 'roc sure can stop, and I have pulled up inches from stray dogs before when I knew that I was clear behind.

[rococco]

Volkswagen have estimated the cost of repairing the damage as €1,459 (£1,191).

A detailed breakdown is below (prices in euros). As is typical of VW parts costs are not outrageous by labour costs are high.

Labour

• TO REMOVE DAMAGED PARTS
  SPRAY & FIT NEW PARTS
  DE-NIB & POLISH

New Parts

• FOAM INSERT 23.72
  SIDE REINFORCEMENT 108.69
  BUMPER COVER 310.30
  GUIDE PROFILE R/H 5.54
  PROTECTIVE STRIP 11.93
  VENT GRILLE R/H 28.67
  FOG LAMP R/H 61.68
  WASH WATER RESERVOIR 40.72

Total Parts 591.25
Paint 211.33
Total Labour 473.00
Other Costs 10.00
Net Total 1285.58
Vat @ 13.5% 173.56
Total 1459.14

[rococco]

My insurer has offered me a reduced excess (€170 vs €300) if I have the repair carried out by a member of their approved repairer network (which does not include VW).

What do people think? Should I save myself £100 or go with the security of a VW repair? I am confident VW will do an excellent repair, but is it likely to be better than that done by an independent repair centre?

[BunnyJen]

Sounds like 100 quid, in the scheme of things here, isn't ' that much' for the extra security?

[rococco]

The car is finally back from the VW bodyshop after much delays in ordering parts. As is usual with their work (Karmann VW in Dublin) the repair is as good as new. I am satisfied to have paid the higher excess to have it done by VW.

The final cost was €1175. The insurance assessor negotiated VW down some €300 from their original estimate! Worth noting that there's some wiggle-room when getting priced by a dealership.

Parts replaced included the front spoiler and grill, washer fluid reservoir, foglight, and horn, along with some supports and covers for the bumper.