[CnoteMD]

I was driving up Rt 17 in Bergen County NJ when a raccoon comes running across the road. I was changing lanes from the far left lane to the middle lane (3 lanes) to allow someone to pass. I had to hit the brakes while I was moving rightward.

Unfortunately, I still managed to hit this fairly large animal on the drivers side close to the foglight. When I had the chance to stop, I see an indentation in the lower bumper about 5 inches wide and at least 3-4 inches deep! Thank goodness for the plastic material they use for the front bumper; I was able to press the lower grill back into its normal shape. But the impact broke some of the black plastic beneath the bumper.

Will having this part missing disrupt the aerodynamics of the car in any way? They seem to be right in front of each front tire. I will try to post some pics to better illustrate.

I am upset about this happenind, but also thankful that it didn't create any unusually obvious damage.

[novase101]

That sucks.

I drive on R17 all the time. Glad to hear it wasnt a skunk!

But it doesnt sound like the damage will affect the aerodynamics during normal driving, especially since you pushed the indent out.

[SCA]

I hit a raccoon years ago in my E36 325i. It did approx. $1000 in damages. It cracked the bumper cover and demolished the passengers side fog light.

[md37793]

go get a rabies shot too.

[CnoteMD]

Update:

Now that its light outside, I took a closer look at the bumper. The little "spoiler" that I thought was broken is still intact. It was actually a part of black plastic from behind the bumper that had come out in an unusual way. I was able to press this back into place as well.

However, I do notice now that the driver's side foglight it slightly out of position and one of the "splitters" in the lower grill is missing on the drivers side. I am hoping this doesn't cost much to repair.

Pictures are below (may be out of sequence depending on the attachment uploader):
-There is one picture to show the plastic that was displaced. You will be able to see the underbody "spoiler" just behind it.

-There is another picture showing the same side after I pressed everything back into place.

-Another photo will show the difference between the left and right side of the lower grill (and foglight).

[LEDZEP]

The horizontal plastic accent piece has broken off, and it looks like the entire housing has been pushed back and out of alignment. You have comprehensive insurance right? If you deductable is low - get it fixed. If not, get it fixed anyway.

[poldim]

Why did the bumper buckle? And how? I thought its all plastic supports which should bend back to their original state.

[CnoteMD]

I don't know about the upper parts of the bumper, but the lower area where I hit that raccoon appears to be mostly hollow. The material is very pliable so the indentation easily went back to its original position after reaching behind the panel and pressing a little.

Like LEDZEP mentioned, the silver accent piece is missing and the black mesh isn't aligned very well. I would probably need to remove the inner wheel well to get that back into position. I am hoping that they sell that mesh piece without having to replace the entire bumper.

I will get an estimate for the repair when I get some time. Until then, I am glad it isn't all that noticeable.

[govtec]

y r there so many deers, racoons and skunks in nj? i guess that's y they call it the garden state? or they should change it to forrest state. i better not hit any deers on 95 or route 1 when heading home from princeton. i've already encountered a 2x4 wooden block that cost me $300 to fix a light rod on 95.