Deer 1....My Avalon 0

[ZZman]

The other day I took a different back road. When I got to a patch of woods that were very close to the road a deer suddenly ran out and slammed into the passenger side of my car ripping the side mirror off. The dazed deer got up and ran off. I guess fortunately it only ripped off the mirror and put two tiny door dings in the passenger door.

I ordered and have a new mirror from Rock Auto. However I still need to paint it. The bad part is my car has what I understand is a 3 part paint. So probably the mirror will not quite look right and cost way more than I planned to paint myself.

Trying to be positive. Could have smashed the whole front end if a few seconds earlier.

 

[JerryBob]

Yep. It could have gone through your windshield and injured you, or worse.

 

[Jett Rink]

I was on active duty in the Army stationed in Germany back in the 90s. I remember noticing how they had put up tall metal fences along the rural forested sections of the autobahn in some places.

I asked some of the locals in a place in Bavaria what that was about. Were they trying to keep someone out of there? No, they said these were known deer crossing areas and they were there to keep the deer from getting out on the roads.

I wondered if that prevented the deer from getting out on the roads, or if they just moved on down the road to find another spot.

 

[AZjeff]

I'd call it a draw, the deer got dinged and your car got dinged. If the car matters to you get it painted right or it will be like a sore tooth every time you look at it.

One year ago I *almost* missed a deer, gave it a low speed bump and it cost $2700.

 

[Inspecktor]

That happened to the wife a couple years ago. The deer came out the the ditch and hit the Buick at the right front tire, spun around and ended up head, shoulders, and front legs in the front passenger seat. A passing truck driver stopped and helped her pull it out of the car. The worst part was she drove about 100 miles home with no right front window in snow and 20 degree temps.

 

[JamesBond]

Paint both mirrors black yourself.

 

[daves87rs]

Glad it was not worse

 

[HangFire]

Sorry about your Avalon, but at least you weren't hurt.

I bought my white Camry with one black door mirror, and learned a few things that may be of use to you.

One, the black aftermarket rear mirror had only a fraction of the adjustment range as the original.

Two, when I removed it, I found the metal door frame under it was bent, which placed the limited range of adjustment somewhere completely outside of "useful", which is what drove me to find a boneyard replacement instead of painting it. It was relatively easy to bend and beat the sheet metal back.

Three, a $75 boneyard mirror is a lot easier to replace then the black mirror is to paint.

So I suggest calling every junkyard for a matching mirror first, and checking the door underneath for sheet metal bending. After all, if it was enough force to break the mirror, it may have been enough to bend the sheet metal underneath.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by Jett Rink
I was on active duty in the Army stationed in Germany back in the 90s. I remember noticing how they had put up tall metal fences along the rural forested sections of the autobahn in some places.

I asked some of the locals in a place in Bavaria what that was about. Were they trying to keep someone out of there? No, they said these were known deer crossing areas and they were there to keep the deer from getting out on the roads.

I wondered if that prevented the deer from getting out on the roads, or if they just moved on down the road to find another spot.



I recall when driving the Autobahn in far eastern areas at least, they have made animal crossing bridges too.

 

[mrsilv04]

Should of tried getting a used mirror assembly in the correct color, from a junkyard.

Makes lots more sense than buying anything else, that'll need to be painted. And since it is painted with factory paint, good odds that it will match nicely.

This is a used junkyard hood, on a car that I fixed back up after it had been totaled. Can't tell that it is not the hood that it left the factory with.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by ZZman
I ordered and have a new mirror from Rock Auto. However I still need to paint it. The bad part is my car has what I understand is a 3 part paint. So probably the mirror will not quite look right and cost way more than I planned to paint myself.


This is the type of thing where you really need to do your homework and see if you can order a part that's already painted. One of the cars that I maintain is a 2000 Camry. These things are famous for broken door handles, which are painted. I bought one off eBay the right color after sending the seller the color code and waiting probably a little longer than usual. Despite the new part being more than 10 years newer than the rest of the car, you can't tell any difference / paint fade isn't noticeable. That, and this particular part can't be sourced from a JY because they are already broken, or there were not any Camry's available in the junkyard at the time. That or just get another mirror at the junkyard and dissect it and your old one and reuse the painted part (assuming that is good; I have also done this).

 

[dave1251]

I am happy you are safe. Deer usually wins.

 

[gfh77665]

Wild hogs are the issue here in SE TX. My daughter was driving down a rural road about 40 miles NE of Houston late one night, and one ran across the two lane highway. My daughters Grand Marquis struck him in the head, so it was more of a glancing blow. The hog died instantly. The cars bumper took most of the damage, but the fender was pushed into the tire.

A few seconds later a pickup truck pulled up, and my daughter thought they were stopping to help her. They ignored my daughter, threw the road kill into the back of their truck and sped away.

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

Originally Posted by gfh77665
Wild hogs are the issue here in SE TX. My daughter was driving down a rural road about 40 miles NE of Houston late one night, and one ran across the two lane highway. My daughters Grand Marquis struck him in the head, so it was more of a glancing blow. The hog died instantly. The cars bumper took most of the damage, but the fender was pushed into the tire.
A few seconds later a pickup truck pulled up, and my daughter thought they were stopping to help her. They ignored my daughter, threw the road kill into the back of their truck and sped away.


That could have been a blessing in disguise