Stupid Armadillo
 

Well I was on a dark country road at about 2am going the speed limit (65) and I had no time to react and ran over an armadillo.

Now the plastic underbelly guard (directly behind my chin spoiler) is hanging down awkwardly and dragging on the ground almost like a big scoop just picking debris up into my engine bay.

What on earth do I do? Will the dealer help me out with this or am I SOL?

I'm sure they aren't too expensive to replace if you wanted to go that route...

Or you could post a Wanted add for someone who maybe got an aftermarket front bumper and doesn't need theirs...

Sorry to hear about it.

Get it fixed? :confused:

Why would the dealer care? You hit an animal while driving.

Because I was thinking about just saying it fell down and started dragging. My car is under warranty still. but im going to try to fix it myself. Problem is I need to drive 120 miles back to school tomorrow.

If I cant find a way to secure it back in place would it be bad to take off until I can bring it somewhere?

The dealer isn't going to believe it just "fell off" your car while driving without you hitting something. Fix it with zip ties or get a new one, if your broke *** cant afford one right now then just remove it temporarily.

Where would I order a new one from? A link would be really helpful, thanks.

And a appreciate you assuming im broke. Im visiting family right now and need to get back to school tomorrow. Its a matter of time, not money. Thank you for your negativity

:shakes head:

obviously if it was that dark and you had no time to react, you were going too fast for the conditions, even if under the speed limit. it's your fault, not the armadillo. as for the tray, you can order it from the dealer. they probably won't have any in stock so will have to get one from nissan. may take several days to get. in the meantime you can just remove it. it isn't that important for the car.

did the armadillo have insurance? sue it!

Edit: Here you go
http://www.courtesyparts.com/74811-c...-p-619636.html
http://www.courtesyparts.com/370z-pa...8826_8843.html

that it?

Sorry OP. Regardless of who's fault it was, blaming the armadillo will not help. The driver, not the dealer, is on the hook for the repair which must get done.

Deer are the trouble around here.

$110 isnt too bad. I nailed a dead animal in my Prius and the bottom tray is $300

:iagree: Move on...

sucks man, I ran over a squirrel the other day felt bad, I try to be as cautious as possible but sometimes animals just get in the way.

Thanks for the links Ron, helped a lot. I ordered a new one and in the mean time duct tape and zip ties will do their job.

:tiphat:

Lucky that you didn't runned over with your front tire. I could it mean new tire, rim and/or possible alignment issues.

In Lousiaina especially around Ft. Polk they are all over the place.

It's not a total loss, you can make yourself a helmet from the Armadillo. Post pics when you get it done... the helmet.

I totally agree, Don't blame the armadillo. I scan the ground for hundreds of feet ahead by the second because the country and southern roads are always filled with debrid and Gators. (TD slang for exploded tires). I've veered particles and animals at 100mph let alone 65mph. Sh1t happens, you had an accident. But dude you killed an animal you will not eat. Have a little bit of a heart. Your car can be fixed. That armadillos done for without being on someones table. Hopefully a vulture will come along and eat em' if not? You wasted the life of an animal for no reason.

Yeah at least make a helmet since you killed em... lol

Well props to you for being to alert, you certainly wont be hitting any armadillos.

I have to admit though that making a helmet was definitely not the first thing on my mind. But now I know

Better than my friends jeep in the desert and ran over a large branch...only to somehow snap and lodge itself in the wheel well. I have no clue how, all I know is it got stuck and bent the spring of the front driver side suspension.

:shakes head:

While you are calling the armadillo a 'stupid armadillo', the armadillo is probably calling you 'that stupid driver'.

:happydance:


LOL

jk.

Hope you will receive the part quickly and have it fixed.

BTW, did the armadillo just jumped out from nowhere or you couldn't see it? Was High-Beam allowable at that time but did you have it on?

cheers

Do you mean "help you out" as in helping you to get the thing replaced quickly at your expense, or "help you out" as in "warranty should cover my driving accidents" or "if it doesn't cover driving accidents, how about if I lie to them and tell them it just fell off?"

Yeah animals sometimes just get in the way. Back in Costa Rica when I had the Z32 I was driving on a non-illuminated road in the middle of nowhere, all of a sudden I just see a shadow get in my lane and before I could even think about braking I ran over what I think was a big dog... or a small cow... or a drunk man crawling across the street lol. I still don't know what it was but as a result the whole rear quarter panel had to be replaced.. surprisingly nothing happened to the front bumper. Regardless of the damage, I felt bad for whatever I killed.

I cna't imagine driving in CR - even without hitting anything. Riding in a Maria or a bus is scary enough. Going down for New Years & will let someone else do the driving...

lol yeah I always said if you learned to drive there then you can drive anywhere...except India I guess. Have fun on your trip I will be going back in January for a couple of weeks.

:eek: you would think a jeep could handle it :icon17:

Dude, you are lucky to be alive! :eek:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jFjK2cNVZo...400/tarkus.jpg

The minister of hate had just arrived to late to be spared. Who cared? The weaver in the web that he made!

Ouch! Sorry to hear that... I hate to see what happened to that armadillo!? :ugh2:

Have you tried to take the guard off and reinstall it or is it just toast?

This is why an air-oil plate cooler is a shitty idea. What if it had been a dog or something and fubar'ed the plate and you didn't get the car shut off in time. Then you would be out not only structural damage, but a new short-block and maybe the heads.

OP: Outcome? Pix?

Im just glad the thing didnt jump up at the last second and hit my front bumper. lol

But the guard is pretty much toast. Most of the holes where it gets bolted the bumper were torn out along with the 6 bolts that hold it on there. it also has a giant crack down the center. The road tore it up pretty good too the rest of the way home before I could get a good look at it.

I rigged it back on there temporarily but a new one is on order.

And I do have an air oil cooler. That hadnt even crossed my mind :eekdance:

Exactly. If it gets punctured, you will be so pre occupied with the circumstances that you won't notice until too late.

That's why i would get an oil pressure gauge if i was installing an oil cooler.

:inoutroflpuke::icon18: