The Black Car

The Saga continues!
The same black car that got a new heater core at the start of winter this year,  meets a whitetail deer, a good Samaritan, and a tow truck driver all on the same evening!
Liz and I had gone out to dinner and were returning home after dark.
The deer/elk were thick. We had already dodged 5 before the offending one.
She came out of the brush at a full run... there was no missing her.
At 65 mph she hit the hood, headlight, and grill.  She did not hit the bumper! Had she hit the bumper the airbags would have gone off and things would have been much worse.
The radiator was crushed and the electric fans were broken, The engine timing cover had a large hole thru it... but the timing belt did NOT get knocked off!
Had the timing belt broken, the engine would have self-destructed.
However, there was no driving it and a tow truck had to be called.
Our cell phone did not have service!  Damn, hate when that happens!
Luckily the first rig to come by stopped to offer help (ultimately 4 vehicles stopped )
Their phone only had one bar but it did work, AAA was called and a tow truck would be along in an hour or so.
45 minutes later the tow truck arrived and the Black car was carried home.

The first set of photos shows her in the driveway the next morning.
Truly amazing the motor was spared!
The next photos show her in the shop with the radiator support removed.
The last photos show the donated replacement support sitting in place awaiting spot welding.

Heading off to Spokane in the morning to locate a good paintable hood for her at the pull-and-save.
The new headlight and radiator and hood protector are all here, and the grill and new leather bra are on the way.
We will pick up the black paint for it while in Spokane.
I predict about $500-700 to have her back up and looking good.

Jeeeezzzz, Thomas!! Y'all are keeping your guardian angle pretty dang busy! SOOO glad you're both ok - and the poor lil' Black Car... Yikes!  Now the question we're all dying to know - does she taste good?

Holy Shit dude! I'm so happy ya'll are okay!

I agree with Carla, your angel(s) are busy keeping you both safe, perhaps to show others that a setback like this doesn't have to be debilitating but rather an opportunity to show how to get back on your feet and keep on driving.
I can see a car repair show on the back woods of Montana called Tom's garage.
Having an RMH blazing in the background with a blizzard of snow seen through the window and Molly the wonder dog making cameo appearances would make for some exciting add-on footage!
When can we expect the first season to air?

Wow mate. Glad everyone is okay.

Doubly glad that neighbours/strangers stopped to help. That's the way it should be. Awesome.

Personally I begin to wonder if the black car needs a cowcatcher.

I like reading your Subaru adventures.

My husband has made us into a Subaru family, as well.  The first time I met him in his home town, there was some festival going on, so we walked around a lot. After a while I asked, "How come every second driveway here has a Subaru in it?" He laughed that I'd noticed. The local backyard mechanic (it's a small enough town, they only really need one) has a thing for Subarus. The sign in his yard says, "The Loyale touch keeps the Legacy alive."  He's a bit of a genius (the Subaru dealership in the city a couple hours away phones him up for advise) so everyone just gets what this guy will work on. Plus he knows every Subaru in the area, so if you're looking to buy one, you can tell him which ones are for sale and he'll tell you exactly what they're worth 😁

One of the first times my husband came to visit me in my home town, he hit a black bear with his car. Anyone else would have said it was totalled. He borrowed a trailer and hauled it back home to the Subaru mechanic. A weekend and $800 later, he was driving it around again.

Wow, glad you are okay.

I know the sadness of losing a great car though myself. Sadly in my case it was not a wayward innocent deer but a drunk driver.

One point I should make though is that those cheap $5 deer warnings, DO WORK!!

I noticed that without them I would see deer in the road. With two, if I saw any they were running through the ditch. When one broke off they were in the road but starting to move. Today I put 4 on and almost never even see deer. For $10, it works pretty good.

Another piece of advice for all regarding cars and deer is to buy the best bulbs for your headlights. There is a huge difference between $30 bulbs and $55 bulbs. You can slow down for deer as long as you see them first. It’s again, cheap insurance against hitting deer.

Steve, is this the type of product you mean?

Yes

But I get mine at Walmart

Those are indeed the deer whistles, I had forgotten about them!
I just ordered a four-pack, to protect the soon-to-be-repaired black car and the undamaged blue car from possible future interactions with the local deer/elk.
Thanks, Steve!

We need to add some, too. The deer are all over the roads, out here.

Except: Don't transport your dog in a vehicle with deer whistles installed. You will drive the poor hound crazy.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Except: Don't transport your dog in a vehicle with deer whistles installed. You will drive the poor hound crazy.

Not to mention, your neighbors! There's a car that drives by regularly that has them, and I always hear it! That said, I'd rather hear that than the sound of a crash - the horns and the hard breaking I will live with also, rather than the sound of a crash!

However, people, a gentle reminder, "Speed Limits" are for "good conditions". If the deer are having party night out, please try to allow enough time to slow down to below the limit. Pull over if some less cautious person insists on tailgating. I'm greedy and want *all* my permies in good shape and ready to plant another tree or three - people die in car/animal collisions. Less often deer, but moose are deadly!

thomas rubino, I am very glad you guys are ok.
I used to drive motorcoach out of Whitefish.  I put deer whistles on the buses I drove the most.  They made the deer look in my direction which, in turn, allowed me to see them.  
Definitely kept me from connecting with many of them.
Had them on my old motorcycle.  Worked great.  I need to get some more.

How is the black car coming along?

Sorry to hear about the car, but what happened to the deer? I assume it was killed instantly and hope that it didn't suffer.

Hi John;
Thanks for asking.
Work has progressed but right now I am waiting for my brother to paint the replacement hood.
Once he has the hood ready we will trailer the black car 37 miles over to Idaho.
ThenTim will use his spot welder to properly attach the radiator support.
Once that is done it's just a few hours of work to install everything else.

Hi Michael;
Indeed, the last view I had of the poor thing she was 15' in the air.
Definitely DOA
After landing I think a medical person would have said blunt force trauma...
This was a full-body slam, not a polite neck-snapping headshot.
Legally, if I reported the hit, I can salvage the meat, but you must take it all.
In this case, I suspect even the back straps would have been no good.

Just so you know, a cowcatcher adds extra seating. Stacking functions!

The Black Car finally rolls out of the shop.
It's been 2.5 months since the she met the deer and the tow truck driver.
Many things have slowed us down, including my broken wrist three weeks ago.
Also with me not working, we have been driving my Blue car as the daily driver, so no rush getting The Black car finished.
Today I got her new leather bra on and drove her out of the shop!
The Black Car Drives Again!