No nice way to say it - I killed a pheasant tonight s:oops: :oops: s:oops:
I wasn't exactly hanging about so it's safe to say that it was a quick death, it appears that I decapitated the poor birdie. Had a quick peek (from a distance, through my fingers) at front of car when I got to my destination - initial glance showed feathers (the remainder of a wing I think) and "stuff" on the bottom of the front spoiler / bumper thing. It was raining on the way home so I took the long route so I could drive into the rain and hopefully wash some of it off, picked out all the puddles and everything. Got home and attacked it with the hose - being a girlie I figured its best to do it in the dark so I don't have to look at it all - but it won't shift and it looks like I've cracked the mesh stuff, also a little rectangle thing in the bumper thing had popped out but I think I've pushed it in again.
Think it'll be a trip to the jet wash tomorrow but am concerned that I may have damaged something - is there much at the front end that could be damaged by 50-60mph pheasant? s:oops: :oops: s:oops: I know I'll have to look properly in daylight, but TBH it's not something I'm looking forward to. s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Can't help regarding damage, but hey, does'nt it shake you up when this sort of thing happens. I've hit a bird (feathered type) that was bad enough so a pheasant, wow, must have been a real thwack! hope there's no damage to your 2.
had a friend with a MK1 hit a blackbird travellign toward him at similar speeds. went straight through the rad.
assuming the grills are all intact you shoudl be ok.
Quote from: "cartell"Can't help regarding damage, but hey, does'nt it shake you up when this sort of thing happens. I've hit a bird (feathered type) that was bad enough so a pheasant, wow, must have been a real thwack! hope there's no damage to your 2.
I felt phsically sick by the time I got to where I was going! Didn't dare look but had to obviously. Am actually feeling pretty guilty about killing her (it was a female - only saw it for a scond but long enough to spot that much). And as for the car - I dread to think what's happened - have had a look using a dim torch (don't want to see too much really) and it looks like there's "stuff" firmly attached to my car - a good blast with the hose didn't shift it, and to make it worse I think the head is jammed in still. ugh! The BF isn't around for a few days so I have to sort it myself, sometimes being an independant girlie really doesn't pay off s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Quote from: "markiii"had a friend with a MK1 hit a blackbird travellign toward him at similar speeds. went straight through the rad.
assuming the grills are all intact you should be ok.
nope, grill appears to be broken s:oops: :oops: s:oops: will have a proper look tomorrow once I've psyched myself up for it .
The damage shouldn't be too bad. Not like when a deer ran into my car about fourteen years ago s:shock: :shock: s:shock: Absolutelky wrecked the side of the car and gave the missus a heart attack s:? :? s:?
Sorry to hear what happened Sandie, get some rubber gloves on before tackling that one...yuk, gross!
I have only had one Road kill and that was in my Calibra, this huge badger ran out from the side of the road and made that horrid bump bump as it went under the offside wheels.
My Stupid question afterwards after seeing the poor thing lying in the middle of the road splattered......is it dead?
I felt awful, particulary as I had a picture of a badger stuck on the side of my car with a cross through it by "persons unknown"..
Not a pleasant (or is that pheasant? s:wink: :wink: s:wink: ) situation. Hopefully there won't be any damage to the radiator, which is behind the grill / bumper.
At least now you have an excuse to fit Chrom Design or similar mesh grills!
I get loads of the buggers on my road to work usually 3-4 per journey. However so far I've been lucky. Be glad it wasn't flying also... girl at work had one hit the front of her bonnet and boy did that leave a big dent.
Yep, bird damage can be quite "impressive" if that is the word. I nearly had the side window on my Mk1 taken out (cracked it nicely though) by a pigeon flying straight into the side. Left a bird "imprint" on the window, as well as the crack and in the rear mirror all I could see what a flapping ball of feathers, so it didn't die instantly. I felt very guilty, even though I didn't actually drive into it. Luckily, a Saab about 100 meters behind me drove over it and put it out of its misery for me, but you still feel bad.
Hope there is not much damage Sandie and thank yourself lucky it didn't try to take off when it saw you. My cousin had a Crow go straight through the windscreen on the passenger side because of that. He took a picture of it when he came to a stop (was on holiday, so had a camera with him) and the bird is halfway in and halfway out of the screen. If you are going fast enough, they can be like bullets!
if the grill is broken dead centre, that bit is replaceable. if it;s anuywhere else, it's new bumper time I'm afraid as teh mesh is integral on 03's
I hit a pheasant the day after I got my MR2. I must have been doing about 45-50mph.
It snapped the number plate in two and tore out one of the screws that holds the grill on. The grill still looks fine but you can push it back at the top centre.
I'm planning to put a new screw in over easter while I'm fitting my strut brace - only two years after it happened!
The radiator was fine, if a little feathery. It does shake you up a bit though.
Paul.
ok - the damage, starting from the outside and working inwards...
number plate cracked
bottom part of bumber cracked from the outside to the mesh (which is why the feathers wouldn't shift last night), and pop out rectangle thing now wonky
mesh buggered - all 3 bits adrift
vertical strut behind grill, running from bottom of rad to bonnet catch - bent
radiator - pushed in, doesn't look good
strip running under front of bumber also wonky
also - have noticed a small, high pitched buzzing noise from front end when bonnet is up - appears to be coming from area beneath washer bottle etc although hard to tell cos I havent taken the trim cover peice off (and don't particualrly want to - guts went in all directions including up into the bonnet release catch bit, suspect it won't be pretty underneath).
have run it for a while, temp doesn't exceed half way but steam from front end (am hoping it's steam and not smoke).
so, all in all not looking good - new rad, bumber etc. and yes I know, it could have been worse.
bollox. am most definately not a happy bunny s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Buzzing is probably the power steering pump which is normal.
So its more like Phesent 1, MR2 0 s:shock: :shock: s:shock: s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Hmm, reminder to self... See if Pelican Racing still make those trendy mesh grilles...
If you are going to hit anything, hit an Alsation dog...I did in my Mk1 and it bounced right off, totally unharmed. The owner told be that it had been run over three times that year.......suicide?
Quote from: "Teucer2000"If you are going to hit anything, hit an Alsation dog...I did in my Mk1 and it bounced right off, totally unharmed. The owner told be that it had been run over three times that year.......suicide?
s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
I've yet to hit anything in the '2, but I did manage to get a pidgeon whilst driving my parents' Escort estate: it did make me chuckle when all I saw out of the rear windscreen was a mass a feathers floating back to earth: reminded me of just about every cartoon I ever watched as a kid! s:D :D s:D
Sorry to hear about the damage though Sandie. Not good.
Quote from: "ekona"Sorry to hear about the damage though Sandie. Not good.
tell me about it! I'm gutted s:cry: :cry: s:cry: Not as much as the pheasant obviously s:oops: :oops: s:oops: , and no doubt if i wasn't so p'd off about it I'd be making allsorts of sicko jokes about it. At the risk of speaking too soon I'd like to say thanks to you all for avoiding the use of bad puns etc on this subject. spose I've tempted fate now tho? s:evil: :evil: s:evil: s:evil: :evil: s:evil:
Have spoken to insurance company and am waiting for a call back . That'll be another £150 excess down the drain then s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Quote from: "swp"At the risk of speaking too soon I'd like to say thanks to you all for avoiding the use of bad puns etc on this subject. spose I've tempted fate now tho? s:evil: :evil: s:evil: s:evil: :evil: s:evil:
Did you miss mine then? s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Quote from: "swp"Have spoken to insurance company and am waiting for a call back . That'll be another £150 excess down the drain then s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Do you definately need a new radiator? If yes, then I expect the insurance is the cheaper option, but if it is repairable, it may be as well for you to sort the work yourself maybe?
Check with Toyota and a few radiator suppliers first, as the MR2 radiator can be re-cored, so there may be cheaper options...
Quotebollox. am most definately not a happy bunny
I don't think the pheasant is too happy either s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
When on holiday in Menorca a few years ago I ran over a Tortoise, it lifted the rear wheel off the road s:!: :!: s:!: There was a very loud CRACK.
Still makes me feel sick thinking about it.
Quote from: "Teucer2000"If you are going to hit anything, hit an Alsation dog...I did in my Mk1 and it bounced right off, totally unharmed. The owner told be that it had been run over three times that year.......suicide?
ROFL - Never hit anything in the '2 but hit a few things in the 100K miles i did in the Astra.
I got a phesant....one ran out a bush in front of me and me and my mate pissed ourselves laughing (in a nervous way) made a joke...."Ah bugger, missed it" then another one DARTS out straight under the wheels.....was kinda funny at the time and then not once realised what had happened.
Then i'd met me g/f and taken her back to my place for the first time....was all happy and smily (use your imagination) and a fat assed badger ran out infront of me.....nothing i could have done as he just cam flying out the bush....well more waddling...and straight under the wheels....felt sick after that one.
My mum has a Volve C70 T5 Convertible and they went on holiday last week, i went out to her car and all i could see were two little feet sticking out the grill wobbling, some stoooooopid bird had flown/crawled in and got stuck..........i helped it out and it flew off.
Suppose all this comes from living right in rural sussex.
Quote from: "Slacey"Did you miss mine then? s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
nope, just chose to ignore it s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Quote from: "Slacey"Do you definately need a new radiator? If yes, then I expect the insurance is the cheaper option, but if it is repairable, it may be as well for you to sort the work yourself maybe?
I'm no expert but it isn't looking good. and the bumper definitly needs replacing - it has a big crack in it now, right in the middle. The grill is knackered, the vertical strut between grill and radiator is bent. Either the strut or the pheasant (or both) have made a big dent in the rad. can't get an answer out of Mr T now but can't see that lot being less than £150.
Have just taken a load of pics - if I can suss out how to download them and get them on here I'll show you, but they're a bit gross (even if I was hosing it down in the dark last night). Maybe I can email them to someone a bit more IT-minded than myself? s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Insurance co have been on the phone - they're sending a truck out to get it - told them about the steam at the front end so they say best not to drive, fair enough. They won't release a courtesy car until they have mine at their garage, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow for that delight.
Out of interest, where do you stand from an insurance point of view if your car ends up damaged...? i.e. do you lose your no claims unless you pay for the damage yourself?
Or does that depend on whether Mrs Pheasant or Mr Pigeon has taken out a third-party insurance policy s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Sundance s8) 8) s8)
Quote from: "Sundance"Out of interest, where do you stand from an insurance point of view if your car ends up damaged...? i.e. do you lose your no claims unless you pay for the damage yourself?
I've got protected no claims discount, so I "only" lose the £150 excess, and my premium will go up next year. Still, considering I'm already buggered for next year cos they've already paid out for £2k worth of repairs when a vectra rammed me then drove off (i.e they can't get it back) a bit of pheasant damage is just a drop in the ocean s:evil: :evil: s:evil:
Quote from: "Sundance"Or does that depend on whether Mrs Pheasant or Mr Pigeon has taken out a third-party insurance policy s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Sundance s8) 8) s8)
s:evil: :evil: s:evil: s:evil: :evil: s:evil:
I thought that women drivers were meant to be safer; your just plain bloody unlucky Sandie s:? :? s:?
Quote from: "heathstimpson"I thought that women drivers were meant to be safer; your just plain bloody unlucky Sandie s:? :? s:?
thanks for that! s:cry: :cry: s:cry: s:wink: :wink: s:wink: I don't think it's me that's unlucky - more like the car! I've had many years and miles of trouble free driving, until I got the 2! Had it 7 weeks when Vectra-arse rammed me, now this. I'm not a bad driver honest - ask the fellow Treasure Hunters who were infront of / behind me. Or Martin - he let me drive his turbo so I can't be that bad? s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Am starting to think that maybe I should get shot of the beast and replace it with something like a Warrior tank though s:evil: :evil: s:evil: s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Sandie no other car you've owned probably goes and stops like the 2; hence taking out a pheasant and having a Vectra rear end you. Now think of the fun you would be missing if you got shot s:cry: :cry: s:cry: Two down, one to go eh s:?: :?: s:?:
Sandie,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news s:? :? s:? but 2 claims in a 5 year period normally means you'll lose your no claims bonus protection. s:( :( s:( s:( :( s:( s:( :( s:(
It shouldn't actually reduce at this stage but with the protection removed it will start to reduce if you have any more bumps.
Quote from: "heathstimpson"Sandie no other car you've owned probably goes and stops like the 2; hence taking out a pheasant and having a Vectra rear end you. Now think of the fun you would be missing if you got shot s:cry: :cry: s:cry: Two down, one to go eh s:?: :?: s:?:
Vectra didn't rear end me - it was full on side-side impact! s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted: I was overtaking, nice and gently on a 40mph dual carriageway. Was doing 35 tops (and have 2 witnesses), when Vectra-moron suddenly decides that he wants to be on the exact piece of road I'm on. Either that or he mistook me for someone who'd been really mean to him! Instead of looking, indicating, and pulling across gently, he just swerved across hard into the side of me - and stayed there (have mid-road barriers flashing pst me on RHS at this point). didn't even bounce off me - stayed right there! It took everything I had to keep from ramming the barriers on my right - there was untold rubber on the kerb for weeks afterwards. I shot him a look to indicate that I wasn't best pleased (am being polite here), he pulled away, slipped into left lane and slowed down to stop. I did the same - just as i'm getting out of the car he thinks better of it and tears off down the side road he's pulled up just before. Didn't get his number, witnesses only got half of it, plod not interested (happend 1/4 mile from the station!) - my insurers coughed up £2k for a whole new nearside! I lost excess etc but insurers referred whiplash claim to solicitors who are pursuing a claim for me from some central fund that they all pay into but tend to keep quiet about!
So, now it looks like I get a new front end as well. Half a car in total. Aren't I the lucky one! You're right about not owning such a beast before, but IMHO the vectra incident was unavoidable (unless I want to spend my whole life pootling along on the inside lane) as he came across the lane so quick that I didn't have a chance to hit either pedal etc. And as for the pheasant, I'm actually glad that I didn't try to brake / swerve - reckon it would have been alot worse one way and another. s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
just in case you want to see gory pics of the damage... s:cry: :cry: s:cry: s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
m http://www.mr2-roadster.co.uk/rocstuff/sandie-yuck1.jpg (http://www.mr2-roadster.co.uk/rocstuff/sandie-yuck1.jpg) m
m http://www.mr2-roadster.co.uk/rocstuff/sandie-yuck2.jpg (http://www.mr2-roadster.co.uk/rocstuff/sandie-yuck2.jpg) m
(cheers for this Kris!)
Ooooh... nice. Shame about the damage s:( :( s:(
Quote from: "Slacey"Ooooh... nice. Shame about the damage s:( :( s:(
too right! s:cry: :cry: s:cry: Am sitting here waiting for the car to be collected by the fix-it fellas. May phone Mr T to check out some prices in the meantime tho - not sure I'm up to attempting work on my baby though. Am ok on old bangers cos they don't matter quite so much if yoy know what I mean, but the 2 is a bit precious so maybe best elave well alone and let the proffessionals sort it. At least I've got some come back if there's a problem later.
On a very evil note here, and I'm sorry Sandie, but I did have chuckle over that first photo: you can still see the pheasant's head stuck in the rad! s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:
It doesn't look very happy... s:D :D s:D
Quote from: "ekona"On a very evil note here, and I'm sorry Sandie, but I did have chuckle over that first photo: you can still see the pheasant's head stuck in the rad! s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:
It doesn't look very happy... s:D :D s:D
I'm not suprised she wasn't very happy - her wing had been wedged into the huge crack that she made in my bumper (see what's left of it after I'd hosed it down etc in photo 2). Think I'd be a bit p'd off if I'd lost a wing AND been decapitated, all in one night s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:
(and I hope you lot appreciate the trauma I had to go thro to take those pics - it wasn't a pleasant task. put me right off my breakfast s:( :( s:( )
... nextdoors cat was licking his lips though s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:
The fella that picked the car up earlier had a good look, said it smelt like a butchers. gross!
I nearly came a cropper with a lady pheasant today!
Was driving back from Stansted via the back roads (Broxted, Thaxted, Bardfield: basically, the route of the treasure hunt!) and came to a nice piece of straight road which almost demanded I put my foot down. So I did.
I was doing a tad over 60 (well, 63 according to the Road Angel) when I saw a smashing little brown bird appear from the bushes on the right hand side of the road. I thought that it would wait. Boy, was I wrong!
The stupid little thing started crossing the road r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y so I just carried on cruising. Then it sped up. Then a little more. Then a little more. As it started to speed up, I thought that I'd miss it easily, that it would be well across the road by the time I got to that particular point. It wasn't.
After seeing Sandies' photos I knew that I really didn't want to hit it at 60+, so I had to:
1: Hit the brakes (love that squealing sound!)
2: Swerve right hard
3: Realise the back had gone, so had to swing left quickly
4: Release the brakes and floor it again
... all in about 0.3 of a second!
I feared for both car and pheasant, I really did; it was that close. Glanced in my rear-view mirror and saw said bird trundle happily away into the bushes, awaiting the next '2 to pass so it could attempt another ambush... s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:
Seriously though, I now have a really great appreciation for the handling of this car: if I'd been in anything else, I'm pretty sure Mrs Pheasant would be dead, or I'd be in a ditch. It's also nice to know that the old reactions are there and ready to be used, when need arises. s:D :D s:D
Interesting nobody has mentioned the potential food bonus. When I was growing up my Dad hit a number of pheasants with his car and used to bring them home. Squished ones weren't viable obviously but the ones knocked away from the car were. Apart from being very tasty you could bite into the meat without fear of breaking a tooth on some shot (usual danger when troughing pheasant).
I know the horror and despair you feel when you run into wildlife though. On a holiday in New Zealand last year I killed a possum during a night drive. The last thing I saw was its big eyes as it scuttled toward my headlamps even as I was trying to swerve away. It felt like hitting a brick though the campervan sufferred no damage. As they're an introduced species running riot most New Zealanders consider possums vermin wreaking havoc on indiginous species. So I was doing a 'good' thing. Come to think of it though it was humans (an introduced species of the worst sort) that made a bunch of NZ species, including the giant Moa, extinct...
Whatever, it was NOT nice.
Quote from: "Humble Jim"Interesting nobody has mentioned the potential food bonus. When I was growing up my Dad hit a number of pheasants with his car and used to bring them home. Squished ones weren't viable obviously but the ones knocked away from the car were. Apart from being very tasty you could bite into the meat without fear of breaking a tooth on some shot (usual danger when troughing pheasant).
On a slightly related note s:D :D s:D I seem to remember someone telling me (I think it was my Dad, after I'd clobbered a fox in the Renault) that it's actually illegal to knock an animal down and then pick it up - that's poaching..
However if you find one someone else has knocked down - that's perfectly legal (you're just picking up carrion..).
Something like that anyhow s:) :) s:)
I think I've heard that too. I can see the case say if you say knock over a deer in a park owned by somebody or other. Is it poaching though if it's escaped and killed on public land/road? If it's a sheep maybe so, it's often obvious that it came from field A or field B owned by farmer A or farmer B because you might spot its brethren nearby. But a single pheasant? That could have flown in from miles away. Unless it's tagged how are you going to begin to trace the owner?
Though maybe on legally shaky ground I think my Dad saw it in maritime terms, like it was "salvage" s:) :) s:) .
The only alternative in practice would have been to leave it for the crows, which is what normally happens I guess.
Quote from: "Humble Jim"The only alternative in practice would have been to leave it for the crows, which is what normally happens I guess.
A few years ago I worked with another engineer who was really into country life and associated sports. One nightshift he came into work with a deer hung across his back saying he found it on the roadside. He through it in our film test freezers overnight and took it home the next morning to skin. God knows what our testing operations must have thought as they opened the freezer to place a sample in it and faced a bloody dead deer looking up at them s:shock: :shock: s:shock: s:? :? s:? s:shock: :shock: s:shock:
man... i have an story too... with my Corolla TS
I was driving down 2 lane highway around 11 PM, no cars around... me and my girl were talking about how much we love cats and about the cats we had at certain points in life... (not crazy about cats just like them).
So there you go of course, i see an cat in left lane... in the middle of the damn highway! and she is just sitting down, acting as an farmer cat - just staring stupidly into the lights (unlike city cats which stay away), so i slow down to like 20mph (from 60), and just as i am passing her, i blow my horn so she runs away and nobody runs her over...
stupid farmer cat (of course), instead of running from the car, and into the damn field full of juicy mice, goes longer route and runs blazingly fast under my car... we hear slight bump-bump... look at each other and just were quiet for next 20 mins of the drive...