C63 AMG Front Grill & Radiator

[pespro]

Hi,

Hit a pheasant this afternoon and reckon i will need a new grill and radiator.
Both have been pushed back pretty far and i heard hissing from the radiator so presume its cracked and not fixable.

I am trying to pay out of my own pocket as i have a high insurance excess.

How much do you think its going to set me back?
The place i am going is a MB approved place but not MB dealer.

Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Any photos?

 

[mika]

the lower grill is potentially expensive because the front bumper assembly and surround has to come off to get at it - im guessing you will be needing that and more if the rad and grill are gonners
lower grill only £19 but labour should have been £250-£300

good luck

 

[pespro]

Image uploaded, damage worse than i thought.
£2.5k repair costs, cheaper for me to pay myself rather than insurance cause im under 25 with the high excess and costs next year, getting my scratch done at same time so forking out £3k!
Insurance, MOT, service is due in January too...

 

[The _Don]

2.5k ouch !

 

[c63chris]

That sucks. I hit a deer last year and it cost me a similar amount.

 

[Dieselman]

That damage seems quite significant just for a Pheasant.

Are all W204 this flimsy at the front end or are AMG trimmed models worse in this respect?

 

[Will]

That's got to be one hell of an insurance premium/excess to not make it worth claiming for £3k of damage!

 

[nick mercedes]

Image uploaded, damage worse than i thought.
£2.5k repair costs

What does that £2.5k cover?

Is the photo the extent of the damage?

 

[wemorgan]

Maybe this is a pedestrian safety issue now seen on many new cars?
I doubt older cars with steel bonnets that wrapped around the front would do so well in those tests now - I guess owners without £3k repairs aren't complaining though.

A muntjac did some damage to my A2 last week. On a kg of animal basis I think I got off lightly compared to the OP. I'm sure there's an element of 'luck' too with regards to how much damage is done - a small angle change may have seen the animal skid off with only a few scratches to show.

 

[Dieselman]

Maybe this is a pedestrian safety issue now seen on many new cars?

I cant see it being pedestrian safety, it's just thinner plastic being used.

 

[Bobsta]

That's got to be one hell of an insurance premium/excess to not make it worth claiming for £3k of damage!

My guess is something like...
- £750 excess.
- Loss of NCB which equates to ~30% uplift in policy cost for the next 3-4 years (£400/yr if you're under £25?) ... so £1200 there.
- Having to answer the "have you had any claims in the last 3 years" question in the positive for the next 3 years.. uplifts policy by £400/yr. So another £1200 there.

Total £3000+