Front Grill Damage

[mdavid727]

While driving up to St Louis the driver in front of me hit a piece of tire and threw it into my front grill. The damage while cosmetic also has screwed up the adaptive cruise control as the front plate is no longer attached to the bumper correctly. When the dealer looked at this he has summarized that the front clips are broken and it will have to epoxied - as the only other solution is to order a whole new bumper! I'm hoping once the black plate is no longer hanging in the opening the laser will be able to shoot out in straight line fixing the cruise control issue. We'll see...

 

[homeofstone]

This is covered by your auto insurance under comprehensive coverage.

 

[Mark63021]

Why in the world would anyone drive to St. Louis??? Being such a busy N-S route, I know I-55 can be pretty trashy. Moral of this story is never follow the car in front of you by less that 5-6 car lengths at hiway speeds. An extra second can make all the difference in avoiding tire-flung debris. Sorry to hear about your trouble.

 

[mdavid727]

While I'm sure it's covered - it probably going to be less than my deductible. As for driving to St. Louis - my family lives there - and thanks for the driving tips - I'm not sure how I've managed to drive without accident for the last 35 years before your advice was given.

 

[Gunkk]

You might be surprised... adaptive-cruise-widgets are pricey.

 

[mdavid727]

Make no mistake if the adaptive cruise control is in fact damaged the insurance company will be called. I'm hoping that its simply a matter of the plate re-directing the laser to the wrong spot - as it does "see" the car in font of me - its just that its seeing the car in the left lane. Once the plate is re-attached it should be pretty obvious once out on the highway.

 

[waveman]

I'm pretty sure that the ADC uses radar, not laser. Hopefully the repair won't be too expensive.

BTW, I think Mark was trying to be helpful. And he's right about road debris. I especially try to keep my distance from trucks, which fling all sorts of stuff.

 

[homeofstone]

While I'm sure it's covered - it probably going to be less than my deductible. As for driving to St. Louis - my family lives there - and thanks for the driving tips - I'm not sure how I've managed to drive without accident for the last 35 years before your advice was given.

To make the repair correctly with all new parts will be over 1200.00. comprehensive deductibles are usually 250.00 or less. check with your insurance agent. If you had hit a small deer or other animal I know the deductible would be small.

 

[mdavid727]

$233 - all is working correctly and trim and panel have been fixed. Could have been a lot worse.

 

[Vermillion3]

Glad to hear that you were able to get your problem fixed and cheaply. I always did wonder why even with the platinum warranty the radar cruise was excluded? I mean it is a standard factory option after all right?

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[mdavid727]

Yes it is - the bracket that held the unit was bent - they simply bent the bracket back into place and all was well.

 

[gameday22]

It's definitely radar guided and not laser for our adaptive cruise, one of the nicer features on our car and it's not working would be unacceptable lol !!

 

[mdavid727]

Yes it is radar guided - when it was mis-aimed it made the cruise control unusable as the car would speed up or slow down based on traffic in the other lane. These cars are getting so complex that even a small amount of damage can have a serious effect on the overall use of the car. I guess it's the price we pay for all this technical wizardry.

 

[grsams]

While I'm sure it's covered - it probably going to be less than my deductible. As for driving to St. Louis - my family lives there - and thanks for the driving tips - I'm not sure how I've managed to drive without accident for the last 35 years before your advice was given.

HAHAHA..needed that

 

[grsams]

I thought the black reflective plates on the front were merely for looks...they actually have a function?

 

[mdavid727]

Well I can't comment on if they have function but the plates are there to provide a "port" for the radar to be shot out or through. So, if that's counts as a function then yes, I guess they have one. I just always thought they looked kinda Audi like...