My daughter ran over a deer

[Brian1960]

Hi folks

I have been searching these forums the past few months but have just now joined in order to post a question plus I was wanting to join anyway.

I have a 2001 325i sedan which I only bought last august and have been quite happy with.

As the title says my daughter ran over a deer tuesday night that was already down on the road after the car in front of her swerved to avoid it but she was unable to.

She drove the car a couple of miles to the nearest phone and store (her cellphone is broken) and called me.

She said various lights were on and liquid was leaking from under the car which I have confirmed was prestone after having it towed back home.

The rad looks dry after opening the cap.
I did ask her to turn it over for a second and she said it was pouring out.

Steering is very hard but upon looking under the hood the one belt seems almost off?

It is hard to see under the car much as it is so low but there seems to be no shortage of deer fur but any visible damage to the car seems minimal.

Can I put some jugs of distilled in the rad in order to drive it the 3 or 4 blocks over to the local garage so it doesn't overheat and he can put it up on the hoist?

Just wondering what was hit as the the only visible exterior damage is drivers side front lower plastic.

Thanks in advance to any replies on this

[floydr]

The underneath engine covers usually protect from small rocks and such. Obviously the radiator is toast; probably some piece of the deer went through the grill, or got caught in the belt and debris hit the back of the radiator or took out a hose.

I would replace the entire cooling system (radiator, expansion tank, hoses) at this time.

If it's truly 3-4 blocks, fill it with water and drive the three blocks, turning off the engine to coast as much as you can.

[maxell0405]

Driving it is not worth the risk IMO. Have it towed, or at least have the mechanic come look at it first.

[GaminGuys]

Plenty of sites that will bid to tow. I would never chance driving it or you may be saying dear oh dear all over again 😂

[floydr]

The daughter already drove it two miles. 1/4 mile on an already cold engine is unlikely to damage it further.

[Brian1960]

Thanks to all who replied.
Since my message the weather has taken quite a turn for the worse as in much colder and snow due anytime.
Will it hurt it to let it sit for awhile maybe even a month or more until I can get it in to be looked at?
I would like to find a way to clean the deer fur out first before taking it in but that would seem to be a job for a warmer day.
Anyone have any experience with the cheaper rads I see online?

Thanks again for your help

[Sierra mountain]

I bought a radiator from radiator .com about two years ago and it was a perfect fit and has been flawless at about 1/3 of the $

[wjb21ndtown]

Thanks to all who replied.
Since my message the weather has taken quite a turn for the worse as in much colder and snow due anytime.
Will it hurt it to let it sit for awhile maybe even a month or more until I can get it in to be looked at?
I would like to find a way to clean the deer fur out first before taking it in but that would seem to be a job for a warmer day.
Anyone have any experience with the cheaper rads I see online?

Thanks again for your help

Sitting outside won't hurt the car.

[Honolulu]

sitting out won't hurt if the cooling system is really empty. But, if temps will be below freezing for some days, coolant might freeze, expand and at worst, crack the engine. This would be pretty unusual, but if you've tried to refill the cooling system with water you have lost the anti-freeze protection you'd normally have with mixed coolant.

Do you normally use a block heater if the car sits out in this weather? If yes, I'd use it while the car sits out.

But WTF do I know, living in Hawaii? But hey, I love deer, in a brown gravy.

[Shaunturner82]

Hi folks

I have been searching these forums the past few months but have just now joined in order to post a question plus I was wanting to join anyway.

I have a 2001 325i sedan which I only bought last august and have been quite happy with.

As the title says my daughter ran over a deer tuesday night that was already down on the road after the car in front of her swerved to avoid it but she was unable to.

She drove the car a couple of miles to the nearest phone and store (her cellphone is broken) and called me.

She said various lights were on and liquid was leaking from under the car which I have confirmed was prestone after having it towed back home.

The rad looks dry after opening the cap.
I did ask her to turn it over for a second and she said it was pouring out.

Steering is very hard but upon looking under the hood the one belt seems almost off?

It is hard to see under the car much as it is so low but there seems to be no shortage of deer fur but any visible damage to the car seems minimal.

Can I put some jugs of distilled in the rad in order to drive it the 3 or 4 blocks over to the local garage so it doesn't overheat and he can put it up on the hoist?

Just wondering what was hit as the the only visible exterior damage is drivers side front lower plastic.

Thanks in advance to any replies on this

Hi mate dont drive it that will take less than 5 mins to cook that engine with out water it get very hot very quick i learnt the hard way my alternator belt snapped let the car cool down filled with water to drive less than 2 mins to my home an the whole cooling system was dead u may want to ask the garage what will need replacing order it off ebay an save a hell of alot of money an then have the garage to fit it for u

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Brian1960]

Thanks

I checked for cheap rads but wasn't sure about the quality.
I'll have a look on that site.

[Honolulu]

Nissen may be the brand you're looking for. I've used several of them and been pretty happy.

See if anyone you know can get them at wholesale. If you have to lurk outside the radiator store until someone comes along, well, it might be worth it. You can also ask your friendly local import parts store what their discount structure is and how to qualify.

[Brian1960]

Well I let the car sit until this spring and finally decided to get it worked on.
Sorry about not getting back to you folks about the car but I did get it fixed for just over $1000.00 with a used rad and several other things replaced.
Since then the other kid slid off the road with it (black ice) and it required another rad.
This time a brand new one was installed.
That was only about a month ago and a week ago it over heated on her and it appears to be the water pump.
It will be getting looked at shortly.

Again
Thanks for the help.

[SloopJohnB]

Well I let the car sit until this spring and finally decided to get it worked on.
Sorry about not getting back to you folks about the car but I did get it fixed for just over $1000.00 with a used rad and several other things replaced.
Since then the other kid slid off the road with it (black ice) and it required another rad.
This time a brand new one was installed.
That was only about a month ago and a week ago it over heated on her and it appears to be the water pump.
It will be getting looked at shortly.

Again
Thanks for the help.

If you haven't done it, replace all the hoses, the radiator, and the thermostat and water pump.

[Brian1960]

I think at least 1 hose was done and it has a new rad and is getting a new water pump so I'm getting there.