Hit Dog/Radiator Busted-Leaking

Ginger83

Hi, I hit a huge dog last friday night, wrecked the front of my car. It ran across the road in front of me. Couldn't locate owner so I'm stuck with roughly a 2k repair bill.

My radiator is busted and leaking, a small dent where I reckon the dogs head hit. Would it be expensive or worth my while having the rad repaired or just replaced?

The car is still driving, just have to keep topping up the coolant so the leak is only small. Temp guage normal too.

Has anyone had a rad repaired before?

Anan1

They can be welded, but a new rad would be better. Price a new one and you'll know then whether it's worth your while investigating the repair route.

road_high

Ginger83 wrote: »

Hi, I hit a huge dog last friday night, wrecked the front of my car. It ran across the road in front of me. Couldn't locate owner so I'm stuck with roughly a 2k repair bill.

My radiator is busted and leaking, a small dent where I reckon the dogs head hit. Would it be expensive or worth my while having the rad repaired or just replaced?

The car is still driving, just have to keep topping up the coolant so the leak is only small. Temp guage normal too.

Has anyone had a rad repaired before?

Hey, sorry to hear that. Pretty much same thing happened me last sept. Hit a cat at 60 mph, it ran out in fron of me, had no chance.
I thought it would be fine until next day I noticed fluid down around the bottom of the rad.
Anyhow got mechanic to fix it, bill was €750 in the end (could have been worse I was told). Besides damage to rad (which we repaired, Carlow radiators), there was damage to the air co unit, and some pipes had to be replaced. Mine is a Volvo s40.
I didn't claim off insurance or anything, don't think it would have been worth it.

Terrontress

all I can think of is the poor dog.

Darragh29

Ginger83 wrote: »

Hi, I hit a huge dog last friday night, wrecked the front of my car. It ran across the road in front of me. Couldn't locate owner so I'm stuck with roughly a 2k repair bill.

My radiator is busted and leaking, a small dent where I reckon the dogs head hit. Would it be expensive or worth my while having the rad repaired or just replaced?

The car is still driving, just have to keep topping up the coolant so the leak is only small. Temp guage normal too.

Has anyone had a rad repaired before?

How did you arrive at a figure of 2K for the damage?

Bandara

for 2 grand I hope you at least got the chance to kick the sh!te out of the poxy dog.

Owen

You didn't by any chance hit it before Mallow in Cork? Woman in front of me hit a dog during that night.

Mycroft H

^ hope there is no animal welfare people listening..... The poor dog

peasant

Hammertime wrote: »

for 2 grand I hope you at least got the chance to kick the sh!te out of the poxy dog.

now, now ...let's focus on the automotive side of things, shall we?

Bandara

peasant wrote: »

now, now ...let's focus on the automotive side of things, shall we?

lol

busted.

:P



p.s. I was being automotive, I have it on good authority that the dog was called Rover. And everyone hates Rovers.

smash

try micks garage for a new rad.

Rowley Birkin QC

landyman wrote: »

^ hope there is no animal welfare people listening..... The poor dog

Why? It happens all the time. Two of our dogs have been killed on the road and as sad as it is it's completely the dogs fault.

Just glad that the OP is ok after the incident.

pburns

bigkev49 wrote: »

Why? It happens all the time. Two of our dogs have been killed on the road and as sad as it is it's completely the dogs fault.

Just glad that the OP is ok after the incident.

The 'dog's' fault

I think technically it could also be the owners fault for not having control of their animal. Maybe also the drivers fault if there was carelessness, excessive speed etc.- a child could run out of nowhere just as easily.

I don't want to sound holier-than-thou - accidents happen, sometimes no-ones 'fault'. I just think the OP sounds a little callous re. the poor mutt!

quattro777

This happened to my sister last year. The bill was € 4000 (including a bent chassis) which the dog's owner had to pay.

Rowley Birkin QC

pburns wrote: »

The 'dog's' fault

I think technically it could also be the owners fault for not having control of their animal. Maybe also the drivers fault if there was carelessness, excessive speed etc.- a child could run out of nowhere just as easily.

I don't want to sound holier-than-thou - accidents happen, sometimes no-ones 'fault'. I just think the OP sounds a little callous re. the poor mutt!

Ok let me clarify, it's the owners responsibility to keep the dog in check but animals can also be pretty unpredictable. What I meant is its not as if the OP tried to knock down the dog. The dog ran out in front of him.

Tony Danza

Is the dog dead? What did you do with the body?

Ginger83

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes the dog is dead, killed instantly. And it is the owners responsibility to keep the dog under control and not have it out loose on a public road. I was travelling at approx 50mph,dark stretch of road in north Cavan. I was picking up pieces of my car off the road and 3 guys pulled up in a van telling me they could not see me the road was that dark. I had a white top on.

I would have liked to trace the owner for the damage but the dog had no collar and I'm pretty sure nobody was going to own up to owning it if they saw the damage it caused.The dog ended up on the grass verge on the opposite side of the road so I left it where it was.

As for how I came to the 2k figure. The dog weighed about 10 stone and I need a new front bumper,grill, drivers side headlamp,drivers side wing, bonnet needs to be straightened, the front right corner of the car will need to be pulled out. The washer bottle container is split, the towing eye is bent and the radiator is busted and leaking. All of the parts then need to be fitted and sprayed (metallic silver).

PS-I priced a new radiator in micks garage 248 euro without fitting, this is for a spurious radiator, I'm dreading going to price original toyota parts.

I suppose I am lucky in a way, I've heard of a young woman who's car was written off after hitting a dog. If people didnt let dogs run loose these accidents wouldn't happen, it could have caused a serious crash. And for the person who mention the speed I was travelling at- I pay roadtax every year to drive on public roads, I don't see dogs paying much. Did you know if during a driving test you swerve to avoid a dog you are automatically failed regardless of how well the rest of the test goes.

Darragh29

Tony Danza wrote: »

Is the dog dead? What did you do with the body?

A dog doesn't have a soul, so when he dies, you still call him "the dog"! I mean he doesn't have "a body" when he dies and the rest of him has gone off somewhere else!

peasant

Darragh29 wrote: »

A dog doesn't have a soul,

I'm severely tempted to throw you and that post to the hounds over to the animal & pets forum

snowman707

Ginger83 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.



I would have liked to trace the owner for the damage but the dog had no collar and I'm pretty sure nobody was going to own up to owning it if they saw the damage it caused.The dog ended up on the grass verge on the opposite side of the road so I left it where it was.

s.

No Collar, but maybe a micro chip.

A Vet would have a scanner to read it.

We have sheep killed by dogs a few years ago & managed to shoot a couple of the dogs.

one of the dogs had a chip & when the guards called to the owner, they found another dog which we had wounded but made it home.

CianRyan

Ok, seriously, let me get this straight in my head...


You killed some one's dog, and you were going to ask the owners for €2000?
:eek:

WHAT
THE
FCUK?!

Really, i think you're lucky you didn't find the owners.
I know what i'd of given you. Poor dog.

Bandara

CianRyan wrote: »

Ok, seriously, let me get this straight in my head...


You killed some one's dog, and you were going to ask the owners for €2000?
:eek:

WHAT
THE
FCUK?!

Really, i think you're lucky you didn't find the owners.
I know what i'd of given you. Poor dog.

The owners are legally required to pay. They are supposed to be in control of and supervise their animal. People could have been killed.

CianRyan

Imagine that was your dog, accidents happen and dogs can run out of houses and be hard to catch, bad enough worring about your dog with out some one coming along and saying "hey, i killed your dog, give me two grand."

Seriously messed up.
Anyway, i'm done talking about this one, it'll only kick off if i don't step out now.

Bandara

CianRyan wrote: »

Imagine that was your dog, accidents happen and dogs can run out of houses and be hard to catch, bad enough worring about your dog with out some one coming along and saying "hey, i killed your dog, give me two grand."

Seriously messed up.
Anyway, i'm done talking about this one, it'll only kick off if i don't step out now.

either way they are responsible and have to pay.

A dog is an animal, they come second to humans.

Fey!

@ Darragh29; I hit a fox at 100kph a couple of years ago, doing €2,500 (e39 BMW 520). A friend of mine hit a cat recently, causing over €1,000 worth of damage (e39 BMw 525M). Another friend destroed the bumper and radiator on an Audi A4 a few years ago when he hit a badger.

@ CianRyan; if an animal runs out in front of you, you are advised not to brake or swerve in case you lose control. Also, the animals owner is the person responsible, and are therefore responsible for any damage they cause, be it worrying sheep or getting hit by a car. If ou can't control the animal, you shouldn't have it (I feel the same way about a lot of parents with children, but that's a whole different issue).

As for leaving the carcass on the side of the road, have you ever tried shifting 10 stone of dead weight?

kravmaga

Ginger83 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes the dog is dead, killed instantly. And it is the owners responsibility to keep the dog under control and not have it out loose on a public road. I was travelling at approx 50mph,dark stretch of road in north Cavan. I was picking up pieces of my car off the road and 3 guys pulled up in a van telling me they could not see me the road was that dark. I had a white top on.

I would have liked to trace the owner for the damage but the dog had no collar and I'm pretty sure nobody was going to own up to owning it if they saw the damage it caused.The dog ended up on the grass verge on the opposite side of the road so I left it where it was.

As for how I came to the 2k figure. The dog weighed about 10 stone and I need a new front bumper,grill, drivers side headlamp,drivers side wing, bonnet needs to be straightened, the front right corner of the car will need to be pulled out. The washer bottle container is split, the towing eye is bent and the radiator is busted and leaking. All of the parts then need to be fitted and sprayed (metallic silver).

PS-I priced a new radiator in micks garage 248 euro without fitting, this is for a spurious radiator, I'm dreading going to price original toyota parts.

I suppose I am lucky in a way, I've heard of a young woman who's car was written off after hitting a dog. If people didnt let dogs run loose these accidents wouldn't happen, it could have caused a serious crash. And for the person who mention the speed I was travelling at- I pay roadtax every year to drive on public roads, I don't see dogs paying much. Did you know if during a driving test you swerve to avoid a dog you are automatically failed regardless of how well the rest of the test goes.

Did you weight the dog? Maybe he was 12 stone, how did you get a figure of 10 stone:D

Did you bury the dog at least, not a nice sight for children to see at the side of the road.

Caliden

This thread is starting to be almost as rediculous as the stuff you read in the pet forum.

The dog ran out in front of him, done damage to his car. Its the owners problem. End of.

Par72

Perhaps the dog doesn't have an owner, could be a stray or an abandoned dog. You're out of luck as much as if you hit a badger or a fox, they don't have owners either so no one can be held liable. Could be worse, could have been a big deer and you could have ended up seriously injured or dead.

awkward

Ahhh, the poor auld dog....

Voodoomelon

I don't think I could help but swerve at a dog. There was once a tiny bird sitting in the middle of the road when I was doing about 40-50kmph and my right front wheel was heading straight for it, he wasn't budging the tough little bugger.
I was saying aloud "he's not gonna move, he's not gonna move" and at the very last second I swerved to the right and let the car pass right over him, looked in the rear view mirror and there he was in the exact same place!

There was a lad coming towards me in a Corsa smiling at me, gave me the thumbs up.

Ginger83

Look guys,thanks for replies but before this blows in a blazing row I wanted to state a few points.

The people giving out about a driver asking an animal owner for repair costs obviously know nothing of the law. By taking ownership of an aminal you are solely responsible for that animal,be it dog,cat horse cow etc.
In this situation would you say ah the poor dog if it ran out and bit a lump out of your kid's leg???

The dog hadn't a collar, could have been chipped, doubt it, asked a few locals, nobody seemed or wanted to know about it.

10 stone? Anyone can judge the weight of a dog, its head was over my front bumper when I hit it. There is a difference in weight between the dog in the toilet roll ad and this, this dog was the size of a fully grown great dane, personally I'd say it was like an irish wolfhound.

And swerving? If I had have swerved right i was head on into a car, left and I was buried in a tree. Alot of people do not realise the dangers involved in swerving a car, it could have ended up on its roof, my partner was sitting beside me and I wasnt going to risk her life or another tax paying road user over a mutt. Whats done is done, the only colsulation to me is the git wont get the chance to cross another cars path again (definitely not mine anyway, not cleaning dog**** and blood off paintwork again)

Tony Danza

I feel sorry for the dog obviously, who doesn't and I understand why the owners should have to pay for your car. But I'm curious, if the dog was a kid, do the parents have to pay for damages? Or even just some guy, does their wife have to pay etc.? Wondering the legality of it, not the emotional aspect of your kid getting run over, because it doesn't take a genius to work that out.

Cookie_Monster

Tony Danza wrote: »

I feel sorry for the dog obviously, who doesn't and I understand why the owners should have to pay for your car. But I'm curious, if the dog was a kid, do the parents have to pay for damages? Or even just some guy, does their wife have to pay etc.? Wondering the legality of it, not the emotional aspect of your kid getting run over, because it doesn't take a genius to work that out.

The adult would be responsible for him/her self I presume so wife / husband / etc would have no responsibility. Dunno bout child as the parent should be responsible for them. I presume insurance companies have something to cover this eventuallity if the driver was not at fault, just hope you never have to be in that situation!

Drummerboy08

I hit a wasp once. Or it could have been a bee.

OP, get an estimate done, and put it through your insurance. Not really much else you can do, unless you find the dogs owners.

Rowley Birkin QC

CianRyan wrote: »

Imagine that was your dog, accidents happen and dogs can run out of houses and be hard to catch, bad enough worring about your dog with out some one coming along and saying "hey, i killed your dog, give me two grand."

Seriously messed up.
Anyway, i'm done talking about this one, it'll only kick off if i don't step out now.

Are you being serious?

Myself and the oul lad have had to bury two much loved family pets that got out in the rare occasion when a gate was left open and horribly mangled on the road, not a happy job at all. But as we were recovering the dogs remains from the road we were glad on both occasions that no-one had been killed or injured. Maybe it's because I'm from a farming background but it's much easier to accept the death of an animal, even a much loved family pet.

We had to pay for damage to one of the cars and the other driver had just kept going. That's the way it is.

Cookie_Monster

bigkev49 wrote: »

Maybe it's because I'm from a farming background but it's much easier to accept the death of an animal, even a much loved family pet.

+1, people do much emotion into animals (am guilty of it myself:)) but at the end of the day it's just a dog and it should have been your* responsibility to keep it safe / from affecting others. Would ye be as upset about the cow that was killed for your steak?

* not @ you Bigkev, just the general your

Raiser

Tony Danza wrote: »

Is the dog dead? What did you do with the body?

Someone got a new George Foreman Grill.......


To the misty-eyed animal lovers out there - a 10 stone dog roaming a public roadway is irresponsible, careless and downright dangerous.

Aside from his obvious habit of chasing a nice drink of engine coolant @ 50mph, Rover has just cost one man €2,000 and could have cost him a debilitating injury to boot....

- Some people are plain animal mad and painfully irritating with it; if he had chewed the face of a small child they'd accuse the Mother of having left jam there.....

gobschite

I dont believe the responses of some of the people here


My parents know some people whose child lost its eye due to their car hitting a dog, losing control, crashing etc.


Its a ****ing dog for gods sake. Its a stupid useless little organism which doesnt even have a damn soul.

OP, I would feel RIGHTLY pissed off with the dog and the owners, and im glad to hear that you are alright.



pfft what the hell is the world coming to, when a persons car is damaged, and people just whine about the dog....

Anan1

gobschite wrote: »

Its a ****ing dog for gods sake. Its a stupid useless little organism which doesnt even have a damn soul.

And a car does?

BlackWizard

gobschite wrote: »

....

gobsh*te.

Matt Simis

Perhaps someone can clarify something for me.

We had 2 dogs, one a beautiful 7mth old pup, biggish breed and loved to run around. One Saturday morning I got up, fed them and went back to bed for an hour.

We got a phone call 30min later that someone had seen our dog, dead at the side of the road. Couldnt believe it as I had let them out less than an hour previously and heard nothing (not from dogs escaping, barking etc). Sure enough, he had got out and very happy with himself ran around the field next to us, presumably got out of the field and rang along our quiet, country road (ie one or two cars per 30min at peak time) and got hit and killed by the first car that he met, about 3min from our house. He had (again presumably) been hit on the head (pool of blood on the road and from his ears) he was lying beside the road on the correct side in the grass verge, facing oncoming traffic. There were no marks on the road to indicate any accident or anything ajar.

Now it seems from the "scene" that he didnt run across the road as we all imagine dogs and cats to do and was trotting down the side of the road. It would seem that someone came too fast around the bend and either didnt see him at all (he wasnt small, white/fawn colour) or didnt brake or move or something.

From living here for a year now I know for a fact some people (usually Postmen and young lads in Civics and the like) tear up and down the road as its usually quiet and empty despite being dotted with family homes spaced by fields. I was told by a neighbour that I would be liable for damages to "whoevers" car (I accept this is the law, Im not questioning that). Ignoring the fact our zealous christian Motors board friends here claim dogs are soulless and therefore worthless... if I had been walking on the road and unable to "dodge" the car or a child had been on the road and unable to react, same car, same driver same general situation just by luck a human instead of a pet, who the bloody hell is responsible then? I think its damn lucky for some careless drivers that its just a dog.


PS: A 10stone (63kg) dog like the OP states is a giant breed like a Rottweiler, St Bernard etc. Kinda unlikely, but possible.. I dont think just "anyone" can estimate a dogs weight on looks, let alone someone with no experience of dogs.

peasant

You can argue about the responsibility of the driver all day long and list if's and but's until the cows come home.

At the end of the day it boils down to this though:

A responsible pet owner will keep their pet under supervision and away from the road. A responsible parent will do the same with their child.

Never mind the legalities of it all ...common sense dictates it.

Anan1

peasant wrote: »

You can argue about the responsibility of the driver all day long and list if's and but's until the cows come home.

At the end of the day it boils down to this though:

A responsible pet owner will keep their pet under supervision and away from the road. A responsible parent will do the same with their child.

Never mind the legalities of it all ...common sense dictates it.

Absolutely. I'd still be more upset about having killed a dog then I would about my damaged car, though.

thegen

As both a car owner and former dog owner you should have insurance for both I did, just in case he ran in front of a car or bit a child or did any sort of damage.

Responsible dog owners not only look after their dog but also ensure they have insurance to cover any accidenta he may cause.

So I'm with the driver on this one. Drk road, lucky he didn't see the dog early or it could have been him stuck in a ditch badly injured.

leitrim lad

buy a bottle of rad weld in your local motor/auto factor it will plug the rad warm up the car first and top up with that stuff when it gets around it will plug the hole,did you even try to resusitate the poor dog:eek:

Matt Simis

leitrim lad wrote: »

buy a bottle of rad weld in your local motor/auto factor it will plug the rad warm up the car first and top up with that stuff when it gets around it will plug the hole,did you even try to resusitate the poor dog:eek:

While I find the way he dismisses killing something as majestic and rare as an Irish Wolfhound disgusting and contemptible, lets be realistic, hitting a dog (or person) in the head at that speed with a 1.5ton+ object is going to cause fatal damage, there is no resusitation. The only humane and responsible thing to do is ensure its dead and not dieing and off the road (for the safety of other road users and sake of emotional impact on pedestrians).

alexmcred

My cousin while in Australia decided to go out on the piss ended up walking in front of a car and got knocked down and ended up with damaged hearing.

Expensive night on the piss as he had to pay for the damage to the car (and rightly so) and lost hearing in one of his ears (not nice).

In relation to the OP if he had of swerved and hit an on coming vehicle or person would you all be so concerned that the dog was hit then? He took the right course of action and sadly the dog died but how pissed would you be in his shoes that you would have to pay out for a lot of damage to your car

Ginger83

Anan1
You might think differently about killing a dog compared to damaging your car if you were facing a 2k bill because some fool allowed their dog to roam the open roads!!!

Matt Simis
On judging the weight of the dog I estimated the dogs length, height and size. To me it was 10 stone, possibly up to 12 stone. But thats coming from someone who has the chairman of the local gun club in the family and 14 hunting dog at the home-place, maybe I dont know much about dogs.
Also on viewing the damage done to my car- I need to replace the front bumper, grill, drivers side wing, have the drivers door and bonnet repaired, water bottle container replaced, radiator repaired or replacing, headlamp replaced and the whole lot sprayed, not to mention in my opinion I think the drivers corner of the car is pushed in- I'll see if I can post some pics and let people judge the dogs weight.

I also checked to make sure it was dead, as did the passer-by who stopped. I then proceeded to pick the remains of my car off the road in case the pieces damaged another car or punctured a tyre.

If people want to have a dog thats fine by me, as long as they keep it safely on their own property out of harms way. I could have went around the dog and killed someone, not to mention the dog attacking a child. I'm kinda happy I didnt trace the owner, I dont think I would have been able to contain my anger at his/her stupidity.

PS- I just had the lovely job of washing the dog's **** off the whole drivers side of my car, not to mention the blood.

Anan1

Ginger83 wrote: »

Anan1
You might think differently about killing a dog compared to damaging your car if you were facing a 2k bill because some fool allowed their dog to roam the open roads!!!

Like I said, i'd be a lot more upset about the dog.

Ginger83 wrote: »

But thats coming from someone who has the chairman of the local gun club in the family and 14 hunting dog at the home-place, maybe I dont know much about dogs.

I think you've unwittingly just hit the nail on the head.

DubTony

Tony Danza wrote: »

I feel sorry for the dog obviously, who doesn't and I understand why the owners should have to pay for your car. But I'm curious, if the dog was a kid, do the parents have to pay for damages? Or even just some guy, does their wife have to pay etc.? Wondering the legality of it, not the emotional aspect of your kid getting run over, because it doesn't take a genius to work that out.

If you ran over a kid, or even just some guy, would you have the balls to go and ask the parents / wife to pay for the damage to your car? Would it even occur to you?

By the way, as far as hitting animals goes, I'm a serial killer. A cat, 2 rats, a fox and a rabbit. I've also run over another fox (it got away :rolleyes:) and a cat that limped off into a field. The cow, I somehow managed to stop for. No dogs yet, but I'm working on it.

Matt Simis

Ginger83 wrote: »

Anan1
You might think differently about killing a dog compared to damaging your car if you were facing a 2k bill because some fool allowed their dog to roam the open roads!!!

Its unlikely anyone with an expensive and rare breed like you described lets their dog "roam the roads". Why do you assume this was the case? Most likely scenario its a show dog or pet that escaped, with little sense of the road. With working dogs in your background, I would have thought you would know this.
Without sounding too namby pamby, its fairly obvious some people value the dogs life higher than you do and you simply have no frame of reference for this, you seem them as tools, which ironically is what got damaged, a car. As much as I enjoy working on, owning and driving them, Cars are just a man-made lumps of metal and plastic, it can be fixed, its not unique, get over it.

Ginger83 wrote: »

Matt Simis
On judging the weight of the dog I estimated the dogs length, height and size. To me it was 10 stone, possibly up to 12 stone. But thats coming from someone who has the chairman of the local gun club in the family and 14 hunting dog at the home-place, maybe I dont know much about dogs.
Also on viewing the damage done to my car- I need to replace the front bumper, grill, drivers side wing, have the drivers door and bonnet repaired, water bottle container replaced, radiator repaired or replacing, headlamp replaced and the whole lot sprayed, not to mention in my opinion I think the drivers corner of the car is pushed in- I'll see if I can post some pics and let people judge the dogs weight.

Bizarre, this isnt a weight guessing competition, you really are clueless as to how badly you have portrayed yourself.

Ginger83 wrote: »

If people want to have a dog thats fine by me, as long as they keep it safely on their own property out of harms way. I could have went around the dog and killed someone, not to mention the dog attacking a child. I'm kinda happy I didnt trace the owner, I dont think I would have been able to contain my anger at his/her stupidity.

Great, the rest of us can have dogs, thanks.
Allowing a dog to run free on the roads is negligent and in some cases criminally negligent. No one is suggesting that. You damn well know that too. I also have no idea how you have gone from running down a dog on the road to "not to mention the dog attacking a child". You didnt run over the dog to stop it maiming some kid. Thats irrelevant conjecture. No one is suggesting you should have endangered people by madly swerving either.
The problem people have is your "tough-man" caviler attitude and your misplaced aura of victimisation. You could have been matter of fact about your incident and little would have come of it. You wanted to make a big fuss about it, job done.

Ginger83 wrote: »

PS- I just had the lovely job of washing the dog's **** off the whole drivers side of my car, not to mention the blood.

And why have you mentioned this (and similar) several times? I just dont get it, why do you keep trying to graphically explain the carnage left by your "kill"? Should we figuratively pat you on the back? Give you some tips on removing blood from our kills? Rant about dogs and other worthless vermin?