Another Reason The Ls Is A Tank!

[jcrome04]

So I've had many a close encounter with the deer driving up the road to my house in the past, (3 miles up a mountain) but have never given my LS the chance to "see one up close".

On Saturday, July 19, 2008 at about 3-4pm PST one of these deerlings just couldn't resist the shine on my car, and decided to take a closer look.

Let me explain one thing first, there is NO shoulder, and 2 feet from the edge of the road is the forest.

So I was just cruising along at 40mph listening to my new cd (Tech N9ne - Killer) loving life, and ready to go home and relax before I go see the gf. when out of no where...

BAM!

There is a deer plowed into the front of my car looking right into my eyes! I slam on the brakes, the deer goes under my rolling fortress (thank God not over!) and I come to a stop.

"OH SH*T!!!!" Talk about having a wake-up call!

An oncoming motorist QUICKLY asks if i'm ok and runs to the deer's aid. Doesn't stop to actually SEE if I'm ok, or if my car is even still running.

I turn on my hazards and step out of the car, call my Dad.. "I just hit a deer! What do I do!" lol

I see the other motorist (more worried about the deer) pulling it into the ditch and caressing it's face, it was still squirming a little bit, poor fella.

So I walk around to take a look at the damage thinking... "D*mn this is going to SUCK!" ready to have myself a stroke.

A little paint scraped off, small bend in my hood, headlight shoved back, snapped up grill and a big old wad of deer crap plastered on my headlight and into my grill.

Wow I was so suprised, I plowed into this creature going 40mph and the only problem is a bent back headlamp??? Wow...

Turns out the headlight just snapped off of it's brackets, so I plastic-welded it back together, snapped the grill slats back into place, and bent my hood back down a smidge.

And let me say this was no TINY deer by any means. I'd say a nearly full grown doe in it's late teens. ha

So my opinion of the LS being a tank has just further proven itself, considering most other vehicles would have been completely TOTALED!!! Here's a picture of the damage!

So I'm sitting there with one entire headlamp assembly off, and it's reminds me of something.... I notice that the headlamp that is off is the passenger one...right in front of the air filter....so you KNOW what I had to do while waiting for the plastic weld to dry! B)

Your BFI's ain't got NOTHIN on this!!! This is the master of all intakes. The "JCrome" intake mod. For gratuitous amounts of fresh and cool air, deliverable upon request. I boosted it around town a little bit, and WOW this thing just screams!! I loved it!

But alas, all good things must come to and end. I return to my shop, and reinstall my headlamp assembly.

Here's the finished product

So my question to you friends is.....

What deer???? ;)

[dcfish]

Glad everything turned out OK, The LS is a tank for sure, So well built. Happy to hear that you are fine also. Venison anyone ?

[python]

boy u got lucky!

[Alexander the o.k.]

2001

1am

Returning home. Cruising at 65 on a 4 lane divided highway. Without warning-BAM! Just like you J, except mine was a multipoint buck. Saw him for maybe 1/16 of a second before the airbag deployed.

Sonofabyotch! is all you can say. Later, I fgured he was running full tilt- probably 30+ mph-straight into an oncoming car! Anyway, pulled over, and got out, mostly to let the airbag dust clear out of the car, looked at the hood. Crumpled up at a 45* angle. It is now 1.5 feet higher than it should be. Hard to see over. I'm 25 miles from home, in the middle of nowhere. Dark night, and think: sh*t, this car is totaled, probably leaking coolant. And yep, there's a spot forming on the ground.

Shi%! What can I do? Not a thing. Might as well get back in, and drive and watch the temp gauge, and see how far she'll get me. Got home, no prob.

Drove like smooth silk all the way home, like nothing happened. Had it close to 60!

$8,700 in damage.

Thankfully ,insurance covered it.

Hit a 300 lb buck at 65 in anything less than an ls400, and well....good luck and possibly, goodbye. It's like hitting a brick wall.

Lexus did a good job restoring it, and it drove/ drives like nothing ever happened.

Had I been driving a prius, or a 'Smart' car, I would be typing this from the grave.

What a tank.

The LS is an amazing automoblie.

[90LS400Lexus]

Well, dont leave us in suspense... what happened to the deer?

I seen one on a local highway today that had been hit.

Glad everything turned out ok- at least for you and your car.

[JENunnez]

Glad everything turned out ok, at that moment that's the worst feeling. But all things pass.

And what happened to the deer?

[UCF3]

Glad to hear everything turned out fine. I on the other-hand was not as lucky with my SC this past Memorial Day weekend. Kid deer too. damaged my fibreglass front end.

[jasond86]

i love these cars.

just remember it could be worse, my friend was hit BY A DEER while driving his mom's miata. no, he didnt hit one, it hit him.

a lil baby deer runs across the road, he slams on his brakes in time and stops.

as he's sitting there in a cloud of tire smoke, he realizes the 1st deer was running b/c it was being chased by a very large deer.

this large deer of course didnt have time to stop and plows into the side of his convertible, hits his door, does a flip over the car,

NAILS MY FRIEND IN THE FACE AND BREAKS HIS NOSE, and lands on the other side of the car dead, leaving piles of deer hair in the car and 5k worth of damage

at which point i told him... he shoulda got a lexus

[raymsixsix]

That's amazing JC! Glad to hear you're ok and that your damage was minimal. We have deer here in Florida, but I have never seen one on the road. I lived in Albany, NY for a summer and I would always see deer crossing the Thruway or running along side it. Occassionally I'd see them dead on the side of the road

[jcrome04]

Thanks everyone for the concern! I'm sure if the deer were just a bit shorter it may have set off my air bags from a straight bumper shot.

Everything on this vehicle is just stiffer than hell. I'm still shocked that the hood wasn't bent up out of shape big time or anything. The grill is still even in one piece!

As for the deer, it either crawled into the woods, or somebody came to get it for the meat because it's not in the ditch where that guy left it.

[eatingupblacktop]

i love these cars.

just remember it could be worse, my friend was hit BY A DEER while driving his mom's miata. no, he didnt hit one, it hit him.

a lil baby deer runs across the road, he slams on his brakes in time and stops.

as he's sitting there in a cloud of tire smoke, he realizes the 1st deer was running b/c it was being chased by a very large deer.

this large deer of course didnt have time to stop and plows into the side of his convertible, hits his door, does a flip over the car,

NAILS MY FRIEND IN THE FACE AND BREAKS HIS NOSE, and lands on the other side of the car dead, leaving piles of deer hair in the car and 5k worth of damage

at which point i told him... he shoulda got a lexus

A couple of years ago, near Bracebridge, north of Toronto, two OPP cops responding to a call were driving down a country road at night. They hit a moose head on and were both killed instantly. I heard a report on the radio that this season has seen heavier roadkill than usual. Apparently it's due to the bugs. It's been a bad season for deer flies and mosquitos. The animals look for open spaces to escape them. That's why so many head for the highways. They're fleeing the tiny monsters in the forest.

[ED.]

Glad you're ok, Tech! Very minimal damage, that's really good.

You have to feel sorry for what you hit. One day I was heading to my Grandmas and compared to where I live her area is still the country even though it's all subdivision now but I saw a possum or something that must of gotten run over seconds before I passed him and it was squirming around and there was blood all over. I felt really bad and I was just passing by! You'd rather them be dead then alive and in pain.

My buddy hit a deer sometime back. Here is how his 750 faired...

He got it all fixed up and new parts and trim all over. He was ok and his car is cool. The deer though....