Model 3 vs Deer

[tigger2]

I can't speak for the OP, but Autopilot definitely does NOT see NJ deer.
I've almost taken out one earlier this spring (had to brake and swerve behind it onto the shoulder), during the mating season. That was soon after I got the TM3, when I still had way too much trust in AP.

Not detecting wildlife is one of numerous AP limitations.
Adjust your expectations and behavior patterns accordingly.

Thanks for the confirmation. That has been my experience as well that Autopilot doesn't handle erratic deer.

 

[tigger2]

I found the one body shop in Garner, NC that is certified to work on the Tesla's. I'll be going there tomorrow to get an estimate on the repair.

 

[dendenyc]

Lol @ deer fur in the headlights

 

[TomHudson]

Yow. A friend's wife hit a deer in her 3 a couple of months ago and must have hit it at a much higher speed -- her front end was seriously messed up, frunk lid flipped up -- I don't think it was driveable. Took about 7 weeks to get all the parts in. Glad you're OK.

I figured the deer was toast the way it flew through the air after that impact -- amazed that it got back up!

 

[FurryOne]

Glad you're ok, but this incident doesn't speak too highly for the 3's ability to detect moving objects in front of it. If it can't detect something a big as a deer how would it detect a human running?

 

[Kado]

Underwear. Most likely going to need to replace those.

 

[tigger2]

Estimate from Gerber was $3100. This would entail a new fender that would need to be painted and blended into the drivers side door. They would repair and paint the bumper and replace the light. I corresponded with Tesla and I'll check with them next week to see if they can replace the panels.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

How did it taste? Looked like it was pretty young, so it wouldn't be tough.

I recommend this recipe..

Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin with Garlic Cream Sauce Recipe

 

[VT_EE]

On my drive home last night, I had an encounter with a deer. Aside from the cosmetic items I know that will need to be replaced and painted, any thoughts on what else may have been damaged behind the front bumper?

Wow! That thing went flying! Glad nobody was hurt (other than the deer of course).

 

[Kleenerth3]

Holy cow,

Damn... I'm glad it wasn't!

 

[Pgetzen]

Autopilot was not on on this drive. As soon as I saw the deer, I was applying full braking and had slowed down to about 10-15 mph when I hit the deer. The deer on the other hand was at a full sprint which propelled it through the air that far. The Model 3 was perfectly stable stopping. I just needed another few feet.

I was guessing it'll be $3-4k to fix it. My deductible isn't bad. It'll just be a bit of an effort to find a auto body shop in Durham / Raleigh, NC that'll wok on it. I'll start looking for them Monday unless anyone else has experience with a good shop in this area.

Please post if you find a good shop. I’m in the same area so would be good to know if there is a good shop in case something happens in the future. Thanks.

 

[tigger2]

Please post if you find a good shop. I’m in the same area so would be good to know if there is a good shop in case something happens in the future. Thanks.

Interestingly, I was corresponding with a Tesla Body Shop Advocate and he recommended I stop by the Raleigh Service Center and let them look at the damage that they may be able to repair it. So, I stopped by this morning and they indicated that the only issue with repairing it is that they would need to weld the fender onto the car. They discussed and indicated that they could sub that portion of the work out and do the rest. They are preparing a quote which I should have tomorrow. This would be using pre-painted fender and bumper for the repair which I prefer to a shop blending the paint into other panels. That could be fine, but it always seems like the body shops can never quite align the metallic paint to look like the factory paint. Stay tuned.

 

[KenC]

Glad you're ok, but this incident doesn't speak too highly for the 3's ability to detect moving objects in front of it. If it can't detect something a big as a deer how would it detect a human running?

The deer was running full-speed across the car's field of vision, not exactly an easy thing to detect. There was a recent video posted of the European NCAP crash tests that I saw that showed the Tesla passed the pedestrian walking test, when driving 18mph, and the cyclist test at 36mph. I was surprised as that's better than I expected. Found the video:

 

[smartypnz]

I give it 8.2 which includes 0.5 for the landing....

The Russian judge gave it 4.1

 

[ngogas]

ouch... glad you are ok.

 

[Kleenerth3]

Ok. So, there's so many things that a model 3 can do extremely well but a meat tenderizer is a new one...
Glad you're ok and good luck with repairs.

 

[TechnoDarkOne]

On my drive home last night, I had an encounter with a deer. Aside from the cosmetic items I know that will need to be replaced and painted, any thoughts on what else may have been damaged behind the front bumper?

[/QUOTE

Wow, that's a wild dashcam video. Glad everyone was ok. I can only imagine the damage to both the car and animal if you were going faster. It definitely could have been a lot worse.

If you do file an insurance claim, I've learned first hand that a minor accident reported by CarFax will lower the resell / trade-in value by approximately $2K.

 

[KenC]

just be careful with eating venison now, because there's alot of that prion disease

 

[Artax]

At least your dash cam worked... I hit a Black Bear this morning; as usual, the dash cam video wasn't working...

 

[tigger2]

M3 went into the Raleigh SC for repair. Insurance all worked out. Estimated to be complete by end of next week. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I'm driving my old 87 Mercedes 300SDL. I'll need to remember that the acceleration is significantly different.