Hit a squirrel, Broke my grill

[Burrito]

So a squirrel dove into my grill at about 60mph, wasn’t able to avoid it. Seems like the grill “grates” are part of the bumper and all are crack completely. Anything I can do to fix this. Seems very costly to have a bumper replaced (also have xpel ppf on the bumper) just for this. Gorilla glue?
Also, how can I check if there is any squirrel left over behind the louvers that auto open and close, or damage to the mechanism itself.

the column circled is all snapped. The highlight part is actually attached to the lip, also cracked.

After a quick rinse.

 

[Rojer Lockless]

Murderer!!!!! naaa jk. Just a rat with a fuzzy tail .

 

[pl8dlikafiddle]

Honestly, it doesn’t look too bad. I’d give bending it back and glue a shot first. If you use super glue, go light on it - use a toothpick or something to apply.

The grill did its job. Looks like the automatic damper fins were not damaged.

 

[yerEVan]

This title could have been worded better...

Hit a squirrel, Broke my Girl.

I like rhymes.

 

[WilliamG]

This title could have been worded better...

Hit a squirrel, Broke my Girl.

I like rhymes.

Maybe in America. My British upbringing is like, eh?

 

[flyingowl]

Wow, that nuts !!!

 

[MacGreiner]

This title could have been worded better...

Hit a squirrel, Broke my Girl.

I like rhymes.

Never heard it called a squirrel before.

 

[SSedan]

Gorilla glue superglue is pretty good.
Going to want to use a cyanoacrylate glue like superglue for this not a traditional gorilla glue.

 

[afadeev]

So a squirrel dove into my grill at about 60mph, wasn’t able to avoid it. Seems like the grill “grates” are part of the bumper and all are crack completely. Anything I can do to fix this. Seems very costly to have a bumper replaced (also have xpel ppf on the bumper) just for this. Gorilla glue?

Depending on how ghetto you want to go with this (and how handy you are) your range of repair choices could start with duck tape, then progress to plastic glues, epoxies, and finally, a new bumper.

This is a crappy area on which to work, with minimal access. If you want near-perfect DIY results, I would remove the bumper first, put it on a work table, and proceed from there.

If that sounds like too much excitement, than order a new bumper from Tesla SC, and pay them to install it. I think it's somewhere around $350, so likely will fall below your insurance deductible.

Also, how can I check if there is any squirrel left over behind the louvers that auto open and close, or damage to the mechanism itself.

Either put the car on a lift, remove the under-tray, and poke around.
Or remove the bumper.

Or wait a few days, and see how it smells !

a

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Don't waste it - 5 Great Squirrel Recipes You Won't Be Able to Resist

Also I think your car has earned this:

 

[Burrito]

Can I see that area if I remove the frunk liner? How involved is pulling the bumper off. It’s a pita area to get to. I’ll try superglue in small amounts first. Seems like just the grill was hit, I guess the little rat was mid hop and cleared the lower lip.

 

[SSedan]

There are no chunks behind, would be more mess if there was.

 

[StellarRat]

The squirrel is clearly at fault. Did you see if it has insurance?

 

[RayK]

The squirrel is clearly at fault. Did you see if it has insurance?

He won't. Only geckos carry insurance.

 

[M109Rider]

How did a squirrel get that high on the grill ?

 

[Burrito]

How did a squirrel get that high on the grill ?

Mid hop? My car is lowered too

 

[Burrito]

update:

the weather was nicer here in NJ this weekend and i was able to get a closer look at the grill/louvers.

question 1) if i take the bumper off, is the grill actually a separate piece i can buy from tesla and replace.

question 2) my left louvers are curved in likely from the impact and im pretty sure do not open since, the right side is flat (normal looking). is there a way i can test the opening and closing and anyway to access the louvers without removing the bumper? i may be able to push the louvers back in place.

EDIT: found a parts catalog- i am assuming the parts are separate from the bumper (grill specifically) and can be ordered directly by part number?

ill get a photo later today, here are parts photos

the highlighted part seems out of its place causing the inverse bend in the louvers

 

[JTesmod3]

Damn that squirrel!

 

[PoitNarf]

 

[texas_star_TM3]

Mid hop? My car is lowered too

reason #54 against lowering an already quite low car ...

i hit a squirrel last year but it went under the car without hitting the front bumper before darting under rear tire...