Fender

A big animal (dog?), sadly, leaped over the median this evening on our way home and collided with our car. I think it struck a glancing blow, so I hope everything turns out all right...it was not a place to stop, unfortunately, and in the dark of night I did not get a good sense of what fully happened. I only remember something leaping over a median as we drove uphill...thinking, ah, I hope that represents a garbage bag...seeing the leaping outstretched legs, and a glancing thud.

Unfortunately for our car, the animal shattered the driver-side turn-signal cover and dented and bent the driver-side fender. The driver-side door will not open, so I will likely need to get a sense of how to repair it in the near future. The headlamp I can manage easily enough on my own.

UPDATE: visited Pick 'n Pull today and purchased a replacement driver-side turn signal assembly. Some other car repairs today: replaced the driver-side main bulb; swapped out wiper blades; re-installed cabin kick panels; replaced worn clutch pedal cover; sprayed lithium grease on the door hinges and automatic seat belt tracks; cleaned the oxidized plastic of the headlamp assemblies; added door ajar switch cover to the passenger side door. I also straightened out the driver-side fender near the door so I could open the door again. Still have a salad-plate sized dent in the driver-side fender, but I can wait on that for a moment until I have some time to take it in to a body shop. I briefly considered visiting all four local Pick 'n Pull locations today, but decided I did not want to spend the several hours it would take to do so.

Also: the car passed 225,000 miles today  : o )

Reminder: double-check the last time I changed the timing belt : o |

UPDATE: the nice thing about keeping an AUTO binder of all repair work: I last changed the timing belt in July 2010, at mileage 188,000. So, will have to change when it gets to about 250,000 miles.