jrupp

I was driving this morning and a black cat ran out in front of my SL550. I heard the thump as I hit him, there was not time to do anything. Not a great way to start the day. About ten minutes later a guy pulled up beside me and said, "Do you know you have a black cat stuck to your grill?" Sure enough, the cat's head had gone through the lower grill and his legs were splayed on the front of the car. I had to pull over and dislodge the cat. He broke the lower plastic grill, which seems to have affected the "safe distance" assist function. I cannot disable it.

I can live without that but I have a couple of questions. First, where is the best place to buy a replacement grill and can I replace it myself. Second, any idea of the cost to get everything up and running again?

Thanks for any input or guidance...

"
"

.LMS.

Hit a black cat? Busted grill is now the least of your problems!

whiteongrey

Try car-part.com or aftermarket mod if want to save money.

decorily

How's the cat?

crconsulting

Lower grille, non AMG part number: 231-885-31-23. $58.96 at mboemparts.com (assuming your talking about lower grille)
You should be able to swap that yourself. Sounds like you may have some debris in there or may have damaged the front sensor since you’re getting a Distronic error. Inspect carefully, it may have damaged some wiring.

Nah, he’s good, the black cat didn’t actually CROSS his path, it was a little short

Utopia Texas

Why didn’t the stop assist kick in and save the cat?😊

jrupp

This is why I love this site. Thank you. It is a non-AMG SL with the AMG wheels, etc. Does that matter? There is a good bit of cat hair in the grille but nothing gooey. I'm not a big cat lover but feel very badly for taking him out. Happened so fast I didn't even get to the brakes. Can't believe I drove so long with him fully embedded in the grille...like many of you, I take pride in my SL. Nonetheless, that must have been quite a site.

crconsulting

When you say “ grille” I’m assuming the lower grille in front of the oil cooler. Since it was a cat, I’m also assuming it was low to the ground.
If it’s the upper grille (where the star is). That’s a different part number. Also your Distronic sensor is behind that MB star. If that’s the case, you’ll want to inspect & clean that area.

upper grille PN # 231-888-02-60 (if you don’t have night vision)


Good Luck!