Lude Generation

Hi all, with all my boasting about the letter in CAR, I didn’t tell you about something that happened mere metres from my house, upon the return from Singapore last Sunday.
It had been a great drive actually, she ran exceptionally well and I had some fun outgunning a few idiots in Vellfires (surely the most arrogantly and dangerously driven vehicles on the road) as well as opening her up on a few stretches to kick in the VTEC.
Anyway, I’m driving back through the security gate into the compound and out of the corner of my eye, I saw two dogs running toward the central divider in the road. As I’ve just passed the security, I’m accelerating toward a T junction which is about 200 metres ahead of me but obviously, I’m not gunning it. The dogs disappeared from my peripheral vision then suddenly, bang, one of them, being chased by the other, ran right in front of me and I hit it.
It was bloody awful. It went under the car after I’d hit it and I just braked as hard as I could (God knows why, as I'd already heard the awful sound of it going underneath the car), and looked back to see if it had survived or not.
It seemed as though it was dazed but it was up and moving, which I was grateful for, but it didn’t look too healthy. As I’d stopped, I got out of the car but as the dog was now a fair way back, it ran/hobbled across a playground and out of sight.
As I was mere metres from the house, I drove the car back, pretty shaken, and parked up.
I don’t want to sound theatrical, but I really was shaking, and the first thing I did was grab a Tiger and gulped it down.
Then I had a look, with Linda’s help at the front of the car.

1: It looks like the passenger side spotlight is caved in, like the glass bit has come away from the surround
2: One of those ‘support’ things that keep the bumper together, may have cracked along the bottom edge.
3: The spotlight on the passenger side doesn’t work.
4: The light on the spotlight switch in the cabin isn’t working either.
5: The dipped beam of both headlights is not functioning but the main beams do work.

I don’t know if the dog clattered anything underneath but as Jason’s out of town till tomorrow, we haven’t been able to have a look.

Have you gents any ideas as to why the dipped headlights, passenger spotlight and switch light aren’t working?

As a footnote, I left my phone number and address with the security guards ,so if an owner comes forward, I’ll be able to explain what happened.

That must have been a pretty horrible experience. Very good of you to leave a note with the security guards and sorry to hear of the damage to the lude.

Re the foglight indicator not working on the switch, I suspect that is linked to one of the foglights itself not working. Fix that and I would expect the indicator to work again. Could just be a blown bulb in the foglight, as a result of being clouted, or if it has been pushed back, it could have snagged the wiring.

Re: headlights, does your lude have dim/dipped? (when sidelights are turned on, dipped beam would come on dimly)

Sorry to hear that Simon. The dog did well to come out the other side and hobble away, there's not much room under a lude

Sounds like a circuit has broken/shorted to me.

God what a crap experience, poor dog but also poor lude people should control there pets

Thanks lads, appreciate the feedback. When I got back last night, I asked at the guard house if anyone has come forward but no one has.
@wurlycorner,@NafemanNathan fingers crossed, Jason will be able to take a gander today, as he's back from his jolly. On the point regarding the headlights Iain, I may be wrong but when my sidelights are on, the dipped beam isn't on at all. I just hope it's a quick fix as last night I drove home with full beam on all the way back. Got a few irate flashes from those I blinded coming t'other way.
@JEBB4, yes mate, I agree. I still feel bloody awful about it.

That is grim.

I'd guess the lights problem is a wire jolted loose, as Nafe and Wurly suggest.

Ah OK if you didn't have dim/dipped then that rules our my thought there... (dim/dipped has a resistor pack inside the front bumper that could account for failure after being clouted by Fido). I don't understand what can be wrong with them, then, because the headlight wiring doesn't run across the front of the car

Just a quick update, lads. Jason's been up to his eyes in it since he got back, so my lights have been put at the bottom of the pile.
I'll be seeing him on Monday so I'll be able to give you the full SP from there. Have a great weekend.

Hi all, great news on the lights. All sorted. It's very interesting but the headlight problem was nothing to do with my coming together with Rover. It was a loose wire from the headlight fuses. Jason spotted it the moment he opened the bonnet and put a while new set of wires and fuses in for me. It's a remarkable coincidence and I'm glad I was alerted it albeit sorry I had to run into the dog to find out. The spotlight bulb had broken though so we bought a new set.
So here's the new wiring and fuses in place. All neatly cable-tied as well. Result.

Interior 'on light' now working.

Both spots working. Splendid.

Now I've a spare bulb.

Fully functional dipped headlights. Sorry, it's a bright day. Trust me, they're on!


I'm sorry that I led you up the garden path, guys It just seems pure coincidence that everything happened at the same time. Thanks as ever for your help.

Glad you're all sorted Simon

Any word on the dog owner... Or the dog itself?