Road Debris - Damage behind front bumper

'03 Jetta TDI

So some @#%&$ decided to leave a 10' section of narrow steel pipe in the freeway this afternoon and I found it. A car next to me hit it first and popped it up in the air so I didn't run over it, but into it. It knocked out all 3 of the small grilles in the front bumper (or skirt?). That is the easy part. Behind the small side grille on the driver's side I saw some internal damage (see the bad cell phone pic below). In the center of the pic is a black fiberglass (I think) piece with a rounded corner. Or it use to be rounded until it busted off. I'm just getting into the DIY stuff and my Bentley is packed away in storage as I just finished moving. Any idea if this damage is anything more than topical? I'm going to change clothes and go crawl around to see if I can figure out what the piece is, but I thought I'd ask here so people that have a clue could take a look. TIA.

I would call my Ins. agent it should all be covered under the comp part of your ins. And it should not cause your rates to go up if you have a decent Co. I had 3 not at fault accidents 2 years ago, a stolen SUV ran a light and ran over me and 2 other cars my car was 11000$ in damages alone, then the body shop left a tool in the engine bay which fell down between the transmission case and the inner CV joint putting a hole in the tranny case 1900$, then a month later a rock broke my windshield. 500$ My INS. has gone down the last two years since all this happened by almost 200$. So it never hurts to give them a call.

it's kinda hard to tell from that pic, but i think tht is just some damage to the side skirt on the drivers side? right behind the horns? sucks you took a hit.

I agree. I took a look this morning after the fog lifted and I think it is just a mounting piece on the skirt. Since I have a $500 deductible on comprehensive, I think I'll leave it be and just replace the grilles. It looks like there is some type of intake on the passengers side, probably for the intercooler? So I want to get the grill on ASAP so nothing blows into it. I'm going to get my Bentley tomorrow afternoon so I can have a picture to look at and make sure nothing else is damaged. Thanks for the help fellas.

cool. i think you are alright.
the intercooler is on the passenger side. i am glad that didn't get smacked. would be bigger job then.

I'd check the radiator closely while you're poking around.

The radiator got dinged a little bit, but it just bent a few fins in about a quarter sized area. It should be fine. I'll watch the coolant level and the temp for the next couple weeks to be sure though.