2600 miles on a 2008 turbo and I hit a raccoon a few weeks back and it did some major damage to the passenger side front bumper area. The raccoon took out my ac grill and radiator grill on that side. So I ordered and replaced these parts on my own and I am pretty technically savvy. With the car finally assembled and back to working condition I finally took it out for a drive and when I came back home I noticed steam rising from front of the bumper. the weather is around 43 degrees and it rained. I can see steam coming from my mouth as I am breathing. Is it normal to see this steam come from the front of the bumper? I don't remember seeing this much steam before. I checked the radiator tank and it was a bit low on coolant so I added until it was between the min and max lines. I will keep an eye out for any coolant leak in the morning/drop in coolant level. Am I losing it or is this a common thing to see on these cars? I have attached a photo to show you the steam arising from the front of the car. It's kind of hard to see since steam is somewhat transparent, but you can see the amount of water vapors that has accumulated on the front of the bumper (left, center, right).
Any help will greatly be appreciated.

 

It's probably antifreeze. I should have a distinctive odor.

 

It looks normal to me. You do you have radiators up there that will give off steam from the cold air as it gets warm.

I had it on my car many times this winter season.

 

My car does it all the time, but given your history double dog check your hoses and install.

 

Must be a 997 thing. Never had it on my car. Probably rain water on a hot radiator causing this.

 

Looks like you may have been driving in a cold rain in which case some steam should be normal. But as Chris suggested keep an eye on your coolant level until you're sure you're not leaking fluid from somewhere.

 

Coolant has lubricants/corrosion inhibitors that make it have a sweet odor. Smell the steam next time you see it. When the dealer replaces a radiator they should be using a tool that puts the entire cooling system under vacuum, then they open a valve that allows the vacuum to draw in coolant. This not only gets rid of air pockets, but also by putting the system under vacuum it checks for potential leaks. You only replaced cosmetic parts correct? Keep an eye on your level and engine temp and you should be fine until you are certain of no rad damage.