[checkm8]

(Posted here and in the first gen forum)
My precious Mini was in an accident this morning after someone turned left into my lane . There was no room and in fact she was hit a second time by a vehicle to my right. No-one was hurt but my Mini has some serious damage. The passenger front corner is completelly crushed in to the tire and the hood is slightly out of alignment. Also a minute later, a huge Ram truck "rammed" my poor Mini sitting their with it's emergency flashers-a-flashing . This second hit crushed the rear passenger corner to match the front. Two collision in 2 minutes and now I need some advice.

1) The front bumper and lights need replacing...what would you do if you had the chance to change the look. Light options? grill options?

2) hood/bonnet options? is carbon fiber available..too gaudy?

3) rear lights? rear bumper options? they need replacing. LCD?

4) for us locals, what are the excellent top end repair shops in Calgary? I heard Maranello auto refinishing does BMW body work. Comments? I am concerned about any structural alignment issues as I doubt the insurance company will write off the vehicle and will force any repairs.

This is for a 2006 Checkmate JCW edition. I hope in a few days to at least hear what the damage is and from there see if I can make the best of this bad luck by upgrading where I can.

Thanks for your advice

[RS3TURN]

I highly recommend Maranello. It is worth the wait to get in.
It is the only place in the city I would take my care for collision repair work.

[Ferroequine]

Sorry to hear about the accident. That really sucks. Glad that you're ok though.

Seconded on Maranello. They'll put your baby right again.

You could go for the JCW front and rear bumpers. Shouldn't be too much more than regular ones.

[faster,Tobias!]

Quote: Originally Posted by checkm8 (original)

(Posted here and in the first gen forum)
My precious Mini was in an accident this morning after someone turned left into my lane . There was no room and in fact she was hit a second time by a vehicle to my right. No-one was hurt but my Mini has some serious damage. The passenger front corner is completelly crushed in to the tire and the hood is slightly out of alignment. Also a minute later, a huge Ram truck "rammed" my poor Mini sitting their with it's emergency flashers-a-flashing . This second hit crushed the rear passenger corner to match the front. Two collision in 2 minutes and now I need some advice.

1) The front bumper and lights need replacing...what would you do if you had the chance to change the look. Light options? grill options?

2) hood/bonnet options? is carbon fiber available..too gaudy?

3) rear lights? rear bumper options? they need replacing. LCD?

4) for us locals, what are the excellent top end repair shops in Calgary? I heard Maranello auto refinishing does BMW body work. Comments? I am concerned about any structural alignment issues as I doubt the insurance company will write off the vehicle and will force any repairs.

This is for a 2006 Checkmate JCW edition. I hope in a few days to at least hear what the damage is and from there see if I can make the best of this bad luck by upgrading where I can.

Thanks for your advice

Wow. Sorry to hear about the accident, glad you are alright. Regarding the bumpers, as Vee states, now would be the time to consider the JCW aerokit. A customer of mine had a bump last year and needed a new bumper skin; I found the JCW front apron on-line for $450 or so, which is very reasonable. I imagine that the rear apron would be priced accordingly. For grills have a look at the ones that M7 carry - I had the silver mesh grill on on Tobias. Nothing gaudy about CF, but a quality bonnet seems to run around $2000 - I don't know how much a stock bonnet costs, but if it is close I would definately go the CF route, and it can always be painted if you don't want the CF look.
Maranello is the shop that Crowfoot use for all their work, and they also do a lot of other high priced cars - Lambo's, Ferraris, et al.
Good luck with it!

[beken]

Sorry to hear about the accident. Good to know you're okay.

I can't help on a good body shop in Calgary, but I second MINIVee's call for the JCW aerokit. I understand it's actually functional....oops...you car is already a JCW. How about adding a front lower lip spoiler...like the M7, Strabentech or Hamann piece?

Personally, I would avoid the carbon fiber bonnet. Seems too ricey for me, though some would argue the weight saving is significant, I would also consider what it might do to handling due to changes in front rear balance of the car.

[British SD]

Sorry to hear about your bang up. You have a great car. I had the same happen to me last month (someone failed to yield and turned in front of me) $3,400 damage on mine. Theirs a write off!

Was this around john laurie and charleswood? I saw one that had been banged up badly there.

Apparently Gerry at Maranello is the way to go but takes a while. I got a quote a couple of weeks ago anf they can't get me in until February 19th.

[dorkboy]

I was at Maranello today, because I got rear ended on sunday. We were both at a red light and he lost his attention and let go of the brakes. So it was just a nudge, all I see is clear coat scratch. Maranello is booking for March now, and there were 2 other MINI's there. 1 silver that looked fine and a poor red S that had some front end damage.

Well there's my small tidbit