[goobot]

Got my beautiful EB/B MCS just a few weeks ago. She's been an absolute joy.

Driving home from work last Thursday I got forced off the road by a truck going opposite direction from me, left of center. My back end steps out on the grass, and WHAM, my right rear wheel hits a boulder some thoughtful property owner has seen fit to place just off the road. Must've been going about 20 or 30 mph when I hit. Airbags went off and everything.

Of course the truck didn't stop.

The car is just 3 weeks old, and isn't even past the break-in period. I honestly don't know whether to cry or go postal.

It could've been much worse, had I hit the thing head on I can't even think of how bad the damage would be. As it is, the rear suspension is totally misaligned (the rear wheels are offset to the left by a good 3 or 4 inches). The right rear quarterpanel looks a bit pushed to the left as well, just a bit as compared to the door. All the other seams look OK, but the sunroof makes a horrible "clacking" sound when closing now. No sheetmetal damage though, which is good. And, most importantly, no injuries, can't lose sight of that.

I had MINI flatbed the car back to the dealer the night it happened, but they've been closed because of the 4th of July. Hopefully I get some info tomorrow, and the insurance company will get an adjustor out ASAP so we can start the road to recovery.

I worry the car will never be "the same." Hopefully they can straighten the body and just fix or replace the suspension... but who knows what other damage may have occured.

Just wanted to vent. Thanks for reading.



-gb

[AprilWhine]

I'm sorry for what happened to your baby! I don't know if it's any consolation or not, but usually if the airbags deploy, the car is totaled.

[shkeller55]

I agree, with the airbags deployed and the type of suspension damage you described I wouldn't be surprised if they total it. Your ABS system could be damaged as well, and when that happened to my wife's van they told us they couldn't just fix it, everything had to be replaced, and it was so expensive they just totaled it. The guy at the body shop told me insurance companies often don't want to even try to put a vehicle back on the road if the ABS system has been damaged due to liability concerns.

[stryder]

When my MINI was at Classic's repair shop, (I'm sure they rememeber it, it was Indi + White) and the airbags went off, the adjuster said it was $2500 just to replace the airbags... The car ended up being totalled, for what looked like not very much damage.

Best of luck whatever happens, and let us know. Remember, cars can be replaced or fixed, people can't.

[JugMan]

I wonder with that kind of impact if that could've bent the chassis at all? I've heard great reports on the chassis durability, but I'd be interested to know.

[Martin L]

To bad to hear about this
From the sounds of it the chassis could have been damaged but if you take it to a reputable repair shop they will check for chassis misalignment.

I hope everything is sorted quickly.

[goobot]

Thanks for the responses and well wishes.

The body shop was open today and they quickly looked it over. They confirmed the damage I already knew about, but can't dig into it further until the insurance adjustor gives them the OK to proceed.

Talking to the service guy at the body shop he thought it unlikely the car would be totaled. Even worst case, he felt the damage would be under $10k to fix (well under the threshold for totaling out the car). I'm not sure if that's good news or bad.

He also said it could take several weeks to repair it because parts have to come from overseas and are difficult to get quickly. Another long wait, arghh.

I did talk to the insurance adjustor, he said he'd get out to look at it tomorrow, so hopefully I'll know more soon. I'll keep y'all posted.

-gb

[EBMCS03]

Ouch... I'm sorry to hear that... Hope you hear better news when the insurance adjuster comes out.

[jrrhwang81]

awwwww son of a *******!
Describe that truck, and please let it be like... an SVT lightning with some totally off color. You didnt get a look at his plates, huh? Can't believe that truck didnt stop.
I'm really sorry to hear about the mini. We probably picked up our cars a few hours apart.
Hope everything turns out well

[gtshnzr]

The heck with the truck, go back and get the plate number of the numb-nutz homeowner who placed the rocks/boulders in what is likely the right-of-way. Most towns (our does)have ordinances against people putting obstructions in the right-of-way for this very reason ... obstructions impair the safety run off that the extra space is there to provide.

[leech]

Hi Goobot, mine not much better. Took delivery of my Mini One and engine stalled on the very first night in the middle of the road! Dealer blamed it on the computer system in the car the next day and had the system 'reset'. Till now, the petrol consumed by my car is monstrous! And am bringing it back to be checked again... Can anyone believe I only managed 15 MPG (US)!!!! Thanks for reading.

[Smokey 4]

A friend came back from a recent trip and had smilar damage. Hit a 4x4x? piece of wood on the road doing about 70 at night! Ran over it with left side tires, rear end went airborne, 2 of the airbags on the left side deployed (seat and roof), all 4 tires replaced and rims replaced on that side . Just sorting out items now with the dealer and body shop. He might be willing to describe his experiences, he a little reserved so I'll ask.

[LJ in NC]

Hmmm… I think Smokey means me. I looked away from the road, then back just in time to see a 4x4 (the sort used to secure loads on flatbed trailers) just in front of the car. The right front wheel hit the board, then the rear wheel hit it on the way down. Both right-side tires and the right rear wheel were destroyed and the right-side curtain and seat airbags went off. A BMW dealer installed new tires and one new wheel the next morning. They also realigned all four wheels, but found no safety problems.

Once home, the passenger’s-side seat back (including air bag) was replaced, as was the curtain airbag, the roof liner, the electronic control units, etc. The deflated tire destroyed the plastic wheel-well liner, too, and the impact bent the right tailgate hinge, causing a very small amount of paint chipping around the tailgate.

The 4x4 was smaller than your rock, Goobot, but I was going a bit faster. So far, the bills total almost $4,000, with only the tailgate hinge replacement and paint work left to do. The car seems otherwise unharmed and I have faith that it will return to before-accident condition.

“Just be thankful you weren’t hurt” is small solace at the moment, I know. Ask around for recommendations on a body shop, but have the MINI dealer do the airbag and electronics replacement. It’ll be tough after only three weeks with your car, but be patient and it’ll be as good as new.

[goobot]

Thanks all for the replies, it's healthy to vent about this a little...

Sadly I can't say too much about the truck. It was red, probably a Ford, maybe 5-10 years old, pretty beat up. Probably a work truck of some kind (landscaping maybe). Only saw the front end, when it was nearly too late, as I was coming around a bend in the road. Never saw a plate or the back end, was too busy trying to get the car back on the road. In short, no chance to trace it.

gtshnzr, my thinking was exactly the same as yours. I checked with the police about the legality of the homeowner having that rock there. They said there's nothing I can do about it, as the area off of that road is private property. In fact, if I make a stink, the homeowner could techincally sue me for damaging their rock. How's that for some seriously twisted logic??



LJ, so sorry to read of your experience. I obviously share your pain. I totally agree with your advice about carefully choosing the right shop. I feel fortunate that my dealer (Classic MINI) is part of a large network, and they own their own body shop. They'll be able to get BMW/MINI techs over to the shop to do the suspension work, which gives me an added measure of confidence.

The insurance guy and the shop techs looked over the car, they are figuring on about $3k in damages, not too bad really. The worst of it is the airbag replacements, unit-body realignment, rear bumper realignment, a fair amount of rear suspension work, 4-wheel alignment, and of course a new wheel and tire. Hopefully I can get a time estimate tomorrow... I'll let y'all know!

[jrrhwang81]

oh, and let us know how classic mini's service dept is to you and their policy about loaners and things. hope things get taken care of.

[goobot]

Just thought I'd update everyone...

Got my MCS back from the shop last night, and have driven roughly 100 miles since then. Everything looks and works like new.

It took a long time to get the car done (4 weeks) but parts availability was an issue. The most important thing is Classic MINI did a good job. Even knowing exactly where to look, I can see no evidence of damage.

Since I shared the pain, I figured I share the good news too.

-gb

[Smokey 4]

Glad to hear that all is well, now go finish those break in miles!!!!!!!!!

[shkeller55]

Congrats on getting it back in such good shape! Now you can resume your love affair with your Mini!

[jimskater]

Congrats, goobot. Glad you've got it back. Just be careful now, & stay within the 'run-in' guidelines.