[mini vanilli]

went to the dealer today. got my first oil change ay 5000 miles. figured id spend the extra $$$ and take real good care of the car so it will last a long time. then while i was there i decided to get the AUX input put in and hooked up XM radio. while driving home listening to my XM and feeling good about the new oil change i just got some stupid girl in her 1985 ford escort had ice and snow on top of her car. she was getting on the freeway and all of a sudden POW all the ice exploded off her car and went like 30 feet in the air and came right down on my mini. hit so hard i almost lost control of the car. swirved into the next lane and hit two GIANT 3-5 inch potholes going 65MPH almost bottoming out. when i got home i looked to see a 1 inch gash on my bonnet down to the metal. i think it is impossible to keep anything nice while living in cleveland, ohio. i am really starting to dislike living here. i might as well just give up and let the car waste away. any suggestions on what to do about this GASH in my hood. and will it rust if i do not fix it right away. since we are BLESSED with 10 degree weather here right now and i don't have a garage applying touch up paint right now is not an option.

[SteveM3]

Ouch that's nasty, you been unlucky there. I don't have any practical advice, except the
obvious get it done quick, as I'm not sure what size (length/width) a gash is. When I was
in Canada I was told it was illegal to drive a car with snow on it because of the potential
for causing an accident, more countries should adopt this. A wave of sympathy is all I
can offer.

[Willy]

I'm glad I dont live in Cleveland. That place pretty much sucks every time I go there.

[Z1GZAG N]

Fiquring you're going to have to get the whole hood repainted, any rust that happens between now and the time it get's repaired won't hurt anything but your feelings.

As for making it a law to clean the snow off, this wouldn't fix the problem as the ones driving around with thick amounts of snow and ice on their cars obviously don't care about the damage they might cause others and they wouldn't care about a law against it either. While this is a problem, we really don't need the police out chasing down snow and ice violaters instead of chasing all the real threats to society.

[Jenn B]

Sounds like here.... the roads and weather are too bad to believe.

1.5 years year... counting the days until I can fet the heck out

[mini vanilli]

it just sucks that my 2 month old car that i try and keep somewhat decent gets beat on so badly because of this crap weather here. snow,salt,ice,below zero temps,flying ice,HUGE crater potholes and some of you guys are so lucky that all your mini gets exposed to is alittle rain here and there. yet we both pay the same price for the car. five years later your car looks showroom new and ours up here look like swiss cheese scrap metal. i need to move.

[KPKalle]

We're having a surprisingly mild winter (so far). But we did have snow and ice before Xmas and my car was in an awful state. It's picked up a few dings from flying gravel and other assorted road debris Don't know what it'll be like by the end of the winter - I'm sure the temperatures will drop and the salt will be out again!!

[dansmini]

Yeah, I went to Cleveland once....once was enough!

[Cooper76]

I went swimming once in a beach in northern Cleveland. I now have three eyes, eat only invertebrate creatures, and haven't been the same since. Hahaha...j/k (but I really did go swimming there!)

Same here in Detroit man. The snow, ice, salt, gravel, etc. I think that's why MINI says not to worry about scratches, small chips, etc. The MINI, by its very nature, is going to pick those up so might as well not be too concerned about it.

BTW, it definitely is a statement when Canadian police have the time to catch those riding with a snow hut on top of their vehicle. Too bad it wasn't the same in the US.

[djpk1978]

Quote: Originally Posted by mini vanilli

i think it is impossible to keep anything nice while living in cleveland, ohio. i am really starting to dislike living here. i might as well just give up and let the car waste away. any suggestions on what to do about this GASH in my hood. and will it rust if i do not fix it right away. since we are BLESSED with 10 degree weather here right now and i don't have a garage applying touch up paint right now is not an option.

You should really come over here to Pittsburgh, its been just rainy and about 50 for the past few weeks. And if you move to Pittsburgh you will know what its like to have a good Football team.

[KJ_daGreenMini]

Quote: Originally Posted by mini vanilli

went to the dealer today. got my first oil change ay 5000 miles. figured id spend the extra $$$ and take real good care of the car so it will last a long time. then while i was there i decided to get the AUX input put in and hooked up XM radio. while driving home listening to my XM and feeling good about the new oil change i just got some stupid girl in her 1985 ford escort had ice and snow on top of her car. she was getting on the freeway and all of a sudden POW all the ice exploded off her car and went like 30 feet in the air and came right down on my mini. hit so hard i almost lost control of the car. swirved into the next lane and hit two GIANT 3-5 inch potholes going 65MPH almost bottoming out. when i got home i looked to see a 1 inch gash on my bonnet down to the metal. i think it is impossible to keep anything nice while living in cleveland, ohio. i am really starting to dislike living here. i might as well just give up and let the car waste away. any suggestions on what to do about this GASH in my hood. and will it rust if i do not fix it right away. since we are BLESSED with 10 degree weather here right now and i don't have a garage applying touch up paint right now is not an option.

i feel your pain man, although i live in scotland and my car has been vandalised 3 times, crashed into once after only 3 weeks of ownership and had eggs thrown at. i hit a pothole in edinburgh and knacked one of my 19 inch rims. Garaged the car over the winter and slowy getting it back to the way it was. i reckon its sods law i now have a fiesta as a run around car which i bought for £75. its the way to go. Mini comes back out in the summer.

For some reason i always associate Ohio with rhinos. isnt Ohio horse country? or is that Oklahoma

[Cooper76]

Quote: Originally Posted by KJ_daGreenMini

For some reason i always associate Ohio with rhinos. isnt Ohio horse country? or is that Oklahoma

No, that's Africa.

[DevilMini]

I live in Medina. I hear ya loud and clear! Cleveburg sucks. The pot holes are the worst. I hit one with my Lexus and blew out the tire. $300 worth of damage.

BTW I hope your mini gets healed quickly. Don't fret to much spring will be here soon!

Devilmini

[tools113]

I live in Twinsburg, and we get alot more snow than Cleveland. Oh, by the way my Mini arrived at the dealer today but I will not be able to pick it up until Wed. Really sucks.

[joeyjoe9]

I feel your pain. I live in Cleveland too and damaged my Mini's tires from pot holes in the first week I had the car. Driving in the snow can be a pain, especially behind the idiot drivers here. I've had two commutes of at least two hours long (in a stick! ouch) because of the horrible road conditions and equally horrible drivers. I've also gotten stuck a couple of times, making me yearn for my old four-wheel drive.

Well, at least our sports teams are good. Oh, wait....

[KJ_daGreenMini]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper76

No, that's Africa.

oi oi ! haha.

[MadisonMini]

How does any of this relate to Cleveland?? That sort of stuff happens ANYWHERE it snows a lot...is this the first time you've driven in the winter?

If you're so worried about your Mini and the potholes and the snow, buy some $500 car to drive around in the winter time and beat the hell out of it.

None of what you said has anything to do with Cleveland....what do you think Chicago or Minneapolis are like to drive around this time of year?

[pocketrocketowner]

I just moved AWAY from the Cleveland area (a wonderful part of the world to be sure) !
Anyways....your gash will have to be fixed, end of story and if I may suggest the body shop at Stoddards Porche Audi do wonderful work. Not only that, they are pretty rreasonable in terms of prices.
There also seems to be some kind of pot hole epidemic there this winter, my good pal to whom I sold my Quattro just e mailed complaining he hit a pot hole and bent his suspension........ My commiserations and no, I don't miss it one itty little bit.......

[stryder]

I'd just like to point out that the Cavaliers are in first place.

And Classic's body shop is also pretty good, you can stop by there if you're in the neighborhood and have them give you an estimate on fixing the ice damage.

About the only thing you can do is stay far away from other cars to avoid the ice. And get some 15" snow tires for winter, the extra sidewall deals better with potholes and protects the rims (which are cheaper anyway) and you can put on snow tires.

People are inconsiderate everywhere, I don't think its unique to Cleveland, and its not like the weather has been good lately places you'd think it should be, like southern california.

[miniyup]

If you want to keep the MINI in near showroom condition, I echo the suggestion to get a salt car. Mine is a 98 Honda Civic EX 5-speed with 90K miles bought for a little over $5K last year. I drive my MINI in the winter, but only on days when it is cold and the roads are as a result dry.

If you want to temporarily seal the gash on the hood, I think the GE Silicone II caulk will set up in nearly any kind of weather as long as you apply it when the metal is dry. The clear stuff should perhaps make the gash a little less visible.