She managed to hit a dip or "something" and now the front end piece that apparently "snaps-in" has come un-snapped. This is the bumper insert, the part that goes onto the front bumper, and directs air to the brake ducts. It would seem easy to snap it back together, but it's cold tonight, so the part doesn't want to snap in again. Should I wait until tomorrow, after the sun warms things up a bit, when it may all just fit back together again, or am I kinda screwed here? I really don't want to start an insurance claim, and have my rates rise, so can anyone chime in with this kind of experience? Geez, I kinda hate my wife right now! I also now notice that the bottom of the intercooler may have been damaged. No boost leaks, but the bottom row of cooling fins have been pushed in a bit. I know she didn't mean to F#ck my little car up, but she did! I can take pics if anyone needs them. I am so at a loss here!

 

Wait till morning and I'm sure it's very fixable. The Mini's front bumper has a lot of play for adjustments, using torx bits. A heat gun helps soften the bottom plastic, so you can manipulate it into shape. If that doesn't work then buying a new lower piece is cheap, even at the dealer.

See what happens when you add extra power to your Mini, the dips come up faster .

The IC can take a beating and be ok, and plus you need to get a bigger IC anyways once you get my Tune!! If your IC is really busted, I will give you an OEM IC for free, just pay the shipping.

Get some rest, I will all work out in the morning
Mario

mQuebed Manic Tuning Dealer

 

The lower piece is pretty cheap (less that $50, IIRC), and it is held in place by clips that are about $2 each, even at the dealer. You may just want to take it off until you figure out if you just need new clips, a new baffle, or there is real damage. The clips have a pin in the middle that pushes in, pull that out then the rest of the clip will come out.

Good luck,
Mike

 

It is a car, repeat that several times please. Chill out. Are you going to post pics of your wife or the car?

 

Funny thing is, I can't figure out what you guys want to see more...pics of the wife, or pics of the damage! Wife is a redhead, with pretty blue eyes. So...she stays! The car? She broke the "front mount" that pretty much is a big plastic piece which encompasses the radiator mount. It is a HUGE piece of plastic, and will cost me over $300.00 just for the part. So, looks like I will be buying this part, and dis-assembling the front of my Mini, versus going thru insurance and all that BS. I only wish I had the bucks to buy a new Helix or other "bigger/better" intercooler while the front end is apart! I suppose this "practice run" will get me more familiar with how this Mini goes together. I may still go the "insurance" route, but I cannot imagine how much my rates will go up. I frigging HATE insurance companies!

 

I went through this in March when I ran over a deer that was dead in the road. I busted the lower portion of the bumper cover off, broke the radiator support, and pushed the fan assembly back into the aux water pump, breaking both of those. The worst part was not being able to see everything that was broken until taking the car apart, I had to do 3 separate parts orders, and it took about 2 weeks to get everything in and replaced.

PM me your email and I will send you my parts list, so that you have all the part numbers for the clips and small stuff. I had a shop do the work, and ran it through my insurance (not a chargable incident since deer collisions fall under comprehensive). The only thing I couldn't do was discharge and recharge the a/c system. My a/c condenser was bent but not leaking, and the radiator was fine. There is some superficial damage to the Helix intercooler, but no leaking. I also had an inner fender liner loosen up and rub against the tire, putting some holes in the inner fender.

It doesn't take much to pull the bumper cover off so that you can better see what is damaged. If you are not leaking coolant, then your damage is likely less severe than mine was.

Good luck,
Mike

 

I have looked at the damage more, and I think the only "broken" part is the radiator support. Well, besides the intercooler, but I think that will be ok, since I intend to upgrade soon. New Mini rad support is $300 plus. Found an aftermarket replacement for $145.00. Anyone ever used an aftermarket rad support? I really hated to "cheap-out", but I did. Finances demanded it. Any experience with aftermarket rad supports would be much appreciated at this point. I will be replacing the part myself, as I am a mechanic for a living. Not a body-guy, but I figure it all just bolts together, so I should be fine. Right?

 

When I looked at the work being done on my car, the only part that I felt that I couldn't do myself was to discharge and recharge the a/c system. IIRC, the condenser must be removed, so the system must be disconnected.

I woudn't think that there would be any issues using an aftermarket part.

Good luck.

Mike

 

I have accesss to an AC machine at my shop, so that will actually be the easy part for me. Evacuate and re-charge will not be an issue. I am just wondering if there are any little plastic retainers that may be damaged when I take this thing apart. I am not as "gentle" as I should be sometimes when delicate clips/retainers/plastic hardware etc. come into play. And thanks, Mike, for the parts list! Very helpful!

 

Probably a good idea to find all of the plastic clips and retainers (http://realoem.com) and order them all.

Always good to have them on hand for future projects.

 

OMG, I almost fell out of my seat while laughing!