Hey guys, been a lurker since I bought my mini a year ago. I was hit this last week by someone running a stop sign @ 35mph+. Mini did its job and everyone was fine including a dog in the boot.

What do you think? Potential for total loss?

Thanks!

 

Ugh, possibly. Sorry to hear, buddy.

Even if you section off that much of the car it could be tweaked in areas that just can't be straightened. Do you have insurance helping out? Other driver stopped or ran?

 

Airbags alone are a few thousand each.... I think it might be depending on the year and mileage.

Good to see its a solidly built car, which is one of the reasons i ended up getting a mini (researched crash tests).

 

As long as the roof and floor are not buckled, it may not be a total. Chances are they will cut out and replace the "B" pillar and replace the doors. (side bag went off)..

Last time we had a car hit like that about 3 years back it was 10K in damage. (note, car was a VW, not a Mini..)

Make sure you pick THE BEST body shop for the repairs. Don't be swayed by prices or "preferred" shops. Try to find a BMW certified shop.

Sorry for the hit, its never fun.

 

There is a good chance with the structural damage... I would call the Mini dealership they use and take it there.. this is what I did when I hit a deer with my R56... good luck

 

Looks like she did very well for a 35mph hit. Luck it looks like someone with a low bumper.
High pickup with Bumper in your window would have been allot uglier. +1 on the maybe repairable, you get it on a lift and you could find other side of the floor etc. warped.

The car is meant to sacrifice it's self to protect you.

 

Looks like 11 to 14K in damage. They will section the bodyside - inner and outer. Replace the doors. Air curtain is only 350 new. Headliner is 400.
Insurance cos get discount on labor and materials.
Minis are quite well built structurally. The problem is you may wait 6 to 8 weeks for parts to arrive from Germany and Austria if they are not stocked stateside. My guess is up to three months for repairs to be completed.

 

This is sad, but it did its job and kept you safe. Typically, if there is frame damage that'll total it out. If the airbags deployed that potentially can total it as well. If the cost of repairs exceeds the value or over I think half of the value (I could be wrong) they'll most likely total it out. I have a friend who works at a body shop and deals primarily with the insurance companies when claims come in. Let us know what it comes out to. Glad you're alright!

 

Are Mini parts that hard to come by? So every time someone gets into a somewhat serious accident, they will be without a car for 3 months? That is not a good situation to be in as most insurance rental coverage is only good for 30 days.

 

I think its 70% or so regarding the value of the car, so if your car is worth 20k, and the repairs are around 14k, its right on the verge of totaled or not. Personally i'd rather if my car was declared totaled, that way when i sell whatever car iget as a replacement, it wont have the accident history which will hurt the value.

 

Makes sense about the accident history as it definitely will hurt the resell value. I know people are hesitant when searching for a new car if a vehicle has been in a big accident.