5:30 this morning coming off 495 onto Conn. Ave I hit a M__@#!@$%^ Pothole. Car went BOOM! No flat tire as of yet and alignment does not seem to be affected either as of yet but my driver side headlight is knocked way out of wack. Do I call my insurance company for this or am I covered through Mini? And can I get it fixed by a non-dealer repair place quickly versus waiting for the Dealer to have an opening plus distance? HELP

 

Wow....that is extreme!!!! If it was that bad I'd be calling my insurance company...who knows what else got out of whack!!!

 

Call the insurance company. Your strut tower has more than likely "mushroomed", and there's probably some shock damage as well.

 

Well update. Broken light, ordered by Cherner A/B. Came in wrong side, figures. Brought in on wed and today they tell me the alignment was out 4 degrees, i did not feel it on the road but they're the mechanics. Also broke a strut so that part is on order. Can't wait to get Little Bean back...can you say withdrawls.

 

You might also consider filing a claim with the state's/district's Department of Transportation. In some states, they can be responsible for damage done to your vehicle. You'll need pictures of the pothole documenting the severity and location of the hole. If it's in DC rather than MD, they'll probably claim the pothole has diplomat status?

Sorry to hear of your damage - hope it's not that bad.

 

Yeah, you can do that. If you don't mind having an at-fault accident recorded and possibly cause your premiums to increase.

And then, go after the responsible highway dept as wearlaz states above.

 

Do the new gen cars have the shroom problem too ? Bean's a clubman, just curious.

I hit one of the large square cutouts they make to replace a section rather than fill in the pothole whilst motoring in Howard County. It was completely unmarked by signs so I had no clue to even watch for it and then to top it off, it was in the shadow of a tree - BANG ! No alignment problems or major damage but my strut tower on the drivers side shroomed. Went home that day and ordered the plates and that took care of that.

 

Well the saga continues. Geico had me fix the car at Cherner Collision (long story), car broke a strut. Got it back after headlight replacement, strut replace, and alignment. I called them the next day as the car had an ever so slight pull to the left and turned easier to the left and seemed hard to the right. The paperwork only showed front end alignment needed for 4 degrees. Now I had them re-check rear alignment. They said it "is with in specs". So when I really give some throttle on the street or the highway it pulls left. Any suggestions?