So I just got my mini a month ago and LOVE it but I drove it out of my
garage this morning and the iron gate closed on the top, scraping the
length of the black roof--I could have died. I am so depressed I can't
believe it. Here I was, going to all the detaling sites and trying to
get all the right cloths and car wash stuff so as notto even put swirls
in the paint and now I have gouges.... is it ruined forever?

this is horrible!

I have never cared about a car before so I don't know much about this
but would guess that some of it will be able to be buffed out (is that
a good idea or will that just grind down the paint?) There are also
three gouges that have created a groove and clearly pushed below the
black paint color to the white underneath--it looks like a pretty deep
keying job--I can see a bit of what is probably fiberglass... Anyway,
I have no idea what to do or who to turn to or how much something like
this might cost. Do I go to the dealer and have them sand the whole
thing down and repaint the whole roof? (are we talking thousands of
dollars here?) Is there anyone else who I could trust to do it (I
live in LA)? The antenna also cracked off--looks like the chip will
need to be replaced and certainly the housing....

any help would be appreciated...
ali

 

It's POSSIBLE that the scratch could be repaired with touch-up paint and/or buffing. It is PROBABLE that you would still be able to see some of the work, even if it is done by someone that knows what they are doing w/ touch-up paint.

Without seeing or feeling the scracth, the bit I know from your description makes it sound like you would need to refinish the roof to get everything back to new.

To find a good body shop in your area, see if you can find a LA MINI club, or maybe a Southern California MINI club and ask them. You are more likely to get a good response from the locals in a local club.

Good luck!

 

Sorry to hear.Get somebody Mini experienced to have a look

 

Take it to a local body shop and get a quote to give you an idea of what you're looking at. Sounds like you'll need the whole roof. ~ $400 I'd wager.

Make sure you do your research, and get multiple quotes and references for different shops before deciding.

 

Ali. if it makes you feel better I did the same thing to our full-size Chevy van, didn't get it pulled in far enough, and the garage door left a big scratch down the back.

I took it to a body shop, and mine, although it did not get all the way through the paint, did apparently crease the metal. Whether or not it was creased is pretty important - if they can sand and paint the repair it may be relatively inexpensive. But here's the thing, the inexpensive repair may not be the right repair. Fixing up the scratch may show in a couple years whereas doing the whole roof might not. As agranger says, find some good body shops through references, have them estimate it, and have them explain what the estimate entails. Look around the shop when you are there. Are they working on hot rods, Mercedes, Porsches (good sign) - or are they working on pickups (maybe a bad sign).

 

I am so so so so so so sorry
How do you feel about vinyl roof graphics?
If you love them, you could do that...........

 

Sorry to hear that. Pay a reputable shop to do whatever it takes to make it go away the RIGHT way. You won't be sorry.

 

Sorry to hear of this, Ali. Was this your personal garage at your house, or was it an apartment building or work garage? If it was a garage that you pay to use, and the gate malfunctioned, you might be able to get the owner to pick up the tab.

 

This is a good point. I am very curious.

 

Ali,

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but relieved to see that it isn't too serious, and should be not that difficult a repair. Get a good paint and body man to review and quote you the repair. Take this as a lesson, and be more careful in the future. We've all had brain fade and done stupid things that damaged something we cared about. In cases such as this, I'll give you the advice I received, "better the garage than the house" Meaning if something had to get damaged it's better that it was an inanimate object than a living, breathing one.

Good luck in securing a speedy repair.

 

thanks everyone. I'm a little confused though--are there three (not necessarily equally as good) options?: *replace the roof, *sand down the whole roof and do a whole repainting or *buff and touch up? I'm a little nervous about someone taking off the whole roof and somehow hurting the body or the interior (my anthracite headliner!) but I'll definitely ask around for someone who knows what they are doing. I want to do it right, and I know I won't feel right until it is right. Thanks for the good tip about the possibility of it wearing wierdly in the next couple of years....

I don't belong to a SO CA mini club but will look into one--and call the dealer and see if they can recommend a body shop. As to the details, the garage gate was at my condo complex (no one but me to pick up the tab) and it didn't malfunction anyway, someone else had just pulled in and I looked and it was open and then I drove through and it shut on me....I should have hit the button again to reset it before I drove out, and normally would have, but I screwed up, I just had too much on my mind....

Thanks for the sympathy--it made me feel better knowing others would understand....
ali

PS I'll go down in a few minutes and see if I can take a picture....

 

Got a low deductable on your Comprehensive policy? If so call your insurance company first, this might be covered.

My car (not the MINI) got hit by a security gate a few years back. My insurance company GEICO declared it was "falling object damage", of course the car was broadsided by the gate, and the car was checked by an adjuster at a GEICO office and not at some random body shop, but they stayed with the "falling object" ruling... Anyway, the claim was covered by my comprehensive coverage...

 

I would call your MINI dealer & ask them who they use for paint touch ups. I've seen some work these guys have done & you can't tell that there ever was a scratch. Good luck & sorry about your MINI.

Chuck

 

Our club is in and around San Diego so if you want to call me call

1.877.258.9010

Earl

 

Depending on how deep the abraision is.....

Option 1 - buff (no painting required) if it's just a scratch

Option 2 - touch up paint and then buff if it's scratched to the primer

Option 3 - sand/fill/sand/paint roof if it's scratched to the bare metal

Fortunately it's just the roof and an option 3 (if it's required) will be a simple job for the body shop.

Don't worry partner, it'll be good as new.

 

Ali, found this over on E46fanatics, a BMW site. HTH.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/archive.../t-211473.html

 

The roof graphic isn't a bad idea if you like them.

You could just use touch-up paint to fill the scratch, wet sand a bit to make it flat and then have the roof graphic applied. Problem solved and your MINI just became a bit more unique!

Check cooperflags at www.cooperflags.com for possibilities.

 

Looks like my problem is going to be going somewhere that won't void the warranty. I only have 900 miles on her. Went last night to Advanced Collision Technologies (recommended by South Bay Mini) and they are certfied BMW/Mini repair. they gave me a quote of $750 which included taking off the roof and sanding the whole thing and repaiting. Apparently because of the way the car is put together, in addition to the mouldings, they will also have to take off the front windshield and I think the back too to get to the whole roof so the paint won't peel off. The quite didn't include the antenna. I am going to call around today to some of the places that were on Too Tall's BMW list and seeing if anyone is certified.
On a side note, I am not going to go thru my insurance cause I had a $100 deductible so its not worth it. And as for the roof flags, great ideas! But I have to admit I just love the buttery look of my (once) smooth black roof and the clean oreo look :-)

thanks again for all of the sympathy--it is getting me through ita all!

 

Uh. . .taking off the roof? No, that doesn't sound right. I'm fairly certain no one's going to "take off the roof" to paint it. And I'd get a second opinion; $750 sounds a wee bit high for a roof painting job - even with a sunroof, which will increase the cost of the job.

Something else to consider, of course, since you're painting the roof you could consider a contrasting color with matching bonnet stripes - would really give you a unique look - and PW really lends itself to contrasting trim in my opinion. I figure if you gotta spend the $$ to get the top sprayed, you might as well get some uniqueness out of it.

 

okay scratch that :-)
Ignore that part about taking the roof off, I think I misunderstood--but they did plan to take off the front and back windshields in order to get to the edge of the roof--which is apparently still a bad idea (read on)...

I went to two other places for estimates today--so glad I did (thanks wgnbat and tootall for making sure I got several of them!) One of them was Marco's which, from everything I have read online, is one of the biggies in So Ca but known for being pretty expensive. They even admitted they were 30% more expensive than the others....but they are BMW certified and said they and "South Coast" (?) are the two heavies in SoCa and they both go to all of the BMW repair and painting courses and they are obviously well known for their quality. I went to the Marco's in Monterey Park, the guy was super great but mentioned that the branch in North Hollywood exclusively works on Mini's, so of course that is where I am going to take it.

Anyway, both of the other 2 quotes I got today said they would not have to take the glass off (or the roof :-)....but the scratch is down to the fiberglass and so they will have to do option #3: sand/fill/sand/paint which requires taking off the side mouldings, but they said they can easily "rope" the front and back mouldings without taking out the glass. They said it was ridiculous to take off the front and back glass and that of course you want to take as little apart as possible since it would leave me vulnerable to leaks.

On the other hand all 3 quotes were $750+ and 4 days to do the job and I don't even have a sunroof. (My deductible is $1000---the previous $100 was a typo--so using my insurance is out). Even without all of the extra bodywork from ACT, Marco's was still actually the most expensive but they did agree to reduce their listed labor rates ($50 an hour--jeeze the same as BMW dealer rates!) to match the other quote ($40 an hour) which brought them into the same range. So even though Marco's was the most costly (by a little) after talking to all of them extensively about what they were going to do and reading a bunch online, they are who I am going to go twith. The Marco's in NoHo is actually too busy to take me until after the holidays but I am willing to wait to get it done right.

Will keep you all updated (should be done after Jan 9th) on how they do!
I'm starting to think its all going to be okay...
Thanks again everyone,

 

Good job on getting other quotes. But an even better job on asking for others opinions and considering them before making a decision.

And you are absolutely correct in saying "it's all going to be okay..." cuz it will be. Your top will look better than new when they're done.

....Les

 

Les is right, you're doing well.

Way to talk Marco's down. $40/hr actually seems like a decent rate to me when you consider what mechanical work costs. I can put nuts and bolts together, but no way can I do body work like a pro. It always seems expensive, what most people don't understand is the paint is typically at least a couple hundred bucks a quart.

Ali, I know it seems expensive, but look at how much you are learning. Consider it 'tuition' for a 3-credit course in auto body work, and think what you can tell your friends the next time they dent their car.

 

If your roof is black I would take it to the best shop you can find.......black requires a flawless prep and flaws do show up..... if it were me i would probably go to the BMW certified shop.... unless you know the other shops work.

I dropped a bike off my rack in the spring and gouged the metal ....$850 and i still have not had it done......probably in March.