and unhappy about it.

i have no idea where this came from. i park pretty far from anyone and usually with my driver's side against the curb, yet this is on the rear driver's side. it's also right in the bend of the rear panel, so it seems more pronounced.

it's not the worst ding in the world (although any is bad) but I think there is a slight scratch in the paint (pics below, but they're not great).

kenchan... if I were in your hood, i'd be scheduling an appointment. i wonder if my local MINI dealer can fix it.

there are also some strange dirty streak marks on the INSIDE of the back side window... how did those get there? unless it was one of my nephews and is just now evident. time for the clarity.

I almost began to think someone had been messing with my car. talk about paranoia.

 

*sigh*...I was hoping this had to do with the 37 degree ding. Sorry to hear this...speedy repairs .

 

Oh no! I'm very sorry to hear this and see it.

I wish your MINI a speedy recovery!!

-Heather

 

Oweee. Here's to a speedy recovery.

 

Awww... that's no good!

At least the ding looks to be nice and round... no crease or seam. Hopefully a PDR shop can pop it out for you. They worked some miracles on my wife's car a month or so ago.

Check with your local MINI club for a PDR place that does good work.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

mini_dreams- yah, i can probably fix that in about 15-20min. it will
take me more time to remove your taillight.

check with your dealer or pdr tech in the area. there is wat looks
like a airbag sensor in the corners so hope it's away from that.

 

Aww that sucks :( It looks like a shopping cart ding! But it looks like PDR will fix it no problem, so at least that's good...cheaper, too!

 

Poor, Innocent Grover !

Get well soon.

 

thanks everyone for the get well wishes.

so what does PDR stand for? I've seen it, i just don't know P.... Dent Removal?

I'm hesitant to take it to just any old shop, especially one that might not know anything (or care) about the MINI, esp. if as, Kenchan mentioned, there might be a sensor in the area.

I'll check around.

p.s. - what should I expect to pay for that type of service?

 

Paintless Dent Repair. Call your MINI dealer & ask who they use. That seems like a pretty easy one for them to knock back out. Those PDR guys really do work wonders.

 

thanks!

 

I paid about $250 to have 5 dings removed from the wife's car. That comes out to about $50 a ding, but 3 of the dings were in the same body pannel... you get charged a bit for gaining access to the rear of each pannel and a bit for each bump. They snake their tools in through all sorts of tiny openings... wiring looms, tail light openings, etc and work the bump out from the inside so they don't have to repaint the surface... a kind of metal massage.

I'd be willing to bet that you will pay $60 if it's easy to get to the sheet metal behind the bump... $80 if it's tough and maybe $100 if they come to your office and do the work in the parking lot (mobile PDR).

The guys who did my wife's car go to the local Porsche club meeting every 2 or 3 months. People pay 'em there and they repair 5-6 cars during the meeting. Maybe it's something your local club would be interested in doing.

 

I feel your pain mini_dreams. Milo got his first door ding a couple of weeks ago. I called my dealer and they told me that they have someone they use. Next time my car is over that way, I'll drop it off and get it fixed.

Why can't people be more careful!

I hope you can get it fixed and that Grover (and you!) feel better.

 

I paid $250 for a three-year PDR plan the dealer offered. I can take mine in for the next three years, once a month, and have any PDR repairable dents removed. Figured it was worth it given the boulders they use on the streets here in the winter and the idiots that park in lots I frequent.

Major bummer that Grover got a boo boo. Fix it and put it past you.

 

the sensor is very obvious, kinda in your face when you remove the
tail light so the tech should know not to touch it. plus, the sensor
thingie is more towards the gas filler. dont worry, the dent itself is not
that big, should come out real nicely with PDR.

i use to loose sleep over dings and that's why i learned the tricks of
the trade (well, not all of it, but enough). i wouldnt go out parking my
MCS at the super market (can't fix keyed paint with pdr ) but my
commuters are parked at the best spots right up there with the other
soccor mom cars/vans typically fixing dings once or twice almost every month.

my legacy got it bad last year... 5-6 dings and one 5" crease... which
i fixed. oh wait, actually the civic got it bad. 650miles and got backed
into by a UPS truck. fixed that as well, couldn't fix the paint 100% as
it was scratched a little, but the bumper was fixed with pdr, quarter panel,
and replaced shattered tail light.

 

Awww I'm sorry to see this ding, but like everyone has said, this one should come out fine. I also have a ding in a similar spot on my current MCS, but it's much larger in the same location with a crease in the middle.

My PDR guy was able to restore the curvature and smoothness but the crease looks like a heavy scar. Fortunately you aren't in that situation. I think you'll be fine with a competent PDR guy.

Richard

 

so, did grover get checked out?

 

didn't have time to take him today. went to see Almodovar's "Volver" instead since it is rainy and cold here.

I did reach up into the rear wheel well and saw that that's blocked, so I guess they'll have to go through the light, as you suggested.

probably stop by my dealer next week and see if they have a PDR guy there or that they can recommend.

 

mini_dreams- yep, the tech will have to remove the light, which is not
hard to do.

btw, watever you do, don't try pushing it out from the inside unless
you know what you are doing. you can accidentally make it worse by
adding unnatural convex (high spots) which will make it harder for the
tech to push out and knock down.

 

don't worry, i have no idea what i'm doing around cars... i'm lucky if i can open the bonnet!

so i'm not touching it.

 

I was so stressed out after work one night, I backed up into a car. I heard a crunching sound. I need a good body shop to repair my cracked bumper and side light. I am so upset. Any help would be appreicated. Ii live in Clifton.

 

^^ Little Peeps, sorry to hijack your request... I don't know anyone in NJ... hopefully someone will chime in or you'll find some help... perhaps check with your local MINI dealer... because....


strangely... i JUST received this email from our local MINI club about a dent repair guy that works with the dealership to do repairs during routine maintenance (or at any other time).

what bizarro (but fortunate) timing!

kenchan - does that tool he using look like the right stuff??

see attached

 

mini_dreams- yep, that's standard PDR tools. in your pict, the top pict
is the standard rod based tool and the bottom is the glue based tools. i use
both types too. yours will be done with the rod type tool unless there's
some obstruction they might use the glue puller.

you can see in my pict below back wall. i have them hanging.

 

Poor Grover. Please post after pics when the dent gets fixed.

 

Sorry to hear about this...hope the problem is fixed very soon.

Chuck