My MINI is being held hostage!!! Well sorta...

Foxy "the Toyota Matrix killer" has been at the body shop for 6 weeks of repairs. Four estimates later, everything is fixed...now we are just waiting on the money from the other driver's insurance. I hope the whole office isn't on vacation next week! I am having withdrawals. I was hoping to have her back for our Christmas lights drive tonight and rally this weekend. Maybe someone will drive me around after our club holiday party Sunday night!

The whole estimate process has been rather amusing. The first estimate was about a page long and was about $1000. Estimate #2 (which I knew would be coming because there were damages not accounted for on the first estimate) jumped to about $2000. Apparently estimate #3 occured Monday, but another part was left off, so they came back on Tuesday for estimate #4. Final price - $2600.

This is what $2600 of damage looks like:

 

Damm ... sorry to hear about that! How bad does the other guy look??

Here's hopin' they're on the ball and get you back on the road real quick!

 

Absolute BUMMER!

 

Hey that's what I have been saying all month!

Here's $5300 in damage:






Should get it back Friday though....

Today:

 

The Matrix was towed away from the scene. The back driver's side wheel was sitting at an unnatural angle when I drove off.

I drove my car for about a month while the body shop ordered parts. From what I could see, there was no structural damage, and the only really torn up body part was the bumper. Every thing behind the bumper looked normal. The bonnet and headlight were just scrached...no dents. I know the fog light was pushed in about 2 inches and that it is attached to the radiator housing. I am not sure how much damage was done there. I hope to go by the body shop Friday and find out what all they had to do.

 

What happened...hit someone with a trailer hitch?

 

Close! That was from a bike-rack on the back of the Saturn I collided with, I hit it behind the rear passenger wheel on the passenger side.

Saturn was speeding from my left, from behind a house and a big truck parked on the corner (uncontrolled intersection, dark), my brother and I were looking left to right to decide which direction to go, and all of a sudden there was a Saturn right in front of me..

 

All of those pictures are making me sad! Hoep you have you MINI back soon

 

FOXY made it home for Christmas!!! I picked her up last evening. Looks good as new. The body shop did a great job! I will post after pictures if it ever stops raining.

Hope it stays warm enough for a quick detail this weekend. They cleaned her up pretty good but she got pretty nasty on the way into work today.

 

Excellent!

I got mine back last Friday.

 

Which shop did you end up getting to do it? Also, I'd wait until at least the spring to get the stripes redone so the paint can cure. Might as well do it at the Dragon agian

 

Joe Stewart...the paint was baked at the shop. I asked about the stripes multiple times but from what everyone said, the stripes were no problem since they baked the paint.

I do want to smack whoever did the buffing though. They swirled me up a bit...didn't really notice till I stopped to get gas last night and was under some flourescents. I planned to take her for a full detail come spring anyway. After 2 1/2 years of washing, I have added enough swirls of my own.

 

Abra baked my hood too but they still said no washing for a week, wait at least a month for wax/polishing. since it was winter and temperature was not optimum for curing a detailing friend said to wait 3 months if I could. There's a few ways to bake and some are ready right away, and others aren't. I'd play it safe and wait till spring.

I had some wet sand swrils on my hood as well (they had to do it 3 times becuase the guy kept burning through the clear) and when they saw them when I picked it up and said "oh we'll take care of that real quick" I told them I want the damn car back I'll take care of it. They came out pretty easily with a PC.