Well, this thread took a rather odd turn!

One update from today: I noticed that the hood is pushed up a little on the left side. Yesterday I thought the gap between the bumper cover and the hood was due to the bumper being pushed down, but at least part of the gap is from the hood being pushed up.

This leads to my cautionary tale: You can't rely on your first impression of damage. At the scene, I would have said my grille bars were damage and my bumper was scraped. When I got home and took photos I noticed the dents in the hood. Then finally this morning I noticed the hood was misaligned. So, no matter how minor the incident, always exchange information.

As for some other questions above:

1. No, no police report or witnesses.

2. Not sure how to go about getting compensated for loss of value. Has anyone ever successfully gotten such compensation?

3. Yes, I'll update this thread with repair estimates and actual cost (and maybe a review of a Honda S2000 while my Mini's in the shop...it's my father's spare car, and would certainly beat a cheapo rental car).

 

Maaaaan, I wish my car was an S2000! *Throws temper tantrum*

 

How nice to have the use of your dad's spare car! S2000s are high-revving fun!

 

1. Should not be a problem unless the other driver lies and says you hit her in the rear. Most people are honest so it *shouldn't* be an issue. Besides, if she's the type to lie, she would have lied to the police officer, too, so the report would also have been word vs word.

2. Diminished Value claims vary from State to State and even by insurance companies within each State. Honestly, if I were handling your claim, I would not honor your Diminished Value claim. I would tell you that your damage is not severe enough, the repair process does not involve any major unibody repairs, and your car will be returned to it's pre-loss condition, without any problems. But... assuming her insurance company accepts liability, it never hurts to ask. Documentation needed also varies by insurance company but expect them to ask for an appraiser to give a statement of value before and after the accident.

3. If you drive your Dad's Honda while your MINI is in the shop (again, assuming the other company accept liability here), ask the insurance company if they pay Loss Of Use. Some companies only pay it to their own policyholders, some pay to both them and the claimants. Again, never hurts to ask.

 

Met with the appraiser from 21st Century/AIG this morning. He's going to approve a new hood, new bumper cover and new grille. I was a little surprised by the new hood, but he said (a) hoods are double panels so it's difficult to pound them out, and (b) filler has to be really thin in order to not crack when the hood is slammed shut, so they generally recommend new hoods unless damage is really minor.

Any possible structual damage will be assessed by the body shop. We didn't open the hood because we weren't sure if it would relatch, and I want to keep driving the car for as long as I can.

 

I would talk to a PDR guy and see what he thinks about your damaged hood. If there is no paint damage, sometimes these people can do miracles, thus saving the original part and factory finish. It never hurts to get a second opinion.

 

I am no expert, but looking at the pics that hood seems to be savageable. Explore different repair options outside of the traditional bodyshop methods. For instance bumper covers, even if they are badly damaged, sometimes can be repaired by reputable mobile bumper repair companies. There in San Diego you have some of the best in the business (Do a Google search Mobile Bumper Repair). I personally hate body shops but unfortunately they are a necessary evil. To me anything to keep a car out of a body shop = saving money and downtime for repairs. Just food for taught!

 

Remember that a new hood + paint respray is going to negatively affect your resale value, even if it is done to perfection. Try to investigate and see if PDR is a better option for you here. The grille can be replaced. It is a chromed plastic part after all. That bumper cover seems repairable and probably does not need to be replaced. That repair with a mobile bumper repair place can run you anywhwere between $250-$400. You get to keep the original bumper cover and possibly the original paint finish. Compare that to $1,500 for a new bumper cover and paint at the body shop. I have seen the work of these guys and it is amazing. Now days there are techniques that allow to repair and fully recondition badly damaged plastic bumper covers to like new condition. Some "backwards" bodyshops will never tell you about cheaper and equally effective alternate repair methods because they simply resist adpting these techniques and quite frankly takes away some of their "cash cows".

 

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look into the paintless dent removal option before going for the full monty (I'm also going to look into the aero kit option, though, since I've been wanting one anyway).

So far I've only heard from the insurance company, so at least I know they are willing to foot the bill for the full repair. On the hood, the inspector noticed that the damage is more extensive than it looks in the photo, with a dent line that goes back up toward the headlight in addition to the smaller dents you see along the grille.

Question: If I get a complete new hood, how would anyone know it wasn't the original? I know you can feel a seam at the edges of panels when they are repainted, but this would be a complete hood so there wouldn't be a seam there.

 

My hood was damaged in a recent wreck...no dents, just scratched. The body shop blended the paint, then did a full clear coat. I can't tell where the new paint ends and the old picks up. The only difference I can see is that all my rock chips have disappeared.

And mine has metallic paint. I would guess (though may be totally wrong) that a PW would be easier to blend.

 

Can we assume that AIG is the other driver's insurance company ?

If so, good news... she didn't lie about rolling back into you and they are accepting liability. Otherwise, they would not even be talking to you about estimates and repairs.

As far as PDR versus replacing the bonnet, yeah, I would also prefer PDR. But if it's not a viable option per the PDR expert, don't worry about the bonnet replacement. Your car is not very old so there will be NO issues as far as matching the paint and blending it in with the rest of the car. You'll never even know that it's not the original bonnet when they're done.

And as far as the value of the vehicle, the car will have been reported to be in an accident whether you go with PDR or traditional repair methods. So... as the saying goes, six of one and half a dozen of the other.

 

21st Century and AIG are the same company now. Not sure who bought whom or what happened, but the 21st web site has both names on it now and the inspector had an AIG shirt. Haven't heard anything regarding her insurance (State Farm) yet.

Good point about being listed as having been in an accident either way. Which would you rather hear as a used-car buyer: Yes it was hit, but:

A. The hood and bumper were replaced with brand new parts; or

B. The damage was so minor I just took it to a PDR guy and he made it look good as new.

??

 

If you make a claim with the insurance, then the incident will be reported to Carfax.

 

Thank you, MINIclo, for the (necessary) reminder. Although ethnicity has nothing to do with driving skills, good driving is an art. And there are damn few good artists out there. In a MINI, defensive driving is not an option, it's a necessity.
Sorry 'bout the damage, bee1000n, hope it's nothing more than cosmetic.

-skip-

 

Yeah, I know 21st Century/AIG is what they now call AIG. But those of us who have been around the insurance industy for a while still call them AIG... old habits, and all.

So that's your insurance company doing the estimate. That means State Farm has evidently not accepted liability. Have you called them lately to check on the status of their claim ? If not, do so tomorrow morning.

The reason I say this: Statistics prove this to be true. The longer it takes to get a statement from a person involved in an accident, the more likely it is that the person's statement is not accurate (read that any way you like... i.e., the more likely they are to lie).

And RE: your question about which is more attractive to a prospective buyer, a car that had a part replaced or a car that had a hood PDR'd.... most would probably not differentiate. Me, being a claims professional, I wouldn't care. I know both are completey acceptable repair methods and either way, that car has been put in it's pre-accident condition.

 

But professional used car appraisers are trained to spot body shop repair vs factory paintwork. I have been told that even if the vehicle has a spotless body shop repair, its resale value will always be less than the same car with original factory paint. There is value in trying to preserve the original paintwork asmuch as possible.

 

How long ago were you told that and by whom ?

Unless it was yesterday and it was God, then I'm not buying it. Modern auto repair technology is so good, it would take OctaneGuy and a powerful microscope to detect new paint versus factory paint. And if it's that hard to find............

I mean, if you're going to try to sell your car to Richard or an appraiser, then maybe it's a valid point.

 

Regardless of where you take your car, it's your choice to put an Aero or Regular bumper on your car. In fact, i'd make the insurance company write you a check for the damage, and pay the body shop out of pocket for the work.

 

It's also worth mentioning that the compensation for damaged parts is yours to keep, regardless of whether you spend it on a new hood or choose to use PDR on your existing one. If they authorize 3k in repairs, you're entitled to a check for $3k. You can then choose to repair it or leave it as is (Or do PDR/buy an aero bumper).

The choice is yours. If the insurance company tells you they want to pay the body shop directly advise them that in the state of CA they have to pay the owner of the car if he/she requests being paid directly.

 

You'd be surprised what does and doesn't get reported to CarFax .

 

More questions.
I have always been told and it seems true OEM paint is better than even a very good respray. OEM being baked and respray cures.
Is this true or am I living in the past?

 

^ I believe it depends on the body shop. If you ever need work done, I would call several reputable shops and ask them what process they use.

And I'm not expert on auto paints, but I would think the only real difference is the length of time you must wait to polish/was the paint. Heat-assisted drying (baking) will allow you to work on the paint sooner than paint that is air-dried only. But as far as quality, I can't imagine there would be a vast difference.

Calling OctaneGuy !!

 

That is a rumor as to OEM better than A/M.

All in the choice of your repair shop and their ability. I see enamel sprayed in a garage with no bake booth stand up to any BC/CC job by a shop with all the modern day technology goodies in quality and appearance.

 

I know people that are professional used car appraisers and work in dealer auctions for a living. These people tell me that OEM paintwork is nearly impossible to replicate. The paint tools and methods used in the factory can not be replicated by the best of body shops. These people are trained to spot vehicles that have had paint re-sprays or body work.

Once a car has been repainted or sustained bodywork is no longer original OEM. And when the originality of the vehicle is lost, so does its resale value. This is the reason why paint resprays should be done when absolute necessary and less intrusive repair methods will not yield the desired results.

This is the primary reason why PDR and SMART paint repair methods are gaining on popularity. PDR is a much better alternative than having your door ding wetsanded, puttied, primed and painted. Spot repairing and paint blending your plastic bumper cover is more desirable than getting a new bumper cover and have it re-paint/color matched. Same analogy applies to windshields... It is always more desirable to repair the chips than getting a new piece of glass, thus leaving the original windshield factory seal uncompromised.

Of course major damage can not be repaired by PDR or SMART techniques. But the vast majority of minor damage does not imply that a vehicle has to spend days/weeks hostage to a body shop and thus pay body shop prices. I am the kind of guy that always approach problems of this nature from the least intrusive repair alternative and then escalate as necessary.

I am sure there are many bodyshops that can produce very high quality paintwork, but you can never get to 100% close of what it is done at the factory.

 

One thing Octaneguy will tell you is that metallic paints are very difficult to match/blend.