+1

 

Sorry for the shock / trauma finding your MINI like this brings.

Someone attempted to break into my car a few years ago--nothing in it of value, maybe just a case of wrong place / wrong time. Anyways, I remember how that felt and it really just boiled down to some scrapes and scratches on the window (looked like they tried breaking it with a rock and it didn't give--I was impressed). It was the fact that some people seem to have little respect for themselves or others that pissed me off the most. Unfortunately, your experience reinforces that. Thank goodness there's the other 90% of us out there.

Hurray for the NAM member that offerred to fix it up for you!

 

Me and my fiance (we both have one) would also be hysterical. I can not believe someone would do that. We are so sorry!

 

Erika, I'm so sorry about what happened. It honestly makes me lose faith in humanity (which is then regained by the caring shown by those on this site). +1 to filing a police report as well as under comprehensive. Hopefully they'll catch the filthy scumbags that were responsible. Good luck in getting it repaired quickly!

 

So sorry this has happened to your "more than just a car." With so many creeps in the world, it is so heartening to see people that really care too. I'm sure you'll have your MINI back in shape soon. Get that insurance claim in pronto!

 

Still no response to the question about your icon and claim to be the "Rattle Can Queen" is this some sort of payback and we are only hearing one side of the story....just seems too obvious. Perhaps you do artwork on canvass with rattle cans. Curious minds want to know.

 

From the looks of the surrounding area, is it accurate to conclude yours was the only car hit? If so, as others said, you have to assume it was personal by someone out to get you. Pissed off co-worker, someone who has it out for you are examples that come to mind, especially if you live on a court, which it looks like in the pic. If yours was the only car hit, someone had the specific intent to hit your car.

Regardless of who did this you have to take measures to protect yourself.

As the resident insurance expert said, make sure in the future that your auto policy has a low deductible on the comp portion. On his advice, I checked with my carrier and I have had $500 deductible for 18 years, thinking that a lower would cost more than it was worth to have the lower deductible. Turns out it was not much to carry a $100 deductible, so I changed my policy to that.

When making the change my carrier told me that comp claims were also "non-chargeable" meaning that regardless of how many comp claims I make they are not considered an "at-fault" event, so my premiums would not increase. Maybe they could drop me, but my rates would not go up.

You also may want to install some security cameras that work off a personal computer. Once installed, put a sign out front of the house, and maybe on the inside of the MINI, that says "video surveillance."

When someone stole my two road bikes from my totally secure basement [it was an inside job by an ex-neighbor's drug addict party friends] I went on eBay and bought the PC based camera system for about $180. That included four cameras, the software for the PC. etc

Works very well. It even records on to my PC. It comes with two cameras that are infrared and light up dark spaces. See attached pic of two cameras at work, one in my basement the other of my back door and my neighbor's sliding glass door. Note: What looks like a light bulb reflecting on her sliding glass door is actually the infrared security camera reflecting off the glass. It's pitch black back there and you can see how well the infrared LEDs light up the area. Quite impressive for $180 [shipped], that included two of those infrared cameras and two non-infrared.

Sidenote: Please disregard the mess sitting in my basement outside the storage rooms. I am compelled to say this because it always seems someone comments on this kind of stuff. Like, "Hey, clean your basement."

On install of the system I posted the little signs that came with the camera set.

Have had no problems since.

Oh, my property insurance premiums went down slightly because I installed the camera system.

Here it is on eBay. If you use eBay I would suggest getting one from someone who has excellent feedback and support after the sale. They are all pretty much selling the same cameras. Truth be told, I was very surprised at how well the cameras work:

http://tinyurl.com/6yzs6f

I think this is who I bought mine from, at $150, plus $30 shipping, but this one has four of the better cameras. Mine only came with two if these, and two lesser ones. This appears a better system because of the four infrared cameras:

http://tinyurl.com/5fvkr8

Lastly, do you have any motion sensing lights that light up when someone approaches your driveway. Those can be a hassle to adjust, but once you get the sensitivity right those lights can act as a great deterrent.

Get the motion sensing lights and a video system and I suspect whoever did this won't be back. The police who I talked to about my incident said that video cameras have been and are the best deterrent.

 

I'm NOT a graffiti artist...

My NAM tagline came into existence because I've undertaken a major DIY upgrade to the interior of Schultze.

I removed ALL trim pieces and painted them:

Dash cover, Euro parcel tray, glovebox, shifter/ebrake boots, rear parcel shelf and entire center console from stereo all the way down & to the back of the rear cupholder is gloss black (Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric Spray)

Tach, Speedo, Vent rings, Hazard/Dimmer surrounds, Stereo speaker surrounds, downtubes, mirror control oval, double-cup holder, shifter ring, & rear cupholder & sunroof surrounds have been painted gloss red (Rustoleum)

3pc dash has been painted gloss black (Rustoleum)

Remaining bits:

A-B-C pillars...gloss black
Grab handles...gloss red
Side visor & front visors...gloss black on "glass side when folded down" and gloss red on interior side

Hope this clears up any confusion and sense of "coincidence" on your part.

 

You have my sympathy - this is terrible. I hope it comes off OK.

 

Eek! That horrible.

I'm so glad ours are safely tucked up in the garage (I'll now go check on them).

 

Oh, man. Maybe some local kids saw you doing all that spray work on your MINI and got the sick idea of doing some external "touch-up" for you.

Sometimes no vendetta at all----just hormones+alcohol+idea of a sick joke and bad things happen.

 

This sucks, you have my condolences.

 

OMG! My heart skipped a beat, and I nearly choked on my morning coffee when I saw those pics!

Like someone else mentioned, it's times like these when I wish I could just catch the punks in the act. Scumbags like these cause our insurance rates to go up, and just cause a lot of grief. There really should be a rather stiff punishment for this type of crime!

I hope you can get your car fixed good as new! It's awesome that you had an offer from orangecrush to help fix your car. Definitely a good example why I love being a MINI owner!

With the advice of our resident insurance expert, I think I'm going to lower my deductible from $500 to $100 if it doesn't cost too much more. I've already had stuff like hoodlums stealing my MINI emblems and wind damage (basically sandblasted my car) from this past winter...

 

Unfortunately, it's companies like Nationwide that ruin for everyone. The rule of thumb is 200-250 per panel to paint.

If it's an SUV, you've got a qtr, 2 doors and a fender.... there's 800-1000 right off the bat.

Now you have to drop the rear bumper (so the clear doesn't bridge itself between the qtr and bumper, R&I (remove and install) the taillamp, R&I qtr glass, R&I door handles, belt mouldings, bodyside mouldings, interior trim panel to access door handles, turn signal in the right fender (which may or may not include headlamp assy, frt bumper, etc, etc)

None of this includes the 1.0-2.0 hours per panel to repair, prime and block the key job.


Nationwide sucks. Don't get me wrong, being in this business for 25 years, it's our job to make money HOWEVER, I can't make up numbers for work that doesn't need to be done.... the problem is, insurance companies (Nationwide and Allstate are the worst) will do whatever is necc. to cut corners.

A key job down one side of an SUV should have been at least 1500-1800 bucks.

Stupid insurance companies....

<off my rant>

Back to the Erika's problem. Typically, having a higher deductible will save you money on your premium. Dropping from 1000 to 500 may save a substantial amount on collision.

Comprehensive (fire, theft, vandalism and acts of god) DO NOT raise your rates and usually carry a lower deductible. Lowering your deductible on comprehensive doesn't have the same effect as lowering your deductible on collision.

You rates will not raise because obviously, comprehensive acts are beyond your control.

If you get enough comprehensive claims, eventually your insurance company will cancel your policy. (Allstate is notorious for cancelling policies after 1 claim)

Just like rental... do you know how many people come into my shop and don't have rental???? It's because the agents/insurance companies don't like to mention it because rental is less than 10 bucks per 6 months for $30/day coverage. They don't tell you that because the first day they pay out, they have lost 20 bucks already.

Okay, schools out, gotta get back to work. Erika, the offer is still open if you're in the area.

Mark

 

+1 on Mark being a saint for his offer to fix your MINI.


It is true of the connection you get between other members. It's like our second extended family. Hopefully a quick return for your MINI!

 

Mark, I know being a body man , you deal with insurance companies a lot. Most of your post, I don't particularly have any problem with, even though I agree at variable levels from slightly to fully.

But the part about Rental Reimbursement Coverage and insurance companies not even talking about it due to the low amount of premiums it generates.... I'll disagree with that. Maybe it's just the agents I've worked with but the VAST majority of them approach that coverage just like the ones that garner large premiums (Liability and Collision, of course). In the zone where I work, over 85 percent of policies that carry Comp and/or Collision carry Rental (you can't have rental without one of the two).

Anyway... small enough point in the big scheme of things, I'd say. The important thing is that you, being a auto body expert, and I, being a insurance expert, help educate people on the business so they can make good decisions on their coverages and their claims.

Thanks for helping in that regard.

Oh... BTW, one other small correction of your post. Comp claims CAN raise your premiums these days. Most large companies use computer models to predict future losses. A propensity to file comp claims has been mathematically proven to increase the odds of a driver to be involved in an accident. However... it takes several of them and the impact to the rates is minor compared to having accidents and/or moving violations on your record.

 

Sadness beyond words. I do hope it works out and that the scars aren't lasting to you or your MINI.

 

Thanks, I guess it depends on geographical regions... Around here, I see daily people that don't have rental. (as a matter of fact, I was one of them though I specifically asked for it)

I probably shouldn't have spoken as to the reason why they don't offer rental, I just assumed that it was from a financial standpoint. I get tons of customers that have no idea they have rental or can even get it.

I didn't know about the increase in premiums because of comp claims. I guess it's a changing world. I remember when you could call your insurance company and tell them that you had an accident and it would cost xxx dollars. They would tell you if your insurance would increase or not.... and based on their response, the customer may or may not make a claim.

Nowadays, I see insurance companies raising premiums to people that were the victims. They have been hit and they are the ones getting rates increased based on the fact that they "potentially" could have been a better driver, I'm assuming???

Anyway, I appreciate the response and by no means meant to insinuate I was a insurance expert... just after 25 years, I've seen most of what happens in the insurance industry.

Thanks for keeping the rest of us straight...

Mark

 

Yeah, Mark... it is a fast-changing world. Computer models as predictive tools have only been used by my company, in my zone, for about three years now. And that model is constantly changing.

In fact, I have to keep in touch with my mentor from Underwriting to keep abreast on what is going on in that end of the business because I moved over to claims two years ago. Things change from month to month, let alone over a course of years.

Good to communicate with you. Take it easy.

 

Erika,

Hello and I feel horrible about your Mini. I don't know where you are located, but in California any vandalism over $400 in damage is a felony. I'm sure you already reported the crime to law enforcement, but I wanted to remind you to check with all of your neighbors. Unfortunately, law enforcement doesn't have the resources to dedicate to conducting a thorough investigation into a "property" crime. You live on a cul-de-sac, so someone could have easily been spotted. Have your neighbors tell you about anyone they saw whether they looked out of place or not. Even though you may know your neighbors well, ask them if they have any surveillance equipment set up. You won't believe how many people now use surveillance systems.

This really gets me boiling. It is such a cowardly act to destroy someone's property like this. This was a personal attack, so think about who you may have angered recently.

I hope this helps and keep us posted.

 

We're working on getting Schultze as good as new...

If the punks are UNFORTUNATE enough to have me catch 'em in the act, they will literally be hurtin'!

 

I'm a very courteous driver, so I don't think it's a case of misplaced road rage or something similar.

We have some suspects in mind and lengths of rope are being laid out for them to use, so-to-speak!

 

Paul,

If you could please PM me the ebay sellervID for the remote control thingy for the horn system I'd greatly appreciate it.

bwa ha ha ha!!!

Seriously, though, I do need that info.

Thanks so much!

 

We were able to remove the paint (most of it, anyhow) and most of the unknown substance, but we still cannot identify the substance.

Whatever it was, it apparently softened the clearcoat and then "recured" itself. There's a very distinct "watersplash" design on the clearcoat, but there's absolutely no texture, no difference in paint thickness (measured via micrometer), and no softness to the affected areas. The clearcoat is literally as smooth as glass, but with a "design" underneath.

 

Schultze had a complete detailing Saturday morning in preparation for a little jaunt some of us from HRMINI took later that day, so the wax really seemed to help.

Rattle Can Queen is because I'm in the midst of a DIY project involving Schultze's interior.