I haven't been around in a while... not sure if anyone remembers me. Life got busy, blah blah blah. But this is the first place I thought to come to when a roll-back tow truck backed into my Mini. Only other Mini owners can understand my pain.

He said he never saw me... but my entire rear driver side quarter panel can attest to the fact that I was there. The rollback was the opener, and I was the tin can...

That's right, Wasabi needs a hip replacement. *pout* And because I'm a pain in the butt and my guy is a retired autobody/paint expert, I know how hard it is to color match, I'm going to make them paint the entire thing. And yes, it will stay British Racing Green, sans stripes. I may decide to put stripes on again in the future, but for now, he's going naked.

 

do you have any before and after pictures of the repairs?

 

I do so hope you get the whole thing painted.

 

:( good luck with the repairs!

 

Here is a nice shot of the damage: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...um/mini576.jpg

I'm going to demand a new quarter panel as I am NOT going to be happy with a gallon of bondo on my car!

I'm waiting to hear back from my insurance company who is waiting for HIS insurance company to accept fault. The problem is, the police office wrote the report wrong. She put that "Vehicle #2 [the truck] struck vehicle #2". I called the police station and said, "This is physically impossible..." the officer apologized and said she would fix the report. Obviously his insurance company wasn't going to accept fault with a police report that originally said no one was struck. *sigh* this is how things go for me unfortunately. Murphy's law and all.

So now i wait....

 

Oh and did I mention I can't get out of my car without rolling my window down and reaching outside to let myself out? Something must have popped in my door causing the inside handle not to function.

 

Yikes!
That's actually going to be hard to fix (correctly).

 

Ouch

 

Hey Siren...its an easy fix. My 04 had almost same damage. I had entire quarter panel replaced and Im willing to bet a professional body repair person couldnt tell if it was ever replaced and repainted. Paint was a perfect match. Cost me about $1000 total.

 

My quarter panel was replaced once and the only way you can tell is by looking at the backside of the panel through the little trunk cubby hole. The new panel is black on the inside, the original panels are a tan-ish color on the backside.

 

OMG, I feel your pain; I hope you get made whole soon.

 

Yeah, the only way to really fix it would be to replace the quarter panel. I mean you COULD mud the hell out of it, but I wouldn't allow/suggest it. That much bondo will eventually crack. So a new quarter panel is a must. They'll also have to replace the inside plastic around the filler neck (as that is pushed in) and they'll have to replace the filler cap since it's toast as well.

I'm STILL waiting to hear the status of my claim. Considering the insurance company has a swiss website and I'm pretty sure my agent at USAA talked to "Peggy", I might be in for quite an adventure. (This is how things work in my world. Anyone else out there a test subject for Murphy's Law like I am???)

Will post more when I have more... Thanks for all of your support (I knew I'd get understanding from fellow mini owners!!!)

 

A decent body shop would never fill a dent like that with Bondo. A good body and fender guy would work the metal into shape and put not more than 1/8" of body filler on the panel, to smooth it out.

Though it is probably cheaper to replace the quarter panel, because of the labor costs, banging the dent out and smoothing any irregularities may take more time than just replacing the panel.

Dave

 

Oh no... Hope insurance come thru

 

If you use USAA, I think it should turn out fine.....
My wife's highlander had a tree land on it....they had it fixed perfect at one of their recommended repair places...
Even if the other guys ins sucks,you can just tell USAA to handle the claim....
They will pay for the repairs, then go after the person that hit you....you dealings with the other ins company will be over....the USAA agent will even tell you how much $$ the claim will cost you....so you can make an informed choice.....on if it is worth having to deal with the other ins company picking you repair locations, etc.
Pretty safe to say you will get a new panel....partial paint job....full paint will be an upcharge....but with modern paints, and some buffing, a match is pretty good....large amounts of bondo/filler is pretty much limited to amatues that don't want want drill out spot welds and weld in a new panel...like you said it cracks, and getting the shape on a curved area is hard.

 

Here's the latest: After weeks of trying to get claim filed with the towing company's insurance carrier, I am told by USAA that their carrier claims they haven't had a policy since 2010. So I call the tow company and explain that their driver hit my car and I'm having a problem filing a claim. I asked if he could tell me who their insurance carrier is. "I don't have to tell you that... by law..." So I say, "Okay.... Let me ask you this, would your driver have given the police your proper insurance information?" "Yes" he replies, "All of our trucks have the most current insurance information in them." Okay great.

So I email the CEO of his insurance company, explaining that USAA has attempted to file a claim twice, that the only means of filing a claim is through Email and we never hear back. I asked if he would please enlighten me as to how to file a claim with his company. He Emails me back, apologetic and forwards my Email on to the appropriate department.

The next day I have an email from the insurance company stating that they are no longer the insurer for the two company, but he did provide me with the current insurer and the claim number (as a claim had been filed - the day I called the towing company to inquire about their insurance).

I called USAA, gave them all the appropriate information and they gave me my options again: 1) I can pay the deductible, hand the claim over to them and let them deal with it - and I may or may not get the deductible back or 2) I can continue to deal with it directly through the tow company's insurer. So I figure, what the heck, I'll deal with it, the worst part is over no?

I called the tow company's insurer - I speak to a very nice lady over there who says she needs to take my recorded statement as to what happens, and then she needs to take the statement of the witness. ---eerrrrrrrrrrr----- What witness?

In talking with this lady, the tow company filed a claim, insinuating that the accident was MY fault and they stated that they had a witness. I said..."I would like to know where this witness came from considering the guy didn't have anyone in the car with him, he didn't talk to anyone the entire hour we waited for the police to arrive, and he left before me, without ever having spoken to anyone but the cop." She politely says "I'm not sure miss, I haven't taken his statement. So I say "What guarantee do I have that this isn't some friend of the driver or tow company, pretending to be a stranger who witnessed the entire event?" She says, "Well, you don't, but we'll take all of the evidence into account, including the damage on the car and make a determination at that point."

So I give her my statement and she asks "was anyone cited?" I explain "The police officer told him that it was his duty and responsibility to ensure that it was clear before backing up and that I had the right of way, now whether he was given a ticket or not I do not know, because I didn't physically see the paper work that she handed him, but the police report indicates that he struck me."

Once the recording was done, I again expressed frustration, explained that the towing company was less than fortcoming with giving their insurance information and I reminded her that HE struck ME. This is when she comes out with the following, "Well, the driver is claiming that he was backing into a spot and you pulled into him." Really????? So I say "If that's the case then how is it that the damage is on my rear driver quarter panel. If I ran into him, the damage would be on the front of my car." She again explains that they take everything into consideration, including the damage and what the police report says, but off the record she did tell me that, because he was backing up, he did have a greater duty.

Why do people have to lie??? Why do *I* have to be the one to find them? Murphy's Law....

 

I feel your pain. I have Statefarm and last year they jerked me around for a month, with a accident in my wife's car. Which was parked in a state Park and a car rolled down a hill and lodge it's self under her car. Of course I later found out the owner didn't have insurance. You talk about Mr. Murphy he lives in my back room, he's just on vacation now at your house.
I hope it works out for you, by the way if his insurance company starts dragging it's feet contact the insurance commission in your state, that usually lights a fire.

 

Shouldn't your insurance be dealing with the tow truck's insurer? The police report clearly states what happened, so you shouldn't be explaining it to the other insurance. They may be looking for a way to wiggle themselves out of responsibility.

You may also consider reporting the towing company to the BBB, as they are definitely not being helpful in repairing the damage they caused, and they even gave you the wrong insurance information.

 

Kimmie, you need to turn this over to USAA. That's what you pay them for. Anything you say to his insurance company can be used against you if this ends up in court and it sounds like the towing company may actually bring it to that. It's obvious that they and their client don't want to take responsibility and pay for their driver's error.

We have USAA and when my son hit a priest...you want to talk Murphy's Law?...his insurance company tried to call us for information. We refused to talk to them,as advised, instead referring them to USAA. It was all handled between the two companies and I was able to sleep at night. Peace of mind is worth something and might even speed up the process.

I don't think BBB will intercede here since it wasn't a reflection on their service.

BTW....so sorry for the injury to your Mini. The picture made me cringe.

 

Hmmm, I thought about that. Surely there is someone to report this to. I just don't think that deceptive companies should be able to continue business and ruin other people's days.

 

Oh no! Another wrecked MINI... If only people would look where they are going! A ton of paperwork and follow-ups with the insurance cie, doctor/physio appointments (at least in my case), anger/resentment toward the other driver... Fun. I'm over it all now, but I've also erased the month of April 2011 from my memory! Hope you get there soon!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...8-post338.html

 

Just take the hit on the deductible....let USAA handle it...they can sue....towing companies know the game....giving the agent of the towing company a recoreded statement was likly an error, as no good deed goes unpunished.....they have displayed a aversion to taking responibility...anything you say can and will be used against you....short of sueing them for payment, just let usaa handle it....

 

Let USAA handle it..back in February I was t-boned (he ran a red light) in my focus by a 86 towncar. there was $6k in damage to my car and only $35.00 of damage to his, he gave his insurance company a statement that i was at fault. I was going to handle it myself but went ahead a paid the deductible and let Geico handle the claim. I got my car back 2 weeks later and Geico is now suing him and his insurance company for the repairs\rental car expenses. Save yourself the headache and let your insurance company handle it. Hope all goes well

 

My '05 S was repaired, hood r/door, BRG, perfect match. Find a shop that can match paint.

 

I hope it all gets better and the insurance company gets your car straightened out