So this one has a bit of a story involved. My mom backed into my mini with her trailblazer a few months back. Split the hood and crushed the headlight, but mostly cosmetic damage.

Took her to a collision center that was connected to the Chevrolet dealership where I initially purchased the mini.

When I got her back the hood was crooked and sticking up almost an inch in some places. Have since taken it back twice to have them tweak it but I'm still not satisfied. The right side looks decent, but the left side around the the headlight is still sticking up in my opinion. I can be slightly ocd but for 3 thousand bucks it should be perfect. I'm at a loss now, the last time I took it in the manager basically said that the parts they get are second run and can be slightly off and not as good as stock factory parts. And they pretty much gave me the impression they feel it's good enough.

I feel like going back is useless at this point. I'm thinking about taking it to another body shop and getting a second opinion. I'm just not happy as it stands now.





Left headlight, hood sticks up above the rim.





Left side hood gap just looks wonky to me




The headlight that looks decent.





Gapped headlight. :(


I guess I'm just looking for advice from other mini owners. What would you do?

 

For $3000, it needs to be right, and it isn't...

However painful this back and forth process is, you need to be tenacious and continue to demand that it be done correctly -- even if the shop needs to order a new hood and do it again on their own dime.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

Agreed.
Either that or there's something missing, too. Everything should line up.

 

This is most likely the problem, non-OEM body parts. Was this an insurance claim or out of pocket? As others have posted, you need to keep leaning on them. Tell them you'll report them to the BBB.

 

It was an insurance claim. The guy said they got the parts from mini, but what he told me was that the parts they sell for aftermarket are the junk of the lot and they save the best first runs for the factory when the car is built.

I dunno if that's a load of crap or if it's true, but if that was the case they got an extra bad one and they should have sent it back and ordered a new one. I would rather my car be there a few days longer and be done right. It makes me sad every time I get into my car.

 

Insurance claim, good. Talk to the insurance company and tell them the work is unacceptable.

Also, the claim they got the parts from Mini sounds bogus to me. Fitment with non-OEM is usually problematic..

 

How long ago did this repair take place?

As long as you haven't "signed off" on the repair, and it's still in an unresolved state, I'd keep the pressure on and demand they get it right.

And that line about MINI providing subpar versions of body parts for aftermarket? Yup, that's B.S. in its purest form.

 

Contact the insurance company.

Call Mini and ask about replacement parts quality.