Help!

I have a pretty large bump to get in to my driveway and I can get up and over it if I enter/exit the driveway at a 45 degree angle and go really slow (REALLY slow when backing down the bump...). It's like a round curb.

Anyway, when I don't execute this maneuver properly, I scrape the front!!

I looked under the car and there seems to be like a lip under the bumper. That is what is getting the abuse. Not only that but it seems like the gap on top of my bumber "assembly" is getting larger. Is it possible that I'm loosening up my bumper from the scraping?

Anyone else have this problem? Is that lip there sort of as a curb feeler and it's ok to scrape it every so often?

Now the big problem...I'm getting springs installed so my car will even be lower now! I will fix the driveway problem, but now I'm worried about every day driving.

The real question is this: is occasional scraping ok? am I screwing up my poor little MINI?

I'd love to hear from anyone with a lowered car to know what to watch out for and if there are problems associated with it that I need to be aware of now before I find out first hand.

Cheers!

Pico

 

Yes, if you keep hitting that lip, you can damage it.
Before I lowered my Mini, I used a Dremel cutting wheel, and cut about 1" off the lip. No scraping yet, but I try to be careful around bumps.

 

so that lip isn't functional in any way?

I'm happy to get under there and lop some of it off...anyone else? Is that an ok thing to do?

Surely others have experienced some rubbing, bumping, scraping with thier cars. Any other solutions or ideas?

One thing for sure is I'm installing a skid plate (I got one for free so that makes that choice easy enough) to keep actual damage to a minimum if I am to low for something on the road.

 

I'd say that the best way is to fix the bump. :smile: if it's town property, tell em it's too high! Just an idea of course.