Hey all. Yesterday someone smashed my car and ran off. This is not an experience I would wish on anyone. I was curious though if anybody knew of the price on a new OEM hood for an '04 MCS.

In addition, if anybody knows of a high quality carbon fiber hood, please leave any details you may have in regard to price, brand, and/or website. Thanks a lot. I appreciate your help.

 

Sorry to hear about the hit and run, I hope you find her soon.

I have a CF hood, not a top of the line, but happy with it over all. If you do a search on NAM you will find others that have them too. Getting a "high quality" one will not get you OEM fit and finish. Like any after market body part it will take some work to get it on and fitted well. But do not get one thinking it will fit like OEM.

I bet you could get an OEM hood from MINI, get painted local and installed for overall less than buying and fitting a CF hood. For sure more if you want it painted. The hood fender trim may also need to be riveted on.

Had it not been for a very talented friend in the auto biz that did 99% of the install I don't think I would have it on my MINI. Install time was about 3 hours.

One plus of having the CF hood is lower engine compartment temps.

 

speaking of the CF hood, is it significantly lighter?

 

http://www.andysautosport.com/bmw/20...b00080287.html

it is significantly lighter and expels heat a lot better than your factory hood. i don't have that kind of extra cash right now but i did it on my last car and i was rather happy with the result.

don't let them fool you it is difficult to mount up properly and get all the seams to match just right. me and a friend who does body work for a living took about three hours to get it perfect.

good luck with yours.

 

the oem hood would dissipate heat better than any cf hood IF you just take off the oem insulation.

 

Ok... So I'm gonna stick with an OEM hood. Can anyone tell me what they cost? I'm really just curious. I'm assuming its a lot. In Missouri a hit and run becomes a felony when the damage exceeds $1000.00. I'm sure it has. I just wanna know how much of that is from he hood alone.

 

if you remove that insulation you can expect your paint to bubble and ruin. CF won't have that problem because it is not conductive to heat like metal is.

 

When I called my Dealer last year about getting a NEW R50 hood it was about $500 in primer. No trim, no parts, not installed. If a body shop does the work you will spend more than a $1000.00 easy.

 

I don't want to start a fight but how can CF dissipate heat better but not conduct heat as well as metal?

Also, I have read others who have taken off the insulation and don't have a problem with the paint.

Just thoughts.

 

Yeah I was wondering about that. It seemed to me that, as in most cases, you don't add insulation if it isn't needed. Plus, I know that the under-bonnett area tends to be pretty warm, at least on the S - as my experience is only with the S. When I dealt with Japanese cars, some companies had made carbon fiber into a science. Direct fit with no modification required wasn't uncommon, and I wasn't sure if this quality existed in aftermarket MINI Bonnetts. As much as I love CF, I think OEM suits my needs best, even when its on someone elses dime.

 

My dealer said that an OEM mini R53 hood is a little over $500 (primer), and thats just the hood, what other parts are smashed on your mini, and where was it hit? i just went through a similar issue with my mini a few weeks months ago, and if your hood is smashed, theres probably $300-$400 in other smashed mini parts.

I went with a carbon fiber hood, but it was an insane amount of work and headache, but worth it if you ask me.

 

CF may just be more than I need. I'm sure it does look great. However for me, I think OEM is best. The hood itself is shot, but the headlights are okay, as is the custom M7 grille (yay). According to Auto Haus BMW Collision Center, I got pretty lucky. In addition to the hood, the only parts that need to be replaced are the plastic trim around the wheel well, and the plastic piece inside the wheel well.
So,all things considered, it coulda been worse. I just hope the police get the guy that hit me and ran. [They seemed to think they would given that somebody had seen it and gotten a make, model, and plate number]

 

Interesting... I didn't see anything in the first post that mentioned the gender of the hit-and-runner...

Sorry to hear about the smash-up. Personally, I can't imagine ever doing damage to another person's property and not making it right.

 

Ironically, the eye-witness said it was a 'her.' She got out of the car, looked around, picked up the wheel well trim piece that had paint transfer on it, took it, and sped off. But I didn't ever say it was a 'she.' In fact, I actually eferred to them as a guy, but no matter.

The verdict is in. $2100 in damage. That makes it a felony in Missouri. Don't know what the police are doing - hopefully something. But I should have her back on Tuesday. I'm trying to decide if I want the shop to put the stripes on the new hood or not. Anyway, thanks for all your help guys.

 

But your car *is* female, right?

good luck!

 

It is possible that AutoX has more information from another source, though... I was just trying to be funny... not trying to say anything.

Did the eye witness get a license plate number or any other identifying piece of info? It would be hilarious if the Cops went to check it out and found your piece of trim in her car...

 

The witness got a make, model and plate. the police provided me with a year. all things considered, my mini survived a 2000 Ford Excursion pretty well. St. Louis Police are good at homicides, but they rarely really bother with lesser investigations. However, they did locate my Wrangler when it was stolen, just 6 days later after it'd been stripped. So, who knows... But yeah, that would be funny.

 

Yes my car is female... It wouldn't be right to ride anything else

 

[quote=agranger;1998361]It is possible that AutoX has more information from another source, though... I was just trying to be funny... not trying to say anything.



That was funny. I did read the victims other postings before seeing and posting to this one. I'm learning that a little research on NAM helps make my life on NAM more peaceful.

 

I think my hood came out quite well...but ALOT of work drilling and cutting...if you still were thinking about the CF route. $700 shipped or so (ViS makes this one). Seibon has a molded scoop which to me doesnt look right....mines JUSTACOOPER

 

So how much weight does it save? Has anyone noticed any improved feel in the weight reduction after the CF hood install?

 

UKSUV, thats a great looking CF bonnet nice fit and finish. Once it warms up I'm going to adjust mine more.

Shrashmere, love the look of yours too. Great Look, and thanks for the fitting tips too.

Weight, I didn't put them on a scale, but I think the CF is about half of the OEM. Can't say that is "feels" any different. If you want hardcore weight reduction then it's one place to save. Before I make my MINI weight less, I need to get rid of the weight in my "boot". I got the CF bonnet to replace my OEM R50 after damage I caused by putting the STB on. My Bad

I think they look good too my buddy CG loves it.

 

I could pick the CF hood up with my pinky finger... . Im guessing 25 or so lbs. lighter. Possibly even more....I almost dropped a nugget picking my old one up.

 

Ok this is a bit out there. I sail small catamarans, and my boat has a bit of carbon fiber on it such as cross beams, carbon fiber mast etc. And well I always have to keep these things covered and protected from the sun because the UV rays tend to break up the carbon and make it deteriorate and lose its shine. Do the carbon fiber hoods have a tendency to want to deteriorate and lose their glossy topcoat?

 

ooh, thats scary! my cf hood is parked in direct sunlight in the mornings and afternoon... i may need to get a car cover if this is true.. or a hood cover..