I'm posting this for two reasons:

1) I know this is where I'll find kindred souls who will understand.

2) I'm looking for advice as far as a good body shop in the No. Virginia area.

My prestine '06 Dark Silver MCS (Audrey) with 14K I designed and ordered on line was sideswiped by a teenage driver early Sunday morning. The entire driver's side is a wreck. I am so sad there are no words, and no one really seems to understand.

My rental car is a biege Chevy HHR. I went from the coolest car in the world to the absolute ugliest.

Thanks.

 

Post pics so we can cringe and commiserate with you.

I assume you were ok? Were you driving or was the car parked? Cars can be fixed or replaced, humans not so easily.

 

Ugh... that truly sucks !

Which insurance company is the other car insured with ? How is that claim process going for you so far ? If you have any problems/questions with that, I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.

Ashburn Auto Body in No. Va. has worked on a lot of MINIs but I'm not sure I can recommend them based on another MINI I recently saw that they repaired.

And yeah... why is that rental agencies think that MINI owners want to be put in another "unusual" car even if it's an ugly car ? They put me into a PT Cruiser, so I feel your pain.

Glad you weren't hurt seriously and good luck with your claim process.

 

Luckily the car was parked and even the driver wasn't seriously injured. it happened at 2:00 AM while we were sleeping - 19 year-old girl home from college.

So far the claims process with Nationwide has been absolutely frustrating, but after getting hold of a manager I think we're on track.

Absolutely right - cars can be fixed, humans not always. Just looking to vent - after my wife she's my baby.

 

Glad to hear no one was injured and I hope the car is returned to better than new shape soon.

 

Sorry to hear about Audrey, I would be absolutely sick if that happened to Cassie.

I hope she wasn't out drinking...if so, Nationwide has her insurance company by the short hairs. Did the police do a report while she was at the accident scene?

 

I'm glad no one was injured and sad to hear of the damage to your Mini. Mine is in a body shop here in southeastern VA right now with damage to most of the driver's side too so I have an idea what you're going through.
I wish you speedy but most importantly quality repairs and that you are motoring again soon.

 

Due to mostly things beyond my control, i have had numerous dealing with auto body shops in the area. I can give you a long list of the good, the bad and the ugly..

However I will spare you. My humble advice from internet land is Lindsay Collision. They are off edsall road/395. You can see their shop on the right of 395 going south right before going through the mixing bowl.

First Lindsay owns Lindsay Lexus and Lindsay Caddilac.

Why are they the best, first is because they deal with the high end cars. So the Customer Service has always been above par.

But more important and mostly why i pick them. Their repair facility is by far the BEST than anywhere in northern Va.

Many many body shops is a big warehouse with employees all working under one roof working on different stages of repair. This is a major problem for me. Especially the idiot shops that have SANDING NEAR the painting area. Dont ask me how many times this has been a problem.

When you walk into the repair area, everything is spick and span. I mean WHITE floors like you would see at a NASCAR garage. Different sections quaranteen off from different repairs.

My most fav is the painting area. They have multiple booths that are completely closed off. No issues from the completion of the job.

They pay well, so employee retention is high there. That is a big deal with any type of repair shops.

And NO i do not work for them, just in case you ask. I went through so many places it was unbelievable for a couple cars I had..

Seriously, go check them out. They even let you peek into the repair area..

If you love your Mini as much as I will when i get mine, take a look at their place.

They also deal with all the major auto insurance companies..

good luck

 

I'd need to vent too. I get upset when a bird poops on my car. I can't imagine what you must have felt when you first saw the damage.

Best of luck for stellar results.

Dean.

 

rffranks, believe me when I say, I feel your pain. Hang in there and your baby will eventually be as good as new. Be thankful that it isn't a write-off (like mine ).

Big Daddy

 

Thanks for the kind words. I think only people attached to their mini's can realy relate.

A previous post referenced Ashburn collision - does anyone else have any experience with them or Royal Auto Body?

Thanks for the Lindsay Collision info - will check it out.

I called Sterling MINI and these were the two they referred me to.

Based on my previous dealings with Sterling I'm not sure how much I respect their referrals.

 

I can't help with which shop to use except to say this: let them know how you feel about the car and see how they react. Then go with your gut feeling. It worked out well for me, and that's 29K after my accident.

 

Sorry for your accident... This reminds me of my Horror Story 3, but with less serious results.

If you can stomach it, check out the pics at my gallery.

Just relax, take a deep breath, and everything will be ok!

Wish you well,
Leo.

 

ah but respect your local Internet bretherin.

 

Sooooo sorry. I was in the same spot in about February. Your baby will be back soon BETTER than new!!

Mine was out of shape after being t-boned by a Toyota with no lights after dark. Now it is good as new.

Keep the faith buddy!!

 

Thank you for all of the kind words and support - Audrey is in the shop and I hope to be motoring again in a few weeks.

As they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder. Every time I pass an MCS I stare longingly and dream of the day when we'll be reunited soon.

Cheers.

 

Sorry about your damage. I know that hollow pit feeling, but this too shall pass...

You should PM Krut over at DCMM...I believe he just had major work done at Ashburn and could share his experience there.

 

Who hits a parked car? I thought we were supposed to learn in college???

Anyway, I worked at Royal Autobody for a summer. They do great quality work but a little difficult to deal with since they are all old, angry Armenian men.

 

which shop did you end up picking? Give us a full report of your experience.

 

I had work done at Ashburn Collision - the car looked great initially - however after living with it for a few months - my paint is not as durable on the hood as it is on the rest of the car - so it's going to have to be repainted.

A buddy of mine he bought a new MINI with JCW kit from MINI of Sterling - Ashburn also subs all the Aero Kits for Sterling - his paint is already flaking off the aero kit.

When I walked through their shop, I was not impressed by the cleanliness or the organization - Lindsey sounds like a better bet.

 

FWIW I ended up at Royal Auto Body. After hearing some similar things about Ashburn and doing some research I chose them. I spoke with the owner for quite a while and he answered all of my questions dead on and really seemed to know MINI's very well.

Perhaps the fact that I'm about 25% Armenian helped.

We shall see what we shall see.

I'll be happy to report my experience in the hope it will benefit others.

 

I miss my Mini too! Its been at the dealer for a week now! Originally they gave me a POS KIA something-or-other, but I complained VERY lowdely and now I have a 328i to drive, but it ain't a Mini

 

Say Hi to Ara and Raffii for me!

 

concerning your rental, it could be worse, they could have put you in:

or

The HHR/PT Cruiser is bad though. I crashed my MINI and it spent 7 weeks in the shop.

 

Ive heard good things about Royal. THat's where I'm going to take my car for aerokit paint and install....