...where i'll be sleeping tonight. Unfortunately, I am no longer allowed to drive the MINI. This little scratch happened this evening as I was pulling into the driveway and the mailbox decided it hadn't been close enough to actually meet Etta since we brought her home. Needless to say, the mailbox is now a thing of the past, and I will be using an official PO Box by tomorrow afternoon. After the mailbox met Etta, the chainsaw met the mailbox.

Anyone with any body experience have a ballpark on how much this little prize is gonna set me back? I want a FACTORY NEW back panel. No fillers or fiberglass. I don't think i've reached the 10K upgrade club, but I think I'm fast approaching the 10K accident repair club. I might as well just light a match to several hundred dollar bills when I enter the driver seat.

FrogGuts






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Wow, that was a tough mailbox. Sorry about the car, I know you feel pretty sick about that. Hope it doesn't set you back too much.

 

No, I know nothing about body repairs.

But to get off the couch it will cost you an estimated $100.00 in FTD flowers!
:smile:

 

Man, are you sure you hit a mailbox, and it wasn't maybe your neighbor jumping out from behind a shrub and attacking your car with a hatchet? I'll be curious to hear how much it sets you back, because it doesn't look like anything terribly difficult for a good shop to handle. Hey, at least you don't have the spendy metallic paint! Should make the refinishing a bit cheaper, eh?

 

Hmmm, this isn't looking good. $500 deductible + $100 flowers=$600 and I haven't even been for an estimate yet.

FrogGuts

 

Don’t feel to bad, I got a little close to the bumper on a delivery van. Was quoted $350.00 to repair. Think I will just get a new door. Thing that bugs me is I just hate non-factory paint. Sorry about your run-in with the post office.
Charles
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If you must cry over spilled milk, please try to condense it.

 

Man, FrogGuts my condolences. I hope Adrianne lets you off the couch soon, it's not good for the back :smile:

As for the extent of the repair, They can reach the dent from the backside or use the newer technique of spot-welding small rods and using them as a means to pull the majority of the dent out.

It will be tough to limit the amount of body filler used, but if you have a choice I try to use a fiber-glass type of filler (tigerhair or something similar). This will provide more grip and less chance of problems later.

They will have to shoot the entire panel and blend into the passenger door and around the backside by the tail light. The fact that your car is close to new will mean the paint hasn't faded enough to cause much of a matching problem if taken care of soon.

I know this isn't helping your case much but I'd venture to say that it'll run .................. about $750 +/-

Question: Isn't IB metallic?

 

I'm not sure if it's metallic, but I want the whole panel replaced with factory new. I'm not keen on fiberglass or other body fillers on a 1 month old car. I don't care how much it costs, I will have it fixed right. I really don't think it will be that much difference besides the cost of the part, which I can get fairly cheap through work.

FrogGuts

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FG-- Hurts my eyes! :???: :???:

God speed.

 

New panel is the way to go then, I forgot you're affiliated.

When you find out the cost of the panel, I'd be interested in hearing the price difference.

Are you still driving it or have you lost that privilege?

 

No real discussion has been had on driving privileges, but I can tell you I won't be asking anytime soon!!! I know better!

FrogGuts

 

>>Question: Isn't IB metallic?<<

Oops, yes, you're right... sorry for the misspeak.

 

There's only one thing for it - you better start openly weeping. Pity is your only hope at this point.

 

:smile:
donna@dcmetrominis.org

 

***UPDATE***

I got a quote on the parts today and ordered them. Hopefully Etta will be as good as new in a couple of weeks.

FrogGuts

 

^ Right...so what's the cost?? And what exactly were the parts?

 

The rear panel was part number:

Mini Cooper S Quarter: 41 357 035 356

The cost was 149.99, but I didn't pay that. I can't give my prices for parts in a public forum, but it was cheaper.

I'm not sure how much the labor and etc will be, I just knew I wanted a new quarter so I ordered it from work.

FrogGuts

 

You’ll have to les us know what the total was when you get it back from the repairs.

 

Total Cost for fix including labor, parts and rear panel: $1050.00.

FrogGuts

 

A body man that knows how to work with sheat metal would be able to remove that dent 100% without fillers. and without a new pannel. if you have a new pannel installed it is alot more work then hammer and dolley. you can remove high spots with a body file and wala. no dent and no bondo. but since you went new pannel routs you have to realise that the old pannel will be removed. That entails drilling out all of the spot welds that hold that pannel on. and welding the new pannel on. well you cant spotweld every spot where the origional pannel was so you have to use a process with a mig called a plug weld which will hold but in the hands of some body men is not as strong as the origional weld. nore does it look the same.

If this was my dent I would have searched for a paintles dent repair. obvioysly you need paint but this process would have removed the dent without the use of fillers and then you could have had the pannel re sprayed.

but these are just my opinions. I restore old cars and use these techiques to use the least amount of filler if any at all.

good luck

 

FrogGuts,

Ouch! Sorry about your encounter with the mailbox and your rims. When you get the inevitable door ding, I'm sure you'll be able to take it better than most. Good luck getting everything sorted out and good luck getting off the couch.

BTW, we have a special parking spot reserved for you at our MINI meetings. It's at the end of the lot...way out at the end.

Best of luck,
JS

 

>> :smile:
>>donna@dcmetrominis.org


I dunno... looks more like flowers, chocolate AND an expensive dinner to me.

Seriously, sorry to here about your being attacked by that mailbox. It was picts of your car in the wheel forum that caused me to change the color of my order. I sure hope I don't carry this emulation thing too far.

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on order for Nov delivery - 04 MCS all Indi Blue

 

<<<I dunno... looks more like flowers, chocolate AND an expensive dinner to me.>>>


And if I was the banisher that expensive dinner would have to take place on a weekend getaway...


Good luck with the panel replacement--and better luck relocating to some more comfey furniture

 

I am going to agree with GPW-Pat on this one. Since the rear panel is welded in and is actually part of the structure of the car, I would rather the relatively minor dent be repaired and the panel remain intact than taking off the panel and replacing it. Removal of a welded panel is a very destructive process, and the re-welding of the panel will be done in a way that cant duplicate factory welds in strength, position and number. Add to that all of the seam sealing required, the fact that it will be next to impossible to paint the inside of that panel for anticorrosion protection as was done by the fatory, and the fact that the entire panel will be repainted from the ground up in a different process and type of paint, you are more than likely going to end up with a repair that will need future attention.

You also risk weakening the structure of any unibody car when the welded panels are removed and replaced.

Had this been a bolt on panel, I would have replaced it, however.

 

I agree with Bear and GPW. Your MINI is a unibody (Body and Chassis are essentially one stressed element) and those panels aren't bolted on like in days of yore. Also the damage looks relatively minor, nothing an experienced dent man can't repair with minimal filler feathering. But as you went with the replacement, I'd like to see the finished product, so please post the apres-work photos when you get the repair done.

Good Luck