I am sure many have heard the same comments as I have about people being afraid of what would happen to occupants of a mini in a bad accident.

Well I just experienced this first hand.

My 2011 MCS which I have owned for 3 months since new was T-boned on the drivers side smack center in the drivers door at 50mph.

The door is in so far you the MCS polished sill plate now sticks out 8" past the the most inner part of the door, the drivers seat is moved over 2" and 25% of the drivers seat is gone. The window is now separated 10" from the roof at the top, bit of wind noise while driving now LOL. And the bottom of the storage tray in the door is now vertical instead of horizontal. Additionally the back corner of the roof on the drives side now sits 1 inch lower then the panoramic moon roof. Am I painting a picture?

I walked away with minor bruises, also I drove, yes drove the car to the body shop, I simply stuffed the airbags either behind the seat, or shoved them out the huge gap where the roof and window used to meet.

To boot since the floor was not damaged, they are actually fixing the car. Side impact accidents are the worst accidents, mine was worse because the Honda that hit me hit me on the his front drivers side corner, not flat, making it worse. The mini and I both survive to fight another day.

I will take my mini over any other car any day of the week. You have to love autobahn tested engineering.

 

I'm glad you are okay, but not really surprised. I am amazed and how strongly built and rigid the MINI is: like a quick, little tank.

Which model Honda was it? How did it fare? Looking forward to photos.

 

gblazed I am very happy that your ok.
Minis are so much more safe than most people think. in my crash (~100kmh into a solid pole) the engine survived intact (well the sub frame and radiator took all the force) but this is to show how well engineered the car is.

Did all your airbags opened up? I hope it gets fixed soon

also looking forward to some pics

 

Glad you escaped mostly unscathed, yeesh.

"Little tank". I used those exact words to describe the MCS I took on a test drive. Low, and small, to be sure. But feeling solid. Very.

One or more road testers have commented on the MINI weighing within a few lbs of a much larger car (Hyundai Elantra was mentioned). So sturdy; a good thing, for situations like you survived.

 

Glad to hear you walked away from this one! And as mentioned, we NEED to see photos. :-)

Best of luck getting things sorted again,

Spridget

 

Glad to hear you are ok. I didn't think cars would run after the airbags deploy. ????***%%%
If it did, you are right. Takes a licken and keeps on a ticken.

Pictures would be great although you painted a pretty descriptive picture in your thread.

 

Yes very glad to hear you are ok, to be t-boned is the most dangerous type of car accident to be in for a collision, so much intrusion into the car! Wow, can't believe they can put that all back together! Keep us updated!

 

glad ur ok.. and cars being fix

 

Yes several airbags deployed.

I am a little worried as to how long it is going to take to get the custom interior pieces like the seat cover and door card. My body shop says there are no interior parts here in the US, anyone had experience with how long this takes?

I have 6 weeks of rental. If this was summer I could drive one of my other cars.

 

Glad to hear these observations about the Mini, and really glad you walked/drove away! When I brought home a crashed '08 MCS, one of my wifes first concerns was that such a small car would not be safe in a crash. I personally believe that these cars are well built, and that they are so light that they 'bounce' '!!

As for getting the parts in a timely manner.... maybe you could find some salvage interior parts that you could bolt in temporarily, until your new parts come in then just swap them out, and you could drive the car sooner!?! Just a thought. I can tell you from experience that it can be annoying driving around with the seatbelt and airbag warning lights on, but when you do finally get all the right parts put in,, then get the warning light to go out/reset, it is like driving a new car!

Good luck!

 

Just for clarification of one detail....you said you were hit at 50mph. Was this the other car's speed or yours? Just curious.

Glad you are ok and here's hoping you are back on the road soon. I'm also curious to see pictures of your car and possibly the other car. Any detailed description of how the other car fared?

 

Glad you're safe. My '08 MCS was rear-ended on the freeway. I was stopped in traffic and someone on their phone driving an Infiniti M never looked up or hit their brakes. She was totaled...MINI was repaired.

It took 8 weeks and the hold-up was the headliner which had to be replaced because the side-curtains deployed. The only headliner they could get (even after 8 weeks) was anthracite so I had them install it. The plastic trim pieces were still light-gray as insurance wouldn't pay to change them but it actually turned out pretty cool. I traded it shortly after repair but they are little tanks.

Americans think big & heavy = safe but that's not true.

 

speedy recovery!

 

Glad you're safe! Pics please!

 

Thank God your ok. I hope it gets repaired quickly.

Thanks for sharing it with us. It gives me heart that what were driving is so sturdy and safe.

 

Glad your ok, its amazing how well these cars take a hit! Ive seen quite a few hit very hard being in autobody my whole life, somehow Ive never seen a drivers door t-bone.Truly the worst possible scenario. Once again, glad your ok, hopefully your MINI gets revived good as new

 

The car that hit me was going 50, I was barely moving.

I am most concerned about the interior parts, my headliner is shot do to the airbag as well.

I asked the repair shop if we could reuse the damaged parts if need be until the new interior parts come in, the answer was no due to liability issues on there end if I get in another accident.

I have the black interior with the red leather trim, and I am really concerned my car will be complete waiting on a seat cover for several months. I really hope this is not the case.

Thanks for all of your support.

 

Since your mini was essentially brand new, I don't think you're getting the best deal by having it rebuilt. Two things come to mind, (1) repaired cars are usually never quite as nice as a un-wrecked car. No body shop can match the toughness of factory paint, original fit/finish and there's always the potential for latent issues/failures/problems. (2) Your mini now has a "diminished value" due to the accident. This event will show up on CARFAX or any other tracking documents so when you trade-in or sell the car you will not get close to what you'd get with a virgin ( no wreck) car. Assuming the accident was not your fault, you should be compensated for the difference in the "before vs after" value of your mini or get it replaced with a car equal to your car before the accident. Your insurance company should go to bat for you in this situation as you deserve to be made whole. Good luck and stick to your guns ( again, assuming you were not at fault).

 

Carfax is not always accurate. Unless its reported to DMV either by you or insurance it wont show at least here in Cali. Not sure where the OP lives but they wont get diminished value once again here in Cali.

 

If it were me, even if it does not show up as a wrecked/repaired car on CARFAX (or anywhere else) it's not something I'd want to take a chance on. I don't pretend to know all the laws in every state, however, I personally would not want to keep any car that was damaged to the degree the subject mini was in this thread!

 

I own two cars that I have purchased as wrecks, and rebuilt them. The first was a 2007 Ford Focus, and the second is a 2008 MCS. If I didn't tell you they were crashed, you would never know. They both run and drive very well. I don't care that they were wrecked because they are for my teenagers, and they are half price cars.

If you liked you're Mini before, and planned to keep it for many years, then fix it and drive the wheels off of it.

 

focus4fun
Thank you!!!!! You have made my point EXACTLY! "They are half price cars". The owner of the mini in this thread may very well end up with a half price 2011 car, exactly the issue I'm addressing.!

 

Hahaha.!! Yes, you could interpret it like that. My point was supposed to be that there is nothing wrong with fixing a damaged car and then driving it. If you own it for a few years, you will get your value out of the car. If you trade cars every few years, then maybe fixing it is the wrong choice.

As a side note, I am one of the minority that buys cars, and keeps them for a long time. I have been driving my pickup for twelve years, and my wife has been driving her minivan for eight years. As our kids are almost on their own, the minivans purpose is almost done, and I think she is trying to appropriate the Mini Cooper from my youngest son. I may be in the market for another soon, who knows.

 

A lady that works with my wife had her new jeep rammed in the rear. $6K to fix it. Now it drives like crap, squeaks and rattles.
On the other hand, I keep my vehicles a long time as well.
1999 Mazda B3000 Troy Lee (had since new). Semi backed over rear (new box, etc.) and new motor now with 20K on it (catalytic converter went and burned hole in rear piston).
New 2011 Nissan Juke (for wife) in Nove. (traded off 2001 Mazda Tribute).
I'll keep all for a good many years and fix 'em if I have to.
Plus my 07 Mini which I've only had since past Aug. but I'll keep it as well, love it.

 

maybe the fixing of the jeep was not that good? I mean most of the times you get what u pay for. if the frame was also hit, they may just patched it up.