Good News... Our brand new Countryman All4 just arrived at the docks in Baltimore and should be home soon!

BAD News... Our trade-in vehicle was just smashed in the driveway! No one is fessing up, but we believe a friend had backed into the rear quarter panel while leaving a party we hosted Friday night. It's pretty nasty and will probably be a few thousand in repairs.

To add to the stress, the dealer had already assessed the trade and agreed to hold the trade-in value until the Countryman arrived. We have opened a claim with our insurance company and hope to expedite the repair, but we're torn about whether or not to disclose what happened. We'll also probably need to postpone pickup of the new car until the damage is fixed. If they look over the car and ask about any work, we will tell them, otherwise I don't think we'll bring it up.

My wife was in tears over it... Any opinions on what to do?

 

That totally sucks, I feel for you. That fact that 'a friend' didn't 'own up' is *****y. I'm sure there's a lot of anticipation for your new car as well. Uhg. As it is going through insurance, it will show up on a car fax (although I don't know how fast). Good luck, and hang in there. Perhaps someone on here will chime in with a similiar experience.

 

Is the damage to your current car enough for a total loss? You would get more than trade in.

 

Good news, you are getting a new car soon. Bad news, your morals are in the toilet. Let them know what happened and file the insurance claim to get it repaired.

 

Mmm, the situation is unfortunate and I feel for you guys. There is not much you can get by car dealers so you should probably have it repaired and let them know. They are going to inspect your trade-in again anyway and can usually spot where body/paint work has been done. As long as the structural integrity has not been compromised it should not be a big deal. They'd have to fix it anyway if you brought it in damaged anyway. I'm sure once it's repaired everything will be fine.

 

You might be better off trying to trade it in as is and using the cash from the insurance company to offset the lost value in a down payment if that's an option. It would probably be faster and might save you a little $.

 

It's no where near a total loss and is not structural. Someone backed into it at a couple miles an hour and crushed the driver's side rear quarter panel. We immediately filed a claim with the insurance company so I am sure it will be on the carfax, etc.

 

If I were you I would send out a mass email to all "friends" who attended your party detailing the damage and how upset your are - (perhaps the guilty party didn't realize the extent of the damage)... asking if anyone heard or saw anything. Maybe the person will be shamed (or guilted) into fessing up. Or maybe they'll worry that someone else at the party saw something and again will confess the hit.

Awful that someone would do it and not just tell you.

 

If it's not totalled, I would be up front with the dealer and the insurance company.

What I would do is start with the dealer. Ask if they have a body shop and assuming the answer is yes, tell them what happened. If you give them the collision repair business then they will likely let you trade the car as is at the previously agreed amount and fix it themselves with the money from the insurance company. For them it's a win win. They don't have to store your new car, and they make a profit from the body work.

If the dealer does not have a body shop or does not have one they normally work with (doubtful), the trade in value should not be affected as long as the damage is not structural and it is repaired properly. The insurance company should also be aware of the fact that you had a trade in value provided to you. If the loss results in your trade in value being less, they may intervene or compensate. Some states require the insurance company to do this up front (GA is notable for this.)

Lastly, I would not worry about Carfax. If the damage is not structural, it may never appear at all, and there are some states where the insurance info does not make it to Carfax.


Sorry about the hassle, the bad timing, and the lack of common courtesy from a guest in your home... Hopefully the dealer will work with you and deliver your car this week. Keep us posted.

 

We will disclose it to the dealer. Also based on the other suggestion of a mass communication, I will post a photo of the damage to Facebook and hopefully the guilty party will fess up ( they all look at mt Facebook posts )

 

Just put it on Facebook, should be interesting to see if anyone steps forward. Here's a photo ->

 

Ouch!

 

CRUNCH!

I'm not sure how someone wouldn't know they did this.

 

This thread is full of fail.

 

I have been thinking about this very situation as I "traded in" my R50 on 3/24 and have been driving it around, waiting for the car we bought to come in. Had this been 2 weeks ago I would be ok with someone driving into me and totaling it, now I am trying to avoid all of the crazies on the road so my wife can get the new car.

 

We were also concerned about something happening prior to this event. The car has been driven minimally since the dealer last saw it and the night before this happened we discussed not driving it to a family gathering the next morning because it was about 100 miles away and we didn't want to risk anything. We never thought it would get damaged just sitting in the driveway.

 

It won't show up on carfax in my area unless a police report is filed. Your dealer may not be that concerned over that type of damage. I agree on letting them know and giving them first crack at the repair job. Good luck, that stinks...

 

This isn't true. There are shops that are registered with CF and will report it to them or they will simply get it from the insurance company. Either way it is pointless as the dealer will see the repair anyway.

 

I was relaying personal experience. As indicated in these posts, it obviously varies and the dealer taking the trade-in will be able to help out anyway. Good luck to the OP.

 

McSmurf, any updates?

 

Just got an estimate of $2671 to repair it, we have a $1000 deductible and have left the car at the Progressive service center to get the work done (much more convenient for us). The work will not be done until April 12th. Wife now has a Nissan Cube as a rental which she refers to as a golf cart. The dealer has not yet confirmed a delivery date for the MINI Countryman, but I know that the car is already at the vehicle distribution center. We will tell the dealer what happened the next time we hear from them. I feel confident that they will still take the car, but I am also prepared to get less for it. This will be an expensive month

 

ouch! I feel for you, but at least you're getting the Countryman soon!

 

Two wrongs do not make a right but the percentage of new cars getting repaired before delivery and the the new owner not knowing? 100%.

I would pay for the repairs out of pocket (get more estimates!) as you are already $1000 in the hole due to your deductible and not tell the dealer. A decent repair should completely fix the damage back to original condition.

As for your friends? That's just plain bs.

 

I'd pistol whip ah fool

 

Just an update... We finally took delivery this past Friday. Told the MA about the repair the day before and did not have any problems at trade-in time. I'll post a pic.