Some bad news. My one week old 2006 MCC was rear-ended this morning. The bumper and boot door will have to be replaced at the very least. I don't know yet about any frame or alignment issues. I will not be at fault for the accident and insurance should cover everything.

Which Bay Area dealer would you recommend for repairs? I live in San Francisco and by far the most convenient location would be MINI of San Francisco (where I purchased the car). However, I'd consider another dealer if it is highly recommended. Also I believe that MINI of SF does not offer loaners.

 

Bummer on getting hit.

I'd say go straight to a recommended body shop. The dealers just farm out their work to a body shop anyway. Make sure it's a high end place that only uses OEM parts.

 

I would not use a dealer for repairs. There are no official MINI, BMW, etc body shops, they are just normal shops either owned by the franchise owners so that they profit off of it or a local shop has an agreement with the dealer. In my experience the dealer related shops were far from the best and I would not use one again. Instead I find the best bodyshop I can via references from people and also see if they work on high end cars, etc for the dealers and individuals. In the past I have used Anthony's Auto Craft in San Rafael and they have been fantastic. They are skilled, use the good paint and parts, and guarantee their work with a written warranty. And they are trusted with all sorts of high end and exotic cars.

If the accident is not your fault you should be able to get the other person's insurance to cover your car rental.

Best of luck, sorry to hear about the accident.

 

California Classics in Alameda did a fabulous job on my Mini after the drivers door and rear quater panel got crunched. Perfect line up on body parts, perfect paint match. No matter what angle you look at it from ya can't tell it was ever bent.

 

I'm sorry to hear about what happened.

My recommendation would be Haws Auto Body in Concord or Haws Plaza in Lafayette:

Haws Concord
925-676-1944
Kevin

Haws Lafayette
925-284-5335
Renee

They are both MINI and BMW certified, and the quality of their work is phenomenal.

Your insurance company needs to provide you with a vehicle, provided that you have rental coverage as part of your policy.

 

Andersen Behel in Santa Clara is 5-star rated by USAA. I was very happy with their work on our BMW and Volvo.


http://www.andersonbehel.com/

 

I decided to go with Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland (http://baybridgemotors.com). A shop that hosts Randy Webb pulley parties can't be all bad, and I found some high recommendations for their body repair work. I wanted to support a place that is truly enthusiastic about MINI and knows the car very well. I also have a rear sway bar and Koni FSD shocks waiting in my garage and I will have them installed while the car is there.