Hi everybody! First post here on NAM, and what a doozy it is... yeah, i was playing in the snow yesterday. Fun time... until i curbed the MINI. Cracked the rim, no body or tire damage tho. Tire is holding pressure, and the car seems drivable for now. Phew. Trying to get a hold of Patrick, see what a new one costs, as well as what it'll cost to fix. Was also gonna look for a replacement, maybe on e-bay or something. In the meantime, does anyone near wheeling have a spare rim (I just have the standard '05 v-spoke rims)??

Thanks,
MINI-Mark

 

Adam will sort you out, I've found him to be really helpful. I have no idea on the price of rims, but can tell you 17 inch runflats go for $268 ea.....stupid potholes.

While I don't have a spare it might help to know what size you are running

 

sorry to hear.


check Market Place forum, there are usually people selling their used factory
wheels.

you should get your car check out... alignment is probably off and
possibly your control arm might be bent... especially since you hit
a curb that would crack the rim.

 

be sure to have Patrick check the front end, did that with a GTI once and cost me more "unseen" than I 1st thought. That was a costly "hold my drink and watch this move"

 

if the damage is extensive, file a claim to your insurance agent.

depending on policy, they will help you up to $500 without
increases in premium (filed under one car collision).

 

I second that, I had a similiar one car incident once in my Audi (getting overly agressive in a turn). My insurance didn't even make me pay the deductible. I don't know if it was an oversight or not, but was nice.

 

As far as getting the suspension checked out by a non-dealer goes, it might not hurt to call Alex at Tire Rack and ask him about recommended shops in the Chicagoland area. Really, any reputable shop can take care of a problem like this easily.

I agree with Ken though: it's possible that the alignment is just out of whack and could be just adjusted back to factory. Otherwise, the repair for something like a bent control arm really isn't terrible either.

Oh, and if you're looking for wheels, try calling the three dealers in the Metro area and see if they have any "takeoffs" that they'd sell you for cheap. It happens quite a lot--you could even try calling other dealers outside of Chicago and seeing if any of them have a fresh takeoff that they'd sell cheaply. Couldn't hurt...

 

not to scare anyone, but my boss at work slid into a median (his fault,
going too fast in snow) on his Maxima and just by giving a quick looksie,
the front control arms, knuckle, wheel, and possibly the axle all bent.
oooops! (he's okay so we laughed it off) it'll be fixed next
week. no big deal...if the parts are available.