hey everyone...

as you can see im still a first gear so im really new at this. bear with me.

I got my 2006 Mini Cooper in february this year. I love it so much. I go out of my way just so i can drive it longer. i currently have almost 18,000 miles on it.

But.... (There's always a but... ) i've recently had a few problems that all hit me in the past month or two.

1) first problem is that i was involved in a hit and run with an eighteen wheeler. (no joke) what happened was i was going out really early one morning and got stuck in some morning traffic. (I live in Flemington New jersey and the traffic on 31 is insane) it was going from two lanes to one lane, i was in the right lane and the 18 wheeler sod truck is in the left lane. i guess he didn't see me. (i was clearly in front of him), but he hit the left rear quarter panel. (no damage to the wheel thank god) but i have a big dent above the wheel well a black mark on my bumper and the black facia around the wheel wheels looks horrible (tons of little white scratches. i took some pics but they didn't show up at all) i proceded to pull over and got out.... traffic was moving slow and i kinda waved him to pull off and call the police. he gave me the middle finger and kept driving (the cops couldn't find him)!!! . anyway the root of this problem is .... anyone know where i can get some body panels? perticularly the black facia pieces for the rear wheel wells?

2) i have the runflats and i've noticed that #1, they're HORRIBLE in the snow. i really don't like them. plus mine don't have any more tread on them which is odd because i didn't think that they would wear out that fast! anyone know of a place i can get tires? I have the sixteen inch five spoke wheels. I'm really just looking for a good pair of all-seasons with good grip. (any suggestions on summer/winter wheel tire packages would be great too!)


and finally

3) i'm looking for a roof rack. i really don't want to do any drilling ... is it necessary? i need it to carry just one snowboard... mine. i was looking at the mini one and im not sure how their base rack would connect to the top of my cooper. (obviously i would need to buy a snowboard attachment for this as well) i priced it out and it should be around 200 dollars. anything cheaper? something that i would be able to take off in the summertime would be nice too...


thank you all so so so so much. and i really appricate all your help. it hasn't been such a good couple of months for my mini and i.

 

Tires: tirerack.com. Visit the wheels/tires/brakes forum here if you're not sure what you want/need, they can help point you in the right direction.

Parts: realoem.com. Look up your year/model and then browse to find part numbers. Then call around to salvage yards or dealers to get parts.

Roof rack: I can't help you with that, but search the forums for "roof rack". You'll find what you need, I know someone posted about it recently. In fact, it might even have been for sale in the Marketplace.

 

Why do you need a roof rack for a snowboard? Doesn't it easily fit inside?

Most people ditch their runflats for some good all-seasons. I run Kumho Excsta ASX on my '03, about $83 each in 17" from Tire Rack and they're terrific!

Lastly, you can buy any and all parts you need from your local MINI dealer, and chance are they'll be the right part and fit properly, plus they have a 2 year warranty!

 

Good advise. realoem.com gives us nice discounts, just be careful that the shipping doesn't wipe the discount away. The fascia parts are pretty inexpensive. You might just want to try your local dealer, and ask if they give Mini clubs a discount. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

thanks so much guys