In another thread I wrote how my DS/B MCS with less than 200 miles had been the victim of a hit and run.

After a bit of travail, I took delivery of my repaired MCS. A dent was knocked out and the paint blended, and the hood given a new clearcoat. I went to a terriffic body shop that did excellent work--I think. I say "I think" because I only be able to see the work they did through a haze of the chips. On my way home from the body shop on I-80 in NJ my car was hit by what I thought was a brief hail storm. I knew it would be bad, but a close inspection at home under the lights revealed just how bad it really is:

--The windshield is pitted to such a degree that it almost looks metallic
--The front of the hood looks like a fine coat of dust has settled on it. The "dust" is actually the pits in the paint.
--The black mirror caps are more gray than black
The top of the hood has numerous scratches/pits
The plastic headlight covers are pitted.

It's very windy here tonight and, given the extent of the damage, I'm beginning that I hit some windborne sand rather than hail.

I will call the bodyshop tomorrow to see if there's any buffing/color sanding that they can do to help hide the damage to the hood they just expertly painted, but I don't hold out much hope... I'll will buy a new windshield at some point, but I'll have to pay out of pocket. I may also pay to get the mirror caps repainted. This is just after paying my deductable fee for the hood repair--it was a hit and run. I'm so angry. My 90 GLI has these kinds of "character lines", but it has 155K!

Thanks for reading.

 

that stinks, i'm sure everyone here shares your pain. hopefully this is the end of your bad luck, and you can soon settle in to enjoy your car. just remember the real beauty of the Mini lies under the gorgeous body in the engine, drivetrain and suspension. that'll all still be working fine. small comfort I know, but it's worth something.

 

As a fellow member of the CWFOC, I'm very sorry to hear about this and hope it all works out...

 

I'm sure glad I don't have hail to worry about in Hawaii. Just hurricanes.

I'm very sorry to hear about your bad experience. That would make me want to have a beat up car for the bad weather months and garage the MINI to keep it safe. My wife once drove our new one week old car out in the snow and got hit by a camaro that was spinning out of control on the freeway in the winter. She had been driving stick for less than a week. That was many years ago but no fun.

See what the body shop says it can do. I'll cross my fingers for you.

 

Damn that sucks, but i have had similar problem with the mini's paint it seams to chip very easy.....

 

Sad story... what can you do? Makes you mad even though others most likely cannot see the damage unless looking closely. I understand completely.

God speed.

 

What a one/two punch you've suffered. At least you know many of us feel bad for your bad luck and wish you a speedy dose of excellent body work.

Last night I saw footage of the freaky hail storm that hit south L.A. too. Weird weather in much of the nation. You probably weren' the only Mini owner who had their's damaged, but I'm not sure misery loves company.

Best Wishes!

 

Numb indeed!!! I was sitting here whining about my MC being in the body shop over the weekend when I was supposed to get it back today. That to repair a minor door ding. I think I should count my blessings! So sorry for your troubles. Take deep breaths...have a good cry...whatever...to make it through. Here's hoping this is all just a bad memory someday soon. :smile:

 

That's a terrible story -- I'm so sorry for you. Hang in there.

I do think the MINI paint chips and scratches awfully easily. It's very soft. You can practically take it off with your fingernails. I was heartbroken the first time I took a visible chip... now I'm a little more hardened to it, because they appear so often in routine driving. I take my Velvet Red paint pen to the car every few weeks.

 

sorry to hear that, i know how protective I am of my MINI.. so I can imaginme how awful that must have been.

 

I think I would throw up and then feel numb.

I'm paranoid about parking my car near SUVs (big dumb doors) and mini-vans (little dumb kids). I can't imagine your heart ache. I am already dreading my first hodd chip or window chip...

Let us know if the paint shop takes pity on you and gives you a deal.

 

Where do you live that such bad things happen to such a beautiful car with BBS rims! I feel for you once again. The CWFOC will always be there for you.

 

crwilliams, heres a tale that may make you feel lucky;
I was wind surfing in Corth Carolina with a buddy who had just bought a new Toyota Landcruiser; $50,000 worth One day he went to a different beach downwind of a huge set of sand dunes and while he was out shredding on the waves the sand removed EVERY BIT of paint from one side of his car Within a few hours of discovering this the bare steel had gone rusty due to the moist salt air.

Are you feeling better now?

_________________
"For the getaway cars we'll use three Mini Coopers"

 

I know exactly how upset you're feeling.

I live in New Jersey, too...and make frequent trips on the NJ and PA Turnpikes, both of which are notorious for highspeed traffic and huge 18-wheelers and the occassional double-truck (two trucks connected in the middle-- I HATE THOSE!). All these trucks kick up an awful lot of sand, grit, rocks and pebbles...right into my MINI. I've owned it for just 5 months and the windshield has thousands of tiny (pin-head size) chips in it. It looks fine, until the sun hits it at the right low angle---then it's just terribly pitted.

And there are about 3 or 4 decent (match-head) size paint chips in the very front end of the bonnet from direct hits by stones thrown up by trucks or bigger cars, which is just about EVERY other car on the road.

At first, I was angry...but now I say to myself, it's just a car. Yes, it is my awesome MINI, it never fails to turn heads and is a blast to drive (I don't think the "fun" of driving a MINI ever goes away!), and even though it has these "blemishes" oh well, I still wash it and give it a good coat of Zaino that it deserves.

I figure that in 3 or4 years, or when it gets to the point where there are just too many chips in the bonnet paint than I can stand, I can always get the bonnet repainted. It's jet black, so it shouldn't be too difficult to match the paint.

Or, another idea I have is...maybe in 3 or 4 years, or however many years....I may decide to have the entire MINI repainted in a completely new colour! Hey, why not? It will be like driving a new MINI... plus, I'd have a much wider selection of colours to choose from -- colours MINI does not even make available. Definitely not kermit-the-frog green (I've seen a MINI in that colour!) or Miss Piggy pink (seen a MINI in that colour, too!). But a nice royal purple mettalic sounds interesting. :smile: Anyway, that's my take on the situation... it sucks when you're beloved MINI gets a nick or scratch, but you can't just keep it protected in the driveway forever... drive it and smile, mile after mile.

Rock On,

Mighty_Boognish

 

I'd like to thank everyone for their empathy and support. I thought, first, that I'd show you a picture of what my car looked like before the accidents and what it will look like again soon.



I will wash my car tomorrow and try to get a better assesment of the damage. It appears that the back and sides are unscathed and most/all of the roof--I expect that there have to be some chips in the clearcoat above the windshield.

Thanks again to all who have written and to any others who come later. What happened last night was Biblical in proportion and almost defies comprehension.

 

Oh; I forgot to mention: on the way to the train station this morning a deer almost ran into my car! I had already passed it on the road when I saw it on my left heading towards my car in a panic. I instinctively stopped and then hit the gas--I could see it's face in my rear view mirror as it nearly missed smashing into the rear of my car.

I swear that none of this stuff has ever happened to be in all my years of driving!