I have a scratch on my door that's serious enough that I don't think it can be taken care of through touch up paint and Langka.

The only other option I know of is the body shop. Of course, I could try the touch up/Langka approach first, and then do the body shop only if I don't like the result.

To those who have had body shop work on their Mini: does a repainted Mini door look the same color afterwards? I have a dark silver metallic paint.

Also, the body shop says it'll remove the door handle and rear view mirror to repaint the whole door. I want to make sure they don't break anything when removing the handle and mirror! How do they do this? Any online tips?

Thanks for any help,
Dan

 

had a nice dent/scatch on the quarter panel of my MINI (a truck kicked up a steel rod into her) the bodyshop did a real nice job matching up the Darksilver
it all depends on the bodyshop & people working on your kar
where are you located? if your in NY i can send you to the shop that fixed mine

 

Keep in mind that aftermarket body shop repaint jobs have the potential to negatively affect your car's resale value. Used car appraisers always look for signs of body shop work which are often indicative of accident repair.


There are companies, such as Dent Wizard http://www.dentwizard.com that in recent years have developed dent/scratch paint touch up techniques that do not involve full paint re-spray jobs, thus saving the original finish of the car and its resale value.


Body shops rarely, if ever, can successfully duplicate your factory finish. A well trained used car appraiser knows where to look for to detect body shop work previously done on a vehicle.

If the scratch in your door was not collision related, I would look into repair alternatives that do not involve traditional body shop repair methods.


>>I have a scratch on my door that's serious enough that I don't think it can be taken care of through touch up paint and Langka.
>>
>>The only other option I know of is the body shop. Of course, I could try the touch up/Langka approach first, and then do the body shop only if I don't like the result.
>>
>>To those who have had body shop work on their Mini: does a repainted Mini door look the same color afterwards? I have a dark silver metallic paint.
>>
>>Also, the body shop says it'll remove the door handle and rear view mirror to repaint the whole door. I want to make sure they don't break anything when removing the handle and mirror! How do they do this? Any online tips?
>>
>>Thanks for any help,
>>Dan
>>

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT PW/B, MFSW, CD Boost, 15" 8-Spoke silver wheels.
'04 MCS CR/W, UJ Roof Flag, Aux Input, HK, Sport MFSW, Rain sensing, Auto dim mirror, 16" silver V-spoke wheels, Chrome grille, Chrome mirrors, OBC, front fogs.

 

Here is another company that specializes in paint touch up (Scratches, scuffs, etc) repair work. They seem to be very good and should be able to restore your door's finish without losing use of your car for days or weeks to no end at the hands of a body shop.


Locate a representative in your area and schedule an appointment. They also offer mobile service at your home or office, so it is worth to give them a call first:


http://www.aerocolours.com/services.html

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT PW/B, MFSW, CD Boost, 15" 8-Spoke silver wheels.
'04 MCS CR/W, UJ Roof Flag, Aux Input, HK, Sport MFSW, Rain sensing, Auto dim mirror, 16" silver V-spoke wheels, Chrome grille, Chrome mirrors, OBC, front fogs.

 

koolmini, I'm in Montana. I found a body shop that came highly recommended from a Z8 owner, so I feel pretty good about that shop. NY is too far for me, except for visiting on vacation! :smile:

Cooper4us, thanks, I'll try dentwizard and aerocolours first before going to the body shop. There is no actual dent in my door, just a scratch and a scuff.

Thanks!
Dan

 

>>koolmini, I'm in Montana. I found a body shop that came highly recommended from a Z8 owner, so I feel pretty good about that shop. NY is too far for me, except for visiting on vacation! :smile:
>>
>>Cooper4us, thanks, I'll try dentwizard and aerocolours first before going to the body shop. There is no actual dent in my door, just a scratch and a scuff.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>Dan


Hey Dan:


Best of luck with your repairs. if you don't have a dent in the sheetmetal, it is likely that the people from Aerocolours will be able to touch it up to perfection.

Let us know how it goes!

:smile:

 

> Best of luck with your repairs. if you don't have a dent in the sheetmetal, it is
> likely that the people from Aerocolours will be able to touch it up to perfection.

Cool. Looks like a trip to Denver is in my future. That's the nearest Aerocolours location to me. It's about an 8 hour drive, but I already have a Denver trip planned to visit the dealer and Randy @ Webb Motorsports. There's a pulley mod in my future. :smile:

> Let us know how it goes!

Will do and thanks again for the recommendation! I'm so happy there's an alternative to a full-blown door repainting!

 

>>> Best of luck with your repairs. if you don't have a dent in the sheetmetal, it is
>>> likely that the people from Aerocolours will be able to touch it up to perfection.
>>
>>Cool. Looks like a trip to Denver is in my future. That's the nearest Aerocolours location to me. It's about an 8 hour drive, but I already have a Denver trip planned to visit the dealer and Randy @ Webb Motorsports. There's a pulley mod in my future. :smile:
>>
>>> Let us know how it goes!
>>
>>Will do and thanks again for the recommendation! I'm so happy there's an alternative to a full-blown door repainting!


That's great! Now you have even more of a reason for a well deserved MINI vacation in the high mile city. I love your part of the country. About a year and a half ago the wife and I flew to Denver and drove to the Black Hills in SD, then all over Wyoming, went to Yellowstone National Park (Heaven on earth) then onto Utah, Arizona and Nevada (Vegas). We haven't been to Big Sky Country but look forward to visit sometime. I really want to see Glacier National Park in person.

Well enjoy and don't forget to post some pics before and after the repair.

 

Update: I ended up taking my Mini to a body shop. Just got it back yesterday.

AMAZING! The whole door looks completely brand new, and I *cannot* tell any work was done. I was really picky and even looked for a different density in the metallic flecks in the paint, but it was flawless.

God bless that body shop. Hank's Body Shop in Billings, Montana.