Well there was some good news and some kinda bad news. They were able to reatach the airdam at minimal cost. But when they removed the bumper the damm tire bent, yes bent my ac condensor. They told me not to worry about it since it does not leak. But if I loose AC then I know why. He told me about the plastic housing around the radiator and that i am lucky that I did not dammage that.

Yes the whole bumper is easy to remove. Its 4 bolts 2 easily accessible under the bonnet and 2 up under the bumper. I'd do it myself next time.

 

I feel your pain, the first "dent" I got was from some boxes that were dropped on the freeway. My car flew off the ground (luckily didn't flip over) and bent the whole thing up. Cost a couple thousand dollars to fix, I was devestated.

 

I travel I-40 often and the truck traffic is very heavy. Poorly maintained trucks exceeding their speed limit by 15-20 MPH are way to common. Sometimes I see a sign on the back of a gravel truck with an uncovered or poorly covered load and no mud flaps over the rear wheels that says, "not responsible for vehicle damage". Yeah right, just stick a sign on the sucker and violate as many laws and as you want.

Granted, all vehicles should be well mantained and obey the law. Trucks, at 80,000 pounds and a stopping distance many times that of the average car, need to be held strickly to the law and forced to be well maintained.

MORE TRAINS!

 

Cops should leave fast cars alone (those who drive with respect) and focus on the big wheelsers. They do more dammage to the roads, and the cars that follow them. They drop so much debris on the road that it must really make that indian cry (ya know from those 1970s commercials).


If only they maintained them, and pretended to drive the limit. How many times has a 18 wheeler tailgated you at 70 mph?

 

When I read your orig. post about a trashed airdam, I knew more
damage would turn up. I only had about 3,000 miles on my beloved MINI
when I smashed into a recap which was attached to about 50% of the sidewall rolled into a big ball.(at night, could'nt see soon enough)
Airdam destroyed
AC condensor destroyed
radiator supports
wheel wells cracked
skid plate trashed
part of rear suspension bent
gas lines and clips under car. Just some of the stuff i can remember.But I
remember the total repair bill was just about 1,700 dollars american.

If I could change one thing on the mini, I'd make the nose higher off the ground. They should have named this car the "HOOVER", because when it comes to road debris it's a vacumn cleaner. At 30,000 miles, I have no less
than 200 paint chips on my bonnet. I do have the original wind screen, but it's covered with chips

 

Sorry about your luck, ninja. Just reading about your tractor trailer horror story makes me long for New Jersey. Right out of college I moved there, and discovered the Garden State Parkway. No trucks allowed (at least when I was there). Passenger vehicles only. It's a toll road (as all roads in NJ are). And true, as George Carlin once said (and I'm probably badly paraphrasing): the moment you pull out of your driveway, some guy in a hat wants another 50 cents. But not having to deal with the rigs was a welcome change. I suppose devoting an entire highway to passenger vehicles would work in no other state other than the most densely populated one, but it was still very nice.

I'll still take my commute on the rural 2-lane country roads around here. Still have to watch for deer though.

 

Yeah, I'm in there for some regulations on retreads. It may raise shipping costs but all retread tires need to go away - off the market.
Our freeways are road hazzard courses weaving through tire chunks ... Wheeee. The things are terrible even for passenger cars.

And why don't school buses have seat belts? Sorry, started on a DOT rampage.

never mind

 

Yeah I'm there too

 

yep, i simply do not trust any gargantuan trucks out there.

once a golf-ball sized rock flew out from the wheels and left a nice pit in my windshield. i couldn't believe it didn't crack. luckily though the rock didn't hit my bonnet or roof. and i was in the lane over ~1 car length behind. once that happened, i never stay behind them; i always try to pass'em quickly.

this past week a toyota p/u was almost sent over the side of the freeway by one. supposedly the toyota was driving by one, when big foot suddenly veered across and shoved the toyota right against the concrete barrier. he had no chance. fortunately, the barrier held, as the freeway was built ~ few hundred feet above the valley floor.

perhaps if that toyota driver was driving a mini, he'd have simply gone underneath? either way, i'd much rather pass by those giants and see'em in the rear view, hopefully not tailing me either on the downhills.

 

One must remember that big rigs have blind spots,usually about 1/2 way up the trailer to the tractor,don't hang out there,and I always flash me lights as I come up on them to pass.And if they are passing you they do like you to flash your lights to let them know when they are clear to merge back in.

 

Ya know I forgot to tell the story of when I was at the UofFlorida. Driving up to NY to return home for the summer with my now wife I was in the left lane passing a 18 wheeler. This was in 91 driving a 85 nissan maxima, The 18 wheeler decided to change lanes. I had the decision to get run over (I did not beleive that smokie and the bandit really fit under under the truck) or veer off the road into the center median of I-95. I chose the latter and went off the road. 70mph into weeds that were winshield height. We were ok but I pulled weeds out of the engine compartment for years.


The trucker did not ever know I was there. He never should have been in the left lane anyway. that creap.

 

 

I took on a de-tread about 10 minutes after delivery! I was trying to figure out the H/K, looked down, back up & it was too late. Put a nice scuff on the air dam but that was it. Got it over with and early at that!

 

My first ding in first week of ownership on my MCS happened on rt.95 Driving in center lane with nothing in front of me for 100 yd.'s. With an 18 wheeler about 30 yd.'s to my right in front of me I saw his rear wheel flip a piece of metal up in the air which met with my bonnet and glaced off the wind screen. It looked like half a license tag bracket.
It left a slight dent and cut into the paint beside the MINI badge which I see every day as I walk up to my car. It reminds me every day to stay as far as I can from them.
I was once riding in a van beside an 18 wheeler at 65 MPH on rt.95 when a tire blew completely out. The explosion sounded like both barrels of a double barrel shot gun, you could feel the percussion in the van, I ducked and the driver floored it to get away.
Recaps are dangerous to everyone, truckers and motorists.
The main reason for tire failure is under inflation causing tires to over heat and blow out, they should be required to have tire pressure/heat monitors in cab.
You were fortunate to get through that without personal injury or loss of life.

 

Yesterday I was motoring into town,1/2 ton about 1/4 mile in front makes a dodge to the left,and I see a white THING on the road blowing around,high winds,thing is moving away from me ,but when I do catch up it turns out to be a 2 square foot block of styrofoam.Now I play dodge em with this thing at 50 mph,missed it by inches.