So I am coming back from a nice Thanksgiving weekend last night. I was driving into Philadelphia when I come to a complete stop at a stop light. I was stopped for a good minute or two when I get rear ended. I got jolted forward and it took me a while to realize what happened. I don't know how fast he was going when he hit me, but it definately wasn't a tap.

I get out and talk to the person who hit me. I ended up calling the police because I have never been in an accident before and truthfully didn't know what to do. I got all of his information but I wanted to have an official record for my insurance company. The man who hit me insists that it is not going to cost more than $50 to fix my cracked bumper but I have no idea what other damage could have occurred.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should look for before I take it into the body shop to be fixed?

Thanks

 

More like $650 to fix the cracked bumper. I'd get cost estimates immediately and file a claim with his insurance company. Get at least one estimate from your MINI dealer.

 

I was rear ended, my bumper wasn't even cracked, though the bumper cover was replaced as well as my tail pipes and it was over $700!

Is your dealer local? I used the body shop that my dealer uses 'cause I know that they do excellent work. In fact, I dropped it off at the dealer and let them handle it. The other guys insurance covered everything.

 

Yeah right. Ever see the crash-testing protocol where they reverse the car at a relatively slow speed into a stationary object and then assess the damage ? You'd be very surprised how much damage can be done even at 10-15 mph (obviously more than a gentle tap, just as you described).

If your car is still under warranty and you get it repaired at an authorized MINI dealer it could cost many several hundreds of $$. I have an Audi with some slight damage to the front plastic air dam and I was quoted around $800 to have it replaced (2 years ago).

 

I think that man is...........*drumroll*...............dead wrong!!!

Let the body shop examine it. They know better what to look for. Don't settle, go to a reputable shop and make sure they fix it right. (I've been back five or six times to my body shop for niggling little things...long story).
You got his insurance info, right?

Best of luck. I just had mine patched up, too (front end). Ain't fun...takes some attention.

 

Bummer! I'm very sorry to hear about this. Like others have said, make sure you take it to a good body shop. Ask other MINI owners in your area or friends, or your dealer for recommendations. :smile:

The damage is probably a lot more than you think. We were rear ended 2 years ago and it ended up costing $3K....

Keep us posted....

Chow!

Donna

 

My daughter backed our Subaru WRX into the Mini in our driveway. She could not have been going more than 5mph. The damage was close to $700.00.

 

You did the right thing to call the police to file a report. Some people
turn their story around and report later that YOU backed into them.

One of my earlier cars was a parking lot accident magnet. It got hit
left and right and also rear ended... I sold the car after only a
couple of months.

A slight tap could cost $350-$500 to fix an indentation on a bumper
and repaint. If the impact was great enough to crack a bumper,
I would not be surprised to see a $1000+ bill.

 

Thank you everyone for your advice and support. I will be visiting a few body shops when I get home from this stupid business trip. Thanks again everyone!