i got into an accident the other day and i need to get an estimate on the damages. i'm not local to rochester area and i dont know any good mechanics or body shops.

the damage to the mini is very minimal but i want to be safe. it looks like the plastics of the bumper is just cracked and shattered with few scratches on the exposed part of the bumper beam.

anyone know the price on a new front bumper cover? for OEM S part and for the aero kit (that is if they even sell the aero kit in pieces)?

thx

 

Have you called the Buffalo dealer first? Being no dealer in Rochester, it may be tough. Turner Brothers has dealt for years in foreign cars, so you may want to try them.

 

i called my salesperson but i dont think i could get in touch with him till monday morning....

i've been stressing out over this since yesterday, loosing sleep last nite and even my appetite

in the past, all my family cars were handled by my dad's friend's body shop

but i'm far away from home and dont know what to do
do dealers do collision work? or can they at least inspect my car so i can find out if there aren't any structural or major functional damages? in which case they could just put on a new bumper plastic for me?

 

I was hit in the rear bumper and thought it was minor until
the car was put on a lift. If it is driving OK and doesn't
seem like it will fall off why not wait till you get home??

 

>>do dealers do collision work? or can they at least inspect my car so i can find out if there aren't any structural or major functional damages? in which case they could just put on a new bumper plastic for me?
>>

Some dealers have collision shops, others have an "arrangement". Since the MINI is still a new car and there are so few in Rochester I doubt that any of the local shops have much if any experience with them.

Towne MINI in Buffalo does list a body shop on their web site. The information provided on the web page is minimal (click here) but I'd suggest giving them a call on Monday morning and seeing what they can do for you.

Towne's telephone is (726) 504 - MINI. I'm in Rochester and only have experience with their service dept which has been fine.

If the car is driving OK then I wouldn't be too concerned, but give them a call for peace of mind.

Where are you in the Rochester area? We've had ours since late August and have seen a total of less then 10 around here since then.

Good luck.

 

i cant wait till i go home cuz it may be months before i go back home
home is long island, ny and i'm at rochester now (360miles away)

the extent of the damage was this
i wasnt the driver when the accident happened
i was in class, and my friend needed to borrow the car
my friend is a careful driver, i wasn't being irresponsible and just giving my keys away to anyone

anywayz, he was making a left turn on to a main road from a intersecting side road
there were many cars parked on the street, including suv's and a double parked us postal car (those golf cart looking cars)
he was inching up to see if he could make the turn
he couldn't see any cars coming so he pulled up little by little
the last 1-2 ft he pulled up, there suddenly came a hyundai accent
it all happened fast but from the accident description and the damages to the cars
the accent swiped my mini
my mini didn't ram into the accent

the front passanger side of my bumper cracked as well as the front passsanger side of the accents bumper, which pushed back to its fenders as well
if you could picture it, my mini was poking its head out from the side street to the main street, with its passanger side leading out since it was preparing for the left turn, the accent hit and swiped through my car

my friend called me and came to me to alert me of the accident, the other party went to the police and filed a report. i think the report will be biased since she was at the precint spilling her guts while the officer called my friend a bit later to take down like a 3sentance statement over the phone

according to the officer, it may be my friends fault since the main road traffic has the right of way...but the way i see it, i think the accent driver was failing to avoid an accident due to day dreaming or negligence. there was no honking, no attempt to swarve (there weren't any cars around, either side of the traffic). the accident sounds as if the accent didn't attempt too much to slow down (maybe be speeding but the police again said speed wont be a factor in this...i dont know why?)

dang, this is a long post but i'm all steamed up about this

anywayz.....people please let me know of a good autoshop
this site rocks....i got 2 replies almost immediately following my post

btw, i also have a question about my insurance (link provided below)

thx



insurance question

 

i got mine from towne mini too, like 2 weeks ago
red mcs with white top and wheels

cant believe it got hurt already

 

Your message implies you're a student. Where are you attending school?

 

NY is a no fault state. Your friend sounds like they will be found to be
"at fault." Your insurance company will negotiate with the other cars
and there might be a settlement...say 75% your friend...25% the
Hyundai. Have your friend check his insurance...mine covers me
driving other cars. If your friend doesn't have a car or insurance it
is going to be on your company....and I hate to say it but your ins.
rates are going to be going up, probably either way.
I have a boat with no claims and my insurance has doubled over the
last three years w/o any claims and decreased coverage!!
Even though in my car accident I was rear ended I would bet my insurance
will go up....

 

The most important thing is that nobody was hurt. You should have your car repaired at a reputable shop (ASE, IICAR Certified Techs) that will guarantee there work in writing for the life of your car. This repair shop would be equipped with some sort of three dimensional measuring system (Genisis, Shark, Data Liner to name a few). These systems allow the repair tech to measure the cars body dimensions: length, width and height accuratly and return them to factory spec. The MINI is manufactured with a .05 mm body tolerance.
Automobiles are designed to bend and it is critical they are returned to factory specs in order for proper wheel alignment angles and sheetmetal fit. Another thing to watch out for is cracked body sealer. Body sealer keeps water and road salt from geting into the metal body structure and rusting it out.
Last of all, it is always a good idea to get a computerized four wheel alignment to make sure that suspension geometry is correct.

Best Wishes,
James