The pic of my LR back in August....



The LR replacement @ lunch today, @$%%^%$^$@$#@%$ 16 yr old in a Caddy was in my front yard when I got home for lunch.





Nearly the same scenario...moved one car to drive the suburban, left it parked on the street. Time for some yellow paint and "Danger Zone" lettering!

 

The family is insured, but wants to settle with cash to keep the incident off their 16 yr old's insurance. I've got one estimate for $1,900 locally and am going to Nashville tomorrow to get another one. Are there any unexpected hidden type of expense likley to be found when I get into this repair?

If we got the cash route I might just add an aero kit, clear tail lights, boot stripes and have the wheel trim painted black to match the roof.

Any thoughts?

 

Be sure to get the 16-year-old's information, and make sure they are truly insured. When someone wants to not involve insurance, it should always be a red flag. The damage doesn't look too bad. Be sure to have the alignment checked since your MINI was hit by such a tank. Sorry for your troubles.

 

The kid's mom was here before the police. I ran in an made a copy of their insurance card. Should be no trouble on the insurance, it's a small town and their insurance agent was my baseball coach back in the Babe Ruth days. I also work with his wife. I'm not trying to rail anyone, but if I can get a good settlement with them I might look at doing some of the mods I had planned vs doing the insurance and replacing with the same parts. I've got uninsured motorist insurance anyway, not that I want to use it since I hit a tree in my LR back in July and 2 days after I got it back the tree fell on it in August.

I just finalized my LR title/work and parts sell off the first of Feb. The last thing I want is to have a long drawn out settlement. I just want to be as sure as I can that I'm not missing something if I settle for cash and wind up with unplanned $ to spend to get it back where it should be.

 

If you are not going through insurance just be sure they are not paying you based on any estimates alone - oftentimes the estimate is not accurate and the repairs can cost more as they take apart the car and discover things. Since it looks like your wheel was hit and maybe the car moved I'd be sure they check it out beyond body work to be sure the wheel bearings/suspension/alignment if nec/tire and wheel are as they should be.

I'm not sure how you go about it, but you need to be sure they pay whatever the total is when the bodyshop is done and you are ready to pick it up. As it is, based on the crease in the quarter panel alone I'd think a good repair would cost more then $1900 - just be sure to take it to the best shop you can find who will only use new OEM parts and offer a great written warranty. Another thing to consider is that insurance would cover a rental car for you to use while your car is in the shop.

 

Next shop you go to, ask if they will do a detailed estimate, rather than visual. This would entail putting the MINI up on a lift and pulling both rear wheels to check for suspension/ wheel/ undercarriage damage. Since the MINI was moved sideways, suspect damage to the left rear suspension, as the tire tried to roll under. Might cost you a little to get this done, but will save future surprises.
Also, from the photo, looks like the quarter panel might be repairable. This is far preferable to cutting apart the factory welds.
Good luck and hope you are able to get the mods you want!

 

Didn't look like it was hit too hard. There were no skid marks in the street or my wet lawn. He did scrape the rear wheel though. Seems to drive ok around town, but I should know a little better when I get up to speed on the interstate today. The shop I'm going to today is used to working on Minis. They do all the BMW/Mini dealerships work. They also have worked with the aero kits and painting the fender trim before. There was an 06 MCS conv in that they had the aero kit installed and painted the fenders gloss black. It was sweet. My MA had also taken his personal mini in and had the same thing done to his.

On an different note, what's the best clear tail lights and side markers?