Geez, sorry to hear about your accident - I hope it works out since you were at least hit by a person with a reasonable sense of responsibility.

I was hit in the rear a long time ago by an unmarked police car who later admitted he just picked the car up (it was brand new) and was fiddling with the radio. It was sort of funny since my wife (who was 7 months pregnant) was with me and we were on the way to pick up her new car from the dealer. Even better was that the detective who hit us recognized my wife from the local district attorney's office. The poor guy called us every night for a month and kept sending her flowers. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the well-wishes from everyone. Needless to say, I'm anxious to be done with this situation and back to happily motoring.

I have a question maybe someone can answer - how much room do I have to demand a new bumper? I would prefer it not be sanded, filled, repainted, etc. If I ask for a new bumper, do they have to put one on? Or will insurance only pay for what's cheapest?

 

It depends on the terms of your specific policy. That being said, it is probably cheaper to simply replace the bumper than expend the effort in repairing it. If it's cracked in any way, it should be replaced as that is generally not repairable.

 

Depends on state and ins co. I would demand and see what happens.

 

It's really up to the adjuster...I was adamant about getting a new hood on my MINI after the above pictured dent....The repair job on it is flawless and the paint match is perfect...(They did paint the whole hood and side quarters though) , some of these body shops fantastic work, so I wouldn't write off a repair job on the bumper...

 

My MINI was a victim of a small hit and run which damaged the right rear of the car, and cracked a very small portion of the plastic bumper (or bumper cover, more accurately). i was told that cracks could not be repaired, so the bumper had to be replaced. I'd been considering replacing it anyway, since it had its share of onstreet parking nicks and scratches, so this turned out quite well for me. I got a new bumper and a new wheel for the price of my $200 uninsured motorist deductible.

 

UPDATE:

This morning, the woman who hit me met me at the local Avis to rent me a car. So that's taken care of. Then this afternoon, after a lot of phone calls, I was able to get the MINI in for an estimate (unfortunately the shop that was originally recommended to me by a Porsche owner didn't have the expertise to work on a MINI). I'll be getting a new bumper, bumper strut (the aluminum piece between the plastic bumper and the body), trim, and the exhaust adjusted (it's pointed weird now). And of course there's always the possibility that they'll find more things once they get the bumper off. Thankfully, though, the repair doesn't include painting anything but the bumper. I was worried about that. All together, it'll be about $1K.

Oh yeah, the bad part - the shop is so booked that I can't take the MINI in until the 21st!!

 

UPDATE; Insurance is supposed to "total" it out and my Dealer has a comparably equipped model sitting on the floor except it is BRG with silver roof, stripe and mirrors, has LSD, black interior, and NOW has a "SOLD" sign on it for me. Still have to get my $$ from the adjustor after payoff is completed, but it may be a DONE DEAL. Still keeping my fingers crossed. I liked the PW but I don't want to wait two months either. Look's like it may be a 2006 after all. Will keep you posted... YIPPEEE.