April 29th: After putting in a ten hour day at work and beginning my hour long drive home to catch my five year olds tee ball game I had an accident. CRASH!! I pulled out in front of a college student who was late for a job interview, recently had eye surgery which required a time restricted drivers license, but was not speeding in a 35 m.p.h. zone yet skidded 50 feet before hitting my MINI rotating me 90 degrees and totaling his Isuzu Trooper. Of course no fault was found with him.

I note this story because it is the beginning of the situation that I hope none of you ever have to endure. After conversations with the owner, James, at Rapid Body Works and Keith at MINI of the Woodlands I determined that my best course of action was to move my wrecked MINI from its current location to Houston so that it could be fixed by approved MINI techs and an approved MINI body shop. I believed I was making the right decision as this course of action would keep all warranties valid and all the body work done by a “high end” body shop.

Delay after delay occurred which were blamed on miscommunication between the body shop and dealership, wrong part numbers, long waits for parts from the UK, etc. until Thursday, August 17th when I read the invoices from MINI of the Woodlands noting that the parts I was led to believe were ordered in May, may have been ordered in July and August. Then when talking with people at MINI of the Woodlands, I found out the Rapid body works has a cool computer program that spits out part numbers and that Rapids part orders have the numbers included. This system was obtained by James at Rapid to expedite repairs and reduce incorrect part numbers. MINI of the Woodlands states that the program is just as good as the one they use Rapid says it is just an estimating program and that MINI of the Woodland should have checked all the numbers. He said she said.

I have made four car payments - $389.33, my gas bill increased $250.00 a month and the alternate transportation I am using - a 92 Ford Explorer with 144,000 miles on it - required over $3,000.00 of repairs to keep it running and yesterday the AC went out! In case you don’t have time to total it - $5,557.32 and counting! I work two jobs to provide for my family of five and my wife has begun to work an extra two hours each day to help pay down the extra debt this situation has heaped upon us. This MINI was the first new car we purchased in seven years.

Rapid Body Works and MINI of the Woodlands state that I (the customer) and my satisfaction, is very important to them. I would really hate to see the treatment of someone they did not care about. They would probably not communicate with customer, or take a long time to fix the customers car car, or let the car sit in the shop for a couple of months collecting a thick layer of body shop dust in the formerly pristine interior. They would probably assure them that it will be done this week….hopefully…well next week maybe and then have excuses as to why it was not ready. Then when I complain they would point fingers at each other. Wow, that is me!

If you were in my shoes, what would you do? What do you think MINI should do? What do you think Rapid should do? As of today I have yet to be contacted by any of the parties involved offering help with payments, with alternate transportation, or even a stinking cap.

To be fair, Keith Sutch at MINI of the Woodlands is the only person in this story who returned calls in a timely manner and helped get information even though this problem is “above his pay scale”. If you need a sales person who will not only help during a sale, but also help if everything goes wrong, Keith is your man. Stop by and tell him Glenn sent you.

Thanks,
LGK

 

How on earth is insurance not covering this???

 

Insurance covered the repair, but not the extra expenses for the delay.

 

Wow, that stinks, shouldn't your insurance company be providing you with a rental?

 

I did not include it in the policy. I tried to save money because I have never had an accident in 28 years of driving.

 

Mini of the Woodlands sent me to a different "authorized" shop. They did an okay job..paint didn't match exactly (paint supplier problem) ..but as with most if not all body shops...they didn't respect my brand new Mini.....what are you going to do. I also had a very good salesman at Mini of the Woodlands...Art...cool, relaxed and very patient. He let us know everything we needed to know about the mini when we bought it...like don't hit the horn..may dent..etc etc.

Good luck on your mini...hope you get it back soon.

 

Was a police report filed? I just don't understand how the other person was not found at fault and the decision made so quickly. In an accident that was at dispute (the other driver lied about what happened) it took the insurance companies some time to arrive at a conclusion and the other person's insurance covered my rental car expenses.

Sorry to hear of your situation - I know how it can be to have a bad time with a body shop. Perhaps you could call your finance company and tell them the situation, they might suspend the payments for a bit or something, you never know. Also, you could check with the Better Business Bureau with regards to the shops handling your repairs and check into filing a Small Claims case to recoup the expenses you had to pay due to their actions. Here is a link that might help:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/consu...l_claim_02.htm

Consumer Affairs also has a complaint form, I've never used it and not sure how it might help, but you might want to give it a shot:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/php/a_report.php

Hope that helps and best of luck.

 

I had a similar issue, though not nearly as severe, a few months back. I had a minor accident with my Mini in June and it took an extra week to get back due to misordering parts. In hindsight, I wish I had gone through a bodyshop that works on Minis instead of the one my insurance company wanted me to use (a Ford place). I ended up bringing the car back no less than 3 times to have to fix their mistakes with parts alignment.

 

He did say he pulled in front of the other driver...
I'm not sure if I'm understanding your story correctly but it sounds to me like the Isuzu had the right of way, regardless of whether or not he was speeding.(no officer there to prove he was.)
Sorry about your woes man...I found a body shop thru recommendations of my local MINI club, and was quite satisfied with the repair.
Best of luck, and I certainly hope you get your MINI back soon..

 

the other driver was not found at fault because he PULLED out in front of him. No other fact matters. He was supposed to be able to estimate this cars speed in order to determine if he could safely pull in front of him without stopping or slowing the speed of traffic.

The whole ordeal stinks!! Finding a reputable body shop is hard. I have had 3 accidents since living in LA. 2 of them happened when someone rear ended me at a traffic light. 3rd one happened as a victim of road rage. I wouldn't turn left fast enough (3 lanes of rush hr traffic to cross) onto a residential street. And I wouldn't drive over 25 down the residential street. So he kept laying on his horn, then decided he would pass me. Too late he realized that he didn't have enough room to pass (it was him or the oncoming car) and he rammed his suv into my new car while trying to get out of the way of the oncoming car. He told his insurance company that I was parked and that I pulled out in front of him. His insurance company challenged it despite a non involved witness testimony. My lesson I learned, always keep a nicely padded insurance policy with car rental coverage, and keep a disposible camera in the glove box! I had to sue in 2 of the 3 accidents. That sucks!

 

complain to your insurance company that you feel they are delaying repair of your car in order to increase the cost of the repair. Demand to speak to the owner of the body shop, and explain exactly what you are want (reimbursement for a car, and your vehicle fixed to your satisfaction now not 3 mo's from now!) Make a complaint in writing! The squeaky wheel gets oiled! Obviously 4 mo's to fix a car is unacceptable. The same thing happened to my friend's M3. They(different shop)did an awful job after keeping the car 3 mo's.
The first time I had to take my car in for repair, I explained upfront that I may be cute and sound sweet, but if you screw up my car or do not repair it to pre accident state, that all hell will break lose. When I picked up the car, I examined it with a fine tooth comb. Let me tell you, I had the manager outside within minutes, my foot was shoved up his you know what, and then I had the repairman outside and I let him have it too. I had to wait an additional hr, but my car was done right! Oooh, that happened 8 yrs ago, and it still makes me angry!

 

Thanks for the empathy. It really sucks when you think you are the only person being crapped on. I hope things will get better and the paint better match. My insurance states that the car will be repaired to a "pre-accident" condition. The paint matched before the accident!

 

My point was if the guy was impaired and speeding the fault is not quite cut and dry, and that is why police reports noting any skid marks (and how long they are to determine speed) are important. Witnesses can also help (I had a witness and a police report and it made all the difference).

 

No whitnesses that I know of...and the skid marks were VERY light.

 

This is all confusing.

The insurance company is paying for the repairs so that is a non-issue.

You did not have rental insurance so that is a non-issue.

It seems the complaint is about how long it takes to get it fixed?

Don't most Insurance companies provide a list of reputable body shops? If not, whats done is done.

I hate miscommunication. You can't even get a McDonalds order right because they ALWAYS screw it up This was a bigger McDonalds order. Not much you can do but I feel ur pain

 

Yea, after one of the times I recieved and order from a fast food place that was incorrect AGAIN. I thought of the perfect new fast food place. Call it FOOD. You will arrive and order your meals by age and sex of those in your group. Then I would select the meal, quantity, and price you would have no say in the order. I figure that this is the wave of the future because all the popular fast food places are doing it now.

I never thought of using the idea for a body shop...thanks for the tip.

 

Just an FYI for you guys, I work in insurance, so I know where this is coming from. The extra money it costs for a 6 month policy to add rental coverage is generally UNDER $20. Is $3.33 a month worth this trouble? ALWAYS add rental coverage. And while we're on the subject of rental cars, keep in mind that your car insurance doesn't cover the loss of use of a rental car (If you crash a rental, they can't rent it out, so you have to pay to rent it for the duration of the repair). Only that stupid insurance they offer you does!

 

I drive about 120 miles a day to and from work. I have heard that insurance covers the minimum mileage on the car and the policy holder would be responsible for the extra miles.

 

the crazy thing is the his driving restrictions did not refect his disability. I work with this nurse who is really pretty much legally blind. She scars the bajesus out of me. She almost has to put papers up to her nose to read them and she is wearing coke bottle glasses. So.. she takes care of patients (how the heck can she read their name band) and she DRIVES to and from work (dawn hr and either dusk or after dark). She should have her license revoked. Wont happen. DMW will not do it. So this guy that hit him only had time restrictions. WTF! Ok, so your eyes are bad or healing post surgery, so you can only endanger people on the road 3 hrs a day!

To get my 90 yr old grandfathers license rescinded we had to go to his MD, make a case, have letter sent to the dmv and make a complaint ourselves. Then they gave him an opportunity to retest (written and road). Can you imagine if he had passed? Crazy ole fart still thinks he can drive his big old chevy truck. We hide the keys!

 

You need to go after the bodyshop. 4 mo's repair time is Unacceptable! Heck, in that time period, you could have ordered the parts yourself, read a book on auto body, and completed the repairs! ok, just kiddin, but really. Talk to your insurance company and see what can be done. I mean, come on you paid for this policy. If they can't repair, ask for a new car! yeah, I like that idea! ohh, I need food, I always get fiesty when I am hungry. Sorry if I am fiesty today.

 

A story udate..
I have obtained an invoice which notes that the seat cover was ordered by the body shop on May 19 and delivered Aug 10 a 83 day turn around? Seems like the story gets both stranger and clearer each week.

 

dang... good luck and hang tight, LGK! it's amazing how you're
keeping your cool.

someone should do a "based on a true story" nightmare movie... sheeesh.

 

You know Mini could have built you 4 new cars in the time it's taken the body shop to repair yours. This isn't some classic car that you have to scavange through junk yards buying parts, parts are easy to find. At MOST, it should take them a month to fix any reparable damage on a car. If it takes them longer, they have too much work and shouldn't be accepting new jobs!

 

oooh, they make me so mad! It's like your seats were embroidered by hand. someone in that shop is dropping the ball.

 

Thanks for all the posts. I find is theraputic to vent frustration. Right now I am weary of the whole affair.