Ok, Wife is fine. I assumed you'll would'd think that I would be asking questions etc., if she was not, but I accept the "reprimands". Wife appreciates your concerns.

Was wondering if anyone had any input on the extent of damage the front end of the Mini can withstand without bending frame etc.

My wife had a wreck today. She was hit pretty much head on/left front fender be a car crossing in front of her. She was probably doing about 40 mph. Air bag deployed, Windshield cracked, leaking antifreeze, hood and fenders buckled. Sad shape for a 2006 msc.

I would like to get the car totaled. I have not gotten anything back yet from insurance/body shop. I know it is hard to even assess any ideas from the little input I have provided, but any thoughts on repairability would be appreciated. May have a couple pictures tomorrow.

 

Without pics, hard to tell...but from your description I'd say your looking at a battle with the insurance company, it could be right on the totaled/not totaled line.

 

Well the good thing is she's ok. The car can be repaired.
Try to work with your agent and let them know that you want it totaled. A couple years ago I was in a motorcycle accident and worked with my agent to total the bike. I looked at every part that was damaged and got parts estimates off the internet. It only took me a little time to come up with $12k in damages on a bike worth $12k. You would'nt have thought it was that bad from looking at it, but it all adds up.
Good luck.

 

I assume that your wife is OK? Kinda weird that you didn't mention that....

Anyway, pics will tell the story on this. It all just depends on how far in the front end was pushed.

 

yeah man hope she's ok! and im really sorry to hear about the mini, they are kind of like a part of the family!

 

"Wife wrecked Cooper".....or was it "Cooper was wrecked while my wife was driving it"......whose fault was it??

I hope she is OK.

 

Never mind the Cooper...How is your wife The MINI would be the least of my worries

 

Being a nearly brand new car, it's going to take some serious damage to get it totalled. I sure hope that either the damage is minor, or you can get it totalled & replaced with a brand new model.

If she was going 40mph, I'm guessing the "minor damage" thing is probably unlikely. Best of luck to you.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad the wife is okay though !

One of the biggest misconceptions about cars today is the whole "is the frame bent and is the car totaled?" thing. Most cars today do not have conventional frame construction--trucks and SUVs do though.

The use of crush zones also increases the likelihood of repair. If this was very close to a direct head-on collision, as it sounds, then those crush zones absorbed the bulk of the energy from the impact.

If I had to bet, I'd say your car will NOT be totaled.

Again, glad the wife is okay and good luck getting your MINI back to the way it was two days ago.

 

A 40MPH hit is serious and I trust your wife is ok. Cars can be replaced, but people can't. Be thankful she was not injured.



06MCS/DS/B/Bbonnetstripes/Whalen8ballshiftmachine

 

Hope your wife's OK, I'd have to agree with the rest of the crew, Did all of the air bags 'go'? That runs up the bill and could have significant impact (pardon the pun).

Again, I hope your wife's OK

Cheers

 

Is the dash displaced at all? If it is, it is almost certainly a total.

 

So....how is your wife? Whiplash injuries can take a day or two to show up...what kind of injuries did she sustain?

 

do yourself a favor ,keep the wife and work with your agent and get the car to be classified as 'total loss'. I had an accident similar to yours with a Honda and it never drove the same. There were always something not right about the fix... I would think MINIs are even more temperamental ....

 

I don't know of any insurance companies that allow agents to determine if a car is totaled or not.

Okay, I know that wasn't your main point, so...

The estimator will determine what it would take to repair the car back to the way it was prior to the accident. Once they determine the cost of parts and labor, if the total is 70% of the ACV of the vehicle, it's totaled. If it's less than 70%, it's not. Not much you can do about it, regardless of how much bickering and begging you do.

Because MINIs retain their values so well and this one is only a year, or so, old, it's unlikely to be totaled. It would have to have suffered about $18,000 in damage.

 

a friend of mine had a tree fall on his lexus. they replaced everything from the "beltline" up.

 

Glad to hear the wife is fine. It just came across like you were more upset that she wrecked the car. Probably just a wording thing (happens).

TBH the front end does not look that bad off, but until a mechanic really gives it the once over, it will be hard to tell. I have seen accidents that a car looks totally destroyed be repaired and others that look like a scratch be totalled. Either way I hope you get what you want.

 

Glad it's not your fault (just kidding. Hope your wife remains good as new).

 

I was once in a wreck (got hit in the rear) and found the most reputable/respected repair shop in the area known for their quality. They prided themselves on their reputation. Everyone I talked to who took their car there had nothing but glowing reports. They usually repaired the more high end cars. Of course with good workmanship comes a higher price. I told the insurance company that this was where I wanted the car repaired. They told me that I either use their "certified" repair shop or they would declare the car a total loss. I went with the total loss and got another car.

 

Mine looked quite a bit worse than that and was not a total. Final number was a little over $15K. I did get really lucky with the shop that fixed it. You might want to start checking around for the best one in your area. Also figure out how bad it will hurt you to get rid of it if they don't total it. If you can absorb the hit, that is an option to consider.

 

THAT's an EXCELLENT point! Most states, if not all, permit the owner to choose the repair shop, but many people rarely know that bit of info. Find THE most expensive autobody shop that specializes in European cars and get an estimate. If you have metallic paint, you'll need to have the entire car clear-coated again--at least that's what had to be done on each of my cars. (NOTE: I have NEVER caused an accident; I was always the victim of unavoidable circumstances.)

 

I has similar front end damage about a year ago. What kind of shape is your suspension in? If your wheel took any damage, it's going to be pricey to fix. I tried to get mine totalled, but my insurance adjuster insisted on fixing it. The whole driver side suspension had to be replaced as well as the steering gear and the tranny. Having a tight suspension serves tospread the impact throughout the drivetrain and suspension. It ended up costing $500 more to repair to car that I paid for it brand new 3 years earlier.

As far as frame damage is concerned, the shop I chose, German motors in San Francisco did a great job. The car handles better than ever. A good shop can do wonders with a tweaked frame.

Good luck

 

Most, if not all, insurance companies, require you to either take your car to one of their pre-approved repair shops, or have one of their estimator evaluate the vehicle.

If your shop of choice doesn't adhere to their estimate, the shop must justify their expenses. If they can't, you're responsible for the additional costs.

 

I found the estimator to be a valuable source of information. I recommend meeting him when he does the estimate. He suggested the shop I ended up using, even though they were not on State Farm's list.

 

Looks to me (from the pic) that your frame is okay. They'll probably fix it. I've seen MINIs in much worse and they were repaired just fine. Glad the wife is okay, but seeing the pic, I had little doubt she was...MINIs do a great job of keeping occupants safe.