Here is the lowdown guys.....

MINIs are to be driven and enjoyed. They are not living room centerpieces (Leave that to Ferrari cuckoo owners).

Even if you manage not to get a ding or dent, your car will get scratches and rock paint chips. Blemishes are a given if you are going to truly drive and enjoy the car. I tend to be very OCD about these things but over the years I have come to realize that quasi-obsessive detailing/cleaning, etc are not good for blood pressure (And it is a losing battle at the end of the day).

Wear your MINI like your favorite pair of jeans!

 

Sounds like the sheetmetal got a little stretched out. If it doesn't bother you and it is hardly noticeable I would leave it alone too.

 

Just don't intentionally put a hole in it like Abercrombie.

 

No holes please!!!!!

 

If you're gonna do it, do it right.
Use the MINI authorized body and paint shop
that your MINI dealer uses.
Spend the $700 to have it
looking like new again.
Thats what I did for the
2 millimeter scratch on my door.
I also got a lifetime
warranty on the paint
and workmanship.
How do you think
every car on the MINI
lot is dingless and paint
perfect? Thats where
the dealer goes.
Thats what I did.

 

There is a small problem with your suggestion. Repainting a panel, no matter how small the area, will have a negative impact in your resale value (Paint thickness gauges don't lie). Having a panel re-spray for a small scratch seems excessive, IMHO

Akin to have brain surgery if you have a small wound in your scalp

Obviously, anyone is free to do as they please. But when dealing with small dings, dents and scratches, always approach the problem from the less intrusive way and take it from there.

 

I would challenge you or anyone
to find the area where I had
the car painted.
For you to suggest that this
would in any way have a
negative impact on the car's
value is ridiculous.
Everything from the paint to
the clear coat is blended
and matches perfectly.
Sounds like your talking
about amateurs.

 

And while we are on the subject
of resale values..Its a fact that
dings and scratches will diminish
the resale value of a car by
an amount of $400-$600,
While a beautiful paint and
body will increase the value
by that same amount.
My Daddy always told
me 2 things: 1) Take care
of your car and it will last you
a long time. 2) fIx small things
in the beginning, rather than
allowing them to build up into
big things..
I'm not OCD..I just prefer
to keep my brand new
car looking brand new.

 

rod your the biz!!!

 

Roderick boasted:
>> I would challenge you or anyone to find the area where I had the car painted. <<

I guarantee you I could look that car over and pick out the respray in less than 5 minutes. Next time I'm in Cali (could be a LONG wait) I'll stop by and ruin your day...

 

I am not disagreeing with you at all

Nothing irritates me more than dings, dents and scratches. A car turns to heck quickly if you don't take care of it

All I am saying is that when confronted with minor damage, I seek the least intrusive way to deal with the problem (PDR, etc) and take it from there.

Re-painting panels for very minor damage will diminish your value considerably...Probably more so than if you had left the scratch in there in the first place

If you are going to keep the car until the wheels fall off, then who cares?

Used car appraisers have no mercy for cars with non-OEM paint jobs. It is just the way it is.

 

Have you ever seen one of these?



It is a paint thickness gauge. Used car appraisers use this nifty little tool to determine whether your car has had panels repainted after it left the factory. The gauge does not care about how well finished or matched the surface is. Thickness of the paint in non OEM areas will typically be ticker in comparison with panels painted at the factory.

There was another thread earlier this week with someone whose Clubman was discovered to have had the entire one side of the car re-sprayed at the VDC perhaps for a key scratch mark. How did they find out? You guess it! The OP in that thread was offered between $5K-$10K less than market value for her car because of the paint re-spray. Had not been for her desire to trade in the car earlier, she would have never discovered the problem.

Paint thickness gauges are double edged swords if you ask me.

 

Like it or not, that's how it works. Anything other than factory paint indicates that the car may have been severely damaged (whether it was or wasn't). Thus, resale value decreases. Like Clubman S says... paint gauges don't lie. Nothing will be perfect except factory paint.

 

I have always kept my cars
running beautifully and
looking near perfect.
And when the time comes,
I've always sold them for
top dollar.
In 40+ years of owning and selling,
no private party has ever arrived
at my home with a paint thickness
device to determine how thick my paint
was after I had a 1 millimeter scratch corrected.
As a buyer, I would also run a Car Fax on the car to determine
if it had ever sustained major accident damage
before I would ever exaggerate or assume what some little machine
is telling me.

 

I still go back to
the first piece of promo
material that MINI ever put out
that said that every little ding
on your car is a sign of adventure
and tells a story about your life.
Just like I don't have plastic surgery after having
a bruised knee I tend to leave my cars
wearing their little dings with pride.

 

Dude... I had a ding on my bonnet after I'd had the car a couple of months and I cried like the girl that I am.

The other day, hubby drove her to work and I had to run out to the garage to check her and make sure there were no dings in the doors, just in case his co-workers did not understand how much I love my car and how much I would seriously scream at them if they'd hurt my car...

I'm such a dork for Viola... I could not imagine leaving a ding there. That's like... blasphemy to me.

 

I know what you mean. I was suffering from borderline o.c.d. with my Honda Accord (first car), but now that I bought the Clubman, I am pretty sure it is o.c.d.

Ex. I was paranoid the entire time I was shopping at Trader Joe's, even though I parked in no man's land (far away from everyone else). Unfortunately, some jackal decided to park next to me, even though there were plenty of empty spots around us. It was very irritating, but I checked to make sure there was no door ding. This guy/gal is probably the same type of person that would pee next to you in a completely empty bathroom.

 

some of you really worry me ...

 

Is this a car or a show piece?

 

I guess it's all about why you bought the car.

Some bought it because it is one of the coolest designed cars on the road, and it's more about style. These folks tend to keep the car looking pristine.

Others are in to the performance and handling.

Still others like the "you-ify" aspects, modifying both the look and the performance.

Some (me included) like a little bit of all of the above.

So it really gets down to individual choice - what ever makes you happy with your MINI.

I hope I drive mine 'til the wheels come off!

 

I so totally get that!! What is up with that anyway? There are like 12 other stalls!

That said, I bought my MINI because... of all the things you said Euells. She made me love being behind the wheel of a car again and made me start looking for excuses to go places... It's really just a great car.

 

I'm 100% with you there, RandomGemini! I just went to pick up pizzas, and it took me 29 minutes to do a 10 minute drive, because I chose some curvy back roads. I am so stoked about going to MOTD '09 I can barely stand it! I can't wait to drive the Tail of the Dragon!

 

I just noticed 2 small dents (1/2" diameter) passenger side between door and wheel well. Small paint scratch in one. Door dings no doubt. Pisses me off. I truly hate big trucks/SUVs that cannot park within the lines. I'd tax the living s#*! out of them if it were up to me. I have a friend with his own bodyshop for 20 years. See what he says about it.