I almost avoided her in the intersection but I didn't have enough room to stop. My poor baby's front end took a hit. The grill & bumper need to be replaced. The xenons & hood are fine.

I'm going to change the run flats out as well. I'm dropping it off at Bay Bridge/Clean Green Collision in Oakland tomorrow. . . . Suggestions for mods? I need to pick new tires as well.

I have the chrome line package (which I'm not crazy about) Black bonnet stripes and a black roof. Everything is factory OEM. Hubby wouldn't let me get the sports package (or a manual transmission! ) so I have 16s.

 

Bummer that you got into an accident. I know the feeling. I am glad to hear that you are ok.

I would put things back just the way they were.

For tires I would get rid of the run flats. I am a big fan of the Yokohama Avid Envigor. It is a great all season tire. You can find a good number of reviews on this tire in the Tire section on the forum.

 

Definitely going to look into those tires.

Thanks for the feedback . . . So, I guess I'm going to conduct a poll:

Who thinks I should put back things like they were?
Who thinks I should do some mods?

 

All season tires? Bleh.

IMHO: Get some summer tires. You live in California, you can get away with not needing cold weather tires. (can't you?) One might even make the argument that better tires decrease your braking distance, which could help you avoid this kind of mishap in the future.

I'd say upgrade to 17's while you're at it.

 

I guess I could get away with summer tires . . . but do I want summer tires? In what ways would it be better?

I was thinking of Yokohama Avid Envigor 205/55/16

 

Assuming that the temp there doesn't drop below (I think) 45F, summer tires are made to brake and corner better than all-seasons. The rubber is different, as well as the tread pattern.

http://www.tirereview.com/article/86...uhp_tires.aspx

 

As for possible mods, what are you interested in? Performance? Handling? Styling?

Tires are easy to do at your convenience anytime and at any tire shop when you are decided and ready. Bay Bridge Motors is very knowledgeable about MINIs, so consider especially what other mods you might want. For example, engine and suspension mods such as rear sway bar, intake, or exhaust. They are also good at bodywork. You can ask them about painting or replacing the chrome line package you are not so crazy about.

 

I am definitely more interested in styling. . . but if there are performance mods that I simply HAVE to do, I'd welcome hearing about them.

I was thinking about maybe choosing a different. . . grill. I'd like the look to be darker/menacing. But I don't even know where to begin on aftermarket/stock/factory options. Some ppl sacrifice quality for price. . . I don't want to do that. And I don't think the chrome line will work with that look.

The chrome line around the grill snapped off during the accident anyway. . . and the bumper is completely going to be replaced so I'm wondering what I can do to achieve that look.

I think tints are going to be a must. 30% I guess. Should I do those all around or darker in the back?

 

Thanks for the article. . . Just when I thought I had made my decision on the tires I'm hecka confused.

 

Ask for the replacement grill to be the JCW version, with the JCW black surround.

http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...rill_trim.html
http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...rill_trim.html

 

That is PERFECT! Thank you!

So how do you feel about the chrome around the lights?

 

Most people who black it out do it themselves with blackout vinyl. You can try that pretty cheaply and see how you like it on your car. Having it professionally painted may be quite expensive.

Personally, I'm not sold on black headlight rings unless the inside of the headlight is also painted black (search for "joey mod"), but that's a bit of an involved and risky project.

 

So I searched Joey Mod and it seems easy enough and it looks so much better. . . what's the risk? Breaking something?

I dropped the car off today. Spoke to Jacques at Bay Bridge about switching out to the JCW grill & black trim, & getting the JCW aero kit installed. He has to double check but it seems like painting the rings will be about $70. Reasonable? I thought so.

 

+1 And although it’s pricey, I wouldn’t be without my driving lights. They’re awesome at night and if you want to keep that blackout look during the day, just put the covers on.

 

I put the JCW black grill trim on my MINI, But I left the headlight trim alone. I think it makes the headlights look bigger that way.

Kind of like a surprised frog!

Dave

 

WOW that looks great.

 

So mine will be a surprised, pissed-off frog?

 

JCW aero kit! That's a big step and it would look great. I believe that the full kit includes the JCW grill and trim.

Yes, the risk with the Joey Mod is that it's a lot of money if you mess up. Many people are squeamish about doing it but it's not bad if you're comfortable with projects like that.

 

Oh that's good to know! Waiting for Jacques to get back to me on the price to see if I'm just going to do the grill or the bumper as well. I think I NEED the aero kit. I've fallen in love with the idea.

I'm big on the DIY so I'd love to do it myself. . . I recently found out that my brother installed a freakin' M3 engine in a bmw sedan and switched out the transmission to manual, installed a clutch, & tons of other stuff all in his garage! He's a chip designer by day so I think DIY runs in the family.

 

2010 Clubman S - check
BRG/Black - check
JCW Aero Kit - check
Joey mod - not yet, but probably

 

What ever you decide to do, Jacques will treat you right. He's one of the "Good Guys"!
Tell him "Big Tall Jim" says "Hi"!

Jim

 

We had Lyle of vinyl styles black us out a few years ago, it still does look great.

 

So, the AC condenser was damaged in the accident and they've gone ahead & replaced that. We ended up doing the JCW bumper not the side skirts bc the cost was not worth it. I get to pick it up on Monday & I'll let ya'll know how it looks.

 

Don't forget the pictures!

 

So I've got the car back on Tuesday (they had put the non-aero bumper on & had to redo it) and I've been working every single day so I haven't had a chance to hang out with her.

They did a good job, even put on a no-hole license plate holder. Car wasn't vacuumed or anything. I thought it was standard to get your car back spotless?

It's been foggy & raining every day so as soon as it's sunny I'll post pics.

Meanwhile, I've noticed that the scoop is warping. I have called that into the dealer and am trying to get Mini North America to do a CF scoop instead. We'll see. . . .