I am in absolute misery over this. I'm making the road trip to the dealership to get some accessories installed on Viola on Tuesday so I was washing the car and making her ready for the trip when I found it. It's right on the bonnet in plain sight! How could I not notice it?

I think it happened when I came around a bend too quickly and found myself behind a truck with a load of gravel that wasn't properly secured. I slowed down and don't recall hearing anything hit the car, but there it is... plain as day and I think it actually got through the clear bra.

I'm calling the dealership tomorrow to ask them if they can look at the damage and tell me what I can do to get it fixed. I hope it's not into the paint!

While I was moping about it as hubby and I were leaving the grocery, we got into his car and he said to me, "Hey, it could be worse. You could be that guy." and I snapped a shot of his car. It's photo #2 and yeah... I am glad I'm not him, but still... this is my baby! I've only had her since May...

 

I've had great luck getting similar dings removed by the paintless dent repair type guys....Dent Doctor, Ding King.... your dealer probably has someone they use for their own issues. http://www.dentdoctor.com/

These folks have special training on how to use some tools to press out dents from the back, with access from afar....pretty amazing what they can accomplish sometimes. In the hands of the experienced these tools get a ding out in minutes....

Last one I had done, the dealer scheduled my service for the same day the guy was due to come by....ding gone and I can't even tell where it was.

But..this ain't free...I think my last one ran over $100 ....

my last dealer even gave a coupon for one free paint-free dent removal in the first couple of months of ownership....nice guys

 

Don't feel too bad, I got the same thing, only my dent's much deeper and it cut right through the paint (about the same diameter and in the same area too). My Mini's only a month older than yours.

Anyway something like that's pretty cheap to repair (~60 using PDR), so no major worries. EDIT: I was about to recommend a clear bra but I just noticed you in fact have a clear bra...I'm sure it helped.

 

Will I have to have the upper portion of my clear bra replaced after I have the dent repaired?

I thought the dent repair would be much more expensive than it looks like it's going to be, so I'm going to get that taken care of asap but if I have to have the clear bra done, that may have to wait a bit longer... *sigh*

 

I wouldn't sweat it. Let the paintless dent guys do it first, then see how it comes out. Though in the picture it's hard to tell, to me it does not appear to have come from a gravel hit.

 

I don't think it was the gravel truck myself, that happened on Tuesday and I would have noticed a ding like that before now, but my husband suggested that as his only possible theory. I don't think it happened while I was driving because I would have heard a ding like that happen. It could have happened last night at my friend's apartment building...

I'll try to get a better picture from a real camera.

 

Me too, I've had my PW MCS for 2 weeks, this morning I go outside and find a nice ding. Mine looks like someone smacked it with a piece of rebar or handle of some sort. They better hope I don't find them... I'm pissed.

 

Life ain't easy. The first week Betsy was home, she took a dirt clod from a $#$%@ semi to the left racing stripe. Gouged the stripe badly. On my last trip to D.C., I got a dimple on the chrome trim strip between windscreen and bonnet. Be glad, like I am, that we don't have stone stars in our windscreens.

 

Absolutely! You're absolutely right and have really put it into perspective for me. I had a scary incident happen to me just a few years ago that I'd completely forgotten about until you pointed out the stars in the windscreens.

In my previous car, I was driving along, minding my own business, when a rock came flying at me out of nowhere while I was doing 60. I saw it come at my face and I just instinctively reacted to it. I closed my eyes, threw both hands in front of my face and huddled back in the seat. The rock hit the glass with a sickening smack, and then I watched a crack spread from the impact location to the other side of my windshield on the rest of my drive to the campus. I'm glad that it happened so fast that I didn't lose control of my car, and I'm glad that my windshield was strong enough to stop that rock from blowing through the glass and hitting me. If it had, I'd be dead.

I'd definitely rather have to replace glass or repair dings.

 

I had a large stone hit my Grand Marquis at 70mph in TN on I-40. Put a large potato-sized indented smash in the lower left corner of the windshield--but it looked like it was coming for my nose .

The safety glass is pretty tough stuff with the plastic center. Got to thank whoever initiated safety glass.

I've pretty much resigned my self to keeping the car as nice as a daily commuter can be. The scars are like mine. This ol' body ain't perfect anymore, either, but like that recent horse movie observed, you don't throw out a body just because they're a little beat up, so I'll continue to love Betsy.

 

I got the ding fixed this morning! The guy at the dent repair place felt that it was definitely not a hit from gravel, and that it was done intentionally. He suspected it was probably done when I parked my car at a local casino on Friday night. He said that the clear bra saved me from having to have the bonnet airbrushed and that I should be very grateful for it.

Thankfully, the damage was not through the clear bra and that will not have to be replaced, but the clear bra is scuffed in the location of the hit. I will NEVER have another car without a clear bra after this experience. I am now even more grateful that I bought the demo car off the lot, because the clear bra was just one of those perks that I wouldn't have paid extra for at the time. Now I know better and I am so glad for it!

I'll post some pics of the repair work when the sun comes out.

 

I hear lots of people talk about a clear bra. Is this the InvisiShield that Mini sells or something aftermarket...?

 

Mine is 3M Rock Shield. My MA said the dealership prefers to work with this product, because it's easier for them to custom cut it to fit the bonnet of the MINI and they found it to be more durable. It also covers more than just the front of the car. In addition to the upper and lower bonnet coverings, I have rock shield on the edges of both my doors, on the head lamps, and beneath the door handles, where you often end up getting key scuffs.

 

Wish I had one, now. Wasn't offered as an option at MINI of Nashville--at least not that I remember.

 

the best stuff is here:

http://www.xpel.com/

 

Do you think a clear bra could of helped the guy in the Honda?

 

BFD. Sounds a bit harsh, but in reality, it could be a lot worse. A person in the Coupe Talk 02-06 forum has an entire car with severe hail damage.

 

Both. You can do it any time, but you'd have to repair any paint dings first if you're not doing it at the time of purchase. And there are a number of names--InvisiShield is just one of them.

 

LOL! Somehow, I doubt it. The part you couldn't see in the picture, because I didn't want to snap the guy's plate, was that the whole front end of the car beneath the grill was sort of hanging on with some duct tape. He had much bigger problems than I did and really didn't seem to care. The duct tape thing seemed to be working for him.

I know it was silly of me to get that upset over a little ding, but to be honest, I had no idea what to do about it until I posted. I've never had a dent like that in any of my cars and I've also never loved a car quite like I love my MINI. I was in tears over the dent when I found it. You guys pointed me in the right direction so that I was able to get this fixed painlessly and I really appreciate that.

Attached is a picture of the repair work. You can see the scuff in the clear bra where the ding was originally, but the scuff is all that remains. As far as the clear bra goes, I have no experience with other products, and I am sure that all give you similar levels of protection. After my conversation with the repair guy today, I really do feel that it's better to have one than not have one, regardless of which product you choose.

 

I'm glad your ding got repaired to your satisfaction, RandomGemini.

I want the clear bra, but my dealer wanted to steer away from the one offered on the MINI.USA site. He said they had complaints that it peeled away from the car's finish. Rather, he suggested a (much more expensive) alternative (shocked? no surprise here! lol) that the dealer farmed out to a local service. They said the car could be protected for $1,400. It not only took care of the whole front end, but areas around the rockers, behind the wheels, etc.

As intrigued as I was, I passed because I couldn't come up with that kind of money before taking delivery. I'm saving every dime for my down payment as it is! Still, if the opportunity presents itself, I would like to have the material applied; I think it would give me at least a small measure of peace of mind. Paying a body shop to repair even the smallest damage is sure to cost more than the initial investment for the clear bra!

 

Just an FYI, you can't dominate the world without a few bumps and scrapes along the way.

 

Thanks Xymox . I'll keep that in mind.

 

Interesting point. I remember some earlier MINI sales literature that actually gave chips, scrapes, dings, and dents credit for adding even more character to the character-laden MINI! They said that each scratch had a story to tell, like scars that we as human beings carry.

There's definitely a point where the "scars" become more of an eyesore, however. And the first one is always the WORST!

 

Thanks! I appreciate the positive thoughts!

You could try looking into getting a local shop to install the 3M product later on. I was charged half what you were quoted for the install of my clear bra and its amenities and that was at the dealership. I've since found that there are *several* places near my house that install this product for about the same price I was charged, so between 750 and 850$ is the going rate around here for it.