Yeah, I know. That was included in the repair cost estimate. I think they charge like $100 - $120 for the first dent then like $30 or $40 for each one after that or something. He said that one on the quarter panel would be the big one, and little one on the roof is "cake." Thanks for the heads up though!

And thanks so much for the advice!

 

Well, I thought I'd update this since I went to MINI of Nashville and saw the Dent Wizard.

Turns out the initially estimates postulated by my MA and I were WAAAAY off. Apparently PDR can't "effectively" be done on the dent on the rear quarter panel as it's fairly deep. They're afraid it'll chip the paint. Also, it turns out to get to the dents (that's right... I found another one ) on the roof they said really needed to go at it from underneath which means removing the headliner and the sunroof. I talked to three Dent Wizard guys independently and they all said the same thing.

So... here's the new estimate... $1004.93. This is for PDR on the roof after removal of the sunroof, and body work repairs to the rear quarter panel. Now, my mom has taken care of my car insurance since I started driving, and I though it was suspiscious that my rates didn't go up all that much on the first MINI (from a used Nissan Frontier). Came to find out today just why... because my deductibles are $1k. All this time I thought they were $500 and I wasn't freaking out that much, but I nearly had a heart attack today! Needless to say those are going to have to come down to the $500 mark ASAP.

My advice to everyone... listen to CR&PW&JB... he's a genius. (And yes I'm serious.)

 

I wouldnt spend money on a repair.
instead make up some super fancy story about teh "battle scar"

 

Yikes, that sucks for you and I'm sorry to hear the cost of the repairs is going to be just a few dollars more than your deductible.

And no, I'm no genius. But you are a good testament to what I've been preaching for a couple years on this board now... carry a LOW deductible on the Comp coverage.

How are you coming along on your talks with the landlord ? Is he budging at all ??

 

I hesitated to post.. because I have sat and thought about this for a bit.. why don't you just take care of it.. you state.. you went out to go to the lab.. noticed a 10 foot branch which freaked you out on the ground, and breathed a sigh of relief when you saw the car had not been hit.. what is bugging me is.. why didn't you move the car? away from the tree? why did you leave it there? Do you not think you have a bit of responsibility of where you parked the car? It's a tree.. it's not like the landlord.. should be accountable for something he has no control over.. ie ice.. or tree branches.. coming down.. Why should he budge? not like he went out and cut the branch down and watched it hit your car... you parked the car there.. you knew one if not more branches already came down.. Im not trying to be a pain here, but I don't understand.. I would have moved my car, if it were a main concern for me I would have.. I firmly believe people need to own up to their responsibility for when things go wrong

 

EPIC battle with the ICE TREE OF DOOM!!
id say teh MINI won.
small battle scar VS lost limb.

you should be good to go fight some dragons after coming out on top of a tree!!

 

if ya really thing its the landlords fault, id just plant some trees next to where the land lord parks. They'd never see it coming.

 

First... I never said I wasn't partially at fault here. The fact is I am. I should have moved the car. It makes me a little sick to my stomach every time I see the dents in the car, knowing that I was inclined to move it, but didn't (because I was running a little late - and, no, that's not a good excuse).

Second... regardless of what I can prove, heck even regardless of this whole event, the trees (which only exist in our designated parking areas) need to be either 1.) properly maintained or 2.) cut down, which IS the responsibility of my land lord. And I'm not the only person who thinks one of these two options should take place. Not to mention I've been complaining about it for months now. Even BEFORE I got the new one. But the fact is, my landlord is el cheapo, and I have no expectations of this ever happening.

When I do get a chance to talk to my landlord I'm not even going to ask for HALF of the repair costs because, after thinking about it, I'd already decided that he wasn't completely at fault (really not even halfway). Now granted, if his insurance HAD covered it, I'd have taken it, but that really wouldn't be coming out of HIS pocket (unless his rates went up because of it).

Also, I'll admit that I got REALLY bent out of shape about it. More than it probably deserved. But wouldn't you if it happened to YOUR one month old MINI?

 

He hasn't returned my call yet, so nothing has been discussed. I think I'm just going to ask him if he'd be willing to cover a couple hundred of it or something, but I'm not really going to push it too hard at this point. I'd rather push harder for him to something about the trees. It would be a better use of his money and benefit ALL the tenants, not just myself.

And I already had a sit down with my mom about my deductibles and she's going to have my comp lowered to $500, and when I turn 25 (in August) we're going to try and get it down to $250. I've definitely learned my lesson. Thanks, CR&PW&JB. I appreciate everything you've done here!

 

i would be upset it happened, but also would know i had no one to blame but myself... and yeah i know how bad it feels to have your new mini hurt.. i had the car 2 weeks in germany shipped it back to the us.. had it here 2 months.. and it took a direct hit on the rear at a stop light.. where the driver that hit me, never slowed down.. said he didnt see the brake lights.. shoved my lil mini into the middle of an intersection.. i understand the anger..
but if i had known the car was in any danger, i would have moved it.. i didnt mean for my post to seem judgemental.. was trying to understand.. because many people dont own up to their mistakes.. and look for others to pay for it.. i hate to see anyones car damaged..

 

Sure, but there really are two faults here. I'm willing accept most of it, as I said.

The fact is this... If I had moved my car, it probably wouldn't have happened. If the trees were well maintained, or better yet, not there, it probably wouldn't have happened.

All I'm really pulling for out of my landlord at this point is that he properly maintain his property (which generally speaking he doesn't do unless you bug him for a month or longer). And I don't think it's an unreasonable request given the circumstances. If he agrees to take on some of the cost of repairs... great. That would make me very happy. But I'm really just looking for a safer environment for my MINI (and everyone else's cars) at this point, as far as he's concerned.

 

Well, I talked to my landlord. He's not willing to take on any repair costs, but he did say that he would do something about the trees. In the meantime, I've been given permission to park my car in the very back (where I'm normally not supposed to park) where there are no overhanging trees. So, all in all, I wouldn't consider it a complete loss. And at least it's something that will benefit all the tenants.

 

That is why I have my deductible at 0. If you have to use it it is not your fault. Thats why I feel it should be 0. If I recall it really did not cost that much more to lower it. It will come in handy for cracked windshields, deer hits, acts of god, and vandalism. I also added factory parts only, it went up something like 6 dollars. I found out the bad way with my mothers accident. I lady went through a stop sign and hit her. They wanted to use aftermarket parts. With a policy for factory parts they will use only parts from MINI. They might be used if they can find them, but they will not be Chinese knock offs.

 

I prefer $100.

There's actually a pretty good difference in premium for $0 deductible compared to $50 or $100. Why ?? Because... you are not sharing in any of the risk, the insurance company has all of it. So, you pay for that in premium.

And yes, as I've often said on this board, there are many types of losses that fall under the Comp coverage. But I still don't have enough Comp claims to compensate for the difference in premium.

I will say this... have $0 deductible is better than carring a $500 or higher for your Comprehensive coverage.