Gave the keys of my friend and he hopped a curb at speed 10minutes later.
FL wheel is gone and I'm going to guess all the suspension components are wrecked as well. Oil pan is ground down pretty good, haven't looked at the tranny or diff housing yet. Have it in an independent garage for an estimate right now.

Never had to deal with getting a car repaired before... I know motorcycles and usually a crash means replace everything with aftermarket upgrades because oem is pricier and often inferior. Does this apply to the mini as well?

Suspension + wheels sounds like a good start... maybe a skid plate? :P

 

that sucks!

My mom once lent our her BMW 318 (this was back when they were new!) to her brother who then crashed it on a highway with another BMW 318... both same color :D but it was snowing :S

 

Well he pays for damages is the first step. But I would take it to the MINI dealership and find out how bad its going to set you back cause it is not going to be cheap.

 

I agree. At the very least maybe some sort of insurance claim, however he should be paying your deductible + some money to offset your extra insurance costs in the future.

 

If my Mom was still living I would not even let her drive my Mini.

FWD with torque steer takes getting used to. If a person just jumps in and floors it "it will get wrecked"

Unless you know the person is familiar wthe FWD and torque steer & they are not really going to bust loose with your car. "DO NOT LEND IT OUT"

 

Give me a break. What do all the MINI salespeople do when potential buyers come in to take a car out for a test drive? Any of you remember being told to be careful its a FWD care with torque steer? I sure as hell don't and the first MINI I took for a test drive was a JCW. And I lit the car up even with the sales guy in the car with me. It helped that the dealership is on a highway so I was able to bring the car up to highway speed very quickly.

You should always be careful when you get into a car that you have not driven before. I travel for business all the time and I adhere to that rule whenever I get into a rental car.

To the OP. Your friend was driving like an A$$ and he should make you whole for wiping out in your car.

 

Your friend should sell a kidney and give you the profits...

Can he claim it on his insurance? I'm pretty sure mine covers any car I drive.

 

If you are going to continue letting friends drive your car then YES!!
I let my mom drive my car once. she grinded the gears while shifting. That was the last time she drove it

 

When I took my test drive the salesman asked me a few questions such as: Are you famialier with a stick shift, Have I ever owned a front wheel drive car and did I know what torque steer was. My answer was yes to all three, I had a ford probeGT that was probably the worst car in history for torque steer. I had A GT3000 that was not to bad and at one time an Escort GT that was. My 2009 JCW is a dream to drive and I did get on it when I test drove it."Sure sold me" I had to have it.

I'm sure you are used to the quarks in most cars since you drive a lot of different one's so goosing that dealers JCW was fine for you. A lot of people just can't get into a car like a Mini S or JCW without getting into trouble by not getting a good feel for the car.

I may be wrong but if I drive someone elses car I drive like a sissy rather then have an accident or mess something up for them.

 

Well your salesperson is one smart dude. I have taken many test drives in various cars, auto and manual and all they ask for is a drivers license .

 

You shouldn't need to know what the car does (ie, FWD/torque steer) to know that when you drive someone elses car, you need to do it cautiously.

Your friend needs to pay for ALL damages. If it was me I would do whatever I could to not go through insurance. Your future rates are going to rise like crazy. I'd make him get you all OEM parts, except for wheels if you find a set you like better, and maybe some coilovers if OEM parts are more expensive.

Good luck..

 

Did he get like 3 feet of air??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK8byQsugFw

 

You need better friends. Consider hanging out here.

 

How much does anybody want to bet that this "friend" of his befriends him for this occourance happening. I would beat that man silly

 

Same here - all they wanted to know was did I have a drivers license. As with any car I've never driven before, I took it pretty easy until I got the feel of it but they (my husband and the sales guy) were hanging on for dear life (love those turns ) before the ride was over. Hey, its a test drive, right? Gotta test it!

If he has insurance, then he should put the claim in on his insurance so it doesn't effect your policy rates.

 

My guess is after he seen me pulling in in my auto trans 1998 Corvette he knew I was going to put a good test drive on his car. I actually test drove a 2008 Cooper "S" with a JCW engine kit/body kit on it. He told me to drive it any way I wanted but any ticket was on "ME" I liked the car except it had a sunroof and was blue/white. When I seen the 2009 JCW red/black I had to have it. I never looked back. I did not want a sun roof but I did want the Sport Suspension which the 2009 had on it. It was car love at first sight.

I only went over to see about a used older Mini to replace my 1988 Suzuki Samuari. If I never drove that test drive I would have a 98 Vette & an older used Mini. As it turned out I still have my Samuari and a 2009 Mini Cooper JCW that only had 10 miles on it when I bought it (BRAND NEW). I thought I might miss the Corvette but in the 11,000+ miles & year & 1/2 driving my JCW I don't ever even think of the Vette.

My Salesmen was knowledgable, and not pushy and buying my car was easy. I asked for a few items to be thrown in and got what I asked for. It was a very good transaction. I went in for my yearly service and was treated like a valuable customer.

Oh! by the way, My 2009 JCW has very little torque steer and is fast and handles just plain "EXCELLENT" Im way happy with my car and dealer.

 

got the car back from the mechanic.
there's a grinding noise when I'm steering right at speed. If I steer right at highway speed, it sounds and feels like the car's going to break. Faster I go, the louder and higher pitched the noise!
This is becoming quite an ordeal :(

 

Rule 1. Never lend your car to ANYONE. Period.

My buddies still dont understand this concept when they loan out anything to a "friend".

They've learned to not even ask me for the keys to anything I own. It never fails to come back wrecked, scratched, trashed, or at best case scenario out of gas. So whats the point?

 

Hate to be a dummy but what the heck is torque steer?

 

Bend over and smile.

Sounds like wheel bearings. I'd fully expect them to be toast after this. I wouldn't be surprised if your CV joints were also damaged. Expect a $1500 repair bill and hope for less.

 

Basically when you hit the gas your car pulls to the left (i think). That's torque steer. It's caused by the shorter drive shaft on that side so the power gets to that wheels sooner than the other side and pulls.

 

Thanks MINIxB. I haven't noticed it in Minnie at all.

 

Be thankful that you live in America, a country where it is easy to buy a gun. Remind your "friend" of that fact regularly.

 

Oh really? While that is hat torque steer is, its not what causes 'it' on the MINI. The MINI doesn't really have torque steer in the traditional sense, more so traction issues.