Hi all,

I've been on the board for a little less than a year, since just before
ordering my 2011 JCW R56. My question has to do with repair after a major
collision, and other's experiences with long term reliability. I know it is a
very subjective issue, and all repairs are done at differing levels of skill,
but any comments are helpful.

My accident happened this past weekend when I was rear-ended by a 2010 Camry,
moving between 40 and 50 MPH (in a 30 MPH zone), I was at a dead stop at a red
traffic light. The damage basically encompasses the entire rear of the car
(hatch, quarters, bumper, rear suspension, etc.), but even more troubling is
the computer system that is completely screwed up. Every warning in the world
was flashing across my dash at first, then it all went blank but continued to
run.

I've owned several collector cars over the years, raced in SCCA SSB and SSC,
and have done my own repairs on several occasions. I trust my body shop and
dealer implicitly (McDonald Auto Body and Mini of Morristown) but some things
can never be "as good as new" no matter how much work goes in to them.

My big question is do I keep her, or do I order a identical 2012? and take
the inevitable financial hit.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident...but glad you are ok. I'd say give your shop a chance. Once you have the car back, you'll have a better feel for how much, if any, different it is.

 

Wildcatlost, If indeed the Camry was traveling between 40 and 50 MPH when it struck your MINI, your MINI is totaled. And I would assume the Camry is totaled too.

If the other driver was able to reduce speed mentioned, then it's a different story. Can you tell us anything about estimates for repair?

 

Yeah, luckily I was able to walk away without too mush more than some sore muscles, I wish my Mini fared as well. I'll have to wait and see what the body shop and insurance company has to say.

As to the speed of the other vehicle, he told the police he was doing about 40, and thought traffic was "going to move", I still have no idea what he meant by that. Bits of my car were thrown well down the street, I wasn't able to find my lower fog/tail lamps at all.

I'm not sure if it will be totaled, but the damage was hovering about 15-18K last I spoke with the shop doing the work.

As of now, I still don't know if the other driver even had insurance. He couldn't provide anything at the scene, and my insurance company still can't find an active policy.

 

Wow, very sorry to hear that. I'd be pushing to have it totalled. And maybe time to talk to a lawyer ????????

 

Sorry to hear about this. If you're able to walk away from being hit at 40-50 then totaled or not the vehicle did what is was designed to do. Glad you were more shaken than injured.

I'd see what the insurance and body shops say before looking at options.

 

I wish they would total it, but I doubt they will. To my understanding, repairs would have to exceed 65 - 70% of the value of the car, and it still books for roughly $31K given my options.

 

Ords,

Good point, I'm impatiently waiting for my insurance company to get their estimate, and then weigh my options. Weather in Northern NJ was a little rough this past weekend, I'm sure there are thousands of claims going at the moment.

I have no problems with the way the car took the hit, it did exactly as it should have, I only worry about issues in to the future, especially those specific to the Mini. With the short rear overhang, the crush zone displaces outward (to the sides) and downward to minimize the impact. I want to see the real damage when they start tearing her apart.

 

I've always wondered...do insurance companies take into account the cost of keeping you in a rental car for weeks or months when repairing extensive damage like it sounds you have?

 

Most insurance companies look at NADA, not KBB.

You might want to check your value on that before accepting any repairs.

 

Sometimes. When my wife's car was totaled they way low-balled me and I countered. Back and forth we went. I called and we got close to the number I wanted and felt was fair, I sweetened the deal and said I would turn the car in today if he would give me the figure I wanted, explaining the minimum cost of $35 a day is an expense they will incur until I am given ample time to find a replacement car at the price he is telling me I can find another one for, lol. He bit and we turned it right in.

So in short, yes I think they can take it into account.

 

Photos by chance. 40-50mph re-ended I would believe that there might be structural damage that might end up totaling it out.

 

Hi sorry for your loss... You were hit from behind... 100% liability from the one that hit you.. Let your insurance company know that the JCW is not a regular MINI.. and you planned in a year or two to take the car to professional track days and you want a guarantee in writing from them that the car will be safe and it is 100% straight and the unit-body and all suspension parts will be stress free or you or your family will hold them liable for any future failures that causes you another loss...

Insurance is to make you "whole again" like before the accident..a wrecked car will look new but unless they want it shipped back to England and have it rebuilt at the factory..Let them buy you a new one...
You know how you babied your new JCW but the guy that just leased it..probably tore it up knowing he was returning it... You get a used one will they guarantee the clutch?(approx $3,000 to replace) you took care of yours..again did the person before you?....

Your insurance company has to deal with you, but most don't like to pay..they have Lawyers that work for them..they will go after the other party... you can go that route yourself....

Let them know how uncomfortable you will be driving in your small compact car that the rear crumple zone got crumpled... once metal is bent then bent back it is fatigued... It may look good, but it may fail if stressed again..

Hit that hard in the rear your exhaust is shot..all the mounts, cats, down-pipe maybe the turbo as well....

It's a new car the dealer should be the only one fixing it.. if you go that route.. talk to the shop and tell them the same thing that they will be held liable if there is a failure that causes a loss....

Sorry I put it this way but its a MINI JCW ..if it were some sort of FORD.. just fix it....


Good luck Dave.

 

Man, what is it with Camry's...About 6 months ago some girl decided to park hers sideways in the middle of the road in front of me while I was going about 40. As the insurance company said, "5 feet should have been plenty to stop and avoid the collision......" REALLY??? yyyeah it went like that.
Luckily the officer did fault her for not stopping, then not yielding after stopping, so the resulting 16k of damage to my front end went straight to her checkbook. It was nerve racking waiting for the damage report, in fear that mine was totaled as well, but in the end, it wasn't, and bearing the few weeks without it while it got repaired was well worth it when I got it back with an entirely new front end.
The shop that did my repairs did an incredible job, and I haven't had a single problem with the car since the accident, it's been running like new. Maybe even better than it was prior So if you love the car like I love mine, stick with it, unless it is entirely financially irresponsible to go that route.
Just my 2 cents.

 

2010 car with no insurance? If he has a loan on the car maybe the financing source has a forced place policy that may cover your accident. If the car is registered in NY you can do a lien search through the DMV site.

 

I'd be seeing a doctor... Can you say soft tissue injury, whiplash... (provided the person that caused the accident has insurance) between the cost of the total. (it will be totaled give the stated facts), and the settelment for the injury. you can order a new 2012...

 

Guess you know what you get for assuming...

Read my rebuild... I hit the wall at 120 mph, Oscar’s as fine as he was before the wreck.

Since the OP trusts his bodyshop, he should sit down and talk to them and explain his concerns.

Having been in the bodyshop business for almost 30 years, I always explain to my customers the “true” extent of what the damage is. If it’s a car that financially just has to get fixed (but shouldn’t be) I make sure I disclose that to them. If is bodyshop is someone he trusts, they should do the same.

Mark

 

But mark, Oscar hit at an angle didn't he? More of a glancing hit than a straight shot.


Anyway. You probably need to contact a lawyer in your state. You may well be able to claim diminished value, (or you may not, only a lawyer in your state can really tell you). But your car will have diminished value. It will have a carfax entry, and for me, if it's been in a bad, (read expensive) accident, it just isn't worth as much as a similar car that hasn't...

 

While that is completely true, he was also going three times the speed. That doesn't always mean anything in the sense that I've seen cars going at low speeds get totalled and vice versa.

So, each case is different but his bodyshop should be able to shoot him straight if he trusts them.

Mark

 

Sorry for the delay in response, but I still have no power at my place since the snow storm last weekend. I can only get on a computer at work at the moment, and thre are so many firewalls, etc. I can barely get on the net, let alone upload anything. I do have a few pictures, I will try to get them up as soon as I can.

The body shop is still trying to get an insurance adjuster out to review the damage, but since there has been so many claims over the last few days, there is a bit of a back up. The shop I have my car at is the shop that the local Mini dealer uses. They have 5 other Minis there at the moment, and do work for the local BMW dealer as well.

I doubt my car will be totaled, but I'll always have the concern of the damage in the back of my mind, and will.


I finally have a copy of the accident report stating the other driver was found to be at fault, issued 3 summons, and the vehicle was impounded by the police. His statement to the police (taken directly from the report) was that he, "was in a hurry, and didn't realize I was stopped."

--> Mark (Orangecrush)

I've been following your rebuild for weeks, top notch work.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and only ever happy with doing my own work really, though willing to defer to a professional when there is the need. I unfortunately don’t have the access I need to what I need to fix her right now, so I’m in the hands of the best shop in the area.

 

I haven't contacted a lawyer yet, but may have to eventually.

I agree that a bad Carfax will dissuade me from ever buying a car, and certainly devalues it. Personally I have never bought a car without the intent of keeping it forever. Though I've sold off a few, I still have my first car (67' Wildcat), my last "real" race car (99' Neon ACR) and my last restoration (68' 442).

My Mini was bought with the same idea in mind, but this accident has had enough impact to make me reconsider that idea. I've looked at the 2012's, but can't get myself to serriously consider one yet. Time will tell.

 

The insurance company isn't likely to give two strokes about the "rarity" of the car. They are going to go by the numbers. They have a metric they are trying to work towards. You can plead with them until you are blue about how special and irreplaceable the car is. They will hold their ground.

I recently had to deal with State Farm on a total loss claim, it was NOT pretty. They ended up shorting the price by about 1200-1500 (non-mini). I had PROOF they were low-balling and they would not budge. Opened a case with my insurance, Progressive, they came back and said even though there was +$7K in damage they would fix the car and not total it out. Ended up taking the settlement because that car would have never been right again. All kinds of front end damage.