I had a minor accident...dented the back left corner of the Coupe. It is not something that I'm going to file a claim over.

The MINI dealer quoted about $1,700. I haven't priced other body shops.

How important do you think it is for work to be done at the dealership? Should I have any concerns about a body shop doing quality work and matching the pepper white color?

 

It is up to you not to file a claim.

You may have body work to be done and it is always expensive. Why go to the dealer? They don't have body shops anymore.

A few months ago, my insurance company paid for a new rear bumper cover and the paint match is perfect. It was a certified AAA shop.

 

100% agree with Richard. Dealerships usually don't do the bodywork themselves. Most will farm out the work to local bodyshops and increase the cost to you. If you go straight to a decent place they should be able to do the job with the correct color. Also, keep in mind if you keep your vehicle outside in the sun there will be some sun fading on your original Pepper White. So if they use Pepper White from MINI the vehicle may look slightly off. (again all depending on whether or not you keep it outside all the time.)

If you have concerns with Pepper White color, just get the color code from MINI and give it to the bodyshop and they'll order it from MINI. No biggie. You should be fine.

Sorry to hear about the accident.

 

The dealers only advantage is parts availability and technology to interface with electronics. When it comes to bodywork I would pass, even if they have a body shop. Try and find out who they sub the work out to.

How bad a dent? PDR can work on some pretty bad looking dents.

 

Exactly...

I wondering if we can see a picture of the damage.

 

I would NEVER go to MINI for paint .. even the factory t/up tubes are crap.

there are several makers of automotive paints and a body shop will either have a paint shop and brand they trust or MAY even have their own mixing system..With todays paints they punch the color code into the machine and the computer mixes the color. Big names are Dupont, PPG and Sherwin Williams Automotive. But ALSO be aware that a paint brand will sell different grades of the paint amounting to quality of components - jst as you see a range of prices for house paint at Home Depots. I use Sher' Williams most of the time and the price of the good stuff can be 3 times the basic stuff.

As mentioned few MINI dealerships have a body shop (I've never seen one) but few dealers are completely independent anymore either so the "auto sales group" may have one consolidated body shop serving multiple dealerships as well as 'outside' business. My local FORD dealership is considered one of the better body shops in the area.

Alto you have decided not to file a claim, your insurance probably has a list of preferred body shops in your area. Often they have approved shops to perform the estimate and repair all at one facility which says to me the shop has had no serious complaints. Sometimes you can find this list on your insurance website ...

 

Maybe you just need to get out more.

The dealer in Warwick ( Inskip ) both replaced LR quarter panel under warranty due to the tail light rust and repaired collision damage from idiot on I-95N who attempted to defy the laws of physics...

Except for the decal on the door jam which was swapped over, there is absolutely no evidence of any work having ever been done and paint work came out flawless.

But then again, they could be the "dealer body shop exception" since they also have/repair Porsche, Bentley, BMW, MB and few other brands on same campus.

But they get AAA rating from me

 

Thanks for the replies. It's dark out right now but I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. btw, our MINI dealer is also a BMW dealer and they do have a body shop on site.

 

 

Aw heck, that's nothing, you can get that fixed at a paintless dent repair place for a fraction of what a regular body shop would charge.

 

At least, you should have a paintless dent shop look at it. It seems they can do miracles.

My wife's Fiat was damaged a few years ago by a lost golf ball. I have been very happy and fixed for $100.00.

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

How did it come out?

 

Sorry for the delayed response. With some tuition payments due for my son I had decided to sit on it and not do a repair right away.

Recently I checked into the dent repair, that was not possible given the location and a bit of a crease in it. A body shop I use more frequently provided an estimate at $1,100; I've scheduled the repairs for next month. Moving on!

 

I got the factory color code from the Mini dealer and went to Maaco to have my entire front bumper, sanded, primed and resprayed for $300. Looks awesome and you can not tell the difference from the original 12 year old body and bumper in color match.

 

And now, for the rest of the story...

I ended up going to a body shop that I've used for a number of years. The work was completed yesterday and the car looks great. The price came in at $400-$500 less than the dealer. Best part? There were stress cracks in the bumper and when they repainted it they repaired a previous gouge that I had simply tackled with touch-up paint. Now it looks like new!

 

Nice!

 

Bonus, congrats. Post up some pics.