Advice regarding body work on 2005 MCS
 

I'd be grateful for advice about repairing minor collision damage to the bumper of my 2005 MCS. A woman backed into my car tonight (she was turning left out of a parking lot but then needed to reverse back into the parking lot when on-coming traffic didn't allow her to turn, and she backed up into my front bumper), and there is minor damage to the bumper. It looks mostly cosmetic but is hard to tell. (low-quality pic attached). I will start looking into estimates tomorrow.

I'm just wondering whether repair work like this really needs to be done at the Mini dealer or Mini-authorized body shop, or whether it would be fine at a normal repair shop.

I do most of my own mechanical repair work, but some things - eg electrical work, cpu programming - really needs to be done at the Mini dealer, in spite of the extra cost. I have never been in an accident before, so body repair work is a black box to me.

Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

It looks pretty minor from that picture to me. The MINI's use a plastic bumper cover over a aluminum energy-absorbing bumper. You are looking at the bumper cover.

The sure way to tell is to (DIY or have a shop) remove the plastic bumper cover (about 12 small screws) and inspect the metal bumper/energy absorber for damage. If it is damaged, the metal bumper/energy absorber should be replaced.

The bumper cover can be repainted by any respectable body shop. Look on Yelp, ask around at local clubs, etc. A reasonable job for a minor repair and repaint a bumper is probably in the $400-500 range depending on your location.

I looked the parts up. The metal energy absorber ("Carrier, bumper front" in MINI speak, list price is $274, available online around $220) is 51117062866 for a 2005 MC-S. It is held to the frame by two crushable tubes - 31116757911 and 31116757912 (list price $33 each, about $28 online).

Thanks David.R53, greatly appreciate your feedback. So it sounds like your opinion is that the dealer/dealer authorized repair shop isn't really necessary for a minor repair like this. ie, it's not common that minor damage like this will tweak/damage sensitive equipment within the body and or under the hood.

I got a few quotes and all were in the $1100 range. Does that sound unreasonable? The lady who hit me is deciding between insurance and self-pay. I feel bad about having her cough up over a thousand bucks for minor damage like that, so those quotes are crazy high, I am considering just doing it myself and having her pay me.

I did some parting out and came up with the following:
- Trim cover, bumper, primed, front. SPORT, 51111177877, $210.33
- Carrier, bumper. 51117062866 front, $220.42
- Decorative Strip, Chrom, 51117032900, $36.11
- Adhesive film, front panel. 51111490960, $12.04
- Center Finisher, 51117127931, $38.16

Cost of these parts is about $516. I assume painting and matching the bumper cover would be another $300. That puts me at over $800. And a shop would probably charge about $300 for labor, which puts the total cost at about $1100. This would suggest that the quotes I got aren't unreasonable.

Do those numbers seem accurate?

I am surprised they would replace all the parts you listed, but I guess the plastic bits are fairly fragile. If multiple parts were damaged, I would be more worried about the hidden parts (energy absorbers and crush tubes). Make sure to instruct the claims adjuster and the body shop that you want the energy absorber inspected and replaced if damaged. If it isn't in the claims adjusters estimate, it gets harder latter in the process. It is one of those things they usually will include if you ask about it, but rarely volunteer...

Since it looks like everything is bolt on (no welding or fitting up of new panels) I would have no concerns of a non-MINI shop. Remember that many dealers also farm out their work to local shops and don't do it in-house. It is often possible to call the dealer and ask them what local body shops they recommend.

Good luck...

Hard to tell from that photo, but a good body shop can probably sand, fill and respray that cheaper than replacement.

I didn't really know what to say - from the photo thats posted, it looks just like the paint cracked on the flexible plastic bumper cover and nothing else is broken. $1100 is high to fix that. Even new bumper covers will arrive with scratches and dings that will be filled with some primer. If its not cracked, I see no problem have that bumper sanded and repainted. Remember, the bumper cover is not a structural part. You would not want to sand and fill damage to the energy absorber under the bumper cover...

If other parts are torn up, then the costs make more sense to me.