6 Months ago I feel asleep at the wheel and rolled my 2013 S Bayswater. After a long battle with my insurance company, the repairs are going to be on my dollar, and I'm still 17k underwater on the loan so I would really like to get it repaired. There's only 23,000 miles on it, and the engine/transmission function normally at this time. It seems like mostly body damage, along with the driver-side roof being pushed in 2 inches. The front left wheel was pushed in, towards the driver's seat, so there is definitely suspension damage there but everything else functions just fine.

Should I seek out a dealership to repair this, or attempt to find another MINI with a blown motor to drop my pieces into?

Thanks in advance!

 

Can't advise on how to spend your money, but I can welcome you into a rare nearly forgotten club, the T.I.T.S and A.R.S.E. club.
"The Inverted Turtle Society and Anti Rollover Support Enthusiasts" club.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...society-3.html

 

Hahah thanks man!

You really don't have any thoughts though? What would YOU do? This is the first time something like this has happened to me so I'm trying to figure out different avenues.

 

Cut your losses. Part it out.

 

Analyze exactly how you feel about it and go with your gut. My li'l guy, he can't be replaced so I'd more than likely turn him over to a top shelf shop and wait. He's part of the family.

 

Did you walk away clean?
Dealer would be very expensive.

 

I walked away with just a bloody nose thankfully! I had my fixed gear bike in the back so I put the wheel on and rode a few miles home hahah

Due to the dealer being so expensive, I was considering performing a transplant on an earlier R56. One thing I can't find much info on is whether my facelift N18/transmission would easily fit into another MINI that originally used an N14 engine.

I have a guy 40ish miles away called 'Mini Haus of Performance' that would probably be able to do the work.

As for parting out, I don't really have the time or know-how to rip the poor thing apart :(

 

i personally would fix it. I bought a car from the auction with front end collision to the point where the engine mount on both sides broke. the major parts that i think are effected in your car are the hood, roof, and "fenders". you can find them on ebay or use this website and make a deal with the yard you decide to call car-part.com. did the insurance company issue a salvage title? did they pay you some money to fix?

 

I was enjoying a good, actually fine, beer at a local brew pub this afternoon with a good MINI friend and your situation came up in conversation. His suggestion was to seek out a community college that had an automotive repair department and see could they take on your project. For an example is the Hutchinson, KS jr. college shop which was heavily endowed by Jay Lenno. They do some spectacular work and produce top level automotive service graduates.

 

Besides the MINI not being registered anymore, there is no evidence that it isn't still on the road. I thought about grabbing the hood and fenders myself and replacing them, but the one problem I would have is the roof. It's as if the roof and pillars are all one piece? I imagine the windshield would forever leak after my best work too.

That is actually a really awesome idea! A coworker had brought it up but around me, most of the college's are half-assed. New England Tech is somewhat close-by though!

 

Find a high mileage same year running Mini use your parts when you need them,,, keeps you going and you can strip the car down and see what you have.

 

I'm just interested in why the insurance wouldn't cover the damage, with roof damage i would part that car out

 

For a moment of comic relief, this is what got me inducted to the T.I.T.S. & A.R.S.E. society, the little custom admonition under the speedo. He (Big Daddy) inaugurated the A.R.S.E. division just for that. I thought having it there was important as a reminder because my R52 is not certified for aerobatics.

 

Its taken 6 months so far, I am going to be getting a new place with any luck
on the NY,CT border if it were an N14 Id make you an offer but if you do part out and there is anything left worth trying something with Ive been wanting to do a chopped Mini roll bar creation, nothing too perfect, but if you will donate the shell I would let you have the creation for a couple weeks when done if done,,, or if you were interested in working on a build to auction off for charity and we could post up the fun,,,, well too many ifffffssssss but still
PM me in a bit

 

I could be wrong, but the roof is bolted not welded to the pillars. also, you may be able to buy a quarter panel (quarter of the car) for that side. check this link http://www.ebay.com/itm/07-08-09-10-...cAAOSwG-1WxhT6 and you could go to a shop and have it welded for you you can also check car-part.com

 

Bolted? I don't think so . . .

 

if not bolted , it could be chopped and welded the point is, it can be done!

 

Thank you for the input everyone! It seems I have a lot more thinking to do! Might even buy a beater R53 on the cheap while I'm brainstorming!

 

A few questions;

Why isn't the car registered?
Did the Insurance pay anything to the Lien Holder?
Was the car declared a total loss?
Do you have a Salvage Title now?

All of these questions are related, and will determine what course it takes to repair the vehicle, as is, and get it back on the road.

If you do not have the ability, or the facilities to effect these repairs yourself, they are going to be very expensive. No matter which course you choose.

I would personally be looking for another car and either selling that one outright as is, or "parting it out" to offset your current losses. I understand though wanting to fix it. It's a sharp looking car, even banged up.

I'm north of you in Griswold Ct.

 

Why isn't the car registered?

I transferred the registration to a BMW Z3 that I picked up for cheap after the rollover.

Did the Insurance pay anything to the Lien Holder?

Negative. I'm pretty much making payments on a non-drivable car. I use USAA for insurance, and they are the lien holder as well. When I swapped my coverage from my VW Rabbit to this '13 Mini, I was not alerted by USAA saying I needed a minimum deductible due to the lien, and in kind they are refusing to provide assistance with repairs, or even come out to assess the damage. The claim has been closed and I would like to re-open it, but I am unfamiliar with issues like this and don't know how to go about it. The rep I spoke to on the phone when I made the claim said that it was "weird that I didn't have the required coverage, especially since USAA is the lien holder and all". Do I call and speak to a higher up? If I could get this sorted out it would be AMAZING and many stressful issues could be solved!

Was the car declared a total loss?

Insurance never even came out to look at it.

Do you have a Salvage Title now?

Negative.

--
I cannot find an S model from '11 to '13 that I would be able to drop my parts into in my area either. There are plenty of '11-'13 base models with blown motors etc but I feel like there might be fitment issues with the N18 engine and Transmission?

 

Sounds like you had liability only and no collision/comp coverage

 

Sorry to hear about your situation. If it were me, I'd swap out to another car, that is still going to cost you on top of your $17K, what else can you do. Did you have full coverage on the VW? Are you also saying that you financed your car through USAA? Since your car is financed, you are required to have comprehensive coverage and if USAA is the lien holder as well as the insurer, why would they not know that, and would they have not sent you mail stating that your car is not covered properly?

I'm just trying to understand, that's all....
Good luck with what ever route you go, but I would try to move it up the ladder and see what happens... I would call a lawyer........

 

My experience with USAA for the last 45 years is to be civil and keep calling until you get an answer that suits you.

 

OP you are in a very tough situation. From the looks of the damage which is significant I would roll the dice with your insurance company.

It seems like you're estimating what damage needs fixing and not realizing there could be way more issues and trouble down the road than what its actually worth. You'll be out of pocket thousands of dollars if you try and repair it yourself. You won't ever get close to what you put into if you ever decide to resell the car. If the insurance does repair it it will be a salvage title vehicle.

If it were me I would chalk this up as I'm totally screwed and part out the car take your losses and try and move forward.

 

Because the Rabbit was so old I didn't have any collision coverage on it and I could've sourced and repaired most things myself had there been an issue. The 'why wouldn't they know? and why wasn't I alerted?' questions are what have been aching my mind these past few months since the claim fell through. I'm having a little trouble gathering all of the ammunition for the argument over the phone.