My car was backed into in a parking lot, and now I need some help / advice with the front bumper alignment. Part of the damage is a small crack on the bumper itself, which I can live with until I find a good deal on another BRG Cooper S bumper.

The other part of the damge is that the bumper assembly was pushed back on the right front corner of the car. It appears to me like there is no subframe damge, but the bumper is out of alignment (pushed backwards) about 3/8 -1/2 inch on the right front corner. When I pop the hood, it looks like the bumper is mounted to a bracket that is mounted to the subframe. It looks like it is this same bracket that the hood latch is mounted to (does that sound right?), and as a result the hood is slightly out of alignment as well.

Anyway, I was looking for someone who might be familiar with this area of the car. Could my bumper be just out of alignment, is there a bracket that I may need to change, and how hard is it to get to so that I can see if I can readjust it? Thanks in advance!

 

My MCS met with a large rock at low speed. Estimator had it put on a lift and examined, and it was just the bumper cover, so the estimate was under the $1,000 deductible.

When the shop got the cover off, a bracket was bent AND the RADIATOR SUPPORT was cracked. If left like that the radiator and airconditioner condensor could have vibrated and failed.

They had to drain the radiator, and the Air cond. to replace everything, and it added over $600 to the cost of the repair.

John

 

More than likely the radiator support is broken. I ran over a raccoon a while back busting up this support. The cheapest place I found was rockauto.com around $130 for the support. It is a DIY project. You need to disconnect the radiator but I left the A/C intact so that I wouldn't have to get a re-charge.

 

Yes it does appear upon further inspection that there is damage to the radiator support. As far as the bumper being out of alignment, is that something that anyone knows can be moved back into place or does it need a new bracket?

 

Well the bumper cover does not attatch the the bumper itself. It attatched with two bolts up top and along the bottom to the radiator support(3 bolts) It is also aligned by the wheel well liners which also attatch to the rad support. If I recall correctly. The bumper is a large aluminium piece held on with 6 bolts, you must remove it to get to the rad support.

I would just replace the rad support (if broken) and all should self-align for the most part. I was impressed at how well everything goes together on the MINI

 

Thanks! I ordered one as I did confirm it was broken, so when it gets in I will fix it. Now the other thing, it looks like at the moment of impact the top of the bumper cover hit the hood, and the hood as a result is out of alignment. Again, nothing looks bent, so could the impact have knocked the hood out of alignment (which I assume could be realigned at the hinges, latch)? Sorry for so many questions, just want to get my car back in tip top shape, it sucks when people just carelessly back into a parked car then just leave it there.

 

I would look closely at the area surrounding the latch. If there is no contact damage to the hood the area where the latch sounds as though it is bent. If you cant see any problems i would just see how it looks after the rad support is replaced

 

Thanks will do!

 

Some times you get lucky.

After having our MCS front end fixed in October, (see above) Friday morning at 4:30 I was headed to the airport.

In the Chicago suburbs (Crystal Lake), about a mile from my house, I hit a Coyote right in the center of my car while doing 55 mph.

My wife had badgered me into taking our Four Wheel Drive ChevyTracker instead of the MCS, due to the weather.

Busted up the bumper cover, ripped off the license plate, but the car went right over the Coyote.

If I had been driving the MCS, I would need a bumper cover, grill, radiator, Air conditoner condensor, fan, hood, and maybe a windshield!

The Coyote did not do so well, we had to call the police to finish the job as he was laying right in the middle of the traffic lane, and still breathing.

I am sorry about the Coyote, but I sure am glad I was driving my Mini SUV!

John