4 replies to this topic

[Louder]

Hello everyone.

Sadly, less than a week of ownership and my mini has been bumped. I am just looking to get some advice on what steps to take and perhaps on where to go for services/parts!

While parked up after a drive to get a drink someone backed into my beloved car. Knocking her off the handbrake and pushing her into a wall on the opposite rear side.

Damage:
Front LH wing is heavily dented, with a large scrape through to bare metal.
Front LH wheel arch has shattered
Front LH ‘seam’ (not sure what to call it, the metal flange that sticks out) is scratched and bent slightly, it’s also loosened off and pulled away from the panels slightly.
Back RH section of the bumper is dented, it has twisted slightly and come into contact with the rear bodywork, lifting the paint.
Back RH ‘seam’ is scratched.
Back RH panel (advice wheel arch) is lightly scratched.
Back RH plastic wheel arch is shattered.
Back RH metalwork under wheelarch is dented.

Image gallery can be found here:
https://imgur.com/gallery/33Ke8HT

I believe this is it for now. Amazingly I cannot see any mechanical damage and I drove her back slowly, but she is ok.

I would like to get her fixed up ASAP but obviously I want to be economical about it too, especially after I’ve only just bought her, I’m mostly scared about paint costs. I’ve found a new wing on eBay for £56 which doesn’t seem bad but I suspect the paint, especially on the rear, may be expensive.

It has revealed some rust around the arch which is good information at least.

What is sad is that this happened all after driving her 252 miles back home from Bournemouth and my Haynes manual hasn’t even arrived yet! I’ve had her for 5 days!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Daz1968]

if doing yourself mini spares centre and heritage panels are best to use, it can be difficult to know how far to go when repairing a car with some rust damage as you could end up with a full blown restoration. Looking at the pictures closely I think you will have a few repairs to do. But then that’s part of what owning a mini is about.

[MikeRotherham]

Blimey, someones had a real good go at that! Did you get their details?

[Louder]

Sadly the culprit drove off. No one in the local area saw anything and no CCTV footage

[Wiggy]

'Liked' for commiserations. Sorry to hear that. ?