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View Full Version : I Need Some Comforting - Please??



garywatt
4th April 2004, 10:27 PM
Hi all

Feeling really down today and slightly embarrased :clown:

Got the new Mini on Tuesday and I have scratched it already :I

I am an utter tw**......for those of you familiar with Aberdeen and the Bay of Nigg/Girdleness area I decided to have a run out today as it was sunny. Parked for a few short minutes in one of the car parks then decided to leave. On leaving, the entrance/exit is one of those narrow ones with metal posts at each side. I took a tightish turn to get out and that's when it happened :(

Back panel of the passenger side all scratched.......not just one scratch but many.....along with a smallish dent.

I have lost all dignity and feel like jumping off a cliff with a plastic bag over my head.

Guys, need your love and attention to make me feel better until I can get the damage repaired. Insurance called and will start the ball rolling tomorrow.

Be gently with me.....please :I

Cheers

Gary Watt

Gismo
4th April 2004, 10:47 PM
Just sign the car over to me before you jump ;):blackeye: you tw** :p

garywatt
4th April 2004, 11:02 PM
Hmmmm

Thanks for that.........for making me feel worse than I am :I

I'm dreading going to work tomorrow, how do I explain to my work collegues:question:

Cheers

Gary Watt

Bazthemod
4th April 2004, 11:12 PM
Tell them someone bumped your MINI while it was parked then have a rant that it was probably a woman driver! :approve::p:blackeye:

Chin - Up hope its fixed soon!

garywatt
4th April 2004, 11:17 PM
Hi all

Now that's a good idea...........at least there was no-one in the car park to see me do it.

Cheers

Gary

Heather
4th April 2004, 11:54 PM
quote:Originally posted by Bazthemod

it was probably a woman driver! :approve::p:blackeye:



Now Now! A little too much of these comments lately.

Bad luck. Chin up, thats why we pay insurance! Let us all know how you get on.

Linda M
5th April 2004, 12:06 AM
quote:Originally posted by Bazthemod

Tell them someone bumped your MINI while it was parked then have a rant that it was probably a woman driver! :approve::p:blackeye:
You little devil :evil: Sorry to hear about the scratch Gary, should've let a woman drive it out (sorry couldn't resist) :D Hope you get it all sorted soon, back to new :)

garywatt
5th April 2004, 12:14 AM
Hi guys and gals

Comments making me feel a little better now.

Cheers

Gary

Bazthemod
5th April 2004, 03:39 AM
Sorry "Auntie Linda" lol your like my Auntie the things you say sometimes! :D She's cool too! :cool::approve::I

Davidson2
5th April 2004, 09:19 AM
Sorry Gary, can imagine how you felt. Most of us will have done something similar at some point or other. Glad you were comfortable enough to tell us all the truth. Now tell me about your childhood... ;o)

Willie M
5th April 2004, 03:33 PM
Gutted for you Gary and feeling your pain :disapprove:
Should've phoned up GAJ and asked him to reverse the car out for you,...... oh, on second thoughts ;):D

Hope you get things fixed up soon though. It won't be long 'til you've got that MINI grin back again :cool:

Wul
5th April 2004, 03:56 PM
quote:Originally posted by Willie M

Gutted for you Gary and feeling your pain :disapprove:
Should've phoned up GAJ and asked him to reverse the car out for you,...... oh, on second thoughts ;):D

Hope you get things fixed up soon though. It won't be long 'til you've got that MINI grin back again :cool:


:blackeye:Oh! I felt that GAJ - your playin wi fire there WillieM!:evil:

Sorry to hear of the nightmare gary.

DNV122
6th April 2004, 05:53 AM
Nightmare - I hate when that happens - I dinged one of my alloys a couple of weaks ago in one of those 'moments'

Call Derek @ the bodyshop - they do a fantastic job (if ever so slightly slowly !!) - tell him I sent you and you should get discount !!!

DNV122
6th April 2004, 05:55 AM
i wsih i woudl reed my posts befure i sned tehm - i am scuh a crap typissed

Steve74
6th April 2004, 06:23 PM
Hey, at least at happened quickly. I kirbed one alloy, then scratched the other, then marked the bumper with my gym kit bag!! I figure it's just part of the fun of owning a new car and it will get dented eventually. There are a few companies who can remove minor dents and scratches. Just face up to it, claim the insurance and bite the bullet. I've crashed a few cars in my time and it's always a pane in the a@@@!!

Wul
6th April 2004, 07:03 PM
I have a solution to the marked bumper problem - see John_apex - i did last week - got a nice bit of vinyl fitted to the horizontal part of the bumper as i did the very same thing with my coop - and if it gets tatty and scratched, peel it off and get another fitted - can't even notice it too! :)

garywatt
6th April 2004, 10:41 PM
Hi all

Got used to the damage now...........but still avoiding pulling up alonside busses and other queued traffic!!

Direct Line were quick off the mark and have instructed the repairer to repair at their earliest. Car to be picked up 26/04/04 :o(

Some time away so it will give me time get over it and hey, maybe take a few photographs to show you all :o)

Cheers

Gary

Wul
6th April 2004, 10:50 PM
Gary - one thing to look out for before they take the car away - are there any other dinks and scratches in the paintwork you want sorted ie supermarket car park dinks in the doors etc. Mention this to the body shop direct and i'm sure you can get it sorted when it's in for it's repair.

garywatt
7th April 2004, 12:52 AM
Wul

Thanks for that but as it is only a few days old, I have not even ventured near any supermarket carparks!

I am going to ask them to install my S fuel cap though :o)

Cheers

Gary

Wul
7th April 2004, 01:11 AM
Good thinking batman! :D

DNV122
7th April 2004, 05:20 AM
take a photo of before you send it off - various angles, various lights - make sure you have evidence before, for comparison after.

remember direct line will be taking it off to their bodyshop, not the mini approved one, so there are potential issues with quality and paintwaork warranty - read your manual

if you ask for it to go to mini bodyshop (west tullos) you'll be waiting some time before it can be booked in

garywatt
7th April 2004, 06:43 PM
Hi DNV

Thanks for that and all noted.

When my last Mini had a bump the approved Mini bodyshop took forever to get things going as they had to consult with Direct Line etc and I could not get a courtesy car. Getting to/from Bridge of Don/Westhill/Altens can be a pain in the neck.

Still have to wait a few weeks with the Direct Line approved repairer but when looking into things, all repairs are guaranteed for 3 years, genuine parts used etc.

Despite the last Mini having the small bump fixed.....it took me weeks to get a screw out of them (ooo er missus)that they forgot to put in while re-screwing in the wheel arch liner. Also the fog lights in the bumper did nto seem to be aligned correctly after.

Cheers

Gary

AndyP & Lenore
8th April 2004, 08:30 AM
I have a nightmare story of MINI workshop repairs.

Drivers seat was "sticky" when returning to upright position. Asked dealer to look at it, they decided to fit a new seat action. Car booked in 3 days later. When we got the car back we noticed a small nick in the paintwork near the drivers door. They must have caught the car with the seat base when putting it back in. Pointed the damage out to the dealer. Admitted responsibility immediately. Arranged for their spot-paint-job fixer guy to attend to it the following week. When we got it back from him we noticed overspray of paint over the rear arch. Back to dealer. They tried to polish the overspray out and when they did this, the paint the first guy put on came off, leaving bare metal! So. spot-paint-fixer guy returns and re-sprays the entire area from the drivers door frame back by 10cm. This time when we picked the car up the paint under the rear right wing window was noticeably darker. Basically the guy had made a sh*t job. And he'd got paint on the window seal! The dealer said the only way to fix the problem was to re-spray the entire wing, blowing back over the wheel arch and forward into the driver door. What choice did we have?

Luckily the story has a happy ending. The car went away for about 4 days while they did the re-spraying work but when it came back it was as good as new. They replaced the rubber seal too.

All because of a dodgy seat action.

AndyP

AndyP & Lenore
8th April 2004, 08:45 AM
I suppose if I'm bitching about someone else's carelessness, I should own up to my own.

Basically, the main road in Melrose is too narrow. When you try to do a u-turn - not an unreasonable manoeuvre - and the kerb comes at you at high speed, the 17" alloy wheels tend to bend to the shape of the kerb rather than the other way round. Not fair.

£60 to have it fixed. That said, the company that fixed it did a fantastic job. They're called Rimtec and they are based in Melrose.

AndyP

garywatt
8th April 2004, 05:28 PM
Andy

Thanks for your posting.

Speaking of alloys, one of my 'new' 17 inch-ers has about a 4" scrape along the rim. I don't park next to kerbs so this would have been done along with my body scratch. I'll get that done along with the insurance also.

For all the years I have been driving, the only two bumps/scratches I have had were with new Mini's and both within one year of each other.

Maybe it the car.......or maybe I am getting older......hey...It's my birthday today!!

Cheers

Gary

AndyP & Lenore
8th April 2004, 06:01 PM
quote:Originally posted by garywatt

Andy

......hey...It's my birthday today!!




Happy Birthday Gary! :D You need to head out for a birthday MINI-run.

Any excuse for a run in the MINI.:)

AndyP

Willie M
8th April 2004, 08:26 PM
Many happy returns Gary :cool:

garywatt
9th April 2004, 04:14 AM
Hi all

Got home from work and decided to have a birthday drink.....which gave me courage to get to the car for a couple of photographs of the 'damage' :(

View the result of my driving skills here:

http://www.pbase.com/image/27743956/original

How does everyone fancy doing an Aberdeen Mini Run to the car park where it happened and help me pull the ba***** posts down!!

Cheers

Gary

AndyP & Lenore
9th April 2004, 04:35 AM
OOOOOOoooooooohhhhh!!!!!

It brings tears to your eyes. :eek::blackeye::eek::blackeye:

I'm sure it will look as good as new once it's fixed.

Gary, did you fit the side indicator Shark Gills yourself?

AndyP

garywatt
9th April 2004, 04:44 AM
Hi Andy

Yes, fitted the indicator grills myself..........even for a thicko like me, I could have done them blindfolded.

And for anyone who decided to view my other images on the Pbase site, the one of the lighthouse was taken about 5 minutes before the accident.........oooooooohhh..........if only.....

Cheers

Gary

Willie M
9th April 2004, 03:28 PM
Ooouuch!! Oh Gary, that had to hurt :eek::disapprove:
Never mind, I'm sure things'll be good as new very soon :cool:

monkimagic
12th April 2004, 06:30 PM
Hi Gary

That is a real bitch, I know those posts well, not as well as you gtranted, sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Monki