Jujharoo

Someone hit my car while it was parked. I was in the store so I dont know who did it. Damage is on rear bumper. Its not too bad but its very noticeable.
So my question is If I call my insurance and report it, would it be cosinder "at my fault"? and will there be a deductible? If there is a deductible I might as well not report it cuz the damage probably no more than $400-500 and my insurance deducts $500. also, will it effect my nsurance rate? My insurance is pretty high as is.
Any advice?
BTW I have 99 GS300

Thanks,
JR

mmarshall

$500 for a new Lexus bumper, painted and installed, is very reasonable. That is what IS300 bumpers were going for in this area about 3 years ago.
From what you have told us, if there were no witnesses, just pay the $500 or so that a new bumper will cost and then be willing to park in end spaces and walk a little.

flipside909

Depending on the state you live in and the carrier you have. When your car is parked and it was hit by someone else. You would automatically be put at 0% fault. I would go get an estimate done at a few shops. If the damages exceed your deductible by alot, go ahead and report it. If it's only a few dollars more, it would be best to just pay for it up front. It's better to have a clean loss history rather than with ones listed that were not your fault or what have you. I am a claims adjuster by profession.

Ryan

WhiteTiger

I agree with Flipside. Determine if the damage is greater than your deductible and by how much, if it's close just fix it and don't report it thru insurance.

Recently I had some hurricane damage done to my rear door on the GS (going thru my friends security entrance the gate got blown back into the car by the wind). To replace the skin and paint it cost $1,300 and my deductible was $1,000, so I just paid for it. IMO, the cutoff is around $400-$500 over your deductible before you would consider claiming it thru insurance.

Although when discussing this with repair shops let them know that this isn't an insurance claim and they will usually give a better price. Paying cash might save you a few extra bucks too (saved me approx. $150). Usually if it is an insurance claim they have standards for each repair and this is what is used to create an "estimate". These standards are greatly exaggerated from a "labor" standpoint and most good shops can cut considerable time off of these standards and still perform quality work.

mmarshall

I agree with Flip's post too....and the fact that he makes his living doing this gives him credibility in this area. I only suggested that you pay the $500 yourself because I think that that is a very good price for a Lexus bumper....and it is your deductible anyway. That's what I paid a couple of years ago when a hit-and-run guy backed into my front bumper when I was in a restaurant, collapsing the edge of it, got out and looked at it, and drove off. I would have not known that except I get home and got a call from the local police department saying that a witness had seen him look at it and drive off...the witness wrote his number down, my number down, (Bless him) and turned it in to the police. I won't go into the whole detail of what happened next, ( the guy ' fessed up after trying to weasel out ) but I ended up paying the $500 out of my pocket for a new bumper....and then collecting it back from HIM out of HIS pocket. He didn't want to use his OWN insurance, and he chose that rather than a formal hit-and-run charge.
So THAT's why I said that I thought $500 was a good price .....I paid that myself 2 or 3 years ago.
I realize that, unfortunately, there were no witness in your case....so I wish the best of luck for you here

Jujharoo

cool, Thanks much for the advice guys

Lexusfreak

Pay for the repair out of your own pocket when you have the cash.......if you make a claim for something of that nature, it give them an excuse to hike your premiums when you re-new & it's on your record. It's unfortunate, but if the damage was more severe, I'd say go thru insurance.