rxqd

So long story, 18 year old kid playing with his GPS at his house's garage reverse into me and causes a very noticable bump, I was completely stationary as I incorrectly assumed he would stop as well. Anyways it is his fault, his parents were pretty **** as you can imagine its right outside their driveway. I got their insurance policy, name, car license plate and driver license along with a Claim #. My question is

1) Whats the best way to proceed do I get it repaired or get a brand new bumper? Doesn't matter to me really but I do intent to keep this car long term as its a daily.

2)Where should I get this done at? If I get it done at dealer its a piece of my mind but wouldn't this also register that my car got in an accident or does this not count as one? My main concern is way down the road my resell value would be a lot less.

3) Don't buy your kids a new car , he was driving a new car too but for some reason my front bumper is dented but I can't see any visible on his rear bumper for some reason and it was a Chrysler

4) Should I ask for a full inspection just in case there was some other damage that wasn't visible? I mean I doubt it as it was probably 5 mph reverse but still you never know.


damage on his???

This is the dent its pretty big

Please advice

Good thing my Aimgain Lip didn't come in yet, i'd be ****ing furious if I had it on and he ****ed it up

NickTee

Some choices:
*Live with the hit on the Carfax/autocheck. You can file for a diminished value claim on top of the repair, but that's just part . Pros: you can have the car professionally repaired and you get a rental car while it is being repaired. Cons: Ding on the car report when it comes time to sell it, which lowers value.
*Buy a bumper and have it painted by a shop, do the repair yourself. Pros: No ding on the car report. Cons: hidden damage may surface as you do the work, you have to do it yourself, it may not look as good because the paint isn't a perfect match and the clear coat isn't blended.
*Bring it to a smaller shop that doesn't file a report. I have a repair that's on my Corvette that was never reported by the shop that did the work, despite them specializing in sport car repairs. Pros: No report and they do the work. Cons: it's a pain to find a shop that is like this and the job quality is questionable.
*Have the car repaired, file for the diminished value, trade the car in for a new one.

specONE

iTrader: (3)

that honestly can probably be heated and popped out from the rear and cut/buff if any paint transferred over from other vehicle.

ramlawih

I changed a front bumper a while back and it cost around 420 dollars in the dealership on the insurance. i didn't pay anything but i got the bill and the service charges is staggering. thank god the insurance covered it all.

so i would go for a new one if i were you.

corradoMR2

Had something similar happen to my wife on our parked RX - neighbor across the street backs out and hits the RX in the rear quarter panel/side bumper. Not a scratch on their behemoth Armada. 6K+ later...

In your case, it could be salvageable as simply as popping it out and buffing out any surface scratch. But the bumper clips (#13 or 14 below) might be stretched and need replacing as well as possible denting of the energy absorbing material (likely styrofoam) (#25) and the impact bar (#26). Only way to really tell is removing the bumper cover and/or wheel well liner.





Good luck!

rxqd

So an update the insurance says they'll have an apprasier assess the cost of damage and then it's up to me to decide where I get it fix. Do these appraiser ever lowball the damage? I mean it's pretty dented and I don't want them to lowball the damage.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

An insurance company, even your own, is in business to make money. Lowballing the repair is almost a certainty. A verbal promise to pay you more if hidden damage or additional charges come up is worthless. Get it in writing. Don't forget, you're a blameless victim. They are basically saying we'll give you X amount, where you go and what they charge is your problem. That's unacceptable and already a sign they're looking to low ball you.

rxqd

Yeh also found out my driver side parking light the one the goes horizontally across the headlight that appear like a V doesn't work either, it looks like its just not the bumper who knows what else.

Any advice oh what I need to do what I talk to the appraiser? I goggled all the advice online including car appraiser confession preparing for low balling.

bclodfelte

Crapy situation for sure.... I hope it works out. I can tell you from experience with my insurance (USAA) I have gotten a quote from a body shop that I know very well as my friend is the owner and when he quoted an ac identify repair for us, he made it high just in case we got low balled by the adjuster and the adjuster was actually higher than his quote. Think positive but have a backup plan incase things don't work out perfect

swfla

iTrader: (1)

The best thing to do is file the claim with your insurance carrier. You are their customer and they should be working for you to sort out the other's insurance company and make them shoot straight. The reason being, your company will have to pick up any financial slack if there are any additional costs/damages. That's just how it works and you'll need to accept the mark on your car's record and your insurance record. As mentioned earlier, your car's value diminishes due to the claim and you are entitled to compensation for that as well as the repair. Whether that dollar amount is fair or enough is subjective and difficult to quantify. Talk to a used car manager at the dealership, they usually handle the trade ins. He may be willing to give you a diminished dollar value. Also Carmax can be a source too. That's about as real life as you can get. Then wait for your insurance to offer a value, counter it with a higher amount. It's a negotiation. Let us know how it turns out. Glad you didn't get hurt.

rxqd

swfla you mean their insurance right? Why would I file it under mine when I'm not at fault? I like your thinking that that I am entitled to compensation for significant depreciation of the car's value but can I argue that with the appraiser?

edit: I just googled dimished value auto and apparently its a Proper Termniology and should be used in getting a compensation for the damage, but who do I ask for this? I mean I went online and it my car's value diminished by 4k =( and it really wasn't bad or at least i dont think. So this automatically rules out my car as a CPO if I were to trade it in right?

after some furthure reading wow there are actually people who appraise your car for dimished value and that I found out apparently their insurance agent was "Steering" me aka You’ll have to pay the difference out of pocket. So what the heck do I do?

swfla

iTrader: (1)

No, you file with your insurance company. ASSUMING YOU HAVE COLLISION COVERAGE. I forgot that important distinction. It's their legal responsibility to make you whole again including loss in value due to the accident report. You have "control" over them to some degree because they work for you, you pay them money every six months. They will go after the other guy's insurance company to get as much money as they can including arguing over the cost to repair it properly.. What they don't collect, they will need to dip into their own pockets to pay you. You have no power over the other guy's company on your own. You may have to "pay" your deductible amount to have them go to bat for you. If you have a $500 ded. you're better off than if you have a $1000 ded. That's the catch.
Depending on the cost of the repair and the lost value of your car and your deductible amount, you may be better off filing with the other guy's company and hope for the best financially and possibly take a hit.
Your situation isn't as clear cut as I first made it sound, my mistake. I hope I helped you some. Bottom line, you can try to argue with the other insurance company, not the appraiser, he doesn't decide what the insurance company will pay you.

rxqd

you been really helpful swfla thanks man

so what is the best method to proceed?

1)So I'm going to get my car apprised tomorrow by their insurance's car appraiser, he's going to give me a number and the agent told me i can take the check at that time.
2)After, I plan on just going to Lexus to have them appraise how much damage is done and need to fix the damage. If the cost is more than what the appraiser tells me, do I have to pay out of pocket or get my insurance to cover it?
3) Would I also ask my insurance to pay me for a diminished value claim?? That doesn't make a lot of sense as to why I'm asking my insurance company to do that when I wasn't at fault at all because that'll just make my bi-annual insurance rate go up? Confused

I really would like to get the diminished value claim because now my car can't be a CPO and regardless of what carfax say its a minor or major accident, its always gonna say "ACCIDENT REPORTED" and 40-50% people are not going to want to buy the car when I sell it.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

So, I gave your question and my response more thought overnight. You wanted to know how to have some influence on the appraiser. You can't, you don't. You want influence over the other guys insurance, you can't, you don't, because you're not a paying customer who can choose to take your business elsewhere. The only influence you MAY have is going to your insurance company BEFORE accepting a check from the other guys. Why? Because, if your insurance company doesn't make you happy, you can nicely threaten to take your future business elsewhere. The other insurance company doesn't have to worry about losing you as a customer so they have no incentive to make you happy.
So, DON'T accept a check or sign anything on the spot or you'll have NO recourse. Tell them you're getting your own repair appraisal before you agree to an amount. It would've been best to have gotten the appraisal first, for the next time this happens. Lexus CAN sell a car as CPO if it's had an accident. FACT. My current CPO had an accident on it's report, that's how I know. I also know you'll take a beating if you were to trade it in because I went to an Audi dealer and Carmax last week for trade in value on my car. They both cited multiple owners, previous paint work and an accident report as justification for low valuation.
The ONLY way to have any semblance of influence over the outcome is to take the route of going through YOUR insurance company, pay the deductible and take your chances that they'll sit up and pay attention if you say you'll renew with a different insurance company unless they pay a fair amount for repair and Diminished value. It's a reasonable request. No guarantee that they will but you wanted to know how to have the most control. Whether this route will net you the most money or if your rates may go up, No one can say. It's a gamble you'll need to decide if the risk is worth it.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out and what you decided to do.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

If you do it your way as outlined above: you're on the hook for any additional costs as you've given up all rights by accepting a check and signing a release they'll ask you to sign. I'm not saying that's the wrong thing to do.