RXSF

It's not as bad as it sounds. Traffic was moving slow and the person in front of me stopped short and I had to do the same. Next thing I know, I hear a screech and then a bam. I think we were traveling at 30-40 mph before stopping. We pulled over to the side of the freeway and to my surprise there was no dent...not even major paint issues. From what I can see, its only had white scuff marks and its mostly because his car had this:



notice the two black plastic protruding bumpers on the jeep. So when it hit my car, it didnt have the usual license plate frame impression.

He brushed off the damage saying it would be able to buff out. I still insisted we exchanged information.

I will inspect further today since it was getting dark yesterday as it happened around 7pm, but chances are it will be able to buff out. He was a nice and polite guy, looked like mid twenties and I hate to see his insurance go up or have to pay a high deductible. However, if I wanted it to be perfect then it would probably need a repaint. And there could possibly be damage that I cant see, like when the bumper cover flexed from the impact or perhaps even the styrofoam impact absorbing block behind the cover.

Thoughts what I should do? Its a matter of having a perfect rear bumper or saving the kid from paying out so much because I do feel bad for him.

kitlz

Nooooo! Sorry to hear about your bumper bump. Definitely get it checked out for damage. And I don't quite understand why you would feel bad if his insurance goes up. Bottom line is he hit your RX, time for him to pay. Good luck with the repair.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

American mentality.

Whats fair is fair. Accidents DO happen, he wasn't being a POS about it so why should his premiums go up?

OP is a sane cool headed person since he's not going in guns blazing as you're suggesting.

When I got rear ended, 3k in damage, the guy was a **** and tried to blame everyone and so on, claimed to call his lawyer and such. Oh yeah, **** you pal, that's a situation where one would go after insurance.

kitlz

01LEXPL, I have to ask if you can choose other words than the one I removed from your post. It's offensive.

I agree, accidents do happen. I wasn't insinuating going overboard here. I'm just saying the responsible person should pay for the damage. We know how expensive repairs can be on a Lexus. That's where insurance comes in. It's there for a reason.

Cruiter

Josh, so sorry to hear about your incident but glad no one was hurt and that initial assessment of your car looks good.

That said, I totally agree with Anita in getting the car checked out. And I'd go a step further. Since you have all of his information, contact your insurance company and give them all the data including 'his' insurance info. We all pay premiums to protect us and now you might need protection if there is hidden damage. Your insurance company can probably tell you where to have it checked w/o costing you any money. If there were damage and he did not notify his insurance company or law enforcement (if damage was over X amount) he could be in some hot water.

It's nice to be nice but let the insurance companies be nice to each other . Protect yourself and your investment .

RGSW

Same thing happened to me about six months ago and it was another SUV with a similar bumper. No apparent damage to either car at scene of accident. We exchanged info, she gave me an expired proof of Insurance from last years required proof, she still had same comany and current insurance. Upon arrival at home, I noticed the bumper was a little off center on the sides and popped it back in OK, then I noticed a 2 inch crack at the lower left side of the rear door. I asked the local repair shop if they could touch it up or epoxy it? No............ they had to replace the bumper and paint it and the bill was paid by the offending party who hit me from behind. Repairs and rental car for one day all came to $1050 repairs plus rental car. Looks good as new to me. Sorry to hear of your accident.

RXSF

sounds like the general consensus is that I should still go through all the hassle of insurance and repairs. Honestly I looked at it in direct sunlight and it seems perfect except for the scruff marks that Im sure will go away with some polish. But I do worry that some internals could be damaged and we cant see it. I will call the insurance company on Monday. Thanks for all the advice. I guess I like to please everybody and not be the bad guy and I feel sorry for him.

Also, regarding 01lexpl, its in his signature that he is negative nancy, haha

kitlz

It's what you can't see that I'd be worried about. It may be nothing but worth checking nonetheless. Best of luck with that. I learned a long time ago it doesn't pay to be nice when it comes to accidents. Stories suddenly change. While I can appreciate your calm demeanor, I'd hate to see it come back and bite you in the ... bumper

Cruiter

Falling from my chair laughing

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Get under the car [yes, you might get dirty] and check the rear bumper support, and pan above the spare tire well.

If it looks like this; ***less the rust obviously***


It will look like this once all removed;


Otherwise, get the dude to pay for a nice FULL detail, have the car polished entirely and continue being 'the nice guy'.

I totally understand where you're coming from, as i tend to give people the benefit of the doubt myself, and i'm sure he'll be able to recognize that.

Not to mention, if you ever plan on selling it down the road, it'll come up in Autocheck... and used against you in terms of finding a buyer...

-Mike

dwlink

This is not true. The accident needs to be reported for autocheck, carfax, etc. to show an accident. Think about it, how would any of those companies ever know a car was in an accident? I highly doubt they stalk automotive forums and search for clues to piece together who the owner of each car is in their database and what is happening with their cars.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Are you serious? Way to read between the lines. I didn't re-write 'insurance' claim since that's what we're discussing in this thread - I was under the impression that was more than obvious...

Marqevans

If you really want to be nice get an estimate and if its under $500.00 offer the individual the opportunity to pay for it on his own and avoid using his insurance.