Minor accident....need some advice.

[dinfern22]

Hey, whats up guys!

Its true, got into my first minor accident with my baby.

The other driver is 100% at fault,it happened on a two lane turn and the truck on my right swerved into my side and hit the front side on my bumper.

As you can see it scratched the top and bottom bumper as well as detaching the two and causing the two bumpers to come apart.

I wanted to know if the dealership will repaint the two bumpers or replace both of them? I would be very angry if they just paint it instead of replacing the bumpers because this was not my fault at all. What do you guys think?

.....Lol this might seem very minor....buts it's my baby and I hate seeing it scratched up like this!

Thanks for your advice!

[Brayden_23]

That'll buff out

[Spuds]

The insurance company is going to pay as little as possible. The dealership/collision center is going to want to do as much work as possible. Just make it clear that you are not going to accept a half-assed job and it should turn out ok in the end.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by dinfern22

Hey, whats up guys!

Its true, got into my first minor accident with my baby.

The other driver is 100% at fault,it happened on a two lane turn and the truck on my right swerved into my side and hit the front side on my bumper.

As you can see it scratched the top and bottom bumper as well as detaching the two and causing the two bumpers to come apart.

I wanted to know if the dealership will repaint the two bumpers or replace both of them? I would be very angry if they just paint it instead of replacing the bumpers because this was not my fault at all. What do you guys think?

.....Lol this might seem very minor....buts it's my baby and I hate seeing it scratched up like this!

Thanks for your advice!

Well, dinfern22, that's a shame .......

If it won't "buff out", it would depend on the insurance agencies involved on how they will have it repaired.

Even if (which I doubt) they replace the fenders, they would more than likely have to paint them.

I reckon you will have to wait to hear from the insurance agencies.


humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Brayden_23

That'll buff out

......... just hold up there a minute! No sense in over engineering this project.

I figure some kerosene will take off the rubber marks from the trucks tires.

Yep, then wax it ....... good to go ........


humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Spuds

The insurance company is going to pay as little as possible. The dealership/collision center is going to want to do as much work as possible. Just make it clear that you are not going to accept a half-assed job and it should turn out ok in the end.

OK, Spuds ......... give Captain Obvious credit for that ..........


humfrz

[HKz]

if you can't take off the marks, perhaps the best option in this case is to just get the payout from their insurance co and replace the fender + bumper yourself from like http://car-part.com/

[extrashaky]

I would suggest getting on Google and finding a reputable independent body shop in your area that gets good reviews from customers. Most reputable body shops will give you a free estimate for insurance purposes (not a gimmick--it's free because they want you to come back to them to get the actual work done). Get an estimate and ask as many questions as you want about what they would do to repair it right. You can take it to multiple body shops to get second opinions if you want.

What you do next will depend on info you didn't give us...

Did you get the other guy's insurance information? If so, you can file a claim with that person's liability insurance. They will have their own adjuster look at your vehicle and work up their own estimate, which will likely be lower than the one you get at your own body shop. Then you'll need to act offended and insist on more, using the estimate(s) you already got for leverage.

If you have comprehensive coverage of your own, you can file a claim with your own insurance policy instead, and they'll go after the other insurance company or the driver to get reimbursed for whatever they pay out to you. The advantage here is that it's usually faster if your own insurer is running the show. The disadvantage is that you're pretty much bound by your contract with them, so they're running the show, and you have a little less leverage if you don't like how they're handling it. You'll also have to pay your own deductible unless/until your insurance company gets it back from the other guy or his insurance company.

Either insurance company will possibly try to push you into their own "preferred" body shop, and they may even try to make it sound like you have to use that particular shop. You don't. You can if you want, but you can also use a shop of your choice. Or you can just settle for a check, then fix it yourself, or not. Sometimes the "preferred" shop the insurance company wants to use is the most reputable shop in town anyway.

Originally Posted by dinfern22

I wanted to know if the dealership will repaint the two bumpers or replace both of them?

Keep in mind the dealership is not your only choice here and may not even be the best choice. You can always get an estimate from them, but you don't have to use the dealer.

Originally Posted by dinfern22

I would be very angry if they just paint it instead of replacing the bumpers because this was not my fault at all. What do you guys think?

The body shop doesn't care whose fault it was. That's a matter for the insurance companies. The body shop just wants to know they're getting paid for the work, and they'll do the work they're paid to do if they're reputable. If you're not happy with the result, you can take it back and demand that they do it over until it's correct. If you're using an insurance company's "preferred" body shop, you can demand to the claims adjuster that it be redone before you'll accept the settlement.

As for whether they'll paint or replace, it's often easier and less expensive to just replace body panels rather than pay someone an hourly rate to work the metal and plastic. Either way, they'll do what is necessary to fix it correctly. You're worrying right now that your car may not ever be the same, but don't lose sleep over it. More than likely you won't be able to tell it was ever hit at all.

[dinfern22]

The guy said he rather have me get an estimate and he'll see about paying the amount, and didn't want me to go the insurance route. But he seemed kinda shady and seeing as how he was from another state didn't sit with me well.

Was I right to go the insurance route? Do you guys always file a claim after an incident or just see if you can have the other person pay for the damage?

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by dinfern22

The guy said he rather have me get an estimate and he'll see about paying the amount, and didn't want me to go the insurance route. But he seemed kinda shady and seeing as how he was from another state didn't sit with me well.

Was I right to go the insurance route? Do you guys always file a claim after an incident or just see if you can have the other person pay for the damage?

Yes, I'd let the insurers handle it. If it seemed shady, it probably was.

I usually get a police report to make sure there's an official record of what happened and who was involved. Since you're required to carry liability insurance, the police will also record the insurance information, which is handy in case the other guy refuses to give it to you or tries to hide. If you just trust the guy to pay, he can disappear, claim he wasn't involved, claim it was your fault, etc.

Once that's done, I just let insurance handle it. The whole point of states requiring liability insurance is to standardize the process and avoid the nonsense of people refusing to take responsibility for their actions. If the insurance company refuses to cooperate, I know where they are, I can find them to sue them, and they'll pay up if a judge tells them to. If you don't go through insurance and the guy refuses to cooperate, and he's in another state, you may not be able to get to him to sue him. He may give you false contact information. He may hide. He may dodge the process server. Even if you manage to get him into court and win, you may not be able to collect.

If someone says to me, "Hey, I'll just pay for it, and let's not involve the cops or insurance," my assumption at that point will be that he doesn't have insurance and doesn't want the police involved because he doesn't want the ticket, registration stop or whatever penalty that state provides. That's where your insurance comes in, if you have comprehensive coverage and/or uninsured motorist coverage. Then you just file a claim with your own insurer and let them sue him. Regardless of whether they recover, you're made whole (or almost, with the exception of your deductible).

This is sounding like it's the first time you've been in a collision, and your apprehension is coming through loud and clear. Just relax and treat it as a learning experience. Don't take anything at face value. Ask lots of questions. If you don't like what you're being told, ask if it really has to be done that way. It sucks that it happened, and there's a chance you will not be 100% happy when it's all over. But if you step back from it emotionally and allow yourself to learn from it, you can come out ahead in the long run in experience points even if you get completely screwed over.

My first big experience dealing with a collision left me very dissatisfied, with a lot of irritation toward the insurance companies. But I learned so much from it that the next one not only went my way, but was also kind of fun. It's like learning to play a game. Sometimes you need to lose a few before you understand the rules.

[guybo]

I had almost the exact same accident, the other guy was at fault and even got a ticket. Florida has terrible laws in regards to insurance and damage- MY insurance had to pay for the the repairs to my car, it was just over $1400

-The fender and front bumper had to be replaced
-both painted
-both blended
-side light replaced
-alignment
-wheel buffed out

[Tcoat]

That fender can be repaired with ease and is probably the better choice since you then avoid many of the fit issues that result from replacement. Hard to tell just how much damage there is to the bumper. If just a paint scrape and popped the clips it could be repaired but it will probably have to be replaced.

[dinfern22]

Originally Posted by guybo

I had almost the exact same accident, the other guy was at fault and even got a ticket. Florida has terrible laws in regards to insurance and damage- MY insurance had to pay for the the repairs to my car, it was just over $1400

-The fender and front bumper had to be replaced
-both painted
-both blended
-side light replaced
-alignment
-wheel buffed out

Damn, that sucks bro, sorry to hear that. But your whole post confuses the hell out of me.
Why on earth would your insurance pay a penny? Did you have to spend any money out of your own pocket?

Also if your bumper was replaced what are they doing painting or blending anything? Don't they just throw away the old parts and just fit the new part back on?

[dinfern22]

@extrashaky Damn, thanks for all that advice man. Really appreciate it!