I got slightly rear-ended by a Blazer at the traffic light tonight. The damage is relatively low, only the scratches on the bumper. But it looks fugly on a new shiny car... I got guy's insurance and all that and now I'm debating if I should file a claim, which may show up later on CARFAX... On the other hand, I don't want to drive around with these nasty scratches on the bumper. What would you do? Or what have you done in a similar situation and how it reflected in the future? Thanks!

 

i wouldve seen if he would have wanted to settle it without insurance getting involved. call him and give him the estimate of the damages... doesnt sound like to much and see if he will just pay it himself in cash to you... if not you have no choice but to file it through insurance =-( which btw will show on a carfax.

 

If the worst is scratches on the bumper, why do insurance claim? If it's the other guys fault they pay. If your insurance covers, it's probably less than deductible for just a bumper respray. All fender benders don't end up on carfax. Besides, you should keep all repair receipts. If needed, you can prove it was just a minor thing. I keep repair receipts for as long as I own the car. They show proof a car is well taken care of.

Besides, no way could I sleep at night knowing my baby has scratches.

 

This was the other guy's fault as I was standing still on the traffic light waiting for the green light. So, I expect his insurance should cover that.

Who makes the distinction between fender-benders and more severe damages? Or, to be more precise, whether to make a claim show up on CarFax or not?

I think, I'll wait till tomorrow and give a call to this guy to offer him to settle things without the insurance. The problem is that I'm leaving town tomorrow for three weeks and I will be over in Europe. I can call and file a claim from there but it's just bad timing for me...

This crap happened an hour after I gave a very well treatment to the car at my favorite car wash. My wife, who was a passenger in the car at the time of an accident, was more furious on the outside than I was but I definitely do feel sad because of what happened...

 

Today around 6pm:
http://picasaweb.google.com/evolvah/...ey=gy4itHeBJ3A

Later today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/evolvah/...ey=ThH4fWBD4NY

 

damn,
sorry to hear
i hate stupid drivers...

def. give this guy a call tomorrow and demand to settle things without insurance
if he doesnt agree.. then i guess you have no choice but to go on your trip and deal with it when you come back on your own.. because it's not worth showing up on a carfax..

 

How much do you think it can be to fix it? I'm completely clueless about the cost of paintwork...

 

Thanks for the ballpark figure!

BTW, how much time do I have to submit a claim? What if the guy agrees to resolve the issue between the two of us but once I get back he refuses everything? Would it be too late to file a claim?

 

Actually most reputable places will charge a minimum of $500 and the figures you quote aren't unreasonable. Repairs like this have no negative impact on the price of a car. If it concerned me I'd take several up close pictures of the superficial damage and attach it to the work order for the repaired car. That way you could reassure even the most scrupulous buyer of your car that the repaired damage was superficial.

 

This is what you should do: his issurance is paying for it so ask for a payout. A payout is the price of what it costs to fix the damage, except they cut you a check for the damages. Take your car to the 3 most expensive places you can for an estimate, hell let say you need a new bumper, mounts, clips, paint etc. Their insurance averages those amounts. Then the other insurance cuts you a check for let say 1100. Take the money and get a reasonable rate to get it fixed for 700. You pocket the extra 400 OR you can upgrade the rear bumper to a kenstyle and you have some real money toward it.

I did this with my tacoma when I was hit by a hit and run driver (the police caught him). The damage looked worse than it was and I got estimates at the three most EXPENSIVE dealerships I could find. Ended up getting $5500 and once I took off the front bumper (light damage) you could see that there was really no damge it looked like there was.

Hope this helps....remember no insurance can force you to go to their shop, its always you choice in the end.

 

^ there you have it

 

Thanks for ya'll responses. I called my insurance 2 hours before I had to leave for the airport. They said that currently they are busy and somebody will call me back promptly. Well, nobody did before I left home. So, I will continue this evdevour once I comeback from frosty Russia Actually, itis not that cold here as many people think, but this is a whole different topic. Thanks again!

 

I'm back in town and ready to have this thing taken care of. However, I have a stupid question... Should I be calling my insurance company and claim the damage or should I be calling his insurance company?

Thanks!

 

it's okay. i've had my car for 3 months and i've already got rear ended while sitting still at a red light and something nearly ripped my rocker moulding off on the highway. i win!