Parked in my school parking garage on the top level where no one parks and in the farthest corner from the exit, and some idiot still hit me. It happened when I was in class. Turns out our school is cheap on the surveillance cameras, and they only play what is happening and do not actually record. My insurance won't cover it since I was not in the vehicle (confused by this, but oh well) so I'm gonna have to bite the bullet on this one. The scratch/dent is about 7 inches in length; dent is on the right side where clear coat has been cracked in the area around the dent [see attached pics]. My question is how much could I expect to pay for a reputable body shop to repair it for me? Thanks for any input.

 

Hard to tell in the pics, but is your car silver or white pearl? Also tough to see how dented it is... but if silver, probably between 500 and 600. If white pearl, add another 150-200. Bodyshops will vary greatly in price though, and you don't always get what you pay for either. Ask around for a recommendation.

 

That's really hard to tell from the pic how bad the dent is or even the exact location. An alternative to the body shop would be a paintless dent removal shop in your area. Typical names are Dent Masters, most will do small paint jobs like you require. Couldn't hurt to inquire since they don't charge what body shops do.
Gary

 

I work in insurance. Im confused as to how your insurance company can deny this claim... If you have Collision Coverage - it shouldn't matter if you were in the car or not as long as you made a police report.

On the other hand, the hit/run claim would be subject to you deductible....so in the end it might not be worth making the claim anyways.

I suggest you call your co. back and fully explain what happened. It sounds to me like you spoke with a noob who just wanted to get you off the phone.

 

If no matter who hit what.. U will still have to pay the deductible which is prolly 500. If they (repair shop is over 1000) then call your insurance provider and make the claim, but if it's less than 1000.. don't claim it cuz it might just rise ya rate also it will be a claim against you (yes i know u didn't do it).

 

What kind of insurance do you have? Collision is where if you are deemed at fault for an accident, insurance will cover the damages to the other party's vehicle and their medical bill. Neither you nor your vehicle are covered. Comprehensive offers you coverage, whether you are at fault or not, and includes hit-and-run incidents.

If you have Collision then you're SOL, but if you have Comprehensive and they continue to deny your claim, I'd suggest that you switch insurance carriers.

 

As far as my insurance, I have comprehensive. I'll probably call them back to find out what is going on, but my deductible is 500 and the estimates I got from a couple shops today are around 300. I got to look at it in the sun today and most of the scratch should be able to be buffed out with Meguiar's UC or some other rubbing compound. The dent though will be the issue, as I'm hovering between spending $20 for some touch up paint or having a shop do it for 300 + cost of a rental car for 2 days. Any suggestions? First car and have only owned it for around 3 months.

 

I guess it is a bumper that can be done for 450 repair and repaint.

 

If you can live with imperfection, I'd say just buff out the scratch and keep driving it. Without the scratch, the dent would be a lot less noticeable. Wait until more damage from careless drivers, rock chips, scrapes, etc. accumulates, then repair it- in a way, its more 'cost effective'.

BUT, if the bumper is already rashed, then go for the paint job.

 

PDR won't work if the paint or clear has been compromised

 

This is completely wrong - Property Damage & Bodily Injury will pay for the other persons vehicle and medical bills.

Collision will cover your vehicle regardless of fault, in some states you have UMPD (uninsured motorists property damage) which will cover your vehicle in case on a deadbeat driver / hit and run etc..

Comprehensive covers things like Theft, Vandalism, Flood, Tree falls on the car etc.. the one little quirk is that hitting an animal is considered a Comprehensive loss.

 

Finally some good news. Talked to the top IT admin at my school, apparently the cameras do record, you just have to bother the public safety supervisors until someone gets off their lazy behind and pulls the files and takes the time to go through the footage. Camera caught everything, guy even got out of his car and looked at the damage before he drove off. Thank God for digital, got his face and his license plate clear as day. Police report filed and waiting for them to get to him. Looks like his insurance will eventually be taking care of this.

 

nice! sucks to be that guy lol

 

YES!
Gary

 

EPIC WIN

It is not very often that you're able to track down the 'runner. I work as a claims adjuster and have probably dealt with 80 or so hit and runs claims over the past year; only 2 of which were successfully pursued thanks to independent witnesses who notified their local Police forces.