So i was about to turn right and some lady comes and rear-ends me tonight while i was in my g. We stopped to exchange information and i realized that all that happened is a little scratch. If the only problem is the scratch, she wants to deal with things privately instead of alerting the insurance companies. Do you guys know how much a little paint chip woudl cost. It's a really small circular paint chip on the rear bumper. Also, could i have incurred any damage on my car by experiencing the hit from behind? Should i take my car to the dealer to get it checked out? Surprisingly i'm not that mad cause she wsa driving around a new lexus, and she seemed very willing to pay for my damages. Hopefully, everything works out well or else i will be pissed though casue my g is only 2 months old.

 

here in california, it is OK to take matters private IF the damage does not exceed $700. that small paint chip is trivial at the moment since it can be fixed in a matter of hours. what's more crucial is the condition of your bumper... please inspect it carefully! does it have any cracks? is it warped?

 

You should always at least call the cops when you are hit. When you call her to get it fixed, suddenly she will say "What accident?" Without a police report, it will be much more diffecult to get everything worked out.

 

If it were me I'd be looking for a place to hide her body...

 

Good one ^^ where's the nearest ditch.

 

bumper repaint at a reputable body shop usually cost approx $300-500.

I would look VERY carefully on the damage though...there could
be an indentation by the chip, your mounting clips missing, etc.
Bumper replacement and paint is usually in the thousands.

 

I agree...how hard did she hit you? Hard? if so pick up the flooring of the trunk and look at the inside of the trunk (flooring) for any damages. Also ....look under the car look for any damages where the car took the force of the impact and spread it.....This happened to my friends Evo, where the damage to the bumper was minor, but when u looked where the spare tire was...there was crumpling

 

i was rear-ended 2 weeks ago. . dented in my bumper on the passenger side corner, but did not crack it. i got an estimate, and to replace & paint the rear bumper and the passenger-side splash/chip guard it was $1200.

subtracting the cost of parts & labor costs to install parts (i.e. estimate for paint only) comes out to $665.

hope this helps

 

if it's just the paint chip and no other damage, would i really need a new bumper for that?

 

I couldn't have said it better myself....I might be biased working as a service advisor in higher-end body shop, but I would definitely recommend going through her insurance company, just in case there is any hidden damage...it's a lot easier to get an insurance company who knows the repair process to pay for hidden damage than it is an individual who just went from spending $700 (or whatever) to spending $2500-3000 (or whatever)....good luck, I hate it when that happens....

 

There is also a Styrofoam piece behind the bumper you should inspect for damage.

 

i doubt it, as long as the foam behind the bumper is still intact. it's really up to you, though. i'm sure if you took it in for an estimate, the body shop would bid to replace the bumper (more $$$ for them, plus youre only paying your deductible anyway).

my body shop's estimate included a replacement rear bumper, but realistically i could just have the thing repainted.

 

Get an estimate from a couple shops ASAP and ask them to inspect things. Then contact the woman and tell her how much it is. If she starts experiencing 'selective memory', mention calling the police & ins. co