I leave work yesterday to find that someone took out my entire right rear tail light in the parking lot - and didn't leave a note.
I assess the damage and am relieved to see the body of the car is not affected. I have comprehensive coverage and a 500 deductible so I figure I'll wait and get an estimate before I file a claim.
As I arrive at my car this morning to bring it to the dealership for said estimate, I see that someone from my building scraped the entire rear left side of my car with theirs while backing out of the spot next to me. AGAIN, no note.
The scrape is also on the rear fender/body of my FIT. There's a tiny bit of red in the scrape, and three red cars that park in the lot. I have inspected two and no damage. I eagerly await the arrival of the last red car, as honestly this is my last hope of not having to file TWO separate claims on the comprehensive part of the insurance on my brand new car, leaving me in the hole for 1k of the work. I pray there will be white paint (color of my fit) on that car.
So I am really mad & hate people right now. The estimate for the taillight installed is about $800. The woman at the dealership told me I might not want to file the claim for the taillight as it is close to 1k in damage which is on par with a collision and my insurance would go up- which makes no sense. I wasn't in the car for either of these incidents! I need to wait till I can see the other cars in our lot to try and find evidence before I call about the other damage.
I am just seething right now. I can't believe this happened in less than 24 hours. My head is spinning with options on claims, money out of pocket and how long the body repair will have my car out of commission.
I'm having a bad day.

 

Gotta love them Massholes!

In '91, when I bought my first ever new vehicle....someone keyed it from nose to tail within 2 weeks of having bought it.

Then on the 3rd day of owning my Fit, someone busted out my window and then Safelite Auto Glass damaged the body trying to force the non OEM glass into place. It ended up in the auto body shop for 3 days.

So I know your pain.

 

I just called another Honda dealership for an estimate and they quoted me $400 less than the other one to replace the taillight assembly. Wow. I can't believe they can vary so much in price! Needless to say I will be getting the work done there since my deductible is 500. ...
Shame on that overpriced dealership!

 

Is it not something you could replace yourself and save even more?

 

I wish. I can put furniture together and do simple fixes around the house but when it comes to cars I let the pros handle it....

 

I like a person who knows there limits. I can fix some things but can BUILD nothing.

I did assemble and then modify a kitchen island from IKEA which I am proud of! LOL

 

Am I being naive, or should you talk to the police?

 

Nothing they can do- an unfortunate part of living in the city. People hit other people's parked cars and leave all the time. That's pretty much why I get comprehensive coverage.

If I can get a pic of the car in my lot that did it I can file a claim against him. Assuming he has a corresponding scrape on his car- but He conveniently hasn't been in the lot all day/night.

I'm not filing a claim for the taillight since the cost of replacement is less than my 500 deductible, so I would be footing that bill anyway. But bodywork isn't cheap and I want it fixed.

 

Soo... all you need to do is replace a tail light? It is super-simple. Open hatch, remove cover, unscrew like 3 bolts, pop out old tail light assembly, install new one, screw in bolts, replace cover, close hatch, admire your work. It should only take about 10 minutes and you shouldn't even have to learn any new swear words. Only tools you should need is wrench or some pliers.

 

Sorry to hear about your mishap. It is frustrating indeed.

As DWills mentioned, why not give it a try? Don't see it as "working on a car"... more like, say.... working on Ikea furniture. You won''t have get under
the car, may not even get a speck a dirt on you

It'll save you time in the end, not just money and... you'll feel satisfied that you've repaired it yourself. If all else fails, you bring the light to the dealer and they repair it.

Let us know how you make out.

 

I usually feel the same, leave car repairs to the professionals but if you find a YouTube video you feel comfortable with following.... Give it a try! Save some moolah. You could use that for the bodywork if you have to. I'm a little concerned the person that hit you is getting their car repaired to destroy the evidence... Good luck!

 

One thing I noticed the OP said was, "Body work is expensive". If the taillight was damaged as well as the body....that's one thing. But if it is just the tail light that is damaged and he's referring to it as "body work".....that's another thing.

 

There were two incidents in one 12 hour span
- first, the passenger side taillight. I'm too worried with electrical wires and stuff to attempt on my own. No need to file a claim since my deductible is 500 and the work will be under that.
*Then* someone else scraped the drivers side rear- big scratches on bumper and fender (aka body). I'm going to have to file a claim for that since the bumper and body work will be expensive. I'm just waiting to see if I can identify the person who did that damage, as it was in my private lot at home and there are only so many ppl who have cars...unless it was a guest.
I also think if I filed two comprehensive claims in the same week that would not be good.

 

I wondered that myself..it could happen but most people need to schedule that body work around their jobs, etc. I'm going to wait until mid week , after my taillight is fixed to file the claim anyway. I would rather not have an adjuster see a destroyed taillight on my brand new car as he's pricing out the quote for body work. I'm a very good driver and I worry if they see that damage it might somehow find its way into an increase in my insurance rate....(can you tell I don't trust people?)

 

Sorry. I forgot about that part.