So long story short I was going down the highway when another driver did not see me and pulled out and hit my Fit. I slowed down so damage was minimal but there is still damage. A police report was filed and the other driver issued a ticket. She was completely at fault. I have never really had to deal with insurance in this type of circumstance. I have now filed a claim against her policy for damages and now am waiting to hear back from her insurance company.

What are some dos and don't I should be aware of? I want to be reasonable but make sure I get my car fixed and properly. It's a pretty new car so yes little dings and scrapes as the result matter to me! Since the car is still under my manufactur warranty does this mean I must take it to a Honda dealership? How much do you estimate a fix for these damages pictured would cost? Does that crack basically mean I'll need a whole new bumper?
Any general advice here would be helpful. Thanks!

 

Sounds like you did several things right: police report, photos. As long as you have that documentation you're on your way.

 

The bumper is a single piece of plastic, so it will need to be replaced and painted. Bernardi says $220 MSRP, then paint, plus labour to transfer all the odd bits.

How fast was she going when she hit you? It does not look like there was a lot of speed, but I'd also look at your hatch to ensure it is not out of alignment.

 

Do not allow your insurance company to be involved, tell your company your handling the claim yourself.

Tell the other parties insurance adjust your body shop name and that your not making a claim on your insurance.

Go to a GOOD body shop (I'd find a Acura dealer with a OEM certified body shop.)

Tell the dealer body shop to handle the claim with the other parties insurance and you want eh car back to original condition. Period. Most dealer body shops have someone who is the insurance company shark their job is to suck every penny out of the insurance.

I've had to do this 3 times on my wife BMW, If your company is not involved they usually ignore the whole thing and your rates don't take the hit.

Do NOT try and take away cash. IN the long unit will usually F you over..

 

I just had my Fit totaled... and have had a few experiences with car insurance claims.

1. Find the best shop in your area and have it repaired by them. Best shop should be backed up with lots of reviews and 4-5 star average on Yelp. Call the Ferrari dealership in your area and ask who they prefer. D&V Autobody is the best in the DC area.
2. Request OEM replacement parts. You'll replace the whole bumper and they'll do a new paint job on it. Should be easy to paint match. They were able to match my black sapphire metallic, which is much more detailed than a Honda.
3. Don't use the dealer body shop. They suck. I had my BMW's sunroof replaced at BMW Fairfax after it spontaneously exploded while driving. Tons of glass left in the roof liner, requiring multiple visits. I bombed the service advisor on his survey and they were so sad.

It doesn't matter how much it costs because the at-fault party is paying for it. I'd push for an OEM bumper full replacement.

 

ive been hit numerous times (all other party's fault) also hit numerous times even while the car was parked and i wasnt even in the car.

each time i just let my insurance agent know and they take care of it. i might get a call from the other party's insurance to hear my side of the story, but not all the time. then i will get a phone number for my insurance claim center, and go in for an estimate and to schedule an appointment for the repair. THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO CONTACT THE OTHER PARTY'S INSURANCE. that is your insurance agent's job.

call your dealer to ask where they recommend for body repair.

then you take it in, get ur car repaired, you will pay the deductible, but will be later reimbursed by the other party's insurance.

it's rather simple as long as you dont get into an argument who was at fault or have injuries. it might be scary the first time, but dont worry. it's mostly just paperwork.

 

another reason why my Fit is my daily driver. the general public is stupid.. no need to bring nice cars to the supermarket just for them to ruin it for you. my new cars have been key'ed several times too.

 

If your insurance is involved in any way it counts on your record, then if you get in an at fault they add the points all up and send you a new rate ,, guess which way it will go?? The trick on dealer body shops is you have to make sure they are the OEM certified shop. In most cases only 1 dealer in each marque in each city gets this. The rest farm most of their work out..

My 3 series xi recently had a trailer tire come off a car ahead of it and the tire went under the car, no body damage, but almost 9K in replacing the oil pan, the suspension parts etc.. Plus the 2 months for parts to cross the ocean..

The dealer totally saved my rear on time and trouble on the deal.. Forced the insurance company to cover the work and all new parts, they wanted to get a used rear suspension from a wreck..