Hey guys, on Thursday on my way to work, I got rear ended by a woman in a Ford F-150. The damage isn't bad, but whenever I went to get an estimate from her insurance (Allstate) it just says that the bumper is going to get repaired. The paint is starting to spiderweb in several places and there's a crease on the bumper as well. How are they going to fix that (and I don't want them to use any bondo or any filler because I've heard that it can still crack later on down the road) Can I demand a new bumper or is that out of line? I am bringing it to Hendricks Collision in Charlotte so I feel that they're a reputable body shop but I really don't want to get screwed, especially since it wasn't my fault and I don't want a crappy job done since I haven't even had my car for two years. What should I expect and should ask? Thanks guys!

 

I would talk to the body shop and address your concerns. They can help I'm sure. My local shop is a really reputable business and they've helped me many times with issues like yours.

 

if its not your fault you have the upper hand,say a strict no to repairing your bumper, demand a new bumper and say you can have the old one back.. Insurances usually try to save as much money as they can on their insurance claims..

 

I would think they would just replace the bumper probable cheaper to replace then repair. Talk to the repair shop they will tell you what is needed.

 

Awww that's just a love-tap (lucky you). Reputable collision shops carry lifetime warranties on their work (my experience). Others already mentioned what you can do/expect. You got all the cards in your hand... Clear, tactful communication goes a long ways... Good luck!

 

You are entitled to everything as it was before the accident so if it makes you whole again you can ask for whatever you want! I'd tell them you'd like a new bumper because you don't want "fixed" or "repaired" they should tell you what your options are and since it wasn't your fault your insurance shouldn't care what you ask for and the other company will want to make you happy so you don't sue

 

Like Subie said. good shops carry a lifetime warranty on their work so find one you trust and get an estimate. if they end up painting it instead of replacing it, and something happens over time where the spider-webs start showing again, they'll repair it. if the bumper itself was cracked or damaged in any way, they'll likely replace it with a new one.

Talk to the repair shop.

~SB

 

I'd be surprised if bumper repair was less than a new cover. I've had this happen twice.

1st time Honda repaired the cover (but had to replace the bumper bar underneath for another couple hundred).

2nd time Honda quoted me for a bumper repair, but I had another estimate from Toyota (they work on all makes) that called for a new OE bumper cover that was less than Honda quoted me. I asked Honda about it, and they said yeah, they made a mistake, the new cover was less expensive than repairing the old one. I had toyota fix it; they did a better job matching the color than Honda! Cobb County Collision (Toyota's body shop).

 

That doesn't look like A LOT OF DAMAGE
so you will get screwed and get it repaired OR
YOU COULD demand for cash payout so they cut you a check and you go buy a clean used bumper somewhere liek Craigslist or etc and then get it painted,
However this all depends on how much the Check they willc ut you ll be?
Youc an ask them!

 

Less than two months into my ownership, I was rear ended. Very, very similar damage....maybe even less. literally left a slight imprint of her license plate screws in the soft paint of my new bumper.

Totally the other persons fault. Her insurance covered. I originally wanted a new bumper as well (after all mine was literally weeks old).

The Bodyshop I worked with talked me out of it. Perhaps I was misled. But what I was told was that a totally new bumper would have to be entirely painted to match, where as my Bumper would only need the damaged area repaired and then could be "blended to match" out of that area. They recommended NOT going the whole new bumper route.

Perhaps I was screwed.

But I have to admit, I absolutely cannot notice any difference. The Bumper looked fine after repair and about 2 years later, it still looks fine.

In the end? It was more the psychological bummer of having my nearly brand new vehicle rear ended.

Previously I had driven a 1992 Accord for 6 years with nobody as much as scratching it. My new car? Less than 8 weeks and somebody forgets to brake and causes me the grief.....

Oh well...as long as your bodyshop is good? It shouldn't be a problem.

 

Hey guys, sorry for the delay on the update. I got the car fixed at Hendrick Honda Collision here in Charlotte. They didn't replace the bumper cover and were able to repair the original, but they did have to replace the beam that's behind the bumper. The total bill after everything was close to $800 But lucky for me, it didn't cost me a dime. So glad that I was able to get it fixed and it only took two days before I had it back (dropped it off on a Monday morning and picked it up Wednesday morning)

 

It's good that you got it fixed. But usually, the insurance repair estimate done by the at-fault driver's insurance company is half-assed, since they don't want to devote too much time to it while not obligating themselves to an amount bigger than what ends up being necessary, hence why they didn't quote it the way that you wanted them to. But once they accept liability, as the repair facility finds other repairs that they find are necessary and connected to the accident, they just notify the insurance company and they almost always get the additional costs approved (unless it's something crazy).

I work in insurance and have seen a ton of these types of claims, but there was an oddly similar experience that my girlfriend had last December. An intoxicated driver crashed into her car (and four or five others) as it was parked on the street early one morning, and the insurance coverage for that driver's vehicle was right around the state minimums here in California (15/30/10) and ironically also had Allstate as his insurance company -- not to say anything good or bad about them. The original repair estimate was something like $6,000, give or take, but I knew that they didn't account for everything, as my guess was going to be more like $7,000. They ended up needing to replace the axle (which they didn't figure out until after the body was fixed and when they were fixing the car's alignment, though even I knew that it needed to be replaced) and ended up needing to approve a little bit more work. It was an inconvenience, but they took care of it.

 

I was involved in an accident which the driver was at fault. He had crappy no name insurance which tried to send me to their "authorized" repair shop. That was laughable, I called his insurance company and told them im taking the car to get fixed at a dealer. I got the job done with OEM parts that company got raped. Not sure about the laws in your state they may vary....

 

The laws are generally the same, in your particular scenario. Neither insurance company can force you to go to a certain facility, but they can let you know which facilities they recommend and will back as an "approved" site. For example, the repair facility recommended by my own insurance company on a claim I made sometime last year was a place that I didn't like because the repair estimator was kind of a moron. I told them I wanted to go somewhere else, and they said I could, but they would only warranty work (for the life of the car) done at that facility or any of their other approved sites. They'd pay regardless. Typically the more detailed repair estimates also mention those laws too.

Seeing how you're in Florida, just make sure that the other driver's insurance company took care of the TOTAL bill. Since Florida is a no-fault state and has PIP (personal injury protection) coverage, that "reserve" is sometimes tapped without your knowledge, which is a bad thing since a lot of insurance companies in Florida now are declining drivers with previous PIP claims. I don't think that would be the case in your situation (since the PD liability and PIP coverage limits are both $10,000 and likely wouldn't have been exceeded on repairing just a Honda Fit) but it's always good to be careful. I have a lot of Florida clients who end up getting declined because they had a PIP claim and didn't even know about it... and many times it was something where they weren't even at fault.

 

oh it got taken care off, this was years ago in a different car.

 

Well someone stole my car and crashed it. Body damage only (not my fit) Allstate took great care of me because they handed my car to a licensed shop (Well license for Mercedes and audis but still...) But then again I was the allstate customer.

 

what does this mean?

thanks

 

I don't know exactly how to explain it but it has to do with PIP coverage being available and how it can be used.