Today was a banner day in Atlanta. Sitting at a red light; waiting to turn left. A late model white service van tries to make a left around me. The jerk hit my back bumper on the passenger side and R! Lucklily, I got the license plate number and I called the police to file a report. Now there's scraping and the bumper is sticking out slightly on the side.

Has anyone had back bumper damage? Have you had to have your bumper replaced or fixed? It looks to me that it may be need to be replaced. I have photos if anyone wants to see. I just do not know how to upload them here.

 

Go to a trusted body shop (usually not the dealer) and have them give you an estimate to replace the bumper with OE parts and all the hidden bits that got damaged.

Then you'll need to file a claim with the van's insurance company. Don't forget to ask for diminished value.

 

Thanks Ceb. Since it was a hit and run, I didn't get the insurance company of the driver. However, I was able to get the license number. Called the police to create a police report. He ran the jerks tag and it was a Enterprise rental. I called my insurance company and filed a claim. Don't really want to wait to for if/when they find the jerks insurance or for Enterprise to accept responsibility (I heard that they try to skip out on hit and runs). Will go through my insurance.

Why do you say not to use the dealer's suggestion for collision repair? I thought that their suggestions would be best...but, maybe not.

 

And your insurance will go up to cover your claim. Its more work, but better in the long run to file with the other driver's/ in this case Rental company insurance.

Dealer's suggestion may or may not be best - usually they will recommend a competent body shop - but if you want the best job done on your car, find your own shop based on friends references, etc. I checked a number of shops from my own rear bumper damage, and used a shop that had only Mercs and Bentleys under repair - my repair job was a bit higher than the dealer recommended shop, but *perfect*.

 

If you got the plate number then you've got the insurance info. Enterprise knows who had the car that day and can go after them if they want - but your claim should be with them.

There are several downsides with going with your own insurance.

• You have to pay your deductible up front. You "might" get it back if your insurance makes a full recovery from Enterprise.
• If your insurance company doesn't make a full recovery then you'll have an at fault collision claim on your record. In either case it is on your record.
• You are stuck with your limits and your deductibles. If you don't have rental car coverage for the duration of the repair, then it comes out of your pocket. If your policy calls for "OE or equiv" parts then you may end up with an aftermarket bumper. If you go straight to Enterprise then they pay for a loaner and you can more easily insist on OE parts.

Now let us talk bodyshops

The shops recommended by insurance companies work on fixed pricing. They promise to do the job based upon the estimate with just a few exceptions (hidden damage that exceeds a certain percentage of damage). They are recommended not because they are good but because they are cheap. The insurance company can offer a lifetime warranty on the repair because the bodyshop pays for any future repairs (part of the deal) and because they know that most customers will accept "close enough" and will sell the car long before anyone figures out that the actual repair was botched.

Dealer shops pay a percentage of the repair to the dealer. The only way they can do that with a check from the insurance company is to cut corners.

When my TSX was whacked I immediately worked a deal with the dealer to trade it in once it was repaired so I took it to the dealer recommended shop. Once done, I paid for an appraisal for diminished value. The appraiser found several places where the shop cut corners. The car looked OK when I picked it up but not perfect. The bodyshop said "it'll never look perfect, but you're the only one who can tell. Sell it and the buyer will never know". I took it to the dealer recommended shop so that the dealer couldn't complain about the quality of repair - even though it wasn't great.

Ask in your regional forum about good bodyshops. Don't worry if they are expensive - you're not paying.

Don't accept anything short of perfect. Please keep us posted.

 

Depending on your location you may be required to file an accident report with DMV within a given time frame or face suspension of your license if the damage is over a certain dollar amount. You might want to check that out.

 

Sorry about your bumper damage!
Funny how mine had scrapes and the bumper stuck out too.
Just make sure if the body shop replaces your bumper, check it out before taking the car back. I didn't notice the imperfections in the paint(stupid mistake) and it wasn't put on perfectly. I have this huge gap under the passenger tail light and the bumper.