I'm paying out of pocket for hitting someone's car, but they are charging way too much, what can I do?

Question

I don't want my rates to go up, so I'm paying out of pocket for a 2 inch scratch on someone else's rear bumper. It's a 2004 sable and the body shop says they have to paint the whole bumper and it will cost $700. I have a 2004 350z and my car was damaged much worse, and it's going to cost me $750 to replace the bumper with a new one and paint it and everything. The $700 quote from the other body shop is ridiculous, but when I tried to talk to them and the other people's insurance company they just said I had to have my insurance company deal with it. They are totally taking advantage of me, what can I do?????

Answer 1

$700 is normal price for that kind of work. The think that cost a lot is the paint, they cant just paint the scratch, they have to paint the whole bumber. sorry for the bad news.

Answer 2

This doesn't sound like they are trying to screw you. Then need to paint the whole bumper and blend it so you can't tell it was replaced. You even said it cost $750 for you Z, so the price seems the same. But your question doesn't seem totally clear. If you think it is too high. Ask the person if you can have another quote from a shop of your choice. Keep in mind they are already cutting you some slack. Also different shops have different techniques. Most autobody shops work with insurance companies and do everything by the book. Maybe you can get a shop that will do something different.

Answer 3

ask the owner of the sable to get another estimate from different shop. If it is still high, you should get your insurance agency involved.

Also, it costs more to have a bumper repaired because it is plastic and the auto body shop cannot put bondo on it. You cannot just paint a stripe over the scratches because the paint would be uneven.

In my opinion, you should have your insurance company involved. Does your company not have accident forgiveness for longtime safe drivers?

Answer 4

I hate to say this, but ... you are in violation of your contract
with your insurance company by not reporting the accident
to them.

Indeed, they may raise your rates assuming you were at fault
in this accident because they believe this accident proves you
were not as good as a driver and so you should be paying
more money than others for insurance.

You are trying to circumvent their logic - trouble is, their
logic is by-and-large, pretty good. People who have accidents
are going to have other accidents, and by you not giving
them the chance to change their rates appropriately, you
are essentially distorting their odds - which the rest of us pay
for.

So, I will not help you muck up the system so that you can
avoid paying lower insurance.

You *SHOULD* inform your insurance company immediately
(as you are contractually obligated to do), let them duke it
out with the other driver and take your insurance hike as
incentive NOT to get into further accidents.

By the way, if insurance company finds out about it anyways
(and they might if the police were involved), then they can
raise your rates AND NOT PAY YOU.

Answer 5

There is certainly no reason why anyone should only work with your insurance company, and not you directly. The ideal situation is to work directly with the other party and ask them to get a second quote. Better yet, ask them to go to your body shop for a quote. If you are paying, you should be able to work with any reputable repair shop of your choice. However, don't push too much. The situation is going to work itself out much easier if you can keep this from getting nasty.

Answer 6

Get more estimates. That sounds reasonable to me. The bumper should cost around $400-$500. To paint it should be probably $200, depending on labor rates in your area. The best thing to do may be to go ahead and turn it in and let your insurance fight with them. Good luck!

Answer 7

get a copy of the quote from the person. if thats the real price then you only have 2 options:

Go through insurance
Pay it out of pocket

i know it sucks, but you cant do much else about it. just look at how much your insurance will go up and see how long it will take to go down. if its less than 700 added up, then go through insurance, if not, pay out of pocket

sorry if it didnt help

Answer 8

I am an insurance agent, and I say if they are taking advantage of you then dont pay. If there were no police at the scene of the accident, its your word against theirs and the law states that they have to prove you did the damage. If they cant prove it screw them. Also if you decide to pay them make sure you pay them with a check NOT cash, cause if you pay them cash you cant prove you paid. Also if you do pay them, make sure you have them sign paperwork stating they are accepting funds and closing the claim. If you dont they can come back later and state they are hurt and want to collect bodily injury money. If it were me I would walk away and act like you dont know what their talking about. They're not going to go spend $1000 on a lawyer and come after you. I always say "no police no problem".

Answer 9

You should have filed it with your insurance company. A few years ago, I accidently tapped a coworkers car with my truck. The paint on her fender was smudged. I went ahead and filed an accident report with the police and my insurance company.

I'm glad I did. It turned out that the fender itself was cracked and replacing it cost $1200.

Answer 10

obviously. 350z, did a fender bender, naive, and now cant accept the reality of the situation. fast, hard car: should have been more careful...
talking to the shops, and insurance. typical; u still got no clue.
talk to the person u hit. and talk to them nicely. then if they are willing to let u off the hook, talk about alternative measures.
if i was them, i wouldnt entertain u either. if you can buy a fast car, bloody well learn how to drive it first.