A lady is only giving me one car repair estimate that is obviously false, what can I do w/o involv. insurance?

Question

I poked a small hole in a lady's bumper on Feb 11th. There was a police report. She called me on March 22nd and told me that she only had time to get one estimate (we had previously agreed on 3) and said that the estimate came to $1000 + $100 for 3 days of a rental car. It is a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. How much should it cost to replace the bumper and repaint it? What rights do I have to demand more estimates before I pay her. What are my options? What stunt might she pull next? I don't want to get my insurance involved. I have a $1000 deductible for my insurance, does that mean I pay $1000 regardless of the cost, or is it that if my insurance appraises the damage at say $500, I just pay $500. Thank you, I don't know where to look for help except here!!

A police report was filed.

The hole is about 2 inches by 2 inches.
My deductible would be $1000.
Can she simply refuse to get another estimate?
Thank you for your responses already.

Answer 1

you should turn this into your insurance especially if you have a police report. you should not be responsible for a deduct able in this case. this is what insurance is for. your deductible should only apply for damage to your vehicle.good luck. PS if she's trying to rip you off the insurance co knows what the damage is worth.

Answer 2

Go to the repair company who made the estimate. Ask to see there figures, before you pay. You could find an after market bumper to fit the car and have a body shop of your choice put it on that would probably be cheaper. Check on the bumper prices & labor price yourself. Without the insurance company you are at her mercy! You pay or she will report most likely. I don't know if it would even matter after the fact cause neither of you had a police report or reported it. You could probably get away with doing nothing, if you are that kind of person. It would not be right and just remember what goes around comes back to bite you in the A S S . I think it would be cheaper to go through the insurance company. It shouldn't make your insurance jump that much. maybe at most $10. a month. thats only $120. a year. If that happens at all. And that way she would have to get more than one estimate. Do you have a police report showing details and who was at fault if not, they might not make the claim as you at fault. ??? That's what I would do anyway. You have options!!!!! Just check it out don't take someones word. I hope you take this as a life lesson learned.................

Answer 3

1st-your deductible only applies to damage to YOUR car(unless you are a business and have liability deductible?) The deductible is intended to be subtracted from the total amount of damages, and then if there is anything else owed, the company pays that amount.

If it is ONLY damage to the plastic bumper cover, then this can be repaired, using epoxy auto repair kit. This takes about 2-3 labor hours plus another 1-2 hrs to paint. All told you're looking at about $200 labor and $50 for paint/materials.

NOW, if there is chrome molding/bumper damage, or if the absorber underneath is damaged, or if it is a textured plastic part(little bumpy pattern all over) then the parts have to be replaced and this would cost more. on a 1998 you only owe her used parts which are a heck of a lot cheaper than new.

Three days in a rental is probably ok.

So, what can you do? Get pictures of her car and take them to two other shops of your choice, they will not make any guarantees but can give you an idea if her estimate is valid.

Good luck

Answer 4

A small hole? hmmm.. That’s not a bad deal however I think you should not have to pay for the car rental. If she wants a car while it is being repaired maybe she should talk to her insurance about it. I would diffidently get more then one quote. The 100 is a good deal but I think (depending on the size of the small hole) you can get it fixed for cheaper. You could most likely fix it for her in under an hour with a little knows how. using some body filler and getting some paint to match the bumper it should only run you about 35 bucks to fix the car and she wouldn’t' need the rental. Go with her to an automotive paint center (where they sell automotive paint) and make them match the paint on the car BUMBER. They should be able to put it in a rattle can for around 15 bucks or so or may have the correct color on the shelf for 5 to 10. Pick up some sand paper and body filler. Now while you are at her place or yours use the sand paper to scuff the paint up a bit. (Just enough to rough it up to hold the filler. wipe it down with a wet cloth to get the particles off the bumper. With the body filler and an applicator apply a thin coating of filler to the bumper. Going about 1/4 to 1/2 inch past the hole. It should take about 15 minutes for it to dry. Once it is dry use the sand paper to smooth out the surface. And blend in to the bumper. Once that is complete use the wet cloth to wipe up the residue. Once this is complete use the paint to cover the repair. It should take you about an hour to 2 hours to complete the whole process and about 35 to 50 in product. Now if the whole bumper is crushed then the bumper should be replaced. 100 bucks for it is a very good price with the paint... Keep in mind this is for a small hole about the size of a pencil. That is considered a small hole anything larger then that the bumper should be replaced.

Answer 5

Last year I backed up in a parking lot. It had snowed and everyone was parked on a goofy angle. Anyway, I hit the bumper of an old car when I was backing out and put a hole in it.
I filed an insurance claim but it was almost $2,000 by the time the damages were repaired and the rental car was paid out. I don't think her quote is really all that unreasonable.

I will say this...if you rearended her and she was in the car, I would file an insurance claim. If she is injured (or says she is) she can file a lawsuit against you even years later. If you've already paid her for the damage, your insurance company may not take the claim if she sues you and you've already made a payment to her.

Answer 6

Her estimate may very well be right. That bumper is going to have to be replaced.. and a new bumper (plus paint/installation/etc) may well be 1000. As she is helping you out and not telling your insurance company.. you better not push her around too much.

Now- you are aware that deductible is only to fix the damage on your car right? You dont have a deductible when it comes to damage you caused to others

Just do the right thing and call insurance- do you really think you rrates are going to raise 1000 dollars because of this little accident? You are causing so much unneccessary work for yourself!

also- of course you owe her a rental (to the person who said you didnt) by LAW you owe her a rental

Answer 7

$1000 deductible? This should be for comprehensive coverage(damage to YOUR car) not collision damage(damage to someone elses car) You can call different body shops with a description of the damage and year make and model of car and they should be able to give you an approximate estimate over the phone. A hole is a hole! Did you get your request for 3 estimates in writing? If not, it is just a verbal agreement which is non binding. She is not required by any law to have to get 3 estimates. How would you like to waste a couple hours of your time due to someone else damaging your car? She is at least trying to accomodate you. She easily could complain and say she is going to submit it to your insurance! I just went through this so I know what I am talking about. The other party agreed to have me pay for there rear bumper and then, behind my back submitted it to there insurance and got it fixed for $1200 after I called a car dealer (thinking this would be my most expensive option) for an estimate and the chrome rear bumper was $400 with 2 hrs of labor to install it. A good and fair estimate was only $600! There insurance company asked for me to reimburse them. I argued and said "I don't know what kind of gold plated bumper they got installed but I am going to only pay $600". I explained I gave the other driver my name, address, and 2 phone # 's and asked them to call me with an estimate. They never did. The work # they gave me I called multiple times and left messages and they never called back! I explained it is not my fault they got it fixed at an exorbitant price without my authorization! The claims adjuster agreed and he e-mailed me (which is legally binding) that they would except $600 as payment in full. I paid it after getting a DMV report for my driving record. At least the other party and there insurance did not have anything derogatory put on my driving record! What a pain! I feel for you, but they are actually not under any kind of obligation to comply with your request. I would settle as quickly as possible on an amount the both of you can agree on and get them to sign a contract you draw up that states it is payment in full for any and all damages.

Answer 8

Your right you pay the first 1000 of the claim which ever is less.... As for not getting the ins. co involved, you had the police write a report, the ins co could know about it. Whether you file a claim is up to you, that could raise your rates for a accident, but it is a matter of public record and they might even with a claim depending on your history with the co. ..Depending were you are located, that could cost 500-1000.

Answer 9

Honestly ... If it happened on the road, depending on where you're from, there's a good chance that you caused enough damage that the police have to be called. Because they were not called and there is no report, there is technically no record of you doing anything. you have no rights, she has no rights, nothing is recorded. I'm not sure if it can still be proven that you did anything, but I imagine you could get away with not paying at all at this point if there is no record of anything. Perhaps you should seek legal advice on this point.

Answer 10

Im certainly not an expert, but I wouldn't settle on one estimate. Thats a load of crap. She could be buddies with mechanic!!! You agreed on 3. You should at least get one estimate by your mechanic and let her pick the other two. Don't let her screw you over. This is just opinion, I've had no experience with this situation. I had to answer because she sounds shady.