Hit from behind? Get it repaired?

Just my 2-cents, but this is bad advice - it is the bumper cover that is the least important part - what is underneath that protects you in a crash. The Styrofoam is there to the absorb energy of the hit and once it has been hit is is done and need to be replaced. So you can ignore it, but risk significant problems if you are ever hit again.

OP - in your original post you said that it was a fairly hard hit. It could be that the bumper was pushed in quite a bit and then the cover popped back into shape as it tends to do. I do not see an issue with not having the cosmetic work done, but you should have them take the bumper off and make sure that the energy absorber is still good.

 

This is not insurance fraud -- and it is your car even when you are still paying on it. They are paying you to fix damage based on what can been seen. You don't have to fix the car.

As others have indicated -- they are not going to pay upfront for any additional damage that may have to been done -- if you believe that the inner foam core of the bumper was compromised I would have it looked at and fixed.

And having this kind of minor damage repaired is not going to effect the value ........it's a Prius not a Porsche.


My Prius was damaged in a parking lot - less than a month old -- the corner of the bumper was scuffed - no actual damage to the bumper. I was reimbursed by the parking lot about $600.00 to remove and repaint the bumper. I cleaned it up and put some touchup paint on it and it looks quite good.


We keep our cars a long time and many of them eventually need to have one of the bumpers repainted. I have found that the new paint is easy to damage -- so I did not want to repaint at this time based on this minor damage.

 

Like I said, I had what sounds like a very similar experience, with what sounds like a very similar level of damage.

There is a difference between a bumper "scuff" and a bumper damaged by the direct impact of a rear end collision, even a minor one.

I would really recommend having it repaired. "Worst Case"? Somebody elses insurance pays for what turns out to be primarily a cosmetic repair.

If there is damage to the styrofoam and/or mounts? Then it isn't JUST cosmetic.

In anycase, your rear bumper is designed part of the safety system of the vehicle. I don't think you can lose in having it repaired by a reputable body shop.

The only way you can lose in this scenario is if you ignore it, and find out in the future that more extensive damage than you thought happened.

I "almost" ignored the damage done to mine, could of accepted a check for about $600, the estimate for repair before the further damage was discovered.

But I'm really glad I just decided to have the whole thing repaired. It's nice to have the bumper visually restored, and even if it was minor, at least I know the bumper isn't mounted on bent mounts...and/or the impact styrofoam hasn't been compromised.

In a case like this, IMO it's not so much about the fender bender you survived, but about having a fully functioning bumper attached to your vehicle for any future accident you might be involved in.

The choice of course is up to the individual, but especially on a new vehicle, I wouldn't ignore it.

 

My insurance company asked for a receipt from the repair shop to ensure money was used toward paying the repair.

 

In NJ the lien holder is involved because they have a financial interest in the car. If the insurance company issues a check it would be payable to you AND "the bank". Screw marks are cheap & easy to fix. The bumper will be filled, sanded & painted. It'll look brand new.

 

This is the other party's insurance company, right? $430 is a bit on the cheap side.

The way to squeeze the most money out of them is to go through your own insurance company and have it pursue the other party for damages after the fact. This forces them to cover the repair however much it costs (including any underlying damage they find), car rental for 2-3 days, and repayment of your deductible. And, yes, you get your deductible back and it doesn't cost your own insurance company anything.

 

My Wife is a Claim Rep with a major company. This is simple. The insurance companies have a real good idea what things cost for repairs. You get estimates and choose a shop you feel comfortable with. The shop contacts her Claim Rep and the process begins. Your vehicle is restored to like before condition. You inspect the vehicle, if all is good, you give them the check, sign off on it and get your life time warranty for that repair. If the repair is not correct, you reject it, the rental continues and corrections are made. If more damage was found, they pay the difference. Car is fixed, and you pay nothing.

PS - Check with your carrier to make sure the shop you choose is approved for the nation wide warranty coverage, just in case you move.

 

Same insurance company? Then they already know all about you. But it doesn't sound like a good company. What is it?

 

If you guys think that the lienholder isn't being injured when their collateral is damaged (even a little bit) and the payment is diverted to the wallet of the owner of the car, you have very different experiences than I do.

I guess technically you are right. It may not be insurance fraud. It may well be a breach of contract and a different kind of fraud.

Don't do it if your car is being financed and take a look at the policy, I bet the lienholder is a payee so it would be far better to get it repaired or at least get something in writing saying they could care less about your pocketing the money. I bet they won't do it.

 

A claim was made and it is documented. Everyone that needs to, or wants to, knows it has been hit. It's being paid for so why not fix it. This is why we are forced to have insurance. It's your car, so do what you want, but you did asked for our opinions.

 

With the vast majority of us eventually paying off the car loans, I doubt that's much of an issue. We don't get too many visits from Dog the bounty hunter.

 

After reading this thread I want to :frusty: ! For several reasons..
1 She hit you, it is her fault. You report the accident to your Insurance company, you pay NO deductible her insurance covers 100% of everything!
2.At least take the car to a Toyota approved repair shop. You live in Ca, it is your right to go to ANY shop you desire. Their Insurance estimate is low balling you! If you lived a little closer to me than you do I would recommend Classic Collision in Los Felize area. Its near the 5 South and Glendale Blvd. I have used it several times, they are top notch. As several others have stated, it's what under the bumper that counts. If it is deformed, crushed, distorted it needs to be replaced.
3 The accident will be on a future Carfax report! Not getting it fixed will just cause trouble later in life!
4 How long do you think "Bondo" will stick to the Plastic Bumper, I predict not long, the Bumper cover needs replacing.
5 The longer you toy with this accident, the harder it will be get it resolved to your satisfaction!
She hit you!
She needs to make it right!

 

Mike that does sound cheap -- was that a negotiated price?

Does it have the Prius protection decal on the back?


As per my earlier post I received almost $600.00 and that was to remove the bumper and repaint it -- I was told they would have to sand off the paint in the area of the scuff -- repaint and reinstall the bumper.

Keeping the same bumper.

 

I have to agree with most of the other posters here, but for a slightly different reason.

You make the assumption that nothing serious was damaged. If you accept the payment, you lose the ability to challenge that assumption later if something else turns out to be a problem. (Maybe they jammed the exhaust system too? Maybe the bumper scratched paint on the metal side panels and you'll rust out years sooner?)

Get it fixed. It's the only time the insurance company will pay for it, and the number involved *always* goes up.

 

Just a little unsolicited advice: If you do get the bumper covered repaired/replaced then repainted, you will most likely never get an exact color match with the rest of your car. The same thing happened to me a few months back. The body shop did excellent work, and the color looked good in the body shop parking lot, but I can tell that the color doesn't precisely match. I have blizzard pearl, which is probably a trickier color, and I am probably the only one who can see the difference. However, if this might bother you, you might be better off touching up the imprints.

 

With Blizzard Pearl, the color on bumpers often doesn't match even straight out of factory. It's an extremely common issue with lighter colors. If you didn't notice it before, you probably didn't pay enough attention.

 

This just happened to me 2 days ago. I bought the car brand new 1 month ago and there is 1500 miles on it. There is 1 small scratch and 2 indentation marks which I assumed were from his license plate. The guy has already taking responsibility and his insurance called me and told me I can either go to a scheduled inspection station and claim a check on the spot or if I go to one of their preferred dealers the work is good for the lifetime of the vehicle. It looks so minor but the guy had to have been going like 30-40mph before he slammed the brakes. I'm worried that I will have diminished value if they have to repaint the bumper and such.

 

don't forget a replacement rental vehicle for the time it is in the shop....

I think they are going on the cheap...