Rear ended, should I contact insurance company?

It's a minimum $300 to recondition a bumper cover. Maybe you can get an estimate and work it out privately

 

Legal limit that requires reporting is $500. As JC91006 notes $300 it is under and you are not required to report anything...

 

You really should have some shop give you a Free 5 minute estimate / look-over, you need to make sure there's nothing
broken or cracked where you can't see it. If anything is is bent, cracked, or broken; you just easily surpassed $1K in repair
damages.


Rob43

 

I've seen post about folks discovering carfax 'accident' records on their cars after visiting bodyshops for estimates. do not know how widespread this is, but just something to keep in mind.

 

As many others have said get a free estimate and if u think it will annoy u for the rest of ur prime's life then report it but if it doesn't bother then I say just leave it

 

This is so common, the first point of contact is the ##^& hex head of the license plate bolt. You'd think they'd smarten up, guess it's not a selling feature. Ah well, bumpers went the way of the dodo, around '81.

 

Same thing happened in my 2008, got rear ended and got the bumper bolt damage. The other driver didn't have insurance and only had $20 in their possessions with a baby in the back seat. I couldn't find it in me to make them pay for the damage, so I just pretend the damage is not there.

 

You’re a kind man JC91006!!!

 

Sounds like the skateboarder that broadsided ours recently. I wasn't there. My wife looked it over, didn't see anything, wished him well, but the next morning: uhoh, bit of a wow in the crease line, driver's side rear door. We still haven't crossed that line, of it becoming a "beater" car, so $500 deductible later, it looks like new.

One consolation: there's been a minor chip-dent in that door for about 3 years, someone got us in a parking lot. They managed to disappear that too, even though when I first talked to them they said it was too far from the main repair, and too close to a seam, would mean blending another panel.

 

That's considered a hit and run?

If you're looking for perfection, $500 is a small price to pay

 

He stuck around, and my wife was a bit flustered, plus more concerned that he was ok. Vancouver is the city of "alternate transportation.

It was pretty dark, she didn't notice any damage, didn't get his info. And, he's a poor skater (maybe...), kinda like your case. Such is life. Yeah, perfection.

 

Expensive comes to mind when someone mentions “Vancouver”. I thought home prices were bad around here....

 

Vancouver proper is just a monopoly board now; no one can afford to just live there, let along pay the property taxes.

 

That's what I did when I got 'lightly' rear ended in a Forester. It looked like a couple of license plate bolts drilled in to the bumper, but I wanted to make sure there was no structural damage. The other party paid out of pocket for the repair.

 

I would recommend going to a body shop that you trust and having them inspect the damage and have them furnish you with an estimate to restore the car to "pre-loss condition"

Then I would comply with applicable law and file any necessary reports.

I would contact the other driver's insurance company and file a claim.
Also request a rental car of "like kind and quality" while your car is in the shop.

This might seem harsh, but small bumps on todays cars can be a big deal.

I drive a lot and I've been rear ended and I've also rear ended others - it happens.

 

There's a reason we all have insurance, nice lady or not. File your claim, get it fixed and move on.

 

The same thing happened to me last year. Only the black unpainted bottom piece needed to be replaced, and I had it done during a routine service. It’s part 52453:
2017 Toyota Prius Prime Guard, rear bumper, center. Body, interior, stay, components - 5245347030 - Genuine Toyota Part
.
Parts and labor came out to $280 at the Toyota service center.

Wheels were noted to be out of alignment and this was also covered by the insurance claim.

 

I had a similar instance happen to me once.
I didn't consider it mean or wrong to simply handle the situation through insurance as I would with any accident. Even minor bumper repair can be very expensive.
It's the reason we are all suppose to carry insurance.
Her rates may or may not "sky rocket". You should be able to use insurance or be protected by insurance without fear that one incident is going to suddenly make it sky rocket.
I've been on both sides of the equation. And the time I rear ended the other vehicle, we did handle it through insurance, my rates went up slightly for the next 2 years.
I didn't take it personally that we were handling the situation through insurance.

Also...there can be more damage than might be visible.

But it's up to you.
If you are confident in the condition of your vehicle and want to handle it differently?
I suppose you are being a "Nice Guy".

I should warn, when I was the one to get rear ended?
Even though the damage looked as minimal as your description, the body shop (reputable) said it had some internal damage, and when all was said and done the entire repair/replacement neared $1000. Paint and Body Work can quickly become very expensive.