screwed up Bumper - Insurance or DIY?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by hellochicken, Oct 10, 2015.

  1. hellochicken

    hellochicken Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2015
    31
    9
    8
    Location:
    los angeles
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    so yesterday, I ran over a damn rogue tire in the middle of the Freeway. the car in front of me had space to swerve, but I had cars on either side of me and a semi-truck behind me....i just drove over the tire hoping for the best.

    Well, it wrecked the bottom side of my front bumper, as well as the plastic protective cover under the car that connects meets the underside of the front bumper, as well as the front driver wheel liner.
    a side of my car also got a bit of some tire marks, but that could probably get rubbed out....i think...
    other than that, thankfully, hopefully, the car seems to run mechanically fine, and no other cosmetic damage.

    Anyways, I have a 1000 deductable and I'm stressing about whether I should try to do it DIY, or call the insurance peeps. with the obvious new front bumper aside, I'm sure I'll still need more divets, a new wheel liner, new under plastic cover thingy...but the front bumper replacement tutorials seem pretty easy to do DIY...

    What would yall do?



    IF I DO DIY, here's the bumper I would probably get...it's 312.00 - hoping that the color would match:

    New Painted to Match Front Bumper for 2012 2015 Toyota Prius w O Light Washers | eBay
     
    #1 hellochicken, Oct 10, 2015
  2. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,114
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Ouch. I don't think you have $1000 worth of damage but visit a shop to see what they will charge. Another possibility is contacting the local vo-tech school. Maybe you can get the students in the body shop class to give you a hand.
     
    #2 JimN, Oct 10, 2015
  3. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2013
    773
    228
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    You could probably take it to a shop for about the same as your deductible. Not worth the likely premium increase from making a claim.
     
    #3 vskid3, Oct 10, 2015
  4. hellochicken

    hellochicken Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2015
    31
    9
    8
    Location:
    los angeles
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I think I'm going to contact my insurance and just ask them what I should do - hopefully that won't cost anything. It looks like I could probably do it all myself, IF it looks like it's just the front bumper and a few other things.
    or maybe attempting to do it myself is foolish talk...
     
    #4 hellochicken, Oct 10, 2015
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Cloud Watcher

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    47,074
    33,584
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    It better not. Man, I'm not sure if it's Canada vs US, or just BC vs US. In BC one "crown corporation" has pretty much a monopoly on auto insurance, and surprise surprise: it's not bad. For starters, the typical scenario after an accident is you just take your car to an accredited body shop, they assess the damage and submit a report to ICBC, very seamless. There's no bump in rates, or downside, to getting an assessment. If you're deemed liable, they can tell you upfront what will happen if you follow through, file a claim. And when the repair is done, you cut the body shop a cheque for the deductible, they handle getting the balance from the insurer.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Oct 10, 2015
  6. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2010
    4,294
    2,322
    33
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    To each their own...but I always use my policy unless it's a door ding I'm going to live with. Have them do the initial estimate, figure lost time, your skill level, the unknowns after open-up, paint match, car rental, ect...and use the numbers to decide.
     
    #6 frodoz737, Oct 10, 2015
  7. timtim2008

    timtim2008 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    204
    22
    0
    Location:
    Alpharetta, GA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Post pics
     
    #7 timtim2008, Oct 12, 2015
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Loading...
Similar Threads - screwed Bumper Insurance
  1. gboss

    Fixing cracked bumper

    gboss, Apr 6, 2022, in forum: Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
    Replies:
    3
    Views:
    628
    xliderider
    Apr 7, 2022
  2. Codemonkey757

    High Center Brake Light Screw?

    Codemonkey757, Feb 23, 2022, in forum: Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
    Replies:
    4
    Views:
    622
    Georgina Rudkus
    Feb 23, 2022
  3. PriusFreeius

    Armrest box... did it originally come with a mat to cover the 4 screws/bolts?

    PriusFreeius, Nov 6, 2021, in forum: Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    527
    Tideland Prius
    Nov 6, 2021
  4. OptimusPriustus

    High mount brake light screw

    OptimusPriustus, Sep 26, 2021, in forum: Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
    Replies:
    17
    Views:
    1,682
    OptimusPriustus
    Oct 7, 2021
  5. Dread_Pirate_Westley

    Sam's screwed up my TPMS sensor/tires

    Dread_Pirate_Westley, Sep 21, 2020, in forum: Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
    Replies:
    2
    Views:
    845
    Salamander_King
    Sep 21, 2020