Parking Lot Mishap (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 25, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
90
Location
Atlanta
Somebody hit my 2013 LC's rear driver side bumper while it was parked. At least the offending party left a note with their name and number and stated they would reimburse the repair.

What steps should I take? Get an estimate for repair first? Where should I go in John's Creek/Suwanee, GA? Any recommendations? Thanks.

Pictures to come...

PXL_20230120_182211872.jpg
 
1. Contact your insurance company, open a claim, and give them the other party's contact information.
2. Your insurance will direct you to go to a body shop and get an estimate.

Body shop will bill your insurance company, which will collect payment from the other party/their insurance.

Don't know about Atlanta, but in my neck of the woods the body shop will double/triple/quadruple estimated costs when billing the insurance, vs. having the customer pay out of pocket. You could get two estimates - insurance payment vs. cash - and if there's a significant difference, you could contact the other party yourself and offer them the cash option (without going through insurance); this would be cheaper for them and would save them a claim on their insurance, while still making you whole. (The downside is that it exposes them to the risk of you taking their cash and THEN making an insurance claim.) It would also keep the minor accident off CarFax and similar vehicle history reports.
 
Crazy, same thing happened to me yesterday while it was parked at the grocery store. I came out and an employee was taking a picture of it and said the woman that hit it got out, looked at it, and just walked inside. They found her in the store and brought her out to me.

How bad was it? Mine looked pretty bad, but my brother in law (body shop guy), buffed it out, a little wet sand, heat gun, and almost as good as new. About 45 min of work and it was good to go.

IMG-4359.jpg


IMG-4366.jpg
 
Poor advice...don't call the insurance company. Contact the person that left the note and ask them if they prefer to pay for the repair directly, or let the insurance company handle it. Get a quote for the repair and then contact the other party with the information. If they choose to pay cash for the repair, everybody is happy. If they prefer you go through their insurance, then take that path. Getting insurance companies involved drives up the prices for everyone and it sounds like the offending party may just want to get the issue resolved without dealing with insurance.
 
Make sure the quote is from a Toyota certified shop. Often times minor damage like this cannot be repaired. The blindspot monitors are located in the area of the damage and often will not work with any body filled or with paint that is too thick.
 
Poor advice...don't call the insurance company. Contact the person that left the note and ask them if they prefer to pay for the repair directly, or let the insurance company handle it. Get a quote for the repair and then contact the other party with the information. If they choose to pay cash for the repair, everybody is happy. If they prefer you go through their insurance, then take that path. Getting insurance companies involved drives up the prices for everyone and it sounds like the offending party may just want to get the issue resolved without dealing with insurance.
This is the best way to go, to keep the damage record off of Carfax if possible.
 
Crazy, same thing happened to me yesterday while it was parked at the grocery store. I came out and an employee was taking a picture of it and said the woman that hit it got out, looked at it, and just walked inside. They found her in the store and brought her out to me.

How bad was it? Mine looked pretty bad, but my brother in law (body shop guy), buffed it out, a little wet sand, heat gun, and almost as good as new. About 45 min of work and it was good to go.
How much did your BIL charge the woman who basically run and run?
 
He wouldn't take anything from me. Looks like I owe him a gift card for a dinner somewhere. Probably worth it to keep it off the carfax.
Good on him. I am spiteful enough that I would ask him to send a bill to the woman that hit (and ran). Then still buy him beer and dinner.
 
Good on him. I am spiteful enough that I would ask him to send a bill to the woman that hit (and ran). Then still buy him beer and dinner.
I was almost there. Poor woman was in town helping her friend from surgery and now has to fix the damage she did to her friends car. Got a sob story so decided to lay off. Hopefully karma is watching somewhere.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll be getting an estimate from the local dealership collision center early next week.

Spoke with the lady who hit my LC and she seemed receptive to paying, will see if that changes depending on the estimate.
 
I was almost there. Poor woman was in town helping her friend from surgery and now has to fix the damage she did to her friends car. Got a sob story so decided to lay off. Hopefully karma is watching somewhere.
Tough not to be a bit cynical on that. If you believe the sob story, some of us would be happy to sell you a bridge. ;)
 
There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. As a guy who runs an evil insurance company underwriting department there are too many variables that could result in your vehicle not being repaired to your liking or hamstring your own insurance company by not getting them involved soon enough.

Things I have seen go wrong.
1. The at fault party does not pay. If they don't have the integrity to leave you a note what makes you think they will pay as a couple of grown adults sharing bodybshop estimates. What happens when there is a supplement beyond the initial estimate for damages that weren't visible initially. Are they going to provide a rental car?

2. Insurance card provided has lapsed and its not valid. Happens all the time.

3. At fault party's carrier may not repair your vehicle with OEM parts or depending on your state they may require or push you to their approved repair shops.

4. Get your carrier in the loop. Let them inspect it and be prepared to step in and settle the claim if things go south with the at fault party. Companies subrogate against each other every day.

Not advising your carrier is 100% bad advice when the claim goes south and now you have to bring your company up to speed. Especially if you have authorized repairs.
 
Here’s one I didn’t even notice until I got home and could’ve been there for days or even weeks.

The dings around the turn signal are from PO taking the old one out — maybe with a crowbar(?)

75D0D071-4C71-435A-B748-A7A3DDE6483F.jpeg
 
That’s pretty minor and I’d first get a bid and then contact the individual to see if they want to pay out of pocket. They were nice enough to leave a note, try to keep insurance out of it, so they don’t get burned, otherwise insurance should be next step.
 
Prior to buying my truck the bumper was replaced. The paint doesn’t match. A year ago my truck suffered another hit and run on the rear bumper. I paid a dent puller to massage it out but it looks bad.

Imo, collect a check, have insurance pay out, and then get an armored bumper.
 
Am I the only one here seeing the upside to these dings?
Use them as excuses to get steel bumpers installed!
And I’m not saying steel bumpers would have protected your cars better. Just that it’s a good excuse to use with the wife or husband to finally spend the money.

Edit… oops. I see now that you did exactly that, @tacoduck.
 
There is a lot of bad advice in this thread. As a guy who runs an evil insurance company underwriting department there are too many variables that could result in your vehicle not being repaired to your liking or hamstring your own insurance company by not getting them involved soon enough.

Things I have seen go wrong.
1. The at fault party does not pay. If they don't have the integrity to leave you a note what makes you think they will pay as a couple of grown adults sharing bodybshop estimates. What happens when there is a supplement beyond the initial estimate for damages that weren't visible initially. Are they going to provide a rental car?

2. Insurance card provided has lapsed and its not valid. Happens all the time.

3. At fault party's carrier may not repair your vehicle with OEM parts or depending on your state they may require or push you to their approved repair shops.

4. Get your carrier in the loop. Let them inspect it and be prepared to step in and settle the claim if things go south with the at fault party. Companies subrogate against each other every day.

Not advising your carrier is 100% bad advice when the claim goes south and now you have to bring your company up to speed. Especially if you have authorized repairs.
Even in a no-fault state like Michigan where your own insurance pays for damage? Especially in the OP’s case of a scraped fender with a responsible person willing to pay, I would very much prefer to not make a claim against my insurance company and also risk having the dreaded “accident reported” end up on carfax. Of course, with greater damage (a lot more than my deductible) or with an irresponsible/unknown party causing the damage, insurance needs to be involved.
 
Even in a no-fault state like Michigan where your own insurance pays for damage? Especially in the OP’s case of a scraped fender with a responsible person willing to pay, I would very much prefer to not make a claim against my insurance company and also risk having the dreaded “accident reported” end up on carfax. Of course, with greater damage (a lot more than my deductible) or with an irresponsible/unknown party causing the damage, insurance needs to be involved.
I will leave it at this. For a guy that sees this stuff every single day for 20 years not notifying your own carrier timely is a risk that jeopardizes coverage if things go south with the " responsible party" . I have seen people turn the tables and say they were the ones hit. And without a witness statement or police report its a he said she said.

The cost of repairs are skyrocketing and what one person says they will take care changes quickly.

I just think it's bad advice to not let your carrier know. You can still select to work with the at fault party.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom