got rear eneded today......

[p123456789]

So some guy decieded to use my yaris to stop his car instead of using the brakes. My bumper is kinda messed up but other than that it looks ok, he said he was going about 20mph and just wasn't paying attention. I'm pretty sure his car is totaled (2000 ford escort) the hood was smashed up kinda bad along with the bumper and both airbags. His insurance company is paying ofcourse but I might take the check and repair it myself. Does anyone know what it usually costs to get a new bumper and get it painted.?

[marcus]

repair it yourself.?? really.. just make sure your inner frame is not bent coz i dont think you can do that yourself..

[nemelek]

20 mph is a lot for a bumper to absorb. Before setting with insurance make sure that'a all that was damaged.

[Yaristeve]

You're better off finding a body shop you like and let them deal with his insurance.

[thebarber]

these are the reasons you pay for insurance....don't cheap out on the item that protects you while you do 80mph

[p123456789]

we both have geico so its pretty easy I'm going to get them to give an estimate and I'll do the repairs. It hit hard enough to unclip both visors and make the cd player face plate to pop off.

[Woodsman]

Originally Posted by p123456789

we both have geico so its pretty easy I'm going to get them to give an estimate and I'll do the repairs. It hit hard enough to unclip both visors and make the cd player face plate to pop off.

Are you crazy?
Your going to let the insurance company give you the quote.
There only going to pay as much as they can get away with.
Take your vehicle into a few different body shops & get estimates from them. They are experienced at looking for problems you may not know about & your insurance may not want to pay to repair for if they can avoid it.
It may be on the other drivers record but your insurance company being the same is the one who'll pay the bill.
You'd have better off if he had another insurance company as yours would have fought for your benefit if another company was paying & not them.

[p123456789]

Originally Posted by Woodsman

Are you crazy?
Your going to let the insurance company give you the quote.
There only going to pay as much as they can get away with.
Take your vehicle into a few different body shops & get estimates from them. They are experienced at looking for problems you may not know about & your insurance may not want to pay to repair for if they can avoid it.
It may be on the other drivers record but your insurance company being the same is the one who'll pay the bill.
You'd have better off if he had another insurance company as yours would have fought for your benefit if another company was paying & not them.

I will for sure get a few different quotes the dealer I work for has a body shop so I will let them look at it. I agree I wish it was a different insurance company but atleast he has insurance. They did let me pick which body shop to bring it to as long as it was geico certified.

[jaime]

Originally Posted by p123456789

They did let me pick which body shop to bring it to as long as it was geico certified.

That part in bold would have me worried. You should be able to pick whatever body shop you please, but that's just my opinion on how it should be and it may not be that way. I've luckily never had to deal with a body shop so I don't know.

[silver_echo]

what does geico certified mean? i would just pick my preferred shop, and if they don't like it, they can kiss it...

[Yaristeve]

Originally Posted by silver_echo

what does geico certified mean? i would just pick my preferred shop, and if they don't like it, they can kiss it...

Assuming GEICO is the same as State Farm (my insurance company), GEICO certified means they will not contest the estimate. If you take it to a non-GEICO Certified shop, there may be some push back.

I agree; if it is the other driver's fault, I wouldn't care if your preferred body shop is certified or not, even if you both have the same insurance company. And yes, the insurance industry has figured out the "get a high estimate, fix it myself, and pocket the difference" game. If you do not just take it to a body shop (and have them repair it), the insurance company will lowball you. OTOH, they will pay whatever the body shop charges which is why I said earlier, you'd be better off just taking it to a body shop of your choice.

[TickleTimeTim]

my friend took his eclipse that got hit to a body shop, and the body shop put on a body kit and did a nice custom paint job and charged the other insurance company. Wanna make a trip to AR?

[bB2NER]

Originally Posted by silver_echo

what does geico certified mean? i would just pick my preferred shop, and if they don't like it, they can kiss it...

Exactly right! They have zero say in where you take your car. Don't let them try and convince you otherwise.
Hopefully it isn't bad and you can fix it yourself. You'll come out ahead enough to cover the increase in your premium for a few years.