Help! My friend back in to my front bumper :/

Talk to your friends insurance company! They will be responsible to fix it
Same thing happened to my daughters Prius C which required a new bumper. Don't be surprised if the paint doesn't match.

P01M ?

 

No, accidents happen all the time.

I'll try to resist my inner troll, not rant about why they call these damn works of art "bumpers". Well, I tried...

 

I think you'll be surprise at the price for fixing the bumper - doesn't it have sensors in it? IIRC, new car warranties don't cover accidents.... Nevertheless, you choose whether or not to make a claim against insurance.

 

Take it to your insurance, they will get the car fixed, your friends insurance will be notified and billed. He hit you, it's his responsibility to make it right..... if he is uninsured, your uninsured motorist will kick in. If you are in Cal, he will be reported to DMV for not having insurance!

 

Talk to your friend. Get them to check with their insurance, find out how it'll affect their rates, go from there. You do not have to hide this from the insurance companies, just sound them out. There is no reason to go to dealership btw, they will just hand it over to a bodyshop anyway.

If it ends up costing more to make a claim, in raised premiums in future, consider them just cutting you a cheque. But, leave it up to them what they want to do, and do not cut corners on the repair, to be a nice guy. Do it right. That'll likely mean they do file a claim.

What's involved is still up in the air until you get it professionally/fully assessed. It could be the bumper is repairable. You'd be surprised. And after, it will look like new, be done well. It also could be there's hidden damage, bumper supports, radiator brackets, body sheet metal distorted.

The paint also needs to be "blended in". You can't just tack on a fresh bumper; it will stand out. The bumper needs to be painted, and then the paint extended to adjacent bodywork, thinned out in stages and moving further from the original repair zone, until they're shooting nothing but clear coat. It's almost like a magician's trick.

 

Bumper on the C cost over one thousand dollars and that was three years ago!

P01M ?

 

A real friend shouldn't have a problem paying his deductible to his insurance company.

 

Dealerships typically don't do bodywork, and that's what this is. Nobody is going to "report you to insurance", but I really don't understand this concern.Insurers are your equals, you hired them for just this sort of scenario, and it's a bit absurd to be hiding things from them. And there is no harm in talking to them, getting a bodyshop assessment, and then deciding which way you want to go.

Yes it will. In the States insurers are more willing to compensate for diminished value, than up here. That said, this sounds minor. By the way, how about some pictures, that'd clarify the scope a bit.

A good body shop will do that.

If your car is repaired by a fully qualified body shop, you should have no future warranty problems. Keep all paperwork. And you shouldn't be out any amount in the repair, it's 100% on your friend, and likely best he and you both contact your insurers.

 

OK, if you could take a pic of the damaged area that would help with post mortem...How fast was the impact? Did more than one (1) area of the car get hit?? How bad was his damage???

That amount may be just about right, what is your deductible? If you have to use insurance and you should not ave to pay deductible if indeed he hit you!

Probably not, but ask the body shop. If it is, you might as well use insurance, since the question will be asked, "Who hit you, where is HIS insurance??

If it is a "minor" incident and only the bumper wrap is dinged, not very much. If the entire bumper has to go, it will effect the value a bit, but don't lose sleep over it, it's not worth it!

Hence my question, how badly is your car damaged, pics would be nice, especially a shot looking up at the underside of the bumper.

Go get an oil change at your Toyota dealer, ask them to take a look at the bumper area when it's up on the lift, explain your concerns to him. Ask him if there's any notable concerns or problems, get the results in writing, then they can't bring up warranty issues!

I have to ask this one......
Does your friend even have car insurance??????

 

Mendel Leisk
, you and I really think alike......

 

It won't affect your warranty, unless not repaired correctly.

Insurance will only be involved if you or your friend report it. The body shop won't - at least here, they don't.

Some dealerships here have body-shops - my last minor accident (a FORD) was repaired by the BMW dealership - excellent work, except the paint repair was better than the rest of the paint (South African build).

But - that accident, a back bumper, which was barely visible (2 screws had left an impression in the bumper) - cost $1500 to repair 5 years ago.

From your description, your repairs could well be more than that - plus, your friend's damage needs to be kept in mind too - if he claims, he'll get both fixed on the same insurance claim.

 

That's really minor.

My wife was parked in a mall a few months back, someone creased rear corner bumper, admitted responsibility. We filed a claim, they did too. A few weeks later: in and out of our favourite body shop, same day, just a bit of repair and paint.

Before and after:




(They even fixed the dreaded 3rd gen saggy-butt rear bumper syndrome. )