Damage repair and insurance claim advice

[Neo101]

So, I f’ed up yesterday. Stopped in front of a large commercial garage door to park. It had one of those short vertical metal poles to the left front of the car. I use hold, so car was in hold but not in park yet. Forgot about that and in trying to get out, foot went on the accelerator, car lurched fwd and into the pole. Luckily, no lights broke, the proximity sensor is fine, bumper seems to be structurally sound and most of the paint that rubbed off on the car came off. Aesthetically, the pointy piece sticking out next to the light is the worst.

I am debating whether to file a claim and get it repaired or live with it as a constant reminder of my stupidity

some questions
- could there be hidden damage that could cause trouble later? Hoping somebody with similar experience can shed some light.
- if I start a claim, will I have option after knowing the estimate whether to go ahead with it or not or am i pretty much committed at that point?
- anything else i should be aware of?

Thanks for the help!

my first accident after 1+ year, so pretty heartbroken

 

[FanBoy0427]

dang, that hurts. Don't file a claim yet if you're hesitant, go get a quote first and then decide whether you thinks its worth it to go thru insurance. Reason being, once you file a claim, regardless if you accept settlement or not, its going to be an accident that will affect your premiums.

 

[afadeev]

I am debating whether to file a claim and get it repaired or live with it as a constant reminder of my stupidity

What's your deductible?
I had bumper and under-tray replaced last year (damage courtesy of a parking garage, long story), and believe it was somewhere ~$1.4K.

some questions
- could there be hidden damage that could cause trouble later? Hoping somebody with similar experience can shed some light.

By the looks of it - no.
At least nothing safety related.
If there is, it will manifest itself, and you will find out!

- if I start a claim, will I have option after knowing the estimate whether to go ahead with it or not or am i pretty much committed at that point?
- anything else i should be aware of?

If you want to know the repair price quote - take the car to the Tesla SC, and they will write one up for you (Tesla installs pre-painted bumpers, that's where I got mine).

Once you file a claim, the "event" will become part of your insurance history, so you are pretty "committed" from that point onward. In some states, if there was no actual payout made under comprehensive policy, there is no adverse impact on your rates.
On the other hand, a single event in 3-5 years should not have an impact on your rates, but many other factors come into play with insurance prices (location, credit score, state regulations, etc, etc).

HTH

 

[lUtriaNt]

had a piece of debris hit my bumper a week ish ago causing it to be damaged. car barely 3 months old

Aiight, how much iz dis 'ish gonna cost a brotha?

submitted a quote. in my case it's going to be a new bumper. cost is $1167.00 dollars and change. labor included.

i use tesla insurance with a 500 dollar comprehensive deductible. wasn't worth it to me to have that on my insurance record so am paying out of pocket. took it today so the rep could get the paint code and take a photo of the bumper (for whatever reason).
they will order parts and paint then i come back to get it put on.

if the damage is superficial , as in just a surface level scratch or just paint rubbed off the pole you hit, you might be able to buff it out?

 

[Neo101]

What's your deductible?
I had bumper and under-tray replaced last year (damage courtesy of a parking garage, long story), and believe it was somewhere ~$1.4K.



By the looks of it - no.
At least nothing safety related.
If there is, it will manifest itself, and you will find out!



If you want to know the repair price quote - take the car to the Tesla SC, and they will write one up for you (Tesla installs pre-painted bumpers, that's where I got mine).

Once you file a claim, the "event" will become part of your insurance history, so you are pretty "committed" from that point onward. In some states, if there was no actual payout made under comprehensive policy, there is no adverse impact on your rates.
On the other hand, a single event in 3-5 years should not have an impact on your rates, but many other factors come into play with insurance prices (location, credit score, state regulations, etc, etc).

HTH

deductible is $500. Only have a pothole claim in the last 5 years.
Got in touch with Tesla and they asked me to get in touch with a local, authorized repair shop. Will be getting a quote from them soon. I am thinking it will be in the 3-4k range as the fender will need to be replaced as well along with the bumper.

 

[Neo101]

had a piece of debris hit my bumper a week ish ago causing it to be damaged. car barely 3 months old

Aiight, how much iz dis 'ish gonna cost a brotha?

submitted a quote. in my case it's going to be a new bumper. cost is $1167.00 dollars and change. labor included.

i use tesla insurance with a 500 dollar comprehensive deductible. wasn't worth it to me to have that on my insurance record so am paying out of pocket. took it today so the rep could get the paint code and take a photo of the bumper (for whatever reason).
they will order parts and paint then i come back to get it put on.

if the damage is superficial , as in just a surface level scratch or just paint rubbed off the pole you hit, you might be able to buff it out?

all the paint came off actually and if that plus the small crack at the bottom of the bumper was it, i would have thanked my lucky star and moved on. The issue is the fender that has the pointy edge by the headlight sticking out. Can’t see that getting repaired. Will have to be replaced. Will see what the estimate comes back as and then decide.