Just Got Rear Ended- Need Some Advice

[whiskeyrunner]

so over labor day weekend, some hillbilly redneck rear ended my new 85D with 2002 Sebring while I was sitting stationary in a parking lot. Luckily there wasn't sever damage, but she originally refused to give me her information because there wasn't anything visible. Upon further inspection, her license plate screws cracked my bumper in two places and did some deep scratches.

Side note- I had to call the cops because she refused to share information, when the state trooper arrived on site, we spent 10 minutes talking about the car because he was in awe

My question- I've noticed others on this forum have gotten quotes for $1000+ to replace the bumper. I'm confident she'll have to use insurance to pay, which means it will get documented and drag my car value down, so we both lose. Any advice out there on how to handle this? For the record, we both have the same insurance agency which probably doesn't help.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Max*]

Gotta love VA drivers.

On a side note, wait for someone smarter to respond. Something about filing for depreciated value through her car insurance, but you gotta fight them, and they'll send you a check.

 

[AMPd]

Can you post photos of the damage?

If the accident does end up documented on car fax, I heard people were able to get diminished value money from insurance companies.
That is something I would definitely push for

 

[MorrisonHiker]

As Max* and Ampd said, expect lots of replies about making a diminished value claim. I've heard that it's automatic with some insurance companies. With others, you just have to ask...and with others, you might have to sue.

 

[Electricfan]

Photos would help. I have a ding on my rear bumper from a weed-eater flinging a rock at it. I'm not worried about it. All cars end up with battle scars. If you had to look that hard to find the damage maybe you could just forget about it? Save you the diminished value on the carfax and the pain/suffering of getting the repair done. But if you can't be happy with it as is, you certainly have a right to demand it be fixed. I've never filed for diminished value. For something that small I wonder how much it would be, and if its worth it even to file for it.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Subscribed. I got two bumper dimple/puckers from a rear-ending yesterday on the Southwest Freeway.
They look to be from the license plate screws of the Honda that got pushed into me by the car that rear-ended her.

 

[Irish Dan T]

What is it about 85D's. Mine got rear ended while I was sitting in it. Best advice I got was to go to a Tesla Certified Body Shop.

 

[Rockster]

I can chime in on the subject of diminished value because I'm in the same boat. Some inattentive doofus hit the back of my Model S on Wednesday while my wife was driving and damaged the rear bumper area. The car has only 12,000 miles on it so we are undoubtedly going to pursue a diminished value claim. From my research thus far on the subject, I've learned:

-A successful diminished value claim will likely require a specific diminished value appraisal from an entity skilled in doing so. The three that I've found thus far are autoloss.com, stlucieappraisal.net, and Diminished Value and Total Loss Claim Experts - Collision Claim Associates. I'm sure there are others, too, and I'm not endorsing any of these three because I haven't engaged any of them yet but I do note that St. Lucie has some positive reviews on Yelp and elsewhere and the guy I talked to was a nice guy on the phone,. so I'll probably start with them.
-It's best to fully document the damage via photos, damage estimates, and the completed repair paperwork prior to engaging a diminished value appraiser. This avoids any situation where the diminished value appraisal must be redrafted because additional damage was found during the repair process.
-After the repairs are completed to your satisfaction, the DV appraisal company will want a copy of the repair estimate/invoices, photos, and a copy of your car's window sticker to show original options, pricing, build date, etc. From this, and additional market research, they'll prepare a diminished value appraisal.
-With the DV appraisal in hand, you'll approach the insurance company with your diminished value request. It's best to have a number in mind and request that amount rather than let them start the process with their undoubtedly lowball figure.
-Depending on the insurance company they may agree outright, refuse outright, offer you less and drag negotiations out until you sue, or anywhere in between. It's almost certainly not going to be a fast process. I'm preparing myself for the insurance company to ensure that the process is drawn out and frustrating.
-Some have reported that they ultimately must file a claim against the other driver in their state's small claims court to force the insurance company's hand, since insurance companies are required to defend their insured in such suits. In one posting I saw, the insurance company dragged the negotiations out until the day before the trial date and then settled for the entire amount the person was seeking. The success of this approach will depend upon the dollar limits that your state's small claims court imposes. In Texas, for example, the small claims court limit is $10,000, so it's possible that one's diminished value might fall within that limit.


I plan on getting two or three appraisals (I've seen them range from free to $300 or more, depending upon the company and the add-on services one purchases along with the appraisal) to be thorough and to strengthen my case.

 

[drsaab]

I would just fix it out of pocket. A small thing like that anyone can fix for under 500. Fill the bumper and paint it. A bad carfax will cost you much more in the long run no matter what diminished value headache you go through.

 

[mattwhite]

If all that is being replaced is a bumper cover, then there won't be any diminished value (assuming the paint is matched properly). This is true even for exotics and a Tesla is not an exotic.

 

[vitaliy]

Gotta love VA drivers.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2014/08/27/u-s-cities-with-the-best-and-worst-drivers/

 

[yo mama]

so over labor day weekend, some hillbilly redneck rear ended my new 85D with 2002 Sebring while I was sitting stationary in a parking lot. Luckily there wasn't sever damage, but she originally refused to give me her information because there wasn't anything visible. Upon further inspection, her license plate screws cracked my bumper in two places and did some deep scratches.

Side note- I had to call the cops because she refused to share information, when the state trooper arrived on site, we spent 10 minutes talking about the car because he was in awe

My question- I've noticed others on this forum have gotten quotes for $1000+ to replace the bumper. I'm confident she'll have to use insurance to pay, which means it will get documented and drag my car value down, so we both lose. Any advice out there on how to handle this? For the record, we both have the same insurance agency which probably doesn't help.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

That had to have been incredibly frustrating. What percentage of you brain wanted to take a crowbar to the Sebring's headlights and just call it even? Did you offer to take her for a ride a la Pete90D just be a cool guy?

 

[anthony]

This is what happened when someone read ended me, I was stopped, they were not looking and accelerating to get on the highway.

I went through collision claim associates (mentioned in other posts) for help.

I received $5.5k in diminished value, I should have received $16k. The amount I received was based on my claim being not enough to go through superior court, and small claims capping out at $7k.

To repair the car cost $28k

To get diminished value, go through her insurance company, not your own.

While it didn't look bad, there was a lot of damage underneath, required being on a frame stretcher.

Send me a private message if you want any more details.

 

[Rockster]

If all that is being replaced is a bumper cover, then there won't be any diminished value (assuming the paint is matched properly). This is true even for exotics and a Tesla is not an exotic.

I don't think this is true, especially if the repair becomes a matter of record. A potential buyer, seeing any accident reported on a CarFax, will undoubtedly be swayed to offer less. Futher, I believe that Tesla will not accept a Model S for CPO resale if it has any accident history whatsoever.

Even if the repair is off the record, it could easily become an issue during discussions with potential buyers, when the subject of the car's history is broached.

 

[mattwhite]

I don't think this is true, especially if the repair becomes a matter of record. A potential buyer, seeing any accident reported on a CarFax, will undoubtedly be swayed to offer less. Futher, I believe that Tesla will not accept a Model S for CPO resale if it has any accident history whatsoever.

Even if the repair is off the record, it could easily become an issue during discussions with potential buyers, when the subject of the car's history is broached.

I've bought and sold several exotics. Had to replace a front bumper cover on a $350,000 Ferrari. Later sold it with no problem and no hit - fully disclosed the bumper repair. Everyone who knows anything in the car business understands that replacing a bumper cover is no big deal assuming it is done correctly (and assuming the issue is just cosmetic). You might get a few very picky people who just want a perfect car but that's not going to affect the overall market value enough to worry about, especially as time goes on. Document the incident, take photos, get it fixed at the best shop possible, and keep the receipt, and you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[idoco]

Had same thing happen few weeks after buying ours. Licence plate screws and all.

Local body shop, who I've used before for BMW's, filled and repainted for about $500. Looked good as new.

Regarding insurance we filed claim against other driver's insurance and they eventually paid. Can't comment on lost value, but since we plan on keeping car for at least a decade it's not a big concern.

 

[whiskeyrunner]

wow, great information from everyone on this forum. I really appreciate the advice and suggestions, and I'm glad to be part of such a great community. I could easily live with the damage, or even pay for it myself, but it's partly out of principle and partly that a car this nice deserves not to have unnecessary damage. I fully accept dents and dings will happen, but this just sucks.

 

[scottm]

When a bumper takes a hit enough to deform or punctuture the plastic, then you know the repair starts at $1000.

First time I took a hit like that I offered to settle cash $500 in hand in 24 hours and no call to insurance. Damage was only cosmetic I could tell, and nothing on the body even slightly out of alignment with the bumper. I could live with it.
He was interested at first but got talking to well meaning supporters and doubters, who are just full or great advice, so he waffled and backed down when I phoned the next day trying to say it's not a thousand.. blah blah... my next call was to police to file the report, then his insurance, who paid obviously, for a new bumper cover painted to match and the bill was $2500 and he had to pay $500 for my deductible too, and... the kid was training to be a big rig truck driver and needed a clean clean crash record to qualify so he essentialy screwed his own career chance. And he could have handed me that cash instead and kept clean.. gotta love it when your "friends" start calling your shots.. not for him.

Second time, I take a similar hit and they just handed over their insurance info, not interested in settling cash (I always make the offer for small hits). And so I called their insurance and gave a quote for repair etc... I never did file a police report for that one as I decided I could live with it so I kept the small scratch and didn't get the work done. I never filed anything further with their insurance company. Almost a year later, that insurance company calls me and realizing they had never settled or paid out, they were just carrying this outstanding liability on their books and they didn't like that feeling I guess, so they cut me cheque for the estimate I had submitted but never did get repaired. I was up $1800 for literally a scratch that you could see only under perfect lighting conditions. Nothing on record.

 

[travwill]

Yeah for reference as well, just a typical smaller/deeper scratch only that has to be filled and repainted, even on the more basic nonmetallic paints runs about $800. Paint supplies to blend and materials was about half of that, with other half a few hours of labor. And that is for a spot that doesn't require any disassembly/reassembly.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

My gouges.