a scratch in someone's back bumper. no dent.

I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.

Thank you,
Polis

Polis,

Currently having the rear bumper painted on my 97 Civic. Same damage as
you describe, no dent just scratches through the paint. I took my
vehicle to the local Ford dealer, they are actually the cheapest place
in town. To repaint the bumper, the charge was $311. Since I was
paying out of my pocket, they are only charging me $250. Her $500
estimate seems high for a bumper repaint. I would get a copy of the
estimate and take a look at her car again to verify what's being fixed.
Otherwise, let the insurance company battle it out with her. I've had
a couple minor fender benders (under $1000) and have never been charged
the deductible that's on my policy.

Mike

can you tell if the scratch is just paint surface or if it litterally went
through the paint. Cause if paint is missing that would be worst, but again,
it might be solved with just a paint pen. Depends on the severity. Also one
thing to consider is her point of view. If her car is a 4 year rental, it
might cause her a lot of problems if she returns a scratched car and maybe
just covering up might not be wise on her side. Many factors to consider
here. You could also go yourself to a bodyshop and see how much it would
cost to repair a scratch.
good luck

"polis" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
> before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
> scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
> of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
> How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
> much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
> full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
> is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Polis
>

polis wrote:

> I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
> before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
> scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
> of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
> How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
> much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
> full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
> is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.

Honestly? Scratch w/ no dent could be anywhere around the cost of
touchup paint to full repaint. My mom scraped the paint off the
corner of an already scratched up bumber. The driver of the car
was a nun and didn't really ask for more than a small repair cost.

$500 would be unreasonable unless there's a noticeable gouge in
the bumber.

polis wrote:
>
> I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
> before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
> scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
> of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
> How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
> much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
> full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
> is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Polis

I think the lady with the scratched bumper wants to pocket the money and
not repair the scratch. Clearly this is a legitimate choice for her to
make, but if I were you I would insist on 3 quotes and only pay her the
lowest. If she is not amenable to this, I would hand it over to the
insurance company. They are quite professional at low balling...


--
================================================== =====
A very modest collection of Honda tech info can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/ng_randolph

Tell her to get 3 estimates of which you will pay the bill of the
lowest. Don't give her cash if you can help it. Go to the body shop
with her and pay her bill.

On Tue, 03 May 2005 04:03:00 GMT, y_p_w > wrote:

>
>
>polis wrote:
>
>> I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
>> before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
>> scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
>> of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
>> How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
>> much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
>> full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
>> is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.
>
>Honestly? Scratch w/ no dent could be anywhere around the cost of
>touchup paint to full repaint. My mom scraped the paint off the
>corner of an already scratched up bumber. The driver of the car
>was a nun and didn't really ask for more than a small repair cost.
>
>$500 would be unreasonable unless there's a noticeable gouge in
>the bumber.

We just had this situation with our '03 Accord. A lady behind us in
line at a car wash bumped into us. The bolts on her license plate
holder put two, small holes in the paint. Not into the plastic, just
down to the white undercoating. Also pushed the top paint back into
wrinkles. Got two estimates from the top body shops in town. One was
$500 and the other $350. Took the $350 as they do all the body work
for the local Honda dealer. The entire bumper had to come off.
Basically, that's the entire back of the car except for the trunk lid.
After the repair, the bumper had to be completely repainted, followed
by clear seal. I was told by both shops that you can't just touch up
places like that because it would show afterward. So I would say
somewhere between $350 and $500 would be reasonable if we are
discussing a late model Honda.

On 2 May 2005 20:04:55 -0700, "polis" > wrote:

>I would appreciate your comments on this. I never had this problem
>before. While parking I hit someone's back bumper. no dent, just a
>scratch. I gave her my info & she called today. It happenned a couple
>of weekes ago. She said she had an estimate of $500. She went to Honda.
>How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
>much? . Should I tell her she can take me to small claims court?.I have
>full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct term)
>is more than $500. Your comments and thoughts are appreciated.

IME an insurance estimator will easily get that down to exactly $298. and
the body shop will accept. Offer her the option: $300. in hand or a visit
from an insurance estimator.

--
Rgds, George Macdonald

polis wrote:
> How much can it really cost to repair this? She wants $500. Is it too
> much?

It's on the high end, but definitely possible. The victim is not going
to try to save the other party money. She went to the dealer rather
than an independent body shop. Also, instead of just getting the
scratch repainted, she's going to want the entire bumper repainted. So
I don't think she's making up a number.

But you can certainly try to negotiate it down like other people
suggested by having her get additional quotes, threatening to bring in
the insurance adjuster, etc.

> I have
> full coverage but i think the disclaimer (if this is the correct
term)
> is more than $500.

You're referring to the deductible.

IMO:

You caused the damage, and the reasonable repair is the one that puts
her exactly where she was before. That's a full repaint, at least, not
a touch up. And yes, it costs a lot of money. Don't hit anyone again.

On top of that, repainting will never be as good as the original
factory paint. She still has a "wrecked" car and the resale value is
diminished. Be grateful if she doesn't make a demand for "diminished
value" to boot. Say, 5% of the pre-wrecked value of the car. Also,
the repair may not be done right and she will have to hassle with the
shop. Will you be there worrying with it? No.

And, she has a claim for loss of use. She needs a rental car for the 3
days that it is going to take to do the job. Your problem.

You also have no idea how much damage can potentially take place to the
underside of the car without denting the plastic bumper cover. I
assume this is not an issue, but it sure can be.

$500? Very reasonable. If you can shove the money into her hands, do
it fast and get a full release from all claims. Or else let your
insurance company handle it. Who knows when her neck, etc. is going to
start hurting??

And to the other poster regarding not being charged your deductible
when claims are made against you: of course not, the deductible has
nothing to do with your liability coverage.