Question Regarding Minor Car Accident.

[Stregadellanotte]

Hello,

I was involved in a very minor car accident with a BMW on Wednesday. The person was stopped at a stop-sign in front of me, I was behind her, and she started to make a right turn only to suddenly have to stop because another car suddenly appeared and sped past her. I didn't have enough time to react, so hit her BMW bumper (I was also stopped, but had hit my gas pedal when she started moving. We were under 5 mph though). We got out only to realise we are former co-workers, and she checked her car and said every-thing looked fine and to not worry at all. The only damage seemed to be cosmetic. She said she would take the car to her husband to ensure it was okay, and I gave her my number and told her to call me after so we can figure-out how to proceed from there. The bumper looked completely fine except for a faint impression of my license plate to the right side.

Today, she called to tell me her husband (who is a mechanic) said the entire bumper needed to be replaced due to it coming loose. He said he would take it to a friend for a cost-estimate, but that the damage is too much and needs to be fixed. I've had my Honda Accord hit from behind in a very similar situation and didn't need any-thing of the sort. In fact, the guy hit me quite a bit harder and the impression on the bumper is quite a bit more extensive, but nothing came loose from getting hit by a car in a stopped position, so am wondering how a relatively new BMW could have sustained that much damage from an accident at less than 5 mph.

Legally, I have zero options. We didn't call cops, didn't take pictures of each-other's cars, and I certainly want to pay to fix her car as it was my fault for not stopping in time, but I think her husband is taking me for a ride. I haven't been in a car accident in fifteen years, so don't know what the best option is: should I contact my insurance company, pay out-of-pocket (once he calls to give me a cost-estimate), or insist that we take the car to a place that isn't owned by his "friend" ? Something smells fishy and doesn't add up. Can such a low-speed accident necessitate the replacement of an entire BMW bumper (supposedly sturdy cars) ? I think the mechanic husband either did something to make the bumper loose in order to get more money out of me, or that they're exaggerating the damage the accident caused, but since I know the lady from work, and we are both the same culture (Armenians), I don't want to be a jerk about any of it either. If you have any sort of experience in this matter, I would appreciate some advice. What is the best way to handle the situation ? Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can provide.

 

[Hail The Brain Slug]

In my opinion the minimum that should be done by the at-fault party is restoring the other vehicle to the same condition it was in before the accident or better.

This means your license plate impression would require a full bumper replacement to fix.

Depending on how the bumper cover is constructed, attached to the car, and whether there is space between the cover and the structural bumper, a minor impact like this could range wildly from zero perceptible damage to breaking mounting points of the bumper cover necessitating full cover replacement. Unless you got on the ground under her car and inspected the mounting points there is no way for you to know.

 

[corkyg]

I was rear ended similarly, and the rear bumper require full replacement because of all the sensors embedded in it. It was a bit above $2k. Today's bumpers are electronically complex. Oh - the insurance company handled it all - we were both USAA. 🙂

 

[ondma]

Yea, there pretty much is no such thing as a "minor accident" these days. Someone backed into my new car, and left a small dent in the fender. It was on a crease in the body line though and could not be repaired, so they had to replace the fender and reset all the crash sensors Ended up over a thousand dollars. Fortunately, I was not at fault, and the other driver had to pay. He seemed very co-operative when it happened, but later tried to weasel out of it, although he ultimately had to pay. Bottom line is, at least get pictures of any accident, no matter how minor it seems.

 

[mindless1]

I agree it is suspicious, but yes if an owner is picky it is possible that the entire bumper needs replaced from mere cosmetic damage.

If it cannot be proven that there was pre-existing damage, then every scratch in the area of impact is yours to pay for. On the other hand, if there is less damage than claimed, I doubt an owner is going to do additional damage themselves unless they're in dire financial straits and plans to just get paid, never fix the damage.

The thing to do is get the estimate from the guy, then decide if it's worth getting your insurance involved based on your deductible, potential insurance rate increase, and perhaps your principals about whether they should get away with what you perceive as inflating a bill.

Your insurance estimator will take a look and determine what is a a fair payout so it isn't left to the damaged party to make any claim they like. You might mention that the guy is a mechanic and you wonder if he fiddled with loosening the bumper to give your insurance estimator the heads-up. Certainly they'd like to limit the claim as much as possible from something so easy to fix. However you cannot demand they take the vehicle to somewhere you want them to.

Another angle to this vehicle value limiting repair costs, that considering he's a mechanic who might get cars through gray markets, what model and year BMW? Did it have a salvage title? It might have a book value less than you imagine, get totalled out from a big repair bill.

 

[JEDIYoda]

If I may interject -- your screwed!!

 

[RLGL]

Let your insurance take care of it, that's what you pay for!

 

[Stregadellanotte]

Thank you so much to every-one who has taken the time to respond. Now, I feel stupid for letting the other two people get away with hitting my car, 'cause apparently, minor accidents are big business in America. LoL.

The husband has not yet taken the car in for an estimate. He did call to say he is just a mechanic and wants to take it to a body-shop to make sure every-thing needs to be changed, so at least he was up-front about that part, but the last time I was in an accident with someone from my own culture, they did end up trying to make the accident my fault and damaging the car more in order to get more money out of it (the insurance company found out the person had done something similar thrice before and didn't pay any-thing to them). Same story with a friend of mine who got into a thankfully minor accident on the freeway, so I'm suspicious of intention due to that. At the same time, I can't imagine not getting her car fixed 'cause some people, unlike me, really do care about how their car looks, so I'm trying to wait it out and hoping the estimate won't be a horrifying amount so I can pay out-of-pocket and get her car fixed. She has been driving to work and back since then, so I'm not sure if the sensors were damaged as I would assume something would be off with her car, but she said it's running fine. That gives me a bit of hope, at least.

I'll definitely call my insurance company to get an estimate if it's anything over $1000. Otherwise, I'll just pay them directly, or go to the shop and pay with a card so she can drive the car with-out damage to it.

Thank you again so much for taking the time and explaining why the bumper might need to be fully replaced though. I was very shocked considering how faint the impression of the license plate was (no dents; just looked like a light grey stamp), but now realise that may not the be the whole story thanks to technology.

 

[deadlyapp]

This is why you have insurance - you shouldn't pay anything out of pocket whatsoever and most insurance companies won't raise your rates for a minor accident.

I would give them your insurance info and tell them to deal with your insurance for any claims. The insurance company will tell them what to do and what shop to take it to to be covered.

 

[Stregadellanotte]

This is why you have insurance - you shouldn't pay anything out of pocket whatsoever and most insurance companies won't raise your rates for a minor accident.

I would give them your insurance info and tell them to deal with your insurance for any claims. The insurance company will tell them what to do and what shop to take it to to be covered.

Thank you, and that's true, but if the cost isn't too high, I would rather just pay and not deal with insurance. As of today, they still haven't called to give me a quote as her husband hasn't taken the car in to the body shop, so still waiting to hear how bad the damage may have been. Since she has been driving her car with-out any issues though, I'm hoping the damage isn't as bad as the husband assumed, but we shall see....

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Once in the darkened parking lot of a convenience store, I was pulling out of a parking space, watching my mirrors. Another car had backed out of a parking space nearby. Our bumpers made contact ever so slightly -- mine leaving a six-inch scrape on that of the other driver.

We got out of our vehicles to examine this slight damage. The other driver was a young man driving his father's car. We looked at my bumper; we looked at his. And I told him -- we both could eliminate the scrapes with a bottle of rubbing compound. I offered him $50; he accepted. That was the end . . . of that . . .

But things seldom work out this way, and you can bet a little money that someone is simply going to take advantage of these situations and inject insurance claims into the bargain.

Another time, in a traffic jam some 30 years ago, cars in front of me halted too suddenly and I made contact with the rear bumper of a car with NY plates on the I-95 Shirley Highway entering DC. There was no paint damage to the vinyl bumper of the NY car, but only a shallow dent that could be pushed out from the inside of the bumper cover.

The driver insisted that his repair shop deal with it, and we exchanged insurance cards. The so-called damage translated to more than $1,000.

I can see the advantages of country living and small-town life. It's a crowded world. Between the insurance costs and rapid depreciation that occurs with any new car, it just increases my determination to avoid spending tens of thousands every few years to enhance my "prestige" and "luxury".

 

[Midwayman]

Well a number of things can happen

1. They can fix it off insurance. Maybe they take you for a ride, maybe not. If its more than a small sum, make sure they show you multiple estimates and sign off something agreeing this all they get in their claim.
2. If you think they're bluffing you can ignore it and they'll contact their insurance or yours directly. If it's your fault its in their interest to contact yours. You'll get a call for a statement. They'll ask questions to determine fault. If you deny it, your company will probably deny the claim barring evidence. They'll contact their insurance instead and the companies will negotiate fault. There isn't a lot of point in denying fault as you'll be deemed at least partly at fault and your insurance will take a rate hike. You can screw the other party there though. If you deny it most likely they are out their deductible unless there is a video or something.
3. You can just go to your insurance directly. They'll deal with it and you'll take a rate hike.

I guess you have to decide if what they are asking is in excess of what it will cost to go through your company. As others have said, replacing the bumper and stuff under it isn't unusual. If they bill you for OEM parts generally you only are obligated to pay for ones that fit. (or at least insurance companies do this.) Given this is a newer BMW its unlikely its worth not turning into insurance if this is your first accident. You could always try to get some online rate quotes to see what you're in for rate wise.

 

[NutBucket]

As someone who got bumped yesterday, even for my 14 year old car I would demand new OEM parts. Not everyone is as picky.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

As someone who got bumped yesterday, even for my 14 year old car I would demand new OEM parts. Not everyone is as picky.

I still cling to the exceptions for this rule for which I gave examples. But there is a sharp line of demarcation between people who think a minor DIY fix is less costly if only for inconvenience, and those who insist "somebody-else-in-the-business" do the repair or replace the parts. More salvage-yard parts are more easily accessible now than ever before, owing to the markets served by "autopartsfair.com", Ebay, Car-ID and other sources. Many junkyards or salvage yards have organized into networks -- they pass on sales to the outfit that has the part, and may even track inventories for those latter enterprises. This means an expansion of old-car parts-availability over time -- for the old-car owner.

You'd always want a brand-new OEM or REMAN A/C compressor kit with drier/accumulator parts. But a salvage fender or grille is the better bargain, if they come in near-perfect and restorable condition. When some other entity directly foots the bill, you can certainly demand new OEM.