$1200 to Repair Bumper. Please Help.

[sssx2]

Hi. I had a minor accident a few weeks a go. I was at fault, and I hit the rear bumper of a 2016 Maserati Ghibli. Damage was very minor. (Forgot to take a picture...) It just seemed like the paint was off according to my license plate border lines.

It seems he went to a Maserati dealer to and got a quote. I got the picture of it and it shows $1200 (picture attached). Is the price reasonable? Will it be better to pay with cash or do it through insurance? It's my first time ever having a car accident... I will appreciate any advises. Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[BlockO]

Is the price reasonable? Will it be better to pay with cash or do it through insurance?

Absolutely, the price is reasonable! I would have guessed more like two or three grand for a new Maserati. aren't they like 80K brand new?

with all these safety sensors that they're putting on new cars, the price to repair bumpers goes up and up and up.

I would recommend eating the $1200 and not filing a claim.

 

[VolAgent]

You got off lucky. $1200 is nothing.

You may want to consider filing the claim. Odds are he is going to want a rental for the day or two it spends in the shop since it looks like it is paint work. Plus, it could easily end up being more once they take the bumper cover off.

Completely your choice, but yes I'd say you are getting off lucky. The bumper cover alone may cost a few thousand after you consider the part, paint and labor.

Always your choice to file or not. If you can't part with $2,000 - $3,000 to take care of this, you may want to file. I inflated it to that to account for a rental and unexpected expenses. My guess is closer to $1,500 when it is all said undone if nothing unexpected comes up.

 

[InsCommentary]

I'd file it. My wife tapped someone's bumper at an exit ramp and there was no visible damage to either vehicle. But I reported it. Sure enough, a couple of days later, the other party called her and said "the shop" told her the frame was bent. It was a scam but the insurer dealt with it. And, you never know, the driver could complain later of a bad neck or back due to whiplash and your carrier could deny the claim on the basis of late reporting.

 

[VolAgent]

I'd file it. My wife tapped someone's bumper at an exit ramp and there was no visible damage to either vehicle. But I reported it. Sure enough, a couple of days later, the other party called her and said "the shop" told her the frame was bent. It was a scam but the insurer dealt with it. And, you never know, the driver could complain later of a bad neck or back due to whiplash and your carrier could deny the claim on the basis of late reporting.

I had that thought too. The insurer will get something signed to close out the claim. Paying cash, the person could always come back with another claim.

 

[LGilmore]

I put a tiny chip in the bumper of a car in a hospital lot a decade ago, a slight scratch. Well it turned into a couple thousand quickly and this was a beater car. If you're at fault, you really don't have a say.

In my case the person got to drive a new rental for a week while they applied several coats of paint the bumper. She ended up with a beater car with a fantastic bumper.

If you dented that expensive a car and it's only $1200, you should agree and have them sign off on the deal and bless your lucky stars. Somebody is being fair with you. Doesn't always happen.

 

[VolAgent]

I put a tiny chip in the bumper of a car in a hospital lot a decade ago, a slight scratch. Well it turned into a couple thousand quickly and this was a beater car. If you're at fault, you really don't have a say.

In my case the person got to drive a new rental for a week while they applied several coats of paint the bumper. She ended up with a beater car with a fantastic bumper.

If you dented that expensive a car and it's only $1200, you should agree and have them sign off on the deal and bless your lucky stars. Somebody is being fair with you. Doesn't always happen.

Want to bet no one has taken that bumper cover off yet? That is when we will find out the real cost, with the supplement. I hope there isn't one for the OP's sake, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[djs]

Oh, you guys misunderstood. That $1200 was the cost to write up the estimate!!! The repair will be additional

This is CA, for a lot of reasons, you want to file the claim, not pay it out of pocket.

For comparison, I had a bicyclist put a 1 inch scratch on my Jaguar bumper. No dent, nothing, just a paint scratch where the pedal ran into the bumper. It cost almost $3000 to fix that. Of course, I had to pay my deductible, the guy was riding a bike at the time for a reason (and it was determined to be his fault).

Dan