Damaged Fog Lights and a Dent

prap89

New Member
2
Hi guyz,

I need your help in understanding what should I do. While I was driving on freeway at 65mph , suddenly some box(probably of hard plastic) appeared, I tried to steer to my left and avoid it but could not. It hit my car lower guard to make a dent and damaged my right fog light. What would be the estimate if I happen to fix it from an auto repair shop? I am not sure if I should get it done from my insurance as I am relatively new driver and on top this is a new car. Please suggest. Thanks.
 
Hi guyz,

I need your help in understanding what should I do. While I was driving on freeway at 65mph , suddenly some box(probably of hard plastic) appeared, I tried to steer to my left and avoid it but could not. It hit my car lower guard to make a dent and damaged my right fog light. What would be the estimate if I happen to fix it from an auto repair shop? I am not sure if I should get it done from my insurance as I am relatively new driver and on top this is a new car. Please suggest. Thanks.

I would call your insurance agent/company and ask them if your rates might go up if you file for a claim based on your scenario. I don't know if the scenario makes it an at fault; that is something you can call and find out. Looks to me it can go either way, but I am leaning towards no fault since you didn't run it over. Don't tell them your name or policy number, in case they decide to log it in your file. If it doesn't affect your rates I would file the claim. If it does, than you will have to go around to a couple body shops you know is legit and ask for an estimate. You will then need to do a cost comparison of filing a claim with future rate increases vs paying out of pocket. Basically if it is low, pay it yourself; high file a claim.
 
The year, make, and model of your car will make a big difference in coming up with the best answer for this question. If you have a brand new BMW, and you take it to a certified or authorized BMW repair facility, then the fog lamp will have to be replaced, most likely the bumper repaired, and the hood will also have to be repaired with both fenders being blended. With that type of repair the bill could easily surpass $3,000. If you have a 1998 honda civic, then I would say no. That being said, damage caused by interstate road debris would be considered a comprehensive claim, and if the repairs were to exceed your deductible, then you might as well as a comprehensive claim cannot affect your future rates.
 
The year, make, and model of your car will make a big difference in coming up with the best answer for this question. If you have a brand new BMW, and you take it to a certified or authorized BMW repair facility, then the fog lamp will have to be replaced, most likely the bumper repaired, and the hood will also have to be repaired with both fenders being blended. With that type of repair the bill could easily surpass $3,000. If you have a 1998 honda civic, then I would say no. That being said, damage caused by interstate road debris would be considered a comprehensive claim, and if the repairs were to exceed your deductible, then you might as well as a comprehensive claim cannot affect your future rates.

Should this be handled as a comprehensive claim? My wife had a similar incident a few years ago on I-75 in Kentucky. It was a portion of a rubber tire laying in the road. We were told by the insurance company that it would be a collision claim if the item was laying in the road and we ran over it. If it was bouncing down the highway and in motion then it was comprehensive.
 
The year, make, and model of your car will make a big difference in coming up with the best answer for this question. If you have a brand new BMW, and you take it to a certified or authorized BMW repair facility, then the fog lamp will have to be replaced, most likely the bumper repaired, and the hood will also have to be repaired with both fenders being blended. With that type of repair the bill could easily surpass $3,000. If you have a 1998 honda civic, then I would say no. That being said, damage caused by interstate road debris would be considered a comprehensive claim, and if the repairs were to exceed your deductible, then you might as well as a comprehensive claim cannot affect your future rates.

[sarcasm]That was a pretty good damage and repair estimate for not even having seen a photo.[/sarcasm]
Really, a bit much.
 
[sarcasm]That was a pretty good damage and repair estimate for not even having seen a photo.[/sarcasm]
Really, a bit much.

Not if you have ever priced some of those fog lights.
 
Accelerated, I don't know if you have much experience in the field of collision repair, but this is what I do day in and day out. I am talking about proper collision repair, where no corners are cut, and the final result is a car restored to its original state or better. Like I said earlier, if this car was a relatively new vehicle (especially if it was a high-end vehicle), not only is it likely that the fog lamp was damaged, but also the thin plastic brackets where it affixes to the bumper. Once these brackets are broken, there is no proper way to repair them, and the entire bumper must be replaced. If not then the bumper can be repaired, but the entire bumper must be taken off the vehicle, repairs performed, sanded primed, sanded again, and then the entirety of the bumper refinished. Depending on the extent of the damage and the color of the hood panel, both fenders would have to be blended, and both headlights removed to properly refinish the hood. Not to mention any of the grilles being damaged in the process of the road debris hitting the car. I don't have to see a car to give you an educated estimation of damages. However, our standards for repair is not "yeah it looks close enough", it is I can't even tell that this car has ever been wrecked. That is how it always should be, and quite honestly, $3,000 is probably a little low when all is said and done.
 
Accelerated, I don't know if you have much experience in the field of collision repair, but this is what I do day in and day out. I am talking about proper collision repair, where no corners are cut, and the final result is a car restored to its original state or better. Like I said earlier, if this car was a relatively new vehicle (especially if it was a high-end vehicle), not only is it likely that the fog lamp was damaged, but also the thin plastic brackets where it affixes to the bumper. Once these brackets are broken, there is no proper way to repair them, and the entire bumper must be replaced. If not then the bumper can be repaired, but the entire bumper must be taken off the vehicle, repairs performed, sanded primed, sanded again, and then the entirety of the bumper refinished. Depending on the extent of the damage and the color of the hood panel, both fenders would have to be blended, and both headlights removed to properly refinish the hood. Not to mention any of the grilles being damaged in the process of the road debris hitting the car. I don't have to see a car to give you an educated estimation of damages. However, our standards for repair is not "yeah it looks close enough", it is I can't even tell that this car has ever been wrecked. That is how it always should be, and quite honestly, $3,000 is probably a little low when all is said and done.
Do you happen to know or be related to Jdavidson?

You do not know what the damages actually were (it might have simply cracked the bulb).

Yes, there are many things that could have occurred, and hey, you might even be right. What you fail to realize however (and I think that you would grasp this if you deal with insurance claims "day in and day out"), is that when a consumer/insured comes and asks a question with a vague set of damages, tossing some arbitrary number out there is the absolute worst (and dumbest) thing you can do, unless, I guess, if you are a collision repair center, since you can not really be held responsible for poor business practices, lol.

All that poor guy is going to take away from this is "$3000", "cause somebody said so". (To the OP: If you take away more info than "$3000", you have my apologies; most people only take the most positive thing they have heard today and forget the rest).

Jsplumb, you may indeed repair vehicles "day in day out" but based on your statements you are sure not on the agency, underwriting or claims sides of the industry, which does make me question why you feel even remotely qualified to offer claims handling and settlement advice, much less perform sight unseen estimates and damage assessments based on a vague description of damages and without knowing the make/model. I have yet to meet a telepathic adjuster, agent, collision repair expert or anyone else, but maybe I don't get out enough.
 
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Do you happen to know or be related to Jdavidson?

You do not know what the damages actually were (it might have simply cracked the bulb).

Yes, there are many things that could have occurred, and hey, you might even be right. What you fail to realize however (and I think that you would grasp this if you deal with insurance claims "day in and day out"), is that when a consumer/insured comes and asks a question with a vague set of damages, tossing some arbitrary number out there is the absolute worst (and dumbest) thing you can do, unless, I guess, if you are a collision repair center, since you can not really be held responsible for poor business practices, lol.

All that poor guy is going to take away from this is "$3000", "cause somebody said so". (To the OP: If you take away more info than "$3000", you have my apologies; most people only take the most positive thing they have heard today and forget the rest).

Jsplumb, you may indeed repair vehicles "day in day out" but based on your statements you are sure not on the agency, underwriting or claims sides of the industry, which does make me question why you feel even remotely qualified to offer claims handling and settlement advice, much less perform sight unseen estimates and damage assessments based on a vague description of damages and without knowing the make/model. I have yet to meet a telepathic adjuster, agent, collision repair expert or anyone else, but maybe I don't get out enough.

Accelerated, I have to agree with you that it is unwise to give advice without all the proper information. Especially since people always tend to follow through with the best case scenario that they've been given. I do deal with the insurance claims process, day in and day out, as my main responsibility is the handling of supplemental claims and their subsequent payment. You seem like an intelligent person, while I probably sounded like a know it all, with no credibility whatsoever. I was merely trying to say that depending on the ACV of the vehicle in question, and the amount of damages, that it may be worth submitting a claim. I work with high-end cars, so perhaps I'm biased to the upside as far as cost is concerned. But given that the claim would more than likely be comprehensive, there is no reason that OP should be afraid of submitting a claim, especially if the numbers make sense. I'm new to the forum, but was just giving a different perspective. Respect.
 
Accelerated, I have to agree with you that it is unwise to give advice without all the proper information. Especially since people always tend to follow through with the best case scenario that they've been given. I do deal with the insurance claims process, day in and day out, as my main responsibility is the handling of supplemental claims and their subsequent payment. You seem like an intelligent person, while I probably sounded like a know it all, with no credibility whatsoever. I was merely trying to say that depending on the ACV of the vehicle in question, and the amount of damages, that it may be worth submitting a claim. I work with high-end cars, so perhaps I'm biased to the upside as far as cost is concerned. But given that the claim would more than likely be comprehensive, there is no reason that OP should be afraid of submitting a claim, especially if the numbers make sense. I'm new to the forum, but was just giving a different perspective. Respect.

I see both points here. Accelerated is correct that it is misleading to speculate. We do not know even what kind of car it is. However, I can verify that what JSPLUMB says about high end cars is correct. I bought a 05 Lexus 330ES that had hit a deer. The left front fog lamp was broken loose where it attached to the bumper. The only way to do a proper repair was to install a new bumper. Now we figured out a way around it but it is not what a body shop would gave done if it were an insurance claim. This repair alone would have been close to $2,000. Nothing else was damaged.
 
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