Maites

So someone clipped my front driverside bumper pretty good last night.. no note, nothing...Hopefully karma kicks them in the a$$. I have not snapped a pic yet but the damage is decent. Chipped paint flaking off, major marks from the rubbing of the other car, and a 2-3" crack in the bumper right next to the DRL housing. The crack goes all the way throught the bumper. Is this something that is repairable (the crack) or will I need a new bumper? If i need one, how could I angle with my insurance so I could order a Tiger Shark instead of stock? Anyone ever done this? Thoughts? Opinions???

Thanks in advance

casisthefirst

Man that sucks...happened to me a few times (to my pontiac and benz).

Never thought of getting an aftermarket part when I fixed my damages, but the only idea that comes to mind is to call the insurance co and tell them what happened, go over to a good body shop, and have them write you a quote (which includes the price for a tigershark instead of stock) and forward that to your insurance co. They usually dont send out people unless there is significant damage done.

RGVC5

Well dude heres what you do to get the tiger shark bumper for your car. I had a similar situation for my truck when a girl YAPPING on the phone rear ended my wife at a light. I couldnt believe when I found out the nerve of her parents asking WHY ARE YOU FILING A CLAIM WITH OUR INSURANCE, DUHHH .
Anyway the body shop POC was friendly and I mentioned i was an aquaintance of a mutual person. So during the repair process I had a factory silverado bumper and wanted a Ranch HAND STEEL BUMPER , LET"S SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE AIR HEAD GIRL HITS MY TRUCK FROM THE REAR .
Well I just asked the guy HEY can I get a different bumper and if it was anymore than the factory I would pay for it. HE said SURE no problem and the bumper was actually cheaper.
By the way I also BACK IN 1998 hit a curb HARD with a 1994 COBRA mustang and ruined a couple of wheels. Well same thing during the repair I asked if I could get NEW RIMS !!! They said Just pay the differrence for the other rims , I said SURE!!!!
In the end just get a FRIENDLY BODY SHOP YOU CAN TRUST with your car and they should be able to accomadate your requests!!! Ask ahead .
BOTTOM LINE IT'S NOT ABOUT THE INSURANCE < ITS THE BODY SHOP!!

Maites

That is good news... I just assumed I would have to have an insurance guy take a look at my car first before the body shop. Maybe not? I'll call state farm and see what they say. Obv straight to body shop is the best route. I would have to believe the TS can't be any more expensive then a new stock bumper painted etc...?!

lil vette

Wrong...wrong..& double wrong.
I was hit while waiting at a light, in the rear, on my bike.
I told the insurance company I wanted a check & pic my own place to have it fixed. I paid the shop there 175.00 for writing up the estimate.
I then fixed the bike myself & put $5,000 in my pocket. Every hour I worked on the bike...I saved $100.00
$8500 check - $3500 parts = $5000 in da bank
.
After the art work
.

RGVC5

PS heres some other info that will help you :FIND out (JUST ASK) the body shop if they are on a "TRUSTED LIST" I forgot the name that they called it but it means that after you get the initial "CHECK$$$" and they start working on the vehicle ,IF THEY FIND MORE DAMAGE they just call the adjuster assigned to your accident and let them know and they will approve it and pay the shop directly OVER THE PHONE INSTEAD OF STOPPING THE WORK AND WAITING FOR THE ADJUSTER to inspect and approve the extra work.
ANOTHER THING TO ASK IS THAT MAKE SURE they include labor to paint the parts affected OFF the CAR . The last thing you want is that they fix damage adjust everything and then MASK OFF the areas to paint the parts while on the car . THATs the cheap and QUICK <EASY way and you end up with OVERSPRAY ALL OVER YOU CAR. This is the other reason I said MAKE SURE YOU CAN TRUST them. ALSO ask them to include a time/MONEY after the paint dries to CUT/Buff and polish a top layer of clear to remove imperfections where they painted. Talk to the body shop ALONE and ask how much they charge to do the whole car . A few detail shops know how to do this BUT ALL Body shops will know how to do this and you can get the whole car done and save yourself a few bucks. HELPS REMOVE SWIRL MARKS<ORANGE PEEL, and some scratches . Now that summer is out YOU'LL BE READY AND NEED after they do your car !!!!!
GOOD LUCK

DONT ASSUME THAT YOUR IN GOOD HANDS !!!! They want it done INEXPENSIVELY as possible

.

jrose7004

I was parked in an end space at a restaurant at lunch in the 98 coupe that I used to have and was hit by a little woman in a Suburban that she couldn't see out of. She hit it and because she couldn't see my car she gave it the gas and wiped out my rear facia as well as the rear fender.

MG RED 99

You will just have to cover any additional costs assuming the ts bumper is more than factory. Paint and labor should be no different between the two. if the shop is state farm approved then they should be able do their own adjustment of the cost to repair, which saves you time and sometimes hassle. Good luck and sorry to hear the bad news.

RGVC5

Well NO OFFENSE DUDE BUT not every body can paint AND not everybody is mechanically inclined . NOT to mention your talking about INSURANCE FRAUD!!! The last thing I want is go to JAIL JUST TO POCKET AND SAVE A FEW BUCKS!!Hey IF the shop wants to suck up the DEDUCTIBLE WHICH THEY DID FOR ME THEN no harm there.

BUT AS I GET WISER AND OLDER ,It;s not worth me to lose MY JOB,MY FREEDOM and other things for what amounts to a few bucks !!!!There was a lot of things I did similar to what you just mentioned 15 20 years ago it;s not worth it NOT TO MENTION THERE IS NOW ADAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS some way to track information or someone !!! BEING VERY REPECTFUL THATS JUST STUPID

Joey1121

When my last corvette was hit I took it to two body shops and sent the insurance company both estimates. After that the insurance company just mailed me a check and told me that I could take it anywhere I wanted to have the repairs done. I actually picked up some of the parts myself and then took the car to the body shop for paint. With the money from the insurance you can purchase your own parts.

jrprich

You had to pay for a repair estimate ???? I have never been asked to pay for an estimate..........they are always free.

jrprich

I don't believe what he did is fraud.
The insurance must pay you a reasonable repair cost......it does not matter who does the repairs. At least this is the case where I live.

ajg1915

It's not fraud. Just like if you get into an accident and they give you money for repairs and instead you just pocket the money and opt not to fix the car.

lil vette

.
The shop was mad, because they thought they were going to get the bussiness. When I told them I was going to do the work myself, that's when they said, I owe 175.00 for the estimate.
.

TN Vette

I believe that I would be the best "Free" advertiser for that body shop.

I would let everyone in town know that they charged you for an estimate because they didn't get to do the work and decided to stick it to you.

Maites

wow! quite a bit of info guys! Thanks for all your opinions and I will for sure use a lot of the tactics. The one part that frightens me is if they say they will just repair the cracked bumper repaint etc. guess I'll just have to talk that out with the body shop. I do have a good shop to g to but i need to make sure they are on the state farm trusted list i assume?! I'll have to call and ask. probably call state farm tom and let them know about the incident and see if I can just gather a few estimates from my own local guys. Thanks again, love this forum. any other opinions are always welcome

HowlinC5

my mom got hit and it cracked the front bumper and the body shop said we had to get a new bumper. Last I checked the stock bumper was $449.99 from GM. Hope this helps.

Vetteman Jack

Sorry about the damage. You can talk to the insurance company about paying any difference in the cost of the bumpers - they may go for it. I think I would just get a new bumper rather than fixing a 2-3" split.

damilleniumboy

A local body shop did the same thing to me and my bimmer a few years back. They charged me like 25-50 bucks for the estimate after I told them I could do the repairs myself. I got the check, fixed my car myself, and had some extra money to add a new M3 front bumper.

damilleniumboy

True