Accident

[Roar of Four]

Hey,
A little general strategy question related to accidents. I have a 93 G20

I was trying to get to work early on Monday in the big snowstorm on the highway, and basically lost the rear end in the middle of the highay (I think I must have got into a rut or something, I was going straight ahead), tried to correct, spun the car and hit the highway divider wih the right side of the front bumper. It was a one car accident. I have not reported it to insurance, and the car remains driveable.

The damage looks surprisingly minimal (I thought the whole frint end would be done), the right front bumper cover and the licens plate holder are done, but the bumper itself looks ok. The problem is that everything is shifted over, the hood is obviously out of alignment, as is the bumper. There is a strange noise also coming from the engine occasionally, a whirring sound normally around the idle speed. There also seems to be a rattle coming from the right front that I don't remember hearing.

I have taken it to 5 body shops so far, and 4 of them have estimated $450 to $600 to put it on the machine and pull the frame back into spec, assuming nothing is broken underneath the car once they get it up on the machine. None of these places have put anything in writing. Those 4 places have told me that the bumper damage is cosmetic, and would need to be fixed if I cared about how it looked. One place told me I needed to have the bumper replaced, a bunch of other stuff done and that it would be between $1,000-$2,000 and that I should call the insurance company.

My deductible is $500, should I just take a chance that one of the places can get the car fixed under $1,000, rather than reporting it to the insurance company? I have a feeling that there's something rubbing in the engine, or under the right front. I am new to the New Haven Connecitcut area, don't know any body shops or anything, anyone have any general (or specific advice) on how to pick a body shop? What are your rights as far as a written estimate? If they provide a written estimate, go under the car and find something broken, do they have to call me before proceeding and charging me more money?

Any idea, or stories, about how much insurance goes up after an accident, average, if I were to report? I am 26 (I think I also have a moving violation, probably, on my record).

Thanks for any help.

[hurddawg]

I wouldn't report it unless you have comprehensive/collision insurance (aka full coverage). Because if don't have those the insurance won't pay to fix your car and you'll just get a premium increase. Did the police file a report about the accident?

What I would do is have them fix the frame, and get a bumper from a junkyard G20. Put it on for now and when you have the money, have the used bumper repainted to match the car.

So a fix the frame is $600 (max) + used bumper 250(max) = around 850(max) then painting would be around 300(max). $1150 is the max fixing without new parts.

The least could be $450+ $150 = $600, assuming the bumper you find is the same color as your G20 and you install the bumper yourself.

[Roar of Four]

No, there's no police report. My comprehensive policy is deductible at $250, collision is at $500.

[Yahnozha]

Originally posted by Roar of Four
I am new to the New Haven Connecitcut area, don't know any body shops or anything, anyone have any general (or specific advice) on how to pick a body shop? What are your rights as far as a written estimate? If they provide a written estimate, go under the car and find something broken, do they have to call me before proceeding and charging me more money?

My rule of thumb is you dont report it to your insurance unless you absolutely have to...so in reporting any claim that requires your insurance to pay for the damages puts you at risk for increased premiums...this sucks, I know but what can you do, just a rule of the game.

If I were in your position...I would get the frame straightened and then worry about the cosmetic asthetic later.

As for *rights* when dealing with body shops....first off, if your not going thru insurance, you call the shots. Second, get as many quotes as possible, In writing. Sure their are things not seen and may require adjustments, but have them make a thorough inspection...writen quotes take no more than 1/2 hour to do. Give yourself some room financially for adjustments. And stipulate that any modifications to the quote once the work has started must recieve your authorization to move forward.

On choosing body shops...look around, ask questions...take a look a the shop, is it clean? organized? cluttered? etc..etc...you know what I mean....good luck and bummer it happened.