it’s very nice that the shop owner expressed interest in the car, but how do we know he doesn’t say that to everyone to get them to think, “hmmm, he must be right. he must know something.” ?!
Trust me 100% on this…the shop owner does not say his to every customer. If it were a difficult repair he would not say this, it would not be worth their effort. This is normally reserved for nice cars that are easy fixers. If your car was a turd you would not have heard this.
Several years ago, in Christiansburg, VA, my son ‘t-boned’ my Sienna in his driveway; I was parked where he usually turned around, apparently without looking out the rear view mirror.
The insurance company said if we had the work done at their approved repair center, they,the insurance company, would take care of it from start to finish and stand behind it themselves. It would not be up to us to quarrel if anything was wrong.
The work was perfectly done. I have never been able to spot any sight of damage or repair.
So, I cannot categorically say that an insurance company’s approved repair place is always wrong.
If the bumper reinforcements, frame and alignment are all OK, Then the damage is all fixable. I think you may be freaking out over nothing.
I have a car that had similar damage, the car needed new hood, fender, bumper cover, head light, straighten radiator support, and pull the metal around the head lights, etc. The repair was done in 2001 on a 95 Stratus. I still own the car and the paint still looks great. I to like you freaked out, and in the end it was all for nothing. Those Capa replacement Parts are fine,
Physically, I don’t see this car as being a total but monetarily it’s on shaky ground.
This car just flat doesn’t look that bad to me and I’m having a hard time seeing how they’re justifying 6 or 7 grand worth of repairs.
This job looks like a piece of cake.
"01 Forester vs Deer, the deer won."
Pretty sure that is a untrue statment.
As a side point, you might be able to claim this on your comprehensive coverage, since you the accident involved a falling object, the deer. If you hit a standing deer it’s collision coverage with some companies, but if you tangle with a falling object, a running deer, it’s comprehensive. Your rating and future premiums could be affected by how you phrase the claim. I know, it sounds nutty, but you ARE dealing with an insurance company.
The other thing you should know is that insurance companies have to “deal in good faith”. They know that term. If you start to use it, “I feel you are not dealing in good faith here and I want to speak with your supervisor,” you can get surprising results. Another thing is to send a note to the State Insurance commissioner with all the details.
I practiced law for many years and dealt with lots of insurance companies. Good luck.