So my fiancee was driving my car a few days ago when some Miami jerk-of-a-driver decided to eat a red light and scrape across the left front side of my car, then run off in a hit-and-run. My fiancee wasn’t able to track the guy down nor get his tag #, sadly enough. Now I have to foot the bill to repair the damage.
I just want to get some advice here/price estimates to go by. I’ve seen bumpers for my Civic EX-L 2012 go for about 100 bucks, and a new headlight (don’t know if I need either, but just saying) about 140-195. Some of the hooks on the bumper are damaged but the bumper itself has no dents, and the top strap-on for the headlight is torn off. The corner of the metal-plastic just behind the bumper is a bit dented in also. Judging from the pictures, can any expert here give me a price estimate and/or some tips to know because I don’t want to get screwed over by a mechanic. Luckily I know the damage is cosmetic and no engine parts were damaged.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Pictures below:
Your auto insurance can cover this, less the deductible. Have you contacted them? They will give you an estimate for the repairs needed. It is not possible to give your an estimate worth much unless the car is on a lift. The undercarriage or bumper struts could be damaged, too.
She looks like a lovely young lady. Are you both in the medical field? Too bad she was the one driving your car when it got hit. That can be hard on a relationship.
Can/will you do this work yourself? If looks like it’s all just bolt on stuff. Not hard at all. @jtsanders is assuming that you have collision insurance to take care of the damage. Perhaps you don’t, or perhaps you don’t want any (more?) strikes against your policy. Insurance isn’t cheap when you’re young and unmarried.
If the hooks on the bumper cover are pulled apart, chances are you will need another one. If you want the car to look 100% perfect, you will want to replace the headlight too. If one of its tie downs is broken, you’ll probably not be able to focus it correctly. Check www.car-part.com for a good used black bumper cover. You may have to buy a bumper assembly because a lot of salvage yards won’t break up a set. It will still be cheaper than buying a new one and having it properly painted.
Most body shops will give you an estimate for free. I can’t tell from several hundred miles away exactly what is damaged, or if there is any damage under the hood.
If you go to a mechanic, I have a prediction for you… 
You need an autobody specialist rather than a mechanic.
What you see prices for online is not realistic unless you are doing the job yourself. Any professional is going to use quality parts they trust (their reputation is on the line) and mark them up to be profitable for them to acquire the parts and do the work.
My suggestion would be to look up several body shops in your area. Drive in and request an estimate. If they spend 5 minutes in the parking lot before giving an estimate, weigh that into the equation. If they take it into the shop and come back in a 1/2 hour, you’ll know something about their thoroughness and whether or not they might actually “hit” the number they give you.
Take the estimates along with your observations and gut feel and pick the best one. That’s the price regardless of what anybody tells you from afar, looking at pics online.
BTW- you might want to segregate those pics from your personal stuff, looks like phone numbers etc are visible if you go slightly past the auto pics…
My guess is $1500+ on that to do properly. You want to on a 2012 vehicle. Do you have full insurance and if so what is deductible? It may be far easier to claim it.
My wife had same thing happen into her bumper and cause lots of damage as she got pushed into the car in front too. They took off but left there license plate imprinted into it.
My experience is bumper repaint(required here) is about $500 with refinish. You have metal damage to fender which about $400-$500. The headlight if anything is broken requires replacement and is $200-$400.