I recently got into my first accident and the other person hit me. It was a pretty small fender bender where no one was injured and the damaged looked very minor. So I did the other guy a favor and didn’t go through insurance. His family supposedly owned a small dealership and had a relationship with a body shop they said they could quickly get repaired for me. I thought this would be less of a hassle but the whole thing has been a nightmare. I actually did report the accident to my insurance after it happened, but told them it was not my fault and we weren’t using insurance for now. I have now gotten my car back and the main cosmetic issues have been fixed. However I noticed that the bumper is not completely flush with the top panel. Is this repair job good enough that it isn’t worth it to deal with fixing, or should I make a huge deal about it and contact my insurance now?
The first picture is the side that was repaired, note the small gap, and the second is the non accident side (there is a scratch that was there before the accident)
I’ve also included two pictures of the non accident and repaired side of the rear lights. Note the small gap on the repaired side vs the non repaired side.
It says I can only post one picture per post so these are just the other images mentioned. The one in the last post was the bumper gap. This is the non repaired side:
The people who did the work I don’t trust though. I didn’t pay them I let the guy who hit me use a body shop he had a relationship with. But I know if I ask them they will say it’s fine. I’m debating if it’s worth it to go back through insurance and have the job corrected or if this is considered fine
You don’t know that for certain. Next time get both insurance companies involved. You could even call the person and say you don’t think the repair is as good as it should be.
Yes lesson definitely learned on that. I’m never doing anyone a favor again and not going through insurance. I actually did mention that gap to the guy when I picked the car up and he told me it was nothing. So I do know if I take it back again they’ll say it’s nothing. I actually have texted him after the fact with no response so the more I think about it the sketchier it is. From a distance the repair looks fine but the more I think about it, the more I think a better job could’ve been done. I just wanted another opinion before I decide to start a fight
Ok that’s what I’m somewhat thinking. I’m not happy with the quality but it may be reasonable enough that it may not be worth it to deal with. This is a 36000 dollar car though that was purchased new in cash though less than two years ago with the full package, so I do not want a sub par repair. I’m still unsure
Here is another picture of the bumper gap. It isn’t as obvious without flash and from a distance but there is also like either paint or glue or something visible uneavenly in the small gap
I bet your insurance will say the same thing… looks fantastic. At this point the repair was performed. If you have any issues with the quality of the repair you should go back the the shop that performed the job.
Appreciate all of your responses. I have decided to not deal with insurance at this point unless something goes wrong with the car. It seems like the repair is just adequate enough that it would be too much of a hassle to deal with changing. Lesson definitely learned to never allow someone to settle outside of insurance again. Now I likely have to sue the guy in small claims court for the Uber costs I incurred while my car was in the shop as he has not paid as promised.
Next time if someone so much as scratches me I will be getting a police report and going through insurance
I don’t know how much that was but you would have had that if you used your own insurance . If you had had his insurance take care of it you would have had rental vehicle. If you don’t have it in writing that he would pay for your Uber charges just forget it and move on.
I have texts from him saying he will pay me for them which can be used in court. It is about 200 dollars but regardless, I’m not going to accept anything less than being made whole after this headache of a situation. I have already sent him an official legal demand letter requesting payment of the debt within a specified period or a case will be brought against him.
