Something tells me there was not a police report. i think there was some late night festivities going on and if the police got involved at least one of the parties would have had a trip to the county.
Well, Mike, then you had better start reporting all of the insurance companies that do exactly what I described, on a routine basis.
From CarInsuranceQuotes.com:
“Most companies can actually check their customers’ records at any time and with any frequency that they’d like, but random checks aren’t too common. Instead, an insurance company will check into your records during set times during the year and any time that you make a change in your coverage. This is particularly true if you get a car insurance quote online from a company that allows policy management via a website–if you add a driver or a vehicle or change your coverage limits and deductibles, there’s a good chance that they’ll do a quick check of both your insurance record and your driving record to see if anything has changed. You’ll also get checked when you renew your policy, when you start a new policy, or sometimes when you pay off your vehicle. Some car insurance companies will even do monthly checks of your driving record.”
I think we need to stop jumping to conclusions and assuming everyone is drunk absent any supporting evidence. It’s rude enough when you do it about a dead singer, but when you do it face-on to a new poster looking for help, it’s flat out unacceptable. Knock it off.
The OP mentioned himself that the other driver was questionable. Its sketchy that no one wants to get the insurance involved. There is a reason for this.
I am a big fan of John Denver and there are conflicting reports about alcohol having a factor in his plane crash.
Thats probably the reason they didn’t want to get insurance involved, Was there a police report filed?
Actually, it is true, Mike.
Earlier, I posted a relevant cut & paste quotation from carinsurancequotes.com regarding how and when an insurance company can check your driving record, but this site’s new spam detector thought that my cut and paste quotation was spam, and it was blocked/deleted.
So, for anyone who wants to see the reality of how and when an insurance company can check your driving record, here is a link to that site:
For those who don’t want to click on that link, the answer is…They can do it monthly if they like, but most insurance companies only do it when initially issuing a policy and again each time that you renew your policy.
Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of instances of swapping paint with another car over the last decade or so. One was my fault. In all instances, no one wanted to report to insurance because in that state, insurance is regulated. Any accident results in demerits and your insurance rate goes up, WAY up and stays there for years before it starts back down again. You pay many times the cost of the minor accident in premium surcharges over multiple years. The clear winners are the insurance companies. On the one that was my fault, I actually gave the guy 20% more than the cost of the repairs for the favor of handling it between ourselves…it was a bargain for me and him.
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But even still, ENGO ;
You really must visit a local body shop to know the answer to your question.
Several reasons.
When you tell them that insurance is not involved and you or someone else will be paying out of pocket . . . THAT changes the game.
When they write an insurance estimate it is usually for full retail and repaired as good as new.
BUT
on a cash job . .YOU get to pick. And they’ll tell you your options . . like ;
patch it up just good enough -vs- showroom new -vs- used parts or new -vs- in house finance or cash to them ( even if you finance elsewhere ).
Asking us is futile since we don’t know your local shop labor rates nor your desired level of repair.
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Your cheapest fix is to find a fender from a salvage yard from a car of the same color as yours. That avoids repainting. Then you buff out as much of the bumper cover damage as you can and live with the remaining tear and scratches. That might be done for $1000.
A new or repaired fender that needs painting is going to run $1500 and a new bumper cover repainted is another 800, plus misc. and new wheel cover - $2400 from a reasonable body shop. Add $1000 for LA area and other big city shops.