Got rear ended today

All these people that say you should have called the police... Police around here won't even show up if the cars are drive-able and there are no injuries.

Since the OP isn't going thru insurance he may avoid the accident getting into Carfax. When my Cadillac got t-boned, I took it to a high end shop and asked them what they would report to Carfax. They said they don't report ANYTHING to Carfax but the insurance companies do.

Related to that is the diminished value. If this gets into Carfax or the repairs can be confirmed with an inspection, your car will be worth less. If you go thru the other party's insurance you should be able to get a cash recovery for the loss in value.

I get what you're saying [MENTION=29795]ApollosWar89[/MENTION], but even though the OP's insurance may be notified, I still don't see him filing a claim with them. There is no deductible required of the OP, and the at-fault driver's insurance pays the repair bill, rental car, etc.

I get that insurance is a complicated probability game, but if OP is sitting still at a stop-light and he gets rear-ended by a compulsive texter, it's simply not his fault. His only "offense" might be living in a higher-probability area.

I just don't think he will get the +1 claim count, nor have to pay deductible, nor for his rate to increase. He is already paying the going rate for his area.

Some of y'all need to do some reading on CLUE reports. It's a super secret website for evil villains (ins agents) to keep track of everything you are ever involved with when it comes to claims. Supposedly it's only there for three years. But I have my doubts.

Ebm said:

Personally, I would always call the cops. It isn't enough that you have pictures of the cars separated. If you took the picture while her car was still touching yours, it's a different story. If you don't have this pic, all she has to do is deny it. But that's just my 02. I've learned people aren't always honest and respectable after they leave the scene.

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this seems to be a growing phenomena in Germany as I've been told. My colleague had an accident and the guy that hit him immediately seperated his car from my colleague's car. Drove about 10 meters of to the side and parked. The guy admitted it was his fault. Later, after thinking it over, the guy changed his mind and because there was no hard evidence (pics of cars immediately after the accident) the court assigned shared blame to the accident. something like 40/60. Sucks, but how can you prevent someone from moving their car before you get the chance to take pics and establish ironclad proof. :shrug:

Front & rear dashcams are like seat belts. You use them every time for the one time you really need them.

GTP said:

Front & rear dashcams are like seat belts. You use them every time for the one time you really need them.

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as my understanding, dashcams are not admissable in German courts. :shrug:

Rickycardo said:

Just got my estimate from Ford. $951. They will repair the bumper cover but have to replace the valance. I contacted the person who hit me and they gave me their email to send the estimate to and said no problem. It starts out so easy..... :frusty:

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Yep... Pretty damn close to $1k...

One other thing folks aren't thinking about when it comes to what appears as a "minor" repair such as this type of accident:

1) To do it right, they will remove the rear bumper cover - which entails removing the rear tail lights. That's part of the R&R process.

2) Inspection of parts behind the bumper cover - again part of the R&R.

3) Prepping and repair of the bumper cover.

4) Paint prep - AND the fact that the color contains metallic flake, usually a multi-stage mixing process and application process.

5) Paint & compounding to smooth / match existing body surface as factory.

6) R&R back onto body, plus any adjustments.

All of the above work for a Body Shop is all labor intensive that's the bulk of the cost. The other bulk of the cost is paint cost, more so if it's a color that contains metallic. Some metallics are also "tri-coats", where the mix contains multi layers that creates the final color.

The guy got hit, he has every right to get whatever estimate from wherever to get his car repaired back to pre-accident conditions. He could have went to (3) different shops and had (3) different estimates - fact is, any shop if doing it right would have to go through the same steps above.

Now, some would just buy another decent bumper cover of eBay, do the R&R themselves and call it a day for under $500 - to each his own.

I don't see anything wrong with how he approached the situation with handling the accident afterwards or how he is going about getting the car repaired.

I don't disagree with a single word from [MENTION=13960]Cobra Jet[/MENTION].

However, let's say OP backed into a pole the week after he got his 100% professional repair completed. And say the damage is exactly the same. That accident is on him, and at the point he may think, "FML. Why do I even bother at this point?"

I try to keep my car looking as new as possible for as long as possible. You could look it over very closely, and then you wouldn't believe the "events" it has suffered.
But there comes a point of diminishing returns, IMO.

In Texas a police report for a minor accident is not required, but if the total damage is above $1,000 you have to notify TxDOT within 10 days.

More info here: https://www.dmv.com/tx/texas/auto-accidents

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Rob00GT said:

In Texas a police report for a minor accident is not required, but if the total damage is above $1,000 you have to notify TxDOT within 10 days.

More info here: https://www.dmv.com/tx/texas/auto-accidents

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I hate to say it, but you can't trust anyone these days.

A police report not being required is like someone hitting your car and saying I'm not required to pay that. There's no proof right? Get the law in the situation to make sure things are just

An update. I sent the estimate to the person who hit my car. She texted me this evening concerned that she didn't know where the money would come from and asked for more time to pay. I again reminded her that all I want is the car returned to pre-accident condition, no more no less. I told her I was willing to wait until next Friday and reminded her that she could either pay me or pay the shop directly. I also suggested she run it through her insurance and maybe she would only be out her deductible.
No good deed ever goes unpunished. :frusty:

Three Options

1. Buff out
2. Paint
3. Stripe

:cheers:

:ford:

Ricky, this is why I would never, ever let the person agree to handle it theirselves. At the moment they are just trying to get themselves out of a situation and say what ever it takes. I usually tell them show me a briefcase of cash or were calling for a report.

Rickycardo said:

So far everything looks aligned ok. She knocked me forward a couple of feet so I don't have any pics of the cars touching. I do have a webcam and even though its pointing forward it clearly shows me being hit from behind.
Not sure about calling the cops but I am calling my insurance company today and just made an appointment with Ford to have it looked at.

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I would file this with her insurance. A body repair shop will need to pull the bumper a make sure nothing is amiss. With these new cars, there can be more damage that what appears as paint scuffs. And if she pushed your car forward a couple of feet, that was more than just a tap that scuffs paint.