The same thing happen to me. The crease and license plate bolt heads imprint on the rear bumper. I took it to a reputable body shop. The wanted 600 bucks. He said that they had to take off the bumper for repairs. I made an appointment but then canceled. I stop by the Jaguar dealer but they don't do body repairs. On my way out I see this tent behind the Mercedes dealer. It was a Carnica light body repair station. They got rid off the crease and imprint. Perfectly repaired for 150.00 bucks. Go figured.

 

I've used hot air guns to take creases and bends out of bumpers and such. It doesn't help any paint damage, but getting the actual crease out helps tremendously.

 

Thanks for all the input. Had to go out of town so didn't get back to the kid that hit me til earlier this week, and he was really grateful to be able to pay out of pocket instead of going through his insurance. So a win-win for all since I won't get dinged on the Carfax either

 

Great news! Please post a pic of the repair if you can. I'm glad it worked out for both parties.

 

So has he paid you?

 

Glad you went the way you did-- I've been that kid. An at-fault accident would more or less double his insurance at that age, and would hang in there for a few years.
And I'm a big believer in karma points.

 

+1

 

Nomination for sainthood!!!!!!

 

Man, there are some serious cynics among us, aren't there? But yes, I got three estimates for the work which were all within $200 of each other, and he PayPal'd me the average with some effusive thanks. I'm scheduled to take the car in week after next. Just hope the paint match is good.

 

Simon, I've luckily (?) been rear ended 3 times, all in the same car (Audi A6) but that had a towbar fitted and in all three cases there was no damage to mine and I was stationary at the time.Weirdly all of the culprits were one gender...not that it makes a difference Sadly there was plenty to theirs, and since witness to support me, no claim was ever made.

I do understand your caring and compassion, it's a truly rare thing that you should be proud of

If I wore a cap I would doff it!

 

Sort of off-topic, but I'm bored....
Many years ago I had a 1979 Thunderbird, big heavy car. I was driving down the street and an Oldsmobile Calais turned left into me. Well, I had on my seat belt and ended up with just a tiny bit of a red mark across my chest while the OTHER car had two head-shaped shatters in the windshield. Rescue laid two women on stretchers and hauled 'em away with sirens blaring.

MY car had the front bumper bent up just a bit with Zero other damage while the Calais was pretty much demolished. I bought a salvage bumper for $50 and had a frame shop bend down the bumper horn for $40. The other driver's insurance paid my damage claim for $1200, no deductible.

 

Just curious but did you give the $1110 back to the insurance company.

 

 

 

Got a similar thump from a cab driver in a Prius:



He originally offered to pay, but baulked when I got a quote (he wanted me to take the car to one of his mates - no way!). So I handed it over to my insurers; I think it cost them £1000 or so (I had to pay £400 of that). Next thing I know, he's claiming I reversed into him and gave him whiplash (WTF?) - apparently he has dash cam footage and a witness. Insurance company investigates; he can't produce footage and witness is mysteriously hard to find, so they are dismissing his claim. I'm now pushing them to prosecute for fraud once the case is settled. But it takes AGES - this was over a year ago, and it still isn't resolved. That means I still have an active claim on my record, which is classified as a 'fault' claim until it is closed, and that makes it difficult to change insurers.

 

Ouch. That looks a little worse than mine. Why did you end up having to go through your insurance after he balked at paying out of pocket? Did he not give you his insurance info initially? So disheartening to run into (or be run into) by *******s like this.

 

I cot a card from my insurance carrier which was something like reporting an accident for dummies. It was a step by step procedure with a checklist. I also think in NY any accident over $1000 must be reported to the police. But none the less if there are no injuries then exchange licence , registration and insurance numbers. If you want to make a cash deal then do it there with the other person but have their info incase they bail out on you. If they have no licence or registration or insurance then call a cop and make sure you have their plate number. Take pictures of the cars and the other person. I think you have 24 hrs to report it so if you need to get an estimate , get it. If the guy bails in the cash deal then call your insurance and have them contact the other insurance. If over the accident dollar limit then report it to the police and give them the info. Also after reported get a copy of the accident report from the police . If you don't have any of the other persons info then your insurance will cover it on no fault but then again you know what will happen.

 

Oh, it's just easier to let my insurer handle the hassle - and it's not like it would make any difference to my claims history. Insurers here have a shared database to avoid people saying they have zero claims and getting a better discount, so any insurer can check at renewal time or when you apply to a different company. Mine actually put an investigator onto the case, because it was such a fishy claim - that's not something I'd want to arrange.