Got a love tap in the a*s of my car

**gingerdude** · 10-08-2019

I was driving and a driver didn't stop in time and lightly kissed the passenger rear of my GP while I was sitting at a light. It was a glancing blow as the driver was maneuvering to avoid. Luckily no serious body damage, just paint loss on the bumper, not even a crack. I pulled the tail light and looked down into where the hit was taken and the bumper has fully deflected the damage away from the body of the vehicle. I also pulled the carpet from the trunk and there is absolutely no damage there either.

My fear:

A simple repaint of the bumper will total the car given it's lack of value. Now the car looks fantastic and it only has 80K miles. By all means whatever I get paid will not replace it.

So you say salvage title it!

Well I live in Illinois which has idiot laws. I am required to use a certified rebuilder to repair the car and take it to an inspection in order to retitle the car. I can't literally just say "I don't care about the paint" and title it. Once the insurance deems it totaled, it is a misdemeanor to drive it unless I am a certified rebuilder.

So I will find out soon if I am ****ed out of a car for bs reasons.

End rant.

**idrivejunk** · 10-08-2019

You may be able to cancel the claim if you started one, and offer the person at fault the option of cash settlement. Thats just between you two. FYI a bumper repair and repaint is right around $600 and at 80K it might not total. I settled on the spot with a non english speaking driver for $400. For the same thing. Another one hit the same bumper, I got the estimate for $619 and they paid without ever having an adjuster look.

**gingerdude** · 10-09-2019

That was going to be my plan if they want to total it. Hopefully I can. Seems like a total waste for a car that is in otherwise great condition. I suspect I'll know in the morning.

But the process was weird because I was only able to submit pictures of the damage and that's how they generate an estimate. They will assume that there is hidden damage and price accordingly.

They obviously don't expect everyone to know what to look for to see if there is hidden damage like I do. If the adjuster seen it in person I would have just did exactly what I did to demonstrate a lack of internal damage. Hell the adjuster might have done it themselves. My camera sucks so getting images at such steep angles in dark crevices to show that was pretty much impossible.

It will be weird to be in a position of negotiating the payout downwards haha. I'll probably get on the phone with their adjuster and debate my position.

It's not the fanciest car, but I have put a lot of time into it and I enjoy having it. If the ass was pancaked I would not be an idiot and try to keep it. But in this case it's just paint. I go get another car, come out of pocket some, and end up with something that is a total piece of **** in my price range. It's a huge gamble.