Advice for a 19 year old in a fender bender

[Bumbo]

Usually it’s the parents wanting their kids off their policy to reduce their liability. If I was in your shoes, I would get my own policy after this and be in control of your own situation. Relying on your parents sounds great until you find out they are not reliable and in fact a liability.

Very lucky this was just a minor fender-bender... VERY lucky.

 

[Kandor]

The estimate doesn't seem too far out of line. The bumper will need to be repaired and then overhaul the bumper which is another 2-3 hours and then paint the bumper approx 2.5hrs plus clear coat of another hour and you are getting close to 11 hours. With the body labor rate and paint and materials that will be $800-900. It looks unlikely there would be much additional/hidden damage once they tear it down beyond possibly the impact absorber which is usually not a high dollar part.

You won't have a deductible for liability, that's generally for 1st party claims such as collision/comprehensive. Property damage claims (damage to 3rd party property) don't usually carry a deductible.

Laws/procedures can vary considerably from state to state but if your insurance company wasn't aware of you being a regular driver and the scope of the vehicle being driven is not disclosed the insurance co may deny the claim for material misrepresentation but there are many variables involved in this situation so there is no one answer that fits all. Good luck.

 

[Woz1976-MT]

Well I've gotten an update. Turns out my parents never had me actively insured on their policy, and they didn't tell me that my 4runner was listed as a vehicle in storage in their policy, so technically for the past 6 thousand miles I've driven the car, I have been driving a stored car, which is pretty fantastic. For those of you wondering how the hell this could have happened, my parents claimed that this is a mistake as they meant to list their other toyota as a stored vehicle, and somehow had my listed mine as storage. So since I wasn't actively insured, I am assuming our insurance company isn't gunna care that is was a mistake since it's been about 4 months since they made this change. So Im going to have to pay out of pocket, which oh well, could have been a much worse accident and learned the same way that I wasn't technically uninsured.

Since your parents have multiple vehicles under the same auto policy, explaining their mistake to their insurance company should result in underwriting making the correction. As long as your parents pay any differences in the premiums for the time you were driving the 4Runner, you should be covered (as longs as your parents are covered by a reputable insurance company).

The pictures you've posted are of the other driver's vehicle, correct? If so, you deductible has nothing to do with fixing the other person's car; your deductible applies to repairs to your vehicle (insured vehicle) under the collision coverage.

On a very new vehicle, bumper repairs tend to be a bit higher (no "like kind and quality" or aftermarket parts available). Also, there can be damage to plastic pieces behind the bumper cover, which will add to the repair bill. The bill from the dealer is in the "reasonable" range for repairs.

Feel free to private message me if you need more info -- I used to be an auto claim rep for a major insurance company.

 

[hanjohnbono]

Since your parents have multiple vehicles under the same auto policy, explaining their mistake to their insurance company should result in underwriting making the correction. As long as your parents pay any differences in the premiums for the time you were driving the 4Runner, you should be covered (as longs as your parents are covered by a reputable insurance company).

The pictures you've posted are of the other driver's vehicle, correct? If so, you deductible has nothing to do with fixing the other person's car; your deductible applies to repairs to your vehicle (insured vehicle) under the collision coverage.

On a very new vehicle, bumper repairs tend to be a bit higher (no "like kind and quality" or aftermarket parts available). Also, there can be damage to plastic pieces behind the bumper cover, which will add to the repair bill. The bill from the dealer is in the "reasonable" range for repairs.

Feel free to private message me if you need more info -- I used to be an auto claim rep for a major insurance company.

Thanks for the explanation. With a lot of these other responses from different members, I began realizing that it's normal for a bumper repaint to cost this much. If anything, I viewed it as a $900 warning about not being technically insured. Our insurance company got back to use about the car being technically an insured stored car, and they said that they will not help if we decided to file a claim, but now the car is insured which is the good thing. It was a $900 mistake on my part, and I am a man of my word, and I promised the lady I would pay to fix her car, if anything it was a $900 warning to insure my car, because if it happened to be an accident with injuries or my car being totaled, I would probably be at a massive loss and potential lawsuit, and for $900 Im glad I can avoid that now. Again thank you everyone for your responses and such, they helped me out a lot

 

[wcjeep]

$1k repair on a new Pilot seems reasonable. Especially for the dealer quote. Paying cash also helps the Pilot owner. Otherwise she gets a Carfax ding for an accident. This could lower her vehicle value for sale or trade in. At a minimum she would have to explain the accident in the future.

 

[Woz1976-MT]

Our insurance company got back to use about the car being technically an insured stored car, and they said that they will not help if we decided to file a claim

Wow, that's pretty sh*tty of your insurance company -- I'm curious to know who you get auto insurance from now?

If you do make a payment directly to her, make sure you get a signed release from her in exchange for the payment. Otherwise, every little thing that she finds wrong (over the next year after the payment) she can potentially file suit against you. Do a Google search for property damage release forms and see what you can find.

 

[reelamin]

Late to the show and you probably have taken care of it. Give her a money order for the amount and obtain a written acceptance from her and move on. Cost you way more in the long run to run that through your insurance.

 

[Hepar]

It was a $900 mistake on my part, and I am a man of my word, and I promised the lady I would pay to fix her car

Good on you for that. I was hit by someone in basically the same way. Agreed to take care of it without involving the authorities. After the fact, they claimed I ran into them. Without any proof it was a he said she said situation and we both ended up dealing with our own damage. So, now no matter how small the damage I will always call the police and demand they file a report.

 

[hanjohnbono]

Wow, that's pretty sh*tty of your insurance company -- I'm curious to know who you get auto insurance from now?

We have our insurance through Geico. And I have an update, I was pulled over on Tuesday for not being insured in the Arizona database that the police use. I didn't realize police officers could scan plates and pull people over, especially on the highway. Anyway I showed him that I had insurance, but according to their system I am not insured. I have a court date now in a county 200 miles away since I was driving back from home. Which sucks, have had a bad string of luck lately, but on the bright side I managed to sell my Tacoma which will help with paying the damage on the Pilot. Really hope I can appeal this court date as having the schedule of a student and having to drive 200 miles away sucks, hope this string of bad luck ends soon. Realizing how shitty sometimes becoming an adult can be, but I try to remind myself of the positives such as my friends, education, and health. Thanks again everyone for the advice, and I am going to make sure I make the lady sign a form saying that this issue is done when she takes her car for repairs.

 

[Woz1976-MT]

I was pulled over on Tuesday for not being insured in the Arizona database that the police use. I didn't realize police officers could scan plates and pull people over, especially on the highway.

Yep, we can manually radio/check the MDC for each plate we see, or if this was in the Phoenix metro area it was most likely a LPR (license plate reader) mounted on the squad.

Make sure you get to your agent's office or call Geico to get verification of liability insurance. It should show the dates the insurance was in effect. Show that to the city or county prosecutor, and they'll most likely dismiss the case -- you might not even need to go (but it's no guarantee). Just make sure you keep copies of all paperwork and letters that you receive from everybody; I have seen many cases where the driver was insured, had a valid license, etc., and the MVD screws-up their computer entry.

 

[SwayzeExpress]

Late to the show and you probably have taken care of it. Give her a money order for the amount and obtain a written acceptance from her and move on. Cost you way more in the long run to run that through your insurance.

This right here just eat it and make sure its is clear on the payment and copy for you that you two are settled up in full.

...then change your phone number

 

[hanjohnbono]

Yep, we can manually radio/check the MDC for each plate we see, or if this was in the Phoenix metro area it was most likely a LPR (license plate reader) mounted on the squad.

Make sure you get to your agent's office or call Geico to get verification of liability insurance. It should show the dates the insurance was in effect. Show that to the city or county prosecutor, and they'll most likely dismiss the case -- you might not even need to go (but it's no guarantee). Just make sure you keep copies of all paperwork and letters that you receive from everybody; I have seen many cases where the driver was insured, had a valid license, etc., and the MVD screws-up their computer entry.

Thanks for the insight Steve, I called my insurance company today, and I got a PDF of when my insurance was in effect, when I called the court they also requested my driving record, so I'll go to my local MVD, and request that. They said if I emailed them those two documents, then my case should be dismissed but not guaranteed as you said. Didn't realize the police have automatic license plate readers, but ya learn something new everyday.