Damaged Rear Bumper

[C Mclean]

Had the rear bumper damaged by an old fart who didn't even realise he hit the car. Luckily my son was sat in the car at the time and was kind of suspicious as the other driver was very evasive about his details, the police were called. Turns out his car didn't have an MOT. Anyway, got all his details and more importantly, a police reference number. Went to the local Lexus dealers and got an estimate for the damaged paintwork, £657, realistically there is a chance that it may polish out or a smart repair may do the biz, but Lexus are removing repainting and refitting the bumper. You can just see the feint scuff below the reversing sensor.  Contacted the Op's insurance and they have checked out the damage and agreed to pay for the repairs, no quibbling or arguing, in fact the assesors view was that the car was undamaged before the accident so I'm entitled to have it put back as new, can't complain at that. Now the next thing is, do I report this to my ow insurance ??, or do I not bother as the case is basically closed...

[DJP]

Glad it's being sorted without too much trouble. My understanding is that it should be reported to your Insurer, certainly at renewal and possibly before, I would check your policy carefully.

Normally at renewal you have to declare any 'accidents, incidents etc etc even if not at fault and even if a claim wasn't made'. The 'incidence' is something that is taken into account when calculating the renewal premium. It's also possible that the 3rd party Insurer will log the claim and your reg number will be in the database.

I'm sure there are thousands of incidents that don't get reported but seeing as you've asked the question.....

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rayaans]

Only report it if you've used an insurance company for repairs. So yes in your case you will have to inform your insurance company.

Personally I would have got all details, tried polishing it and if it came out just left it, otherwise claimed. Only reason being is that your insurance will go up so I'd avoid claiming at all costs!

[200h]

personally i wouldn't of bothered getting an insurance company involved and just had the 3rd party to pay for the repair

as your insurance will go up for the next 5 years,looking at the damaged area i feel they are rub marks more than enything

and will be removed using a paint restorer and some poilsh.

info purposes only

work called out a body repair company called AutoRestore they're part of the AutoGlass group

they done an absolutely fantastic job removing a big dent and repainting a quarter panel

their number is 0800 288 9145 or www.autorestore.co.uk.

[Martin F]

I've had good work and bad work done by Autorestore on company cars I've owned. It all comes down to how good the individual technician is, like a lot of those services.

IMO they're fine on a company car or daily runabout but I'd never let them loose on my pride and joy.

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, 200h said:

personally i wouldn't of bothered getting an insurance company involved and just had the 3rd party to pay for the repair

as your insurance will go up for the next 5 years,looking at the damaged area i feel they are rub marks more than enything

and will be removed using a paint restorer and some poilsh.

info purposes only

work called out a body repair company called AutoRestore they're part of the AutoGlass group

they done an absolutely fantastic job removing a big dent and repainting a quarter panel

their number is 0800 288 9145 or www.autorestore.co.uk.

The only issue with that is if you get it paid for, damage the bumper by your own means accidently and then claim on the guy who hit you

It's happened before and I'd say best to go with insurance company to try and reduce fraud instead of getting them to pay up. 

[Deadloak]

Unfortunately, as DJP (David) says. Now you are in the system, not notifying the insurance could come back to bite you.

As the LPSO (Lloyds policy Signing Office), database will be updated.

David

[C Mclean]

Nice sunny Sunday so it's out with the hose and all the other gubbins, gave the back bumper a good polish and bingo, marks 95% gone. The only thing left is a very small light scratch in the lacquer about 20mm in length that you can barely see. I don't think I'll bother with the claim and repair as it'll take 3-4 days to do, plus I can't have it done for another 3 months. By that time I'll be looking at an NX with any luck.

[andywin]

If either party has spoken to their insurance it'll probably be logged as an accident already. Regardless of whether you claim or not it may possibly affect insurance. I've experienced this a couple of times over the years. Last one was a pressure washer stolen from the back of a 4x4, it was knackered anyway so wasn't too fussed. I rang to see if I was covered for contents, they said no so it was left at that, next renewal it came up as a higher risk due to the incident on file. Anything that happens means you are a higher risk regardless of any claim. When you think about it, the old fart could potentially run into you again )-; About as likely as winning the lottery but yet another lame excuse to put your policy up.