yodjent

i backed into a parked car this morning.. i know, i know "idiot".. i forgot to do a shoulder check on a very narrow street.

i f'd up my passenger fender, and scuffed my front bumper.

dealership estimate = $1650
insurance estimate= $1550
deductable = $500

Should I:
A. get the car fixed at dealership/bodyshop?
B. get a check cut from the insurance company, and have a friend completely fix/paint it? (trying to save a couple bucks)
C. get a check cut from insurance and buy a pair Carbon fiber fenders for $575, and not fix the front bumper? (save money by not getting anything painted/ i can install fenders)

I mainly need a new passenger fender, and mounting bracket. My front bumper is already toast from all the bugs i hit commuting everyday and it will get chewed up from the winters we have up in Wisconsin. I plan on keeping this car till it dies, so resale doesn't mean much to me at this point.

What would you guys do?

yodjent

one more thing: my car does have to look presentable (must at least fix fender). I use it for my DJ business, and my full time sales job.

draxcaliber

well, usually when i have an insurance claim, i have the claims adjustor do the estimate, then i take it to the body shop who i'll have do the work, and then i usually pay the body shop my deductible, i never get an insurance check from my provider, they pay the body shop for me.

that is usually how it goes, because the initial estimate is always low because once they actually tear the car down and see what was damaged underneath, the repair bill goes up.

MotoXXX

My insurance company gives me certified repair shops in my area, and if you use them they will warranty the work for the life of the car. Ask yours if they do the same. Get it fixed right and remember you get what you pay for.

ScionPhreak

^^^^What he said

I smacked a blown big rig tire in the dead of the night on the freeway doing about 75. Messed the front end, underside, and passenger fender up pretty well. Took it to my AAA certified body shop.

I did howevcer, not accept the car when they said it was ready. The hood to fender gaps were noticably off to me, some of the plastic clips in the fender liner were broke and not replaced. there was poop all up in my engine bay in the plastic cowl thing and all over the strut towers and engine cover, there was a paint run on the edge of one of the fenders and a few other things. Took two weeks in total and they charged my insurance close to 2300 bucks when it was said and done. I only paid 500 for the deductable and my insurance gave me no fault on the claim.