Thanks for this community I can find a good to place to ask my question. I’m in Texas and I leased a new CX5 in January, and got into an accident yesterday. Me and other guy were both merging into the same lane and he was faster and we collided. My headlamp was scratched, and front bumper(around the fender area) was scratched and deformed a little. His left two doors are scratched. I don’t have any personal info/insurance about the other driver, he refused to provide anything and says I’m at fault(Idk if he has an insurance/DL, bc his car has multiple other scratches he didn’t repair). We agreed on fixing our own cars and then he left the scene.
I know the crash parts on the cars don’t look favorable to me and I might be at fault, or 50/50, so I’m thinking if I really should go with my insurance company(state farm, collision deductible $500), especially in this case where my insurance started <1mo ago, and I’m 24 yrs old. I’m afraid the premium would soar a lot over the next 3 yrs if I file a claim.
I have quoted a body shop for all-OEM parts repair, the parts costs 1.5k(a lot of replacing instead of repairing, however the damage isn’t that bad) and labor costs another 1.8k. I’m thinking if I should go to a cheaper shop and do aftermarket, or only mend the parts and do repaint with my out-of-pocket money. Since this is leased car, and contract says repairs need to be done with OEM parts. Will I get in trouble if I only repair&repaint, assuming it would look nice? Or should I even drive the car like this and not fix it before I return it to dealership(in case there’s another crash)? The best way I can think of is file a claim without finding out who’s at fault (honestly idk how to get in contact with that driver, do idk how insurance can determine who’s at fault), and just pay deductible, get the car fixed with certified/OEM supported shops. Will this be possible?
This is when you call the police for a police report
I would take whatever price estimate the body shop gave you and expect it to double by the time they remove panels and deal with any underlying damage.
You just got this car in January, no need to drive it beat or with a sub-standard repair for 3 years, especially when you are likely married to it now for the duration.
In some cases, they get a better labor rate than cash.
And as Matt mentioned, it looks minor until parts start coming off.
You get what you pay for on auto repairs. If you go the “cheap” route, it may cost you in the end. If the repair doesn’t turn out as well as you assume you have no recourse. The shop can say, “you wanted a cheap repair, and here it is.”
It’s just a headlight and the bumper? Those repair costs seem extremely high. I’ve repaired/ replaced more bumpers than I’d like to admit and it’s always like 800-1200 total.
Depending on how bad the damage is and how handy you are you may be able to make the repair yourself.
And yes- your lease contract might state that repairs have to be OEM and professional. But how many of us are modifying our Jeeps ourselves? To me, changing a headlight assembly is no different than changing a headlight bulb. If it’s merely cosmetic damages it could be easy to do yourself.
So interestingly I was in same situation when I got into a small crash. My car had front bumper cracked and needed new bumper. One of the repair shops I went to that had relations with insurance quoted me 2400$ for parts and labor.
I decided to look around, went to a couple of shops, told them that a friend recommended me and asked for a friends or loyal customer discount. In the end, found a shop to do the repair for 1400$, all parts from the manufacture and everything.
Main difference I noticed was labor cost. 1st repair shop charging 120 per hour vs 60$ per. Another difference was adding bunch of diagnostics like reset computer and blah blah. Ohh and adding charges to park the car there while they get parts.
So look around, reach out to your friend and see if they got any repairs done recently. And lastly, dont be afraid to drive the distance for repair. Much cheaper rates in different towns compared to city.
Check with your agent if you have accident forgiveness (should be standard on your policy if you have had it for awhile). NOTE- this is a call to your agents office not filing a claim.
If you do I would probably turn it in. If you do not I would pay out of pocket and get some more bids. Rates of a 24 yo are already high, but a 24 yo with an accident will probably double what you are currently paying.
You can also get quotes saying you are turning it in to SF. This will get you the insurance rate (usually a lot lower than someone off of the street). If the bids are lower, try to use that to negotiate with the shop on a cash rate.
Also know that most repairs are not done with OEM parts unless the policy has the additional coverage. Aftermarket parts are industry standard and should save you some $$. You are leasing the car and as long as the lender accepts the return with aftermarket parts (they will) you are fine. No need to sink a fortune into this.
Also on a last note if you are ok with driving around with the damage it is often way less to turn the car back in with damage that to fix it. You could probably even find the cost of each damaged panel for a lease turn in if you look around online.
Looks like new headlamp assembly, repair/replace front fender, wheel opening molding needs replacing. Are those chips on the hood as well? There were some white marks where the fender and hood meet. Couldn’t tell if it’s chipped paint. The diagnostics could have something to do with parking sensors. Sometimes when you disconnect them you have to go back into the computer of the car and reprogram. My dad was in the paint and body business for over 40 years and recently retired. I worked with him some as well estimating and ordering parts. Just the headlight could be over $1000 bucks on a modern car. Do you have the estimate to upload as well?
Everything looked legit on the estimate. As someone else has said, once the bumper comes off there could be more plastic pieces, absorbers, shutters that could be damaged as well. The estimate is only what they can visually see at this time. That’s how most insurance companies will want the estimate. I see they had paint blend time onto the door and hood as well. That’s to help insure a good color match.
Basic consumer insurance products are for when you can’t afford to pay. Police report notwithstanding, if OP is at-fault or no-fault determined, he will pay the 1.5K in premium increases, probably more. He will also face harder renewals, and be limited in ability to shop around as he pleases.
