Ok it's nothing like fms thank God ,but I'm sitting at a light and bam it sounded bad I get out and the woman in the toyota FJ says oh I didnt hit you did I , then she says I thought the light changed, I said What were you going to do drive over me? She wants to keep insurance out of it which is probably ok with me .It's just the bumper . All I can see is scratches not deep just paint but black showing .Can Laser Blue be touched up or would the whole bumper need to be painted? Can there be internal damage to the bumper I cant see? Should I take it to dealer or collision specialist? Thanks for your help!

 

A similar thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My Mini was in having some accessories fitted and I had a BMW 328i as a loaner. Someone drove into the back of me at a stop light. The bumper only had a few scratches with black showing through, (the car was white). The cost to get just the bumper repainted was $800. There's no way you can use touch-up paint and make it look right. If I were you I'd get a body shop to do a quote. After all it wasn't your fault and the other drivers insurance should pay to make your car good as new.

 

If you've ever considered a JCW rear bumper upgrade, now might be the time!

 

The entire bumper should be painted but it sounds like no other damage was done. Best thing is for your MINI to be inspected at a body shop. I tend to go through insurance at all times, especially if the other party was at fault simply because people are so weird sometimes and I don't feel like negotiating with them, or bickering with them, or putting up with less-than-decent repairs.

 

NEVER EVER "keep the insurance company out of it"! You will get the smelly end of the stick every time!

 

very true. go through insurance always. you could of hit your crumple zones in the rear or bent the rebar. it's not always everything you can see that is broken.

please take my advice.

-dan

 

Agreed. And what a stench it is...

 

My condolences. I think I would have called the cops anyway. At that point, her insurance carries more trust than she does.
Fingers crossed for a good resolution.

 

So sorry to hear about the damage. At least no one was hurt and it sounds like the MINI is not in really bad condition. I would follow the above posters' advise and go through her insurance. It'd be best for peace of mind; plus, you know how cheap/weird people can get about repairs and I'm sure you will want nothing less than the best out there for your baby.

Here's to a soon recovery!!!

 

Quoted for truth.

 

I'm going to have to go ahead and totally disagree with you on this. I am 2 for 2 on this front. The last time around, I was lightly rear-ended in my first Mini by someone who was totally paranoid about insurance. I got a few estimates, one of which was absurdly high at $1200. She paid it glady in cash. I found a perfect bumper on ebay for $150 and installed it myself. If that is the smelly end of the stick, then... well... it smells pretty d@mn good!

 

Unless you're a body shop person, never assume that you're going to have minimal damage - especially when you got smacked by an FJ. Always always always go through insurance.

 

As an insurance professional, I would say it's better to go through the insurance company 98 percent of the time if you're the negligent party. If the other driver was negligent, I'll increase that to 99.99 percent of the time. And if there's even a remote possibility of hidden damage, make it 100 percent.

Dealing with an individual instead of a corporation, you're taking a risk.

So... you gotta ask yourself one question: Do you feel lucky ? Well, do ya, punk ? (Dirty Harry quote provided for your entertainment only, not intended to imply anyone on NAM is a punk)

 

+3... People will take ANY opportunity they can get to hose you in an at fault collision. Always call the cops (no matter how minor) and always get insurance involved.

 

Im going to have to ditto almost everyone else too. Very recently my hubby was backed into by a parent at my son's school. She was very apologetic, etc, etc and gave him her info. He went and got 3 estimates and opted to go with the lowest one and also worked out a payment plan since she was a single mom. She stopped answering and returning calls. After I cornered her in the parking lot and threatened to call the police she finally called and reported the accident to her insurance. Her adjuster said that if she hadnt admitted to the whole thing, without a police report it would have been her word against his. We got lucky, unfortunately you just cant trust majority of people anymore.

 

"I love man, it's mankind I hate"

I don't trust anyone thats an anyone.
As already stated, use the Insurance company!!!

 

One other thing. The reason she wants to avoid insurance is so her premiums don't go up. however, if you go through insurance, she will now have a monthly reminder that she needs to pay more attention. your fellow drivers will thank you

 

I couldn't agree more

 

I'm a little curious about one thing some of you had said. When you say call the police, do they come out and inspect or just take a phone report. The reason I ask is here in the Bay Area the police won't respond unless there's an injury or the car(s) are holding up traffic on a major road or highway. We've always filed a police report, which is required if over $500, but they've only responded once to an accident of my wife's.

 

I review probably 10 police reports a day. It all depends on the jurisdiction and the dept's policies. Some make very detailed reports and attempt to assign fault. Other's won't even come to the scene unless there are injuries, as in your area.

Still, always a good idea to get a PR if you're involved in an accident.

 

Interesting- I posted w/ the same thread title earlier this week. My experience w/ calling 911 here in Eugene, Oregon is that they wouldn't respond unless there was an injury or public property damage. In my accident, there were 3 cars involved, plenty of big monetary damage to the vehicles, the MINI was in the middle of the steet and wouldn't start (the impact no doubt tripped the immobilizer sensor in case of fuel spills), there was fluid, glass and plastic all over the road, and yet the 911 operator told me it was going to be strictly an insurance matter, which would make it the other driver's word against mine, plus vehicular damage evidence. I had to tell the operator that I wasn't sure there hadn't been an injury, since I had a headache and some back pain. Then we got the full-meal-deal, two squad cars, two fire engines, and a street sweeper. Even then, they didn't actually investigate the incident, and if the woman who plowed into me at 35+ mph tries to tell a different story, it could get interesting. So much for police reports! One of the cops pulled me aside from the others involved and told me that he'd be glad to be called if it got sticky, since he was quite convinced that I had been fully stopped when hit. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but it's still early days.

 

Not to jump off target here...
Nice to meet you FMS
I'm from Eugene as well. And yes the police around here rarely show up unless its something where they need to show up in "full force".

Ricard,
As for your situation, I would deal with the insurance company. The FJ driver was very negligant and she needs to be penalized for it somehow. Hopefully higher insurance for her...Plus you never can be too sure of other damanges done to your car, outside it may be the bumper but there are may other factors inside you can't see.

 

I got two estimates today one for $700 one for $500 I called and left a message on her answer machine ,If she doesnt call back and write a check I'll bring in the insurance company .Thanks for all your help and advice ! I'm driving with my lights on in the day now .

 

Call your insurance company. I got rear ended about a month ago, a little harder than you, she shoved me 10 feet into an SUV ahead of me. My MINI is fixed now to the tune of about $2300.00. My insurance paid the bill except for the deductable which I should get back when my insurance gets reimbursed from her insurance. My insurance cut the check within days, allowing the repair to begin. Let your insurance company collect from the person that hit you.