I just got a call from my condo association
My car crashed to the parking lot wall....because my car was neutral. I forgot to pull handbrake ( I am so stupid..)
it moved back and crashed by it shelf
Rear bumper is ok but rear left panel has got damage
Maybe body shop would ask me over $500
I also find a seller 2007 mini cooper left panel for $370(after including shipping and install fee, $600)
I think cooper and cooper S are using same part for the panel
Which one is better?????
I have never used body shop..I ve no idea

 

I would swap the panel before having it fixed/painted.

Body shops always have a hard time matching the paint perfectly.

 

Was the wall or other property damaged? If so I would look at filing an insurance claim and biting the deductible bullet.

 

Good advice.

If the owner of the building pursues you for damages, let your auto insurance handle it. And if they're going to pay out of your Liability coverage, may as well use your Collision coverage to take care of your MINI too.

If you're worried about a rate increase, unless the building dmg is VERY minor, you presenting your car for repairs is not going to matter a bit.

 

The only problem with an insurance claim is it records the repair on the vin# so the next time you sell your car and the buyer gets a carfax report, it shows that its been repaired and that does effect the value of the car.

Insurance claim may cost you more than just the deductible in the long run.

 

Doesn't sound like it's a lot of damage on his car, may well not even get reported to Carfax. Also, if you trade the car in or sell it to Carmax or one of those places, they won't need to see a carfax report to know it was in an accident. They'll use a device to measure the depth of the paint and any microscopic difference is detectable.

Just keep your paperwork from the repairs and show them it was minor damage on the driver side qtr panel... not a big deal at all.

 

the wall is ok. there is no damage
I went to body shop. They want to get $430 to fix it
I check the quarter panel but..I think it is not easy to replace panel
Hard to remove and re-install it...
I havent yet decided

 

Even if I fix it at a body shop, the history will be reported to Carfax?

 

No... given the amount of your estimate, it wouldn't get reported whether you file a claim or not.

I don't know what your Collision deductible is but even if there was no deductible, I would not file a claim for such a small amount. I'd go ahead and pay that out-of-pocket.