Someone mildly rear-ends your Tacoma, do you pursue payment?

Nooooo!!! Agh, our hitch took the most of the force as well. How was yours fixed? Frame damage goes on the record and can impact the value of the vehicle, can't it? (100% question, -10% statement).

 

They had to remove the hitch and beat the frame back into shape. The frame rails had "spread" - the force of the impact pushed the frame down. Didn't notice at first, had to crawl under the truck to see what happened. It's worth looking at. It appeared so minor the cop asked if I was even going to file an insurance claim. Sure glad I did!

Mike

 

It doesn't look too bad right now, but any little dent is going to be the first spot the bumper starts rusting. And it sounds like these chrome bumpers rust up easy anyways.

 

I wouldn't worry about rust. I don't see the chrome scraped off (unless I missed it in the pic). Same thing happened to me and it never rusted. I was thinking to let it go, I would and I did but when I saw he didn't have a license, I would get it fixed. Teach them a lesson. He doesn't have a license for a reason (assuming DUI as that's why most around here don't) and probably shouldn't be driving.

 

Wow. I'm surprised she didn't beg you not to call insurance, and offer you a good cash settlement. Could wind up bad for her and her son if that detail gets found out. At least she's being decent about it.

 

I would not tell her insurance company anything other than the truth. If you do, you have made her problem yours by lying to them. Unlikely, but you could get in trouble for insurance fraud.

I would tell her to report it to her insurance company herself. She can tell them anything she wants as long as she accepts fault. Tell her that you won't say anything about the driver unless they ask.

BTW-I would absolutely have them take care of it. I have let some of these things go in the past, but your truck is almost new and I have no sympathy when the kid doesn't have a license or insurance and is still driving like an idiot.

 

When I first started driving I did something very similar to this to a friends neighbors car. I put a nice tear in the guys bumper with my grille guard. he was kind of in the same boat as you in the sense that he didnt want to charge me for it but didnt want a messed up bumper. I ended up finding him a new bumper though a friend of a friend for dirt cheap(<$65 and the bumper was at my doorstep) and put it on for him. If you want to PM me your trucks info I can check with my buddy and see if hes got anything and you can just have the other guy reimburse you.

 

This is the "dipshit" situation I've been waiting for... wish it would've happened to me. I have been rear ended 4 times in my truck (1 was a car I was towing and I stopped too short, 3 were all high school friends that I didn't wanna stick anything on) I also jackknifed my trailer into my bumper which led to the most damage and was the only really self inflicted one. I've been waiting for someone that really deserves to have a big insurance claim to hit me and buy me a new bumper. This kid was texting without a license or insurance... Personally I think I'd peg all the damage on him (cause as soon as there's a dent in the bumper it's automatically new bumper time, not like it's costing the ins companies any more). My $.02

 

I can think of 2 times when I was bumped and "let it go" they were so-so cars. BUT if you bumped my Truck or my M/C I would be pissed.

 

You made me laugh so loud! The thing really did look like a moving death trap. Hahahahahaha. Oh, good one....

 

Cash settlement out of insurance.

Call it a day. Leave the bumper on there.

 

Well maybe she doesn't have the cash. I would make them fix it one way or another. But after it was fixed is work a deal where I got to tazer the kid LOL

 

I agree with telling her insurance nothing but the truth. No sense getting yourself in trouble for the tangled web of lies. I would also file a Police Report especially if this M'Fer was driving unlicensed and uninsured. What if it were a kid in the street and not your rear bumper he hit. Sorry but I have zero tolerance for trash bags like that!

 

Get it fixed on their dime...... no second thoughts.

 

Hi Angie...doesn't that just frost your oats when someone says "It's just a truck"...I was told that and I went off on them...I would get 2 estimates and contact the kid and his parents and talk to them about the repair...It's your truck and why should you have damage(even though from the pic it's minor) when it wasn't your fault...Good Luck...Ken

 

shit that is hardly even noticeable from the pic, no one is ever gonna notice it from a distance, i say just leave it at that.

 

File a claim immediately. Who gives a shit about their sob story. That asshole is an unlicensed, uninsured driver. Fuck him right in the neck! I hate assholes like that......

 

If her insurance doesn't cover him. And she doesn't settle for cash ur prob gunna have to sue them cause her insurnce is gunna say get lost.

 

I see it as u having 2 options and for that young kid to learn a lesson to be more careful whether it was difficult to see that evening or not. 1st...ask the kid or mom to replace the bumper as well as the piece that was ruined and license plate. (u will have to pay to get a new plate). That way no one is reported to insurance and u do the mom and kid a favor because their rates will not go up. 2nd. option. If they refuse, report it and mom and kid will learn a valuable lesson in knowing when someone is trying to help u out even tho it was their fault. I sent ur pic to my nephew (general manger body shop for a buick dealer) and he said it would cost more to attempt to repair bumper (labor) than replace it. And those step pads are not cheap. He also has heard stories like yours and eventually the client regrets not doing anything about it when the damage (however slight) starts to bug u. U sound like a decent guy, but that bumper no matter how minimal the damage should be replaced, whether u ding it or not in the future. U have to deal in the present.

 

I was sitting in my truck in a 7-11 parking lot and all of the sudden I felt the rear of my truck lift up. I got out and walked around back and there was the nose of a car under it. The driver stumbled out obviously drunk. He didn't speak much English but was waving two one hundred dollar bills around saying sorry. Turns out he didn't have a licence, no registration, no insurance and had stolen plates. I pulled his car away from under mine and only had a little damage to the bumper and I was really the only one who could see it because of where it was. His car looked worse (my hitch got him good). I didn't take the money. Someone called the cops and of course he went to jail. That was my first Gen tacoma that I no longer have. I did a lot more damage to it when I ran it into a dump truck...