Body damage and insurance company fix

So my gf was backed into in a grocery store parking lot. The driver of the other vehicle was in a Jeep with the spare tire on the rear of the vehicle so the Jeep (heap) suffered no damage. Our vehicle on the other hand suffered minor body damage on the driver side rear bed panel and a broken tail light assembly. The accident was 100% the other driver's fault. Her insurance company (major national chain) has a claims shop and contracts with a body shop(s).

The body shop is proposing to replace the tail light assembly, remove the dent to the greatest extent possible and then use body filler/bondo to repair the rest. This doesn't make me happy. There will be a lifetime warranty on the work but I'd prefer to have a new panel put in, instead of the bondo fix.

Am I being unrealistic or too needy?

Before we were hit, we had a truck of metal, as it came from the factory. After we were hit, we'll now have a truck with bondo. I was told that if I want a new panel I'd have to pay for it myself-not gonna happen. The agent quoted me that the bondo repair cost will be about 4 hours of repair time at $184. He quoted me $666 for a new panel and at least $942 in labor-a significant difference.

I realize that I'm basically at the mercy of the insurance overlords here but this just stings a little. We just got this truck this spring and it's by far the nicest vehicle I've ever owned. I realize also that I'm probably just being a little whiny about this but I need to vent. What could something like this do to resale value? When I asked the agent about that he said that if the topic came up when I sell the truck to call an agent at that time to discuss options. I asked him what the options could be and he didn't have a good answer.

At the end of it all I asked the adjuster about potentially fixing a small dent in the tailgate that was there from before the accident. He starts rubbing his hand all over it and in turn rubbing all of the road spray salt and dirt into the paint. I kinda freaked out and told him not to rub dirt into my paint because he'll create small scratches! I guess I'm a diva.

 

You should have option to take it other shops for competing estimates. What does your insurance company say?

 

The other driver and us share the same insurance company. My gf thought it would be easiest to just take it to their collision center. We were given the option to find a body shop of our choice. Ugh. I hate this kind of stuff.

 

I have some pics on my phone @scottalot but I'm too idiotic to figure out how to put them here. The damage is not terrible-need new taillight assembly and the dent is in about 1/2"-3/4" at the deepest and it removed some paint. The entire affected area is about the size of a 3 ring binder.

 

Who’s truck is this? Yours or your girlfriends’?

Fight for what you can get but I doubt you will get it. Doesn’t hurt to try.

Go to a reputable shop, not just anywhere.

 

What insurance company?

 

@PackCon it's our truck. She's really my fiance so I've got to keep the peace. @stickyTaco Progressive. I just got off the phone with a good body shop and they told me that State Farm and then Progressive are both absolute sticklers about using the cheapest method to repair. If the truck is less than 3 years old, then they'll permit the use of factory parts. He also said that sometimes putting new panels on the beds can be asking for trouble since you're undoing factory welds. I think I'm stuck with what has been prescribed. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

Check the policy. I have State Farm and I pay extra to only use new, OEM parts.

 

^^ This ^^

 

I would throw a brick through the window @ progressive and tell them to bondo it.

 

I have State Farm and they required me to use all new OEM body parts, door skins, mirror, windows, antenna, etc. when I had a moose collision in June with my 2011. I saw all the boxes when I dropped my truck off..all with Toyota labels.

 

definitely go with the panel,done this like a month ago and didn't realize that out rear body(truck bed) is actually two rear panels(driver side, pass side, a tailgate and panel behind the cab! I thought I had to replace entire bed when my driver side rear panel was damaged, before I allowed work to be done on any of my vehicles I always look into to if I can do the work myself! anyways what I discovered was my repair was easy as finding a rear driver side panel in perfect cond for $200.00 paint didn't match which wasn't an issue because im doing other exterior things and a complete paint is something im already doing! so after I picked the panel up I prepped and put a couple coats of primer, I will say if color match was an issue I would of just looked for a panel with same color as mine! but a panel in new cond for $200.00 I immediately jumped on it. I guess what im saying is if ur Tacoma is like mine(2007 double cab) you will not a have problem finding a good used one! however if used is not what you want, u can purchase a brand new panel from dealer for like $600.00 ish! now installation is actually easy, plain and simple ur literally replacing a fender! wherever u got information that undoing welds is required is incorrect,im sorry probably better to say if u have a Tacoma dbl cab (2005-2015) like myself, no welds or welding. all bolt on!! and more importantly to you and most of us no bondo

 

You should definitely get a couple other quotes from quality body shops to make sure the proposed repair is in fact the correct fix. I would be hesitant to just go with a shop recommend by the at fault party’s insurance company. If the other quotes you receive are similiar in scope and price to the original quote then having it repaired at the insurance company’s shop might be a good option, if you trust the shop. If the quotes are very different in scope I would show those quotes to the insurance company. If they deny them, you can always take the at fault party to small claims court for the damages.

This is how I would proceed, but I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

 

If you use it off road, avoid the bondo repair.

 

Nice that the other driver stuck around and that no one got hurt.

 

I would not settle for anything less than all new OEM replacement parts and no bondo no matter the cost

 

Insist on NO Bondo and say NO to paying for the difference.
Always.

 

You can for sure take it to the shop of your choice. I’ve been in the auto body industry for 20 years. Hopefully you have a shop you’ve used before or have been recommended. If it was MY truck, as long as the damage isn’t that bad I’d want it repaired and not replaced. You don’t want your truck to have all those factory welds molested on your bedside if it’s not absolutely necessary. As long as it’s repaired by an experienced tech, it’s going to have minimal filler, and you’ll still have all of the factory welds and a lifetime warranty. Just my two pennies worth.

 

The bedside can be replaced without breaking any welds.

 

I forgot the 2nd gen and up have a composite floor and inner bedsides! Lol. There goes my 20 years of experience lol.