Hit and Run... Best approach to repair?

Good evening all,

My truck was hit in a parking lot last night on the front driver side wheel well, and the corner of the bumper.

I have coverage for hit and run, but I don't think it is worth using in this case. I cannot obtain security camera footage without a police report, and the police will not investigate/provide info if I have not filed it as a hit and run with my insurance company. They already jacked my premiums up 42% (???) this year.

I was obviously super pissed when I found this and am trying to figure out the best way to go about getting it fixed. I think if I rub it with a microfiber cloth it'll look 50% better immediately, but I'm not sure how bad the damage really is -- I don't know much about body work.

What would you guys do if this was your truck? What do you estimate the damage at? I really appreciate the help; this shit had me hot for 24 hours.

https://imageupload.io/B1ru2lf6bBvEZEj
https://imageupload.io/aIsyacsoHn9B5xh

 

I love this truck a lot

 

I paid out of pocket $1300 for a new OEM bumper cover to be replaced.

 

I normally would say get an off road/steel bumper. But most of them leave that portion of the bumper, so it wouldn't help.

Just have a body shop repair and paint the bumper cover. Replace that fender flare and be done with it. Just hope there is no or little hidden damage behind that bumper.

 

I'm sorry to hear about this man that sucks. I wish you luck with fixing it

 

Ask a detail shop, if they cant do it, use your deductible. if afraid to use deductible, buy a can of paint for a 100 and spray it

 

Your mileage may vary. My truck was hit in the parking lot at Stevens Pass in 2021. No security footage.

I filled out a police report online for a hit and run. The police didn't investigate, and said there wasn't anything they could do. Called my insurance, they said as long as I had a police report that it wouldn't impact my insurance premium. I have Safeco/Liberty Mutual.

Got it repaired and my rates didn't go up. $1500 in damage for a dent in the back.

Only one downside. After I got married this year, the wife and I were deciding which insurance to go on. Wife had Progressive. Progressive wanted to charge an extra $360 every six months if I was added, because I made a claim for a hit and run. I added her to mine instead.

Would be worth trying to buff that out with some polish and sealant. My last car had that same thing happened, and I removed all the paint the other car left. I used nufinish to remove the extra paint, and followed up with Meguiars m21 to seal it.

 

Thanks for your replies -- considering taking it through insurance now.

 

I just replaced my daughter’s front Scion bumper. I bought a new bumper and had a body shop paint it. Here is how to remove a Tacoma front bumper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP8XB4rUE50

As for the flares, maybe wrap all four.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8XwS1gQOrY

 

Use your insurance report as hit and run it won’t affect your rate since it’s not your fault .

 

Progressive is like that. I was just shopping insurance since my current company (Farm Bureau) jacked my renewal rate up 17% with no accidents or tickets. Progressive's quote was cheaper but when I went to buy the policy they added $365 to the quote because I had a comprehensive claim for glass 3 years ago (my wife's Prius had a windshield replaced with OEM glass). Farm Bureau didn't care when I bought the policy from them 18 months ago.

I've been hit while parked twice over the years and my premiums never went up because of it.

 

I would get a color match paint marker. Repaint and seal it. It’s a truck it doesn’t look bad with a few scratches and dents.

 

This is not true. A claim is a claim in the eyes of insurance companies and it can affect your rates even if it wasn't your fault. A lot depends on where you live as insurance laws vary from state to state. But then again, what the hell do I know.

Carry on!

 

I would add a caveat to say that if you are in an accident where the other driver is at fault and you go through their insurance company to make the repairs, your insurance company doesn't count it as a claim.

 

A good amount of that will rub off, but not all. The paint is gouged through to the plastic on the edge of the bumper. MOst of the white transfer is clear coat from the other vehicle, easy to remove. Up to you how much whatever is left bothers you after you remove the clear coat transfer.

 

I was thinking the same thing. OP might want to consider cleaning this up the best he can and then learn to love it. My "sometimes life sucks" file is full of stuff like this.

 

buff it, add some touchup paint to the area's it scuffed through, call it good.

it's a vehicle, the only way to prevent damage is to put it in a bubble and never drive it.

i had a self-inflicted version of this a number of years ago on my other car.
before:


after buffing:


honestly, the crease is what bothers me the most in mine, i'll eventually get it fixed, along with some other customization work i have planned for the car, as time/finances allow...

 

Same experience with Progressive. I switched to them exactly a year ago because GEICO was trying to raise my premium by 27%. A month before that I'd gotten rear ended. Two years before that I'd gotten rear ended another time -- always the same time of year this stuff happens. I finally settle on the Progressive quote (not much cheaper, much way more coverage including hit & run), go to checkout on the website, and it bumps the premium a non-insignificant amount due to what is found on LexusNexus. I call and dispute it because none are at-fault claims; they tell me it doesn't matter. I've had no tickets in 10+ years but I keep getting screwed by these not-at-fault claims.

Since signing my first policy with Progressive exactly a year ago, my rate has gone up from $650 to $924. I know these trucks are expensive to repair but DAMN. Fed saying YoY inflation is at 3.7%, meanwhile Progressive telling me they're accounting for inflation by jacking my rate more than 10x the "official" inflation number. /rant

Thanks, man. This is the type of stuff I don't have a lot of knowledge about.

I think this is the move. Part of why the whole thing is so infuriating is that this happened on the other side (much more minor) about three weeks ago while parked at my girlfriends apartment. This is a week after doing a once-a-year wax and clay bar. I told myself it looked tough, and got on with my day. Now this shit on the other side lol fml

 

We get a decent amount of hit and run claims at the shop I work at and most of our customers have said their premium was not affected being a hit and run. I spoke to our kemper adjuster and he said that most times when people’s premiums go up is when they cause and accident and they are deemed liable so being thier fault is when the insurance decides to bump up the premiums to make up for the double loss.