Insurace Claim Question?

So, somehow my neighbor managed to get in a little fender bender with my parked truck in our lot. Not too bad, he dented the bumper/knocked it outta line and blew out my left tail light, no damage to any actual metal on the tailgate or side panel and the only paint damage is on the bumper. I'm assuming they'll have to replace both the bumper and tail light. He's going to go through his insurance to cover the damage to both vehicles. So here's my question. Can I just get a quote from an auto body for the damage and have his company cut me a check, or do they pay directly to the auto body? I'm thinking I'd like to take this unfortunate instance and turn it into a possitive by replacing my stock bumper with a metal aftermarket bumper with said insurance money and replacing the tail light on my own. Is this possible? Anybody with expeirience in this relm please provide feedback. Thanks!

 

You can get it cut directly to you. I just went thru this process myself, they offered to cut me a check and go to the body shop of choice, but I just had Toyota fix it. Insurance Co. went direct with them so I didn't have to do shit but drop the truck off and get a rental.

 

This just happened to my father in laws FJ, he got backed into in a parking lot at work and went to local body shops gathering quotes for the insurance. Insurance cut him a check and he went out and bought himself a front bumper. I’ve also done this in the past with my 4Runner. When life gives you lemons

 

So you long as you're sure you won't need any more money, that may be a challenge, if you're doing the work yourself.
It's not uncommon for the first check to be a very conservative estimate, just enough to get the project started, and typically your body shop will call the adjuster to come out, and approve more funds needed.

 

In a similar situation here in PA, I had the other driver's insurance (Progressive) do the estimate. They offered me a check for their estimate, or told me if I took it to one of their approved repair locations, and there were plenty, they would just cover the entire repair, even if the repair site found additional damage when they removed the bumper. I took it to a local place I had used before and Not surprisingly, there was more damage. In my opinion, the offer to cut me a check was for a low-balled estimate. It would have been useful if I had decided to not bother fixing, or do an aftermarket bumper. But was significantly short of a legit repair with OEM parts.

 

Having been through this several times in several states with several different insurance companies (I swear I am a magnate for a fender bender), the process has always been the same. The insurance company will either send an adjuster or ask you to go to one of their authorized body shops. They will take a look at the damage and send you a check. I have found them to be fairly accurate, but there could be damage to clips or connectors they can't see. Even if you decide to do the work yourself and you take it apart and find more damage, you can still submit a supplemental claim. They will try to push you through one of their body shops for the repair because they beat those guys up on price. They don't necessarily do shoddy work, they just have a relationship with the shop.

As for the damage, you can find the parts online. Chances of needing a complete bumper based on your description are low because the bumper is made of several parts. There will be some paint needed because the replacement parts are not pre painted. The estimate prices will be wholesale prices not what you find if you walk up to your parts counter. Being new, they should quote new parts, but they could try to go with used or aftermarket. That varies by company.

It probably isn't a bad idea to get a body shop estimate just to compare. Just tell them that you did the damage yourself and you don't want to file a claim. Don't be surprised to be turned away. Many shops now will claim to only do insurance work.

Once you have the check in hand, you can do what you want. You are under no obligation to get it fixed and you can replace the bumper with anything you want. I have done exactly as you are thinking and used the money for other modifications.