Minor rear ended claim adjuster advice

I was rear ended today in So. Cal on the freeway. Pretty minor for me but not so much for the other guy. My preference would be dealer to repair. And I believe my insurance will cover that. Looking for any advice when I start working with the claims adjuster, etc.

Thanks for looking !

 

Dealers don't typically have body shops, but they refer them.

Pick a body shop based on reputation, typically the chains don't have great reputations and will rush it through.

Make sure they don't re-use that BSM sensor module that's hanging and that it gets replaced.

I wish you speedy and quality repairs!

 

Sorry that happened to you. You can pick your own shop to do the repairs in CA. The claims adjuster will look it over and print you out a check then you can take it to your shop if preference. If the repairs exceed the first amount then the shop will report it yo your insurance and it will get covered. Go with the shop with the best reputation. Dealers usually use shops that are the lowest price and you never get to talk to them directly. Yes, all from experience… a garbage truck drove over my Highlander. It’s a truck for sure but it’s worth putting the work in to get it fixed right.

 

There is a complete bumper for sale in the buy/sell forum. Its located in SoCA. Hes asking $200

 

i would trust a dealer referred body shop compared to a random. I actually talked to my dealer about which body shop they prefer incase of an accident. They naturally have an interest in buying back your vehicle and being repaired correctly would be advantageous for you and them.

 

I wouldn't consider that minor. Frame could be bent. You maybe surprised at how much, underlying damage there may be.

 

$4k+ repair

 

I was hit like that as well this last winter.
Make sure the shop uses OEM parts.
If you ever wanted a steel bumper now is the time to get it because insurance will buy it (most of it) for you. The OEM rear bumper is around a $1000 without sensors.

 

Ummm, start with calling your agent?

 

Ask your potential shops not if, but how and when they perform the pre-scan, calibration of all of the sensors, and post-scans.

Those BSMs will need to be properly calibrated. Unless you don't care. Then just don't care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw7Z1Lt3HCg

 

umm lame comment and not Friday - try to do better next time when you attempt to contribute something useful at TW


Thanks fellas for all the good advice here! Checking with dealer who they use, sensor check, frame check, using oem parts, etc.

I hate the idea of any body filler - wondering if I can just get the tail gate replaced - am I dreaming?

 

Tailgate is repairable

 

Just FYI - a lot of insurance companies these days will specifically state in your policy LKQ (Like Kind and Quality) and potentially used parts. So if you choose an "approved", "in-network", or whatever your insurance company wants to call it body shop, they have pre-negotiated all of this like our healthcare system to provide you the quickest, cheapest used replacements where possible.

Unless you have good insurance and/or an OEM add-on to your policy, then good on you.

 

Why would your insurance cover that? You were rear ended. That is usually the other driver's fault unless you pulled out in front of them. You shouldn't even call your insurance company. I wouldn't take it to the dealer unless you know the quality of work they do. Toyota doesn't have body shops. The dealer may have one, but it isn't Toyota.

Depending on the age and mileage, the insurance company may only pay for aftermarket or used parts. That is a fight you can't win. Many body shops have ways around that. Best suggestion is to find a reputable body shop that does great work.

 

https://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/collision-center

Yes, they aren't Toyota owned (just like dealerships aren't) but they have requirements from corporate to be able to claim they are a Toyota certified collision center, just like dealerships have to maintain standards for sales and service.

 

most or all bodyshops use bondo if they can, and trust me you wont tell the difference until few years later

 

Oh, okay, so don't call your agent. I know no one here is EVER a smart-ass and no one here has thin skin except maybe you. Or maybe I should wait until Friday to reply. My apologies.

 

GREAT info !

 

again wasting your time and everyone else’s time - try one more time to be useful… you may get it if your try hard enough.

 

So question for you and @Sungod:
I get that you are bound by whatever terms your insurance policy has since you agreed to it. But that applies where you are at fault and go through your insurance. In the OP’s case, it seems like he wasn’t at fault so the other driver’s insurance will need to cover the repairs. There’s no prior contract between OP and the other guy’s insurance. So they can’t just force a shitty Capa bumper or some other crap Chinesium on him, right? Or would this be a case where OP would have to consider the other driver underinsured (if they only allow repairs with aftermarket or used even on other drivers’ vehicles) and go after them individually to get a quality repair? Think like you wreck someone’s Lambo but ride around with bare legal minimum coverage…
I know body shops can play some tricks for OEM but that’s not what I’m asking about.