2016 Tacoma got rear-ended…Repair Dilemma?

I was driving home from a weekend trip in Chicago on Labor Day weekend and got rear-ended on the highway in stop-and-go traffic. I was 50 miles outside of Indianapolis (already in traffic) so there was no police report. We exchanged insurance information, and I got a call Wednesday saying the other party was fully at fault so their insurance would pay for all the repairs. The damage to my Tacoma looks pretty minimal considering how much damage there was to the other car.

So my dilemma is this: If I continue fully with the insurance claim and repairs are made by a repair shop, they will be forced to report that my Tacoma was in an "accident". So if anyone ever pulls a Carfax in the future, this seemingly insignificant accident could be misconstrued as a severe accident or a dealership could use it as leverage to screw my resale value.

I just bought my Tacoma a little over a month ago and it has less than 2500 miles. So I’m still pretty pissed off about everything.

I talked the other party’s insurance yesterday (State Farm) and I was told I'd have to meet with a “State Farm Certified Adjuster” at a 3rd party body shop to assess the damage and get a quote on repairs. I can then take the cash value and live with the repairs to avoid a body shop reporting an accident. This quote will probably be a lot less then what a Toyota dealership would quote if they repaired everything with OEM parts. The usual process would be take this State Farm quote and go to whatever body shop to get everything repaired, in this case I’d go to the Toyota dealership and State Farm would pay the difference, however I’d be in the same boat and the dealership would probably confirm with the insurance company that they made the repairs – putting an "accident" on the truck’s record…

Currently I’d rather just take a cash payout to justify the price of a hardtop tonneau, or a TRD pro grille… Should I just take less money and live with the damage so I won’t have an "accident" on my truck’s record? Does anyone know if anything more severe could have been damaged?

Thanks!



TL;DR: Got rear-ended; Future resale will get fucked if truck has “accident” put in carfax from minor bumper repair

 

Dont report that, replace that piece. Its a 3 piece bumper, looks like you just need the left end piece. Or just have a shop repaint it. Doesnt look like much more than scratches in the pics.

Same thing happened to me in my gti. It was two weeks old and a minibus banged into me. My bumper was creased though and the left exhaust pipe was hanging lower than the right.

 

What state you in? I spent a year as a claims adjuster after I graduated from college (worst hell I have ever experienced). Here is how it works in CA:

1) Its your duty to report the accident to the DMV if the damage exceeds $750. Your insurance company mails you a SR-1 form, you fill it out, and mail it to the DMV. I am not sure why that responsibility would ever fall on a body shop. You might want to call a few and confirm.
2) Since your car is so new and you only have 2500 miles, you would get OEM parts no matter what.
3) Even if you get the estimate written in your front yard with the intent of cashing out, you can still negotiate the parts, prices, and labor.

If I was you, I would take the truck to a body shop of my choosing, then I would call State Farm and tell them the car is there. They will send an adjuster to write an estimate and pay the body shop directly. In CA, they are also required to get you a rental car while your repairs are being done. Ask about that. A bad adjuster may forget to mention it. State Farm adjusters are among the worst I have ever dealt with.

Good luck.

 

I would get a plate bumper....I really want one but don't want to pay for it

 

I would take it to a shop and get it covered, but then again I have a body shop guy I'm good friends with and trust to do an awesome job.

Plus, I plan on keeping my Taco for a looooong time so resale is 10+ years off for me, if all goes to plan. Also, FYI carfaxes do usually mention the severity- it would probably show up as "minor damage to rear" . "Major" is saved for when it gets disabled and needs to be towed from the scene.

It's up to you though.

 

Do we know that State Farm won't log the accident?

 

I have no idea how hard you were hit and the pictures are too small to see much, was it just a tiny bump or a pretty hard hit? You say the damage to the other car was pretty significant. The plastic in these trucks at the rear doesn't hold up very well under a significant hit.

I would definitely call my insurance and let them know what is going on. You are absolutely not obligated to use their insurance's recommendation for a body shop. They will try to send you wherever is cheapest for them. You are fully entitled to use whatever place you want the repairs to be done and have every right to request OEM parts be exclusively used. Unless you are 100% comfortable with assessing the damage yourself, do not accept a cash payout.

If you are concerned about private party resale down the road (which, by the way this is the exact reason I tell people resale doesn't mean anything because it can be completely out of your control. Imagine it was a huge accident but not enough to total it.), save all documentation and use it as proof of what happened during the accident. Dates, claims, pictures, etc. If I was a buyer and saw that it was fully documented, minor, and completely repaired it wouldn't phase me at all.

 

Good point. If i were a buyer and you were totally above board about it, like look here's the dates, pictures, etc. it would actually probably encourage me that you weren't trying to dick me over.

When you tell me it's "never been in an accident" and there's overspray all over the undercarriage, well then...

 

Hey everyone thanks for taking the time to respond! I'm pretty new to Tacoma World and this is my first truck

Thanks for the write up man. I'm in Ohio right now. I'm starting to see how difficult it is working with State Farm... I've called them three separate times now with three separate answers.

Hey sorry about the small pictures, I'll attach some higher res photos. I've been a long time lurker and It took an accident to get me to start posting.

The other car was an older Mazda3. The other guy slammed on his brakes pretty hard so I'm assuming he wasn't traveling too quickly at the point of impact. I thought it was pretty significant because his hood clearly folded under the force, also when he opened his hood it looked like several plastic components behind the bumper were pretty beat up.

I'll definitely keep all the documentation, I guess I was more worried with overall resale value. I know it shouldn't affect private party resale too much especially with records, I just wanted to keep my options open if I decided to trade it in at a dealership in the future. I know its a pretty big bargaining point for dealers to point out accidents regardless of its severity. "No accidents" just has a much better ring to it when it comes down to negotiations.

 

*Sigh* Its like other people know when cars are new....

 

Heck I wish my 2014 with 2600miles had only that. It was totaled. Took me almost two and a half months to get the new truck. And this one was rear ended again by a lady texting... Almost a year to the day the 14 was totaled.

 

Yeah this was one of the things I was adamant about on the phone. From the insurance side of the house it takes a reported claim and spent dollars to log it. A police report is another thing that would do it too.

As far as I know...

 

Get one of these. One of the best purchases I've ever made for my truck

http://superbumper.com

 

Sorry Brother, looks like you got a good replacement though

 

This advice is coming from an Auto Body Technician...

That damage is minuscule at best. Your bumper consists of multiple pieces. There is a plastic skin or bumper cover and a metal frame. It looks as though, from the pictures you posted, that only the plastic is damaged.

If you were to actually get it fixed at a reputable body shop, then it would most likely be reported to carfax. However, there is a huge difference in the report for your type of damage and, let's say, frame damage. It would be a minor blemish if anything on the report and would not change the value of your truck on any notable level.

You are always well within your right to get your vehicle appraised and repaired at any shop of your choosing. You could take your truck to a dealership and have them right up an appraisal for you and then you forward the apraisal sheet to the insurance company. They are required to pay what the apraisal says seeing as you were deemed "not-at-fault". You could then take that money and do whatever your heart desires with it. If you opt to take the check and run, then it won't get reported at all.

I have seen people do this every single day. If you can live with the damage then take the money. Me personally, I would be getting every minutely damaged part replaced with OEM parts and not have the damage...that's just me though. I love this truck too much to have in warranted damage on it

 

Ya it would still create damage not to mention all the force being applied directly to the hitch which isnt meant to bend like the bumper supports in an accident.

 

i would just take the Longhorn sticker off. Will increase value tremendously then..

 

I see an Air Force symbol on your profile. Why aren't you insured with USAA? Best company for banking and insurance.

 

I work currently at an insurance company I can answer any questions if you want to pm me