accident :( ... need recommendations/advice

so i got into an accident yesterday. I kissed the back of a GMC sierra 1500... right on his tow hitch area. no damage to his truck.. but mine has a busted lip!

pic only shows surface damage. there are some internal damage (metal bent, broken tabs, etc) finance/budget is not on my side... I have full coverage and i believe a $500 deductible.

What should i do??! please keep in mind that $$$ is not on my side, so no crazy aftermarker bumper armour etc...not only that, my truck is a not a 4x4 .... but thats beside the case.. anyways, requesting any advice/tips/recommendations. thank you

-AnT

 

Best bet would be to take it to a few shops, get an estimate for the damage, and have insurance pay for it sans deductible. Downside is you will be out $500 and have an at-fault accident on your record. Upside is you will have a new-looking truck.

Other option is to just drive it like that. Looks like its fairly minor damage - cosmetic only. It drives fine right? Downside is your truck will continue to have a busted lip, upside is it wont cost you anything. If you fix it later on down the line when you get some money, it shouldnt affect your re-sale value.

 

i would order a new one from toyota... has to be less than $500 and you wont have an insurance claim.. then put it on yourself

 

Pm'd

 

check ebay. plenty of parts for cheap

 

pm colinb17, he has the metal bar that goes behind the bumper. He also has a SWB bumper you could get painted.

 

I'd bet you could find someone here that has their old bumper laying around for a lot less than the $500 deductible, besides, I wouldn't want the accident on my insurance.

 

If its just the broken lip then you dont even need an entire bumper, just the cover for it. Theres one for sale here:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacoma-marketplace/197029-front-bumper-bumper-cover.html

Says local only, and its white... but it might give you an idea as to what you need.

 

I seen a few On Craigslist

Remove the bumper cover see what's broken

 

soo if i do the deductible that means its on my insurance.. what if i just called them ?? or what if the other part called them?

 

It only goes on your insurance history if you make a claim. The other downside of making a claim is that the insurance company will probably report the damage to Carfax and Autocheck. Keep some photos in case they report front collision and a future buyer wonders about the severity of the accident. Your accident is minor and bumper resprays do not diminish resale values. If you get lucky and find the right take-off bumper, you might not even need to repaint it.

 

make a claim... meaning pay the deductible and what not? kuz what i did was i just simply called them and told them i was in an accident.. and gave them the other party's insurance info and what not.. thats it..

 

Honestly, if their is no damage to the other truck and the other party doesn't want to make a claim you can decline to make a claim, call the adjuster and ask them whether or not the other party wants to make a claim, if not, you can not make one yourself and just replace your bumper.

 

well you see, i dont know if he wants to make a claim or not.. i tried to talk him out of swapping insurance info and what not because it was not necessary. there was absolutely no damage to his truck... but who knows, maybe he might get shady and try to bust a quick one on me.. i took pics just in case...

as of right now i guess i need to wait till Monday when work resumes.

 

Sound like a great time for a nice STEEL bumper.

 

I think when you called and gave info etc.....you did open a claim? hope im wrong, cause this is so minor and an easy thing to fix yourself. IMO

 

No damage to his rig at all? I would call the adjuster and tell them that, tell them you don't want to file a claim if you don't need to, hell you can hang another bumper on there for less than your deductible. Most times adjusters are willing to be somewhat flexible. If they say the other party wants to file a claim then tell the adjuster you're calling BS and offer to send them the pics you took.

 

shoot.. i didnt think about that.....if that is the case, i wonder if i can call and cancel everything i said and just wait to see what the other party does..

i think i shouldve done that - wait to see what action the other party takes instead of calling my insurance and telling them i was in an accident

 

yea, none at all..... at most just paint chip on the tow hitch.

 

No no, you did the right thing, don't worry about it, work with your adjuster and see what happens. I've been around insurance all my life, just tell the adjuster want you want to do and see what they come up with.