[clutch09]

Hi Guys,
Just needed some help on an issue my friend got himself into the other day. He was driving right behind me when he hit this Toyota Corolla. He was trying to get into the right lane and didn't pay attention to the car in front of him so his front right bumper hit the Corolla's left rear bumper. He pretty much hit the left rear bumper and possibly the left rear panel. The bumper was definitely scratched and had a slight dent in it. The extent of the damage on the corolla is about 1ft x 1ft (just to paint a mental picture) which includes some scratches and the dent. Now the problem is he wasn't driving his own car, he was driving a friend's car whose deductible on the insurance is $2000. The owner of the corolla called back today and told him it would cost $1400 to fix the damage. They went to #1 Cochran Toyota in Monroevilla, just outside Pittsburgh. This is just way too high for a Corolla in our opinion and was wondering if you guys could suggest something. Should we let the insurance handle it? Apparently since he was driving his friend's car it comes out of liability and not deductible (not too sure about this). The owner of the Corolla told us he's been going to this dealership for the past twenty years and has a 'personal' connection with one of the guys there. Is this a cause for concern, could he be cheating us?

Would appreciate any and all suggestions, comments and responses.

Kanishk

[longtran]

Originally Posted by kanishkl

Hi Guys,
Just needed some help on an issue my friend got himself into the other day. He was driving right behind me when he hit this Toyota Corolla. He was trying to get into the right lane and didn't pay attention to the car in front of him so his front right bumper hit the Corolla's left rear bumper. He pretty much hit the left rear bumper and possibly the left rear panel. The bumper was definitely scratched and had a slight dent in it. The extent of the damage on the corolla is about 1ft x 1ft (just to paint a mental picture) which includes some scratches and the dent. Now the problem is he wasn't driving his own car, he was driving a friend's car whose deductible on the insurance is $2000. The owner of the corolla called back today and told him it would cost $1400 to fix the damage. They went to #1 Cochran Toyota in Monroevilla, just outside Pittsburgh. This is just way too high for a Corolla in our opinion and was wondering if you guys could suggest something. Should we let the insurance handle it? Apparently since he was driving his friend's car it comes out of liability and not deductible (not too sure about this). The owner of the Corolla told us he's been going to this dealership for the past twenty years and has a 'personal' connection with one of the guys there. Is this a cause for concern, could he be cheating us?

Would appreciate any and all suggestions, comments and responses.

Kanishk

i dont know what the law is in PA, but in california the party that got hit have the rights to go anywhereto repair the car. even if they know that person and they are jacking up the price. its really up to the other party if they want to go around and get the lowest price possible. that is the nice thing to do. but they do not have to.

on the insurance thing, depending on the insurance company, i think they should cover the damage without the owner paying for the deductable, but the insurance company might go after the friend that drove that car later for the bill.

who the heck have a 2k deductible??

[bostoniant]

uh did your friend get the estimate sheet that itemizes exactly what's to be repaired and the parts/labor costs?
if they are overcharging labor, it'll show. if they are fixing parts that aren't even damaged, of course that will show as well.
i think body shops follow some standardized rules in estimating damages on a car, with the only real difference between shops being parts/labor costs. So if this shop is screwing your friend, it should show on the estimate printout.

It might be that more than just the bumper was damaged. Perhaps the rear quarter panel and the door? They guy probably wants everything replaced instead of fixed. 400 for a door, another 400 for the bumper? + body work on the quarter panel + painting and labor? ugh I shiver at the thought.