Fix It Myself or Make a Claim.

The front bumper of the FR-S got run over in a lot. Bumper might be salvageable, but a lot of plastic brackets got cracked and /or broken. Will definitely need a repaint. Worst is a fist sized dent in the fender. That can probably be popped out.

Let's say it will cost me X out of pocket .  Do I make a claim to insurance? Or fix it mysel? I know this is why we have insurance,  but I've seen the repercussions of making a claim. Will insurance get that X back (and then some.) by justifying an increase in premiums because of said claim?

I've haven't had a ticket in 10+ years, and I think my last fender bender was at least 6 years ago.

Is it worth making a claim?

Not much help from me, but I'll share a thought:

Do you know if there are any sensors and such things that were protected by the front covering/bumper that also could have been damaged?  
I ask because a claims adjuster I know once said of modern vehicles "there's no such thing as a simple fender-bender anymore."

If you think they  won't raise your rates for one claim, you're mistaken.  They'll just say next renewal, oh rates went up.  Sorry.  Never file a claim unless you have too.

I'm assuming you don't know who hit it? I'd file it as a hit-and-run. You won't need a police report for the low amount of damage, and, while you'll pay your deductible, it should not count against you because it was not your fault. 

I went through similar when another driver backed into me and denied it. I'm of the mentality that, since I am paying for insurance, I am going to use it. They recently raised my homeowner rates $500/yr because of $80k in claims. I'm not mad. 

First thing is double check the deductible. Then start pricing parts. That might be the deciding factor, because the parts will still need to be painted.

camopaint0707 said:

If you think they  won't raise your rates for one claim, you're mistaken.  They'll just say next renewal, oh rates went up.  Sorry.  Never file a claim unless you have too.

This, don't give them any excuses to charge you infinite payments on a finite repair cost.

Having just smashed a Toyobaru front bumper (among other things), I can tell you there aren't any costly or exotic sensors to worry about up front, that part of the car is '90s-level simple. The only madly expensive bits to worry about near there are the headlights. Replacing the whole front bumper assembly with parts from a dealership should be around $1k plus paint.

Do be sure that there's no damage to the front crash bar or radiator support though, it may not just be a bodywork issue.

1. Check deductible.
2. See if you can get a quote from a body shop. 

Compare the delta of cost of insurance claim (knowing that you'll have to pay the deductible) to having the bumper painted, buying the brackets/etc, and fixing it yourself. Also, I never count my time as free anymore. This is why I pay to have things done now. 

Do I want to drop my car off in the morning, have the new stereo installed that required removing most of the dash, door panels, driver side plastics, trunk pieces, etc. Or pay the shop in town that works on stuff I could never afford and enjoy a nice day with the fiance? Or spend the entire weekend in the garage hoping I don't end up breaking door clips and such? 

Insurance stuff varies wildly by state so maybe do some research but for the most part a single not at fault claim won't do anything to your insurance premium. I had an $8k claim from a deer hit a couple of years ago and I'm pretty sure my premium has only gone *down* since then.

Factor in the "next potential claim" in your thinking. I hit a deer 3 years ago. Having had no claims, accidents, or tickets for ~20 years, and knowing that I wouldn't be penalized for a single deer hit, I made a claim. Then two years later I hit another deer. The damage just about equaled what I paid for the car (I got it dirt cheap) so I either had to walk away from the car or make another claim. After that second claim, my rates went up a good bit. 

In hindsight, I could have fixed the first one out of pocket (hood, fender, bumper cover) but it would have stung a little. 

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

cyow5 said:

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

Huh?  That makes no difference whatsoever.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

cyow5 said:

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

Huh?  That makes no difference whatsoever.

It makes a difference in their telling of the story and, let's be honest, that's what really matters.

In reply to dps214 :

Do you realize with whom you are conversing with? 

Doubt it's the case with your situation, but my CTS-V was totalled over $4k worth of damage (at body shop/insurance company pricing) because they couldn't source new curtain airbags. I could; I'm in VA and one side was new at a dealer in SC, other side new at a dealer in NC. But they said "good for you for finding them, the car is totaled because we can't find them". 

So, in hindsight, I very much regret making that claim. Also, I dislike whatever sensor algorithm pops curtain airbags on a car just because the back end comes around...but that's not an insurance thing. 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

cyow5 said:

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

Huh?  That makes no difference whatsoever.

You would actually be the person to ask. 

That "the deer hit me" has been the story drilled into pretty much every Pennsylvania driver forever because it "removes fault" from the driver. 

Is that not how that works? 

Yes, typing it out like that makes it sounds like some fantasy loophole, but I think we can all admit insurance rules are pretty berkeleyed up at times. 

My only deer claim was almost 20 years ago and it quite literally walked into me as I was traveling about 60mph, clearly see the outline where it stepped onto the road. My first reported accident, even as a teenager, it didn't get held against me, but I never knew how important the wordage actually was.

I work in PA claims. A deer hit is a deer hit. Doesn't matter if it fell from the sky or was standing in the road. The verbiage of what happened makes no difference. It all goes under 'animal strike' and is a comp claim.

Now, if you perform heroics to miss the deer and strike any other object in the process, that's a collision claim and you'll be at fault. 

Always hit the deer. It's okay; they'll make more.

ddavidv said:

I work in PA claims. A deer hit is a deer hit. Doesn't matter if it fell from the sky or was standing in the road. The verbiage of what happened makes no difference. It all goes under 'animal strike' and is a comp claim.

Now, if you perform heroics to miss the deer and strike any other object in the process, that's a collision claim and you'll be at fault. 

Always hit the deer. It's okay; they'll make more.

My adjuster asked for clarification, confirmed that the deer hit squarely on the side, and then agreed out loud to mark me down as not-at-fault. Maybe they were playing the "the customer is always right" game and just did that to make me feel like the distinction was real, but I do know they made it clear that there was a difference. Could've been pandering to me or real, I won't know. I just do know that my rates have not risen from a claim that was not my fault, I've had a few, and that's my recommendation in this instance from my experience. 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

cyow5 said:

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

Huh?  That makes no difference whatsoever.

There are incredibly byzantine rules about fault with insurance. They are always looking to have you word your claim in a way that will result in less payout. Especially so if it involves another driver. Best word anything you say to an insurance company in the best possible light for you. If they are asking you a question, there is a reason for it.

Michigan's "no fault" laws mean that it's always my own fault. Which is BS. But when someone stopped behind us at a red light accelerated into our car we filed a claim and got $1,200. They have to send you a letter here to explain where price rises come from and sure enough, I've paid at least that much more in premiums over the last five years due to the collision. They aren't going to lose their money.

P3PPY said:

Michigan's "no fault" laws mean that it's always my own fault. Which is BS. But when someone stopped behind us at a red light accelerated into our car we filed a claim and got $1,200. They have to send you a letter here to explain where price rises come from and sure enough, I've paid at least that much more in premiums over the last five years due to the collision. They aren't going to lose their money.

Michigan is a whole 'nother ballgame, haha

You can tell no one wants to file a claim by just looking at the smashed up cars driving around. 

theruleslawyer said:

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

cyow5 said:

In reply to Motojunky :

It's important to note that both of those had you at fault. Sentences that go "I hit" make it very hard to say otherwise. When a deer hit me, I made it abundantly clear that I did not hit the deer, and this was a few years after being backed into. No change in rate. 

Huh?  That makes no difference whatsoever.

There are incredibly byzantine rules about fault with insurance. They are always looking to have you word your claim in a way that will result in less payout. Especially so if it involves another driver. Best word anything you say to an insurance company in the best possible light for you. If they are asking you a question, there is a reason for it.

That's utter nonsense.  In fact the opposite is true.  It is POUNDED into adjusters heads to "pay what you owe".  That motto is heavily reinforced by the government.

The "byzantine" rules about fault which you reference are not dictated by the insurance company, they are dictated by the state.  Negligence laws are state specific.

Look for a used bumper that is already the right color. I've had good luck on car-parts.com

In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :

Already tried. 86s really like to run straight into things. The closet Asphalt bumper is in Maryland .  I'm in Chicago. Oof.

GRM parts relay?

If that works, I have a silver Z4 door in a parts place in Alabama I'd like to have a discussion about :)

Most places do ship tho

Appleseed said:

In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :

Already tried. 86s really like to run straight into things. The closet Asphalt bumper is in Maryland .  I'm in Chicago. Oof.

Just missed! My buddy just drove from VA to the Chicago 'burbs (he's there now).