Victim of a hit and run—again

[Gokhan]

I just got my first oil change for my 2021 Prius Prime Limited Blue Magnetism the day before yesterday. I always park my car away from all the other cars in the parking lots. This is what I did last night. The car was waxed, with not even a single little scratch. Today, when I opened my garage door, I was shocked to discover this.

 

[haggler]

Sorry to hear that. I guess it could have been worse. Does this fall under comprehensive? Quality LA drivers, smh.

 

[JavierH19]

Man that blows, that's gonna cost a thick penny.

Around 3 weeks ago i parked closer to the back at walmart and once i got home i saw my bumper had been dented in just enough to let a crack of light through and the chrome was scraped in the passenger corner from someone backing up but i didn't notice it until later. luckily it was just my old 03 so i don't care much. Still upset.

 

[Gokhan]

Sorry to hear that. I guess it could have been worse. Does this fall under comprehensive? Quality LA drivers, smh.

Huntington Beach, Orange County to be exact. There is a sports bar in that parking lot. Perhaps it was some drunk. I think it will fall under uninsured motorist coverage, and I hope I won't have to pay anything. I have the uninsured motorist collision deductible waiver.

 

[GON]

I just got my first oil change for my 2021 Prius Prime Limited Blue Magnetism the day before yesterday. I always park my car away from all the other cars in the parking lots. This is what I did last night. The car was waxed, with not even a single little scratch. Today, when I opened my garage door, I was shocked to discover this.

Really sorry that happened to you. Just not right at any level.

 

[bbhero]

Holy cow...

That sucks mega cojones.

 

[Dave Hess]

That really sucks.

 

[Nick1994]

Huntington Beach, Orange County to be exact. There is a sports bar in that parking lot. Perhaps it was some drunk. I think it will fall under uninsured motorist coverage, and I hope I won't have to pay anything. I have the uninsured motorist collision deductible waiver.

Unfortunately, it'll be under Collision and you'll have to pay your deductible. Will just be a no-fault claim.

 

[buster]

ughhh that sucks.

 

[spasm3]

I fear this will become more and more common. People with no drivers license or identity, no insurance, no assets, nothing to lose , everything to gain by leaving the scene.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Hey Gokhan,

Sorry that happened to you. It looks like a white or light colored vehicle from the remnants. I would be checking all the CCTV cameras in the area.
Your local police department may even have via public registration where they all are. The good news is you can narrow down the time frame from what you said so you can be specific in looking for film footage with your search. Good Luck.

 

[The Critic]

Unfortunately, it'll be under Collision and you'll have to pay your deductible. Will just be a no-fault claim.

Correct, this is a collision claim. UM only applies if you can confirm a under/uninsured motorist.

Fault is subjective, but any paid claim has the potential to increase your rates.

 

[eljefino]

If you file a claim, your insurance will get that money back out of you one way or another.

Replace the lens, buff out the bumper cover.

 

[ecotourist]

If you file a claim, your insurance will get that money back out of you one way or another.

Replace the lens, buff out the bumper cover.

I don't think that will buff out but it could be repainted. Had the back bumper cover on my BMW repainted and 18 years later it was still perfect.

 

[bullwinkle]

It’s the curse of the new car (or truck)-I’ve dodged literally thousands of deer in my 25 years of driving company vans around Cincy-but one came out of the bushes, in the fog, yesterday. Almost missed it, but it went right down the passenger side of the brand new company van, taking out the headlight, moldings, & making a pretty big mess of the sliding door on the brand new company ‘21 Transit 250-only 2500 miles on it!

 

[Gokhan]

It is the curse of the new car—and probably also living in Southern California! It was probably a drunk coming out of the bar in the strip mall. Unfortunately, there are no cameras in the parking lot.

I filed a police report with the Huntington Beach Police Department and filed a claim with the insurance company. It is correct that they will charge me $500 for my collision deductible because the waiver doesn't apply to hit-and-runs. Since it is a brand-new car in perfect condition otherwise, I will have it repaired it at Cabe Toyota in Long Beach to new condition. They should replace the cracked painted bumper and the scraped black rubber bumper as well. My insurance premium shouldn't increase because this is a no-fault accident. Not having it repaired will reduce the car's value by $3,000 or more, not to mention that it looks bad.

 

[AZjeff]

Replace the lens, buff out the bumper cover.

On a brand new car? No way Jose. It will never be untouched but you can make it invisible and get back to enjoying it.

 

[Gokhan]

I checked the parts.

Left rear turn-signal assembly: $305.73

2021 Toyota Prius Prime Turn Signal Light (Left, Rear). Electrical, Lamps - 8154147010 | Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

Turn Signal Light (Left, Rear). Electrical, Lamps. 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. Genuine Toyota Part - 8154147010 (81541-47010). Ships from Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

parts.culvercitytoyota.com

Black rubber bumper cover: $158.87

2021 Toyota Prius Prime Bumper Cover (Rear). Body, Interior, STAY, Components - 5245347030 | Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

Bumper Cover (Rear). Body, Interior, STAY, Components. 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. Genuine Toyota Part - 5245347030 (52453-47030). Ships from Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

parts.culvercitytoyota.com

Bumper cover, paint required: $195.65

2021 Toyota Prius Prime Bumper Cover (Rear). Body, REQ, PAINT - 5215947919 | Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

Bumper Cover (Rear). Body, REQ, PAINT. 2021 Toyota Prius Prime. Genuine Toyota Part - 5215947919 (52159-47919). Ships from Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

parts.culvercitytoyota.com

Rear bumper appliqué: $44.85

Toyota Prius Prime Rear Bumper Applique - PT74747170 | Culver City Toyota, Culver City CA

Made of high-grade, nearly invisible urethane film, the rear bumper appliqué helps protect the top surface from unsightly scrapes and scratches.. UV-resistant urethane film helps prevent damage from the sun. Custom-tailored to fit the Prius Prime's rear bumper.

parts.culvercitytoyota.com

Total cost of the parts plus tax: $777.37

So, with the paint job for the unpainted bumper cover and labor, it is about $1,000 at the minimum. My insurance deductible is $500.

It should be as good as new if they match the color. I will still have to wax it.

I hope they check the calibration of the ultrasound parking sensors and blind-spot monitor radar as well. The latter is probably fine, and I think the former are fine, too.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I am sorry this happened to you, and on a new car it makes it even worse. I have heard California is a very consumer-friendly state but even with that the insurance company is not your friend. California may be different but in a lot of states the insurance company can even use your calling them just to find out what kind of claim it is or asking if your UM coverage will cover it as a reason to jack your rates. That is possible even if you do not file it as an insurance claim of any kind. Insurance companies keep a record of all contacts from you and they can and will use that info to raise your rate or drop you altogether if they want.

I wonder if you could buy a new tail light assembly and replace that yourself and maybe use some Back to Black or Scratch-X on the black bumper cover to clean the white scuffs off and save that cost. The blue bumper cover part will have to be repaired and repainted. I don't know about California but here in Florida we have shops that will do minor body repairs and minor repainting like that for cheap. We have one called Carsmetics that I have used and they do great work for a lot less than a body shop. When the customer pays the bill it is not reported to the insurance.

It is your car and you can do what you think is best OP but my own opinion is if it is not a huge amount of money I would fix what I can myself and either pay cash to the body shop, find a minor collision shop to do the rest or possibly even check around for a good body man who might do it as a cash side job. If it were my car I would try to keep the insurance out of it if it is at all possible. This is just my 2 cents. I have what you might call a very strong dislike for insurance companies and an outright hatred for hit-and-run dirtbags.

 

[ecotourist]

I wonder if you could buy a new tail light assembly and replace that yourself and maybe use some Back to Black or Scratch-X on the black bumper cover to clean the white scuffs off and save that cost. The blue bumper cover part will have to be repaired and repainted. I don't know about California but here in Florida we have shops that will do minor body repairs and minor repainting like that for cheap. We have one called Carsmetics that I have used and they do great work for a lot less than a body shop. When the customer pays the bill it is not reported to the insurance.

It is your car and you can do what you think is best OP but my own opinion is if it is not a huge amount of money I would fix what I can myself and either pay cash to the body shop, find a minor collision shop to do the rest or possibly even check around for a good body man who might do it as a cash side job. If it were my car I would try to keep the insurance out of it if it is at all possible. This is just my 2 cents. I have what you might call a very strong dislike for insurance companies and an outright hatred for hit-and-run dirtbags.

That car is too good to take any shortcuts. Get it done right with OEM parts (including paint). I'd take it to the best body shop around.