Victim of a hit and run—again

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.
Agreed for a brand-new car. The repair is going to cost at least about $500 more than the deductible, and I am filing an insurance claim. Perhaps the guy who hit me will park there again, and I will spot his white vehicle with blue paint smudge on it.
 
Agreed for a brand-new car. The repair is going to cost at least about $500 more than the deductible, and I am filing an insurance claim. Perhaps the guy who hit me will park there again, and I will spot his white vehicle with blue paint smudge on it.

I wouldnt be surprised if it ended up costing double your estimate.
 
I wouldnt be surprised if it ended up costing double your estimate.
Me neither. They could charge the MSRP for the parts, a ton for the paint job, and hours of labor, plus for calibration of the sensors. I will take it to a Toyota dealer with a Toyota-certified body shop. In California, you don't have to take it to the insurance company's repair places.
 
I despise the person that did it. I hope he’ll get what he deserves. I’ve been rear ended in my perfectly polished and coated nearly brand new civic so I know how this feels…

On a side note, this blue color is absolutely stunning. Hopefully it’ll get fixed up and look brand new.

Also, since there’s no one at fault, you probably won’t be able to get reimbursed for diminished value?
 
Me neither. They could charge the MSRP for the parts, a ton for the paint job, and hours of labor, plus for calibration of the sensors. I will take it to a Toyota dealer with a Toyota-certified body shop. In California, you don't have to take it to the insurance company's repair places.
But... sometimes a certified shop does fall under the insurance company's preferred shops, so it doesn't hurt to research the insurance company collision repair program

Hopefully you have rental coverage also under your policy.
 
Car insurance companies will find any way they can to weasel out of a claim or pay less on a claim. This is one of the reasons I do not care for car insurance companies. Sorry if I sound bitter but that is just how I see it. Another BITOGER some years ago posted that "the insurance company is like a "good friend" who gives you an umbrella and then takes it away from you when it starts raining". That is a good way to put it.

The other thing to consider too is if OP puts this claim through his insurance, whether it is collision or UM or whatever, the insurance will report it to Car Fax or whatever agency they choose and there will be accident damage associated with the VIN which will bring down the value of the car, no matter who was at fault or what the circumstances of the damage might be. This is another reason I dislike car insurance companies.

I went through something similar to OP myself last year although the damage was not as bad as what OP has:


My deductible is $500.00. The total bill for repair at the body shop was $921.00. I just paid the entire amount myself and kept the insurance out of it. I did the same thing when I got a rock chip in my front windshield earlier this year. My insurance would have "paid" for Safelite to fix it, but they also consider windshield repair a damage claim, it goes on your record, they can use it to jack your rates and it can detract from the value of the car with a damage claim on file. No thanks. I just paid Safelite myself and kept the insurance out of that one too.

The insurance company is not your friend. I hate to say that again but it is how I see it. If the total for this repair really is only in the $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 range if it were me I would just pay the bill myself and keep the insurance out of it.

I really hope this works out in OP's favor. Even more than that I hope they catch the dirtbag that hit OP's car and took off.
 
As posted earlier- what a horrible thing to happen to the OP, really nice looking car and great color.

Car seems to have no structural damage from a non-moving accident.

It would take a lot for me to want to file a police report and/ or file a insurance claim. This will possibly increase insurance costs, and will be on the lifetime history of the car as a accident. Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze to file a police report and/ or a insurance claim.

Get it fixed right... but pay out of pocket..... is a course of action I would be looking into.
 
Those have kept the same body style for the past 5 years or so haven't they? I would check local junkyards for "like new" parts... not suggesting I'd commit to buying them from a junkyard but to me it'd be worth a look to see what they have, maybe even be extremely lucky and find that color blue that doesn't need repainted... or not, it doesn't take long to call a yard to ask then go out there and check if not far away.

I realize people will be emotionally against putting used parts on a newer car, but if they are in good shape, they are still OEM parts and the more you can DIY, the easier to rationalize only paying for the work (like paint) you don't DIY and avoiding a collision dig on the vehicle records which would probably depreciate it more than your out of pocket costs to DIY plus paint if needed, but I would take it to a top notch paint shop not the cheapest.
 

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. :cry:

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So sorry, man. We've all been there and know how it feels. Take it to the best shop you can find so the paint will match properly.
 
It appears that a white car was trying to enter the spot to my left and grazed mine with the right corner of its front bumper. That's an awful driver, given that the parking lot was virtually empty and I parked away from all the other cars. Yet, they chose to park next to mine and graze it!

Unfortunately, I will have to pay for the $500 collision deductible. I go to that parking lot three times a week, and I will be on the lookout for a white car with a blue paint smudge on its front bumper. There are no security cameras seeing that area.
 
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