Hey all,
I was in an accident (first one :( ) just today. It was nothing major but wanted to ask you how much you think it would cost me to repair this?
It was not my fault. I have insurance and got the other driver's details, so I am planning to make a claim once the kids are put to bed.
I also want to ask, will this increase my premiums if I make a claim even though I am not at fault?
Car is 2012 Toyota Corolla Sedan.
Do people not have any common sense? Seriously, such a bad pic. It would have been perfect without the shadow as there'd be plenty of light for the camera to capture the details.
Can't teach common sense, some people just don't have it.
Don't you find that shade artistic?
Definitely, it may be considered art (by some people, art is in the eye of the beholder of course) but that's not the purpose of the photo lol.
I admit I know nothing about art.
@techlead: Well, Art is Art, isn't it?
Still, on the other hand, water is water.
And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.
About Tree Fiddy.
nah, but imho
anywhere between $300-$800 depending on degree of repainting required, number of panels to be repaired.
It could pop out and metho could get the scuffs out and a light polish - $300
or
The panels may need to be removed, panel beaten and repainted hence the $800
You be dreaming 😅
What would you say then?
Look like bumper replacement and panel fix , probably $3k+
Australian body work shops are like US health system. They rather replace things than fixing it and pass the massive bill to insurance company.
@boomramada: There's no way a $3k bill for that would fly
The insurance company would pull them up before they could charge that.
@Drakesy: its across 3 different body panels that will need to be repainted. $3k is way closer to the mark than $800.
@StalkingIbis: I can get my entire car, sanded, prepped and resprayed for that price.
If your body shop is charging you $3k for that you're getting shafted.
And there's only 2 body panels damaged so not sure where you're getting 3?
@Drakesy: Look like definitely two panels by the pic. But when I replaced my bumper, they said its cheaper to replace with new bumper than repainting the bumper, else it's be a dodgy job as paint can easily get peeled off after a while.
So if you own that car, would prefer to be fix properly by insurance or do it cheaper to save your so call premiums ?
Edit: oh wait, its a 2012 Toyota Corolla Sedan, probably drive around Australia few times, you don't even need it to get fixed, just ask for $500 lol
@Drakesy: please share where you are getting resprays for 3K. I get quoted 500 just for a bumper respray
@Drakesy: If you scroll down on that site you linked it states that the average cost for a respray is $3-$4k for a hatch and $4-$5k for a sedan (with minimal body work required). Scroll even further down and it gives average prices for panels - for a bumper respray they are claiming it costs (on average) between $150-$500.
Not sure how reliable the site and it's quoted figures are …
If someone quoted me $300-800 to fix that, there's no way I'd be letting them touch the car. If they can do it for anything near that price, it'll be a botch job for sure. The bumper alone will cost about that.
Corolla bumpers can be had for $250 (if a new one is required).
Likely this will just need to be popped back and refinished, if you're writing off slightly scuffed bumpers then i wouldn't take my car to you. It's just adding to the labour involved.
Corolla bumpers can be had for $250 (if a new one is required).
You don't think a business is going to add a huge margin to whatever parts they supply? They'll need to spray it to match the colour too.
if you're writing off slightly scuffed bumpers then i wouldn't take my car to you.
I'm obviously not a smash repairer 😋 otherwise I would've given OP a proper quote already. Plastic bumpers were actually designed to be cheap throwaway parts and it seems lots of places actually chuck out slightly damaged bumpers because it's often cheaper to replace than repair.
@bobbified: @Pantsparty's comment
I have had similar damage repaired on my Corolla in the past. $500 which involved some panel removal and respraying. I paid cash as $500 was less than my insurance excess.
Pretty sure having had the same damage is good enough evidence that $3k is way too high
@Drakesy: Similar damage (but many deeper scrapes through to the metal) on a newer Mazda was quoted cash price between $2000-2500 from 4 different places. This was only a few weeks ago. So if I had to guess the cost for OP's car, I would've said something around the $1700 mark. The cost of parts will differ between the make and model, but the labour costs (which made up the majority of the quote) will be similar.
.
@bobbified: How does it feel to be completely wrong, and you doubled down on being wrong on top of that
2 quotes of ~$500
How does it feel to be completely wrong
There are many ways to skin a cat.
I'm not sure how much experience you have with cars and smash repairers, but over the years, I've seen many "fixes" that were done to a budget or done on the cheap.
For example, where there's a dent, instead of reshaping the metal (which is time consuming and expensive), they've actually just filled it with a "filler", sanded it to shape and just painted over it. When it's all done, it looks okay and many people won't be able to tell the difference.
Sometimes after a while, the vibrations and the twisting/turning of the panels while driving causes the filler to come loose and literally fall out. Cheap paint can also peel off easily from environmental exposure.
That kind of fix is fine if you don't really care about your or you need to stick to a certain budget (and doesn't impact safety)..
OP actually has insurance and wouldn't have to pay the excess to get it fixed - there's no reason he should potentially settle for a "budget" fix.
i commented down below, but you were right. It has come to ~ $500. Two seperate quotes from my choice of repairers
I also want to ask, will this increase my premiums if I make a claim even though I am not at fault?
yes unless you paid the extra cover - No claim bonus protection
At fault drivers gets the hit to their premium and no claim bonus - not the OP. The claim will go through the at fault driers insurance also and both insurance parties will hash it out, but OP's NCB and premium won't be impacted.
That's not how the car insurance has worked in the past by default.
On renewal you need to check to see if your increase is because of the accident by getting a quote and indicate no accident and see what it is. In the past It has increased by $200 due to the not at fault accident, so I called and there was a "system issue" and BS BS…
On renewal you need to check to see if your increase is because of the accident by getting a quote and indicate no accident
It depends on the insurer and how they word the question. Some will ask number of claims (including not-at-fault) and others will ask number of at-fault claims.
Also note that, you might find that some insurers don't change the premium even when you disclose 1 at-fault claim.
No claim bonus protection or not your premium will go up. I am talking from experience here. In my case, my renewal notice arrived and subsequent to that I had an not at fault accident. Did the right thing prior to renewal and advised insurer. Low and behold the insurer increased my premium. A complaint fell on deaf ears.
This. It’s ‘simple’ maths. If you’ve been involved in a crash in any way you are a higher risk. Even not at fault they consider there is probably something you have down that increased the risk for them.
Parked on a street and got hit? You picked the wrong street, or should have peeks under a street light. Got cleaned up at an intersection? Maybe you weren’t driving defensively enough, maybe you should have checked both ways before moving off on a green light. That sort of thing.
Premiums go up every year anyway. Was it just this?
^this.
As cars depreciate, premiums go up. Also "insurance companies".
Not that certain, I had an at fault claim recently (accident while parked but no other party at fault), and was surprised to find it had no impact on my premiums at all. Other people have obviously had different experiences. Possibly 1 claim in 30 yrs insurance history treated differently to 1 claim in 3 yrs.
What? No that is for at fault claims
Im pretty sure Corollas come from the factory with those scratches. I've never seen one without them.
$2,899.50
That's not a deal, man.
Will you take $2,899.00?
NIL
If not at fault, it will not cost you anything.
… it will not cost you anything.
The cost is in time and effort.
(Lots of people seem to forget this when they don't actively try and avoid minor accidents because "they're doing nothing wrong and won't have to pay anything").
Buff it out and touch it up
$4k minimum.
the only opinion i trust
I would trust, but need evidence of repair methods in paint.
$3599
You don't have to make a claim, get the other person to lodge theirs first, get the claim number off them then call their insurer up. Done.
really, that would work?
yes that would do. they may ask you to bring the car to their repairer/assessment centre.
dont forget that you are also entitled to a car hire during the repair time.
Only use yours if you get the runaround
Or you have some nice car that needs specific repair (eg a euro or high end).
that's what should happen. Ask the other party for a claim number and their insurance company name.
Sure does, you can also choose your repairer, and get a hire car.
I've done it twice in the last 6 months. Once with Budget Direct (surprisingly pain-free) and NRMA (funny enough the car that's involved in the accident is comprehensively insured with them too). The whole point of this is to get a rental car out of them while the cars are being repaired.
Budget Direct sent their assessor to the holding yard to grab some photos and NRMA was slightly more annoying, I had to drive the car to the repairer of my choice to get photos taken. Budget Direct gave me a rental from Avis, NRMA gave me one from Sixt and was bloody filthy.
Don't worry about this. Don't waste any energy on it, seriously, this is why you have insurance.
Just call your insurer and give the other drivers details, they do basically everything else.
You're not at fault, it won't effect your no claims or cost you anything at all.
$5k
$600 for the bumper
Unknown for the panel. Need better photos.
More than your excess and any potential increase in premium.
As you weren’t at fault, it’ll cost you a few days hassle while they repair your car and you get stuck with a rental - assuming you need one.
Good news is it’s completely driveable until you sort out time to get repairs
Less than $600 for cash.
Lol
My car has the same design.
Don't forget, you can always offer to settle with the other person (or their insurance company) in cash, rather than get the vehicle repaired.
Be prepared to settle up for around 50% of the actual cost, but don't forget to factor in rental cars and any belongings inside the car that might've been damaged (hint: you drive around with a Picasso or a crypto/nft wallet).
It's a 10yo corolla … a dinged up bumper is no biggie.
You should be settling for a cash amount based on what a panel beater would charge for a non insurance job. Get a few quotes.
You should be settling for a cash amount based on what a panel beater would charge for a non insurance job
Correct - but you'll need to claim a lot more than that amount to finish up with a settlement of just the panel beating cost.
What? You claim for the coat of repairs and for a rental car.
If you come at me with all sorts of embellishments you can stick it up your jumper and use your insurer.
@salmon123: Then you can talk to my insurer. You aren’t entitled to claim whatever you feel like.
You claim for the actual costs and settle for the actual costs.
Then you can talk to my insurer
Nope - you talk to your insurer and see how they want to defend the matter.
You aren’t entitled to claim whatever you feel like.
Of course I am. Whether you pay up (or your insurer) is another matter.
My comments are specific to settling for cash, instead of getting the car repaired. No one will give you the full cash value for a repair quote + rental quote. You're stupider than you look if you think that's how it'll get settled. It's a different story if you actually have the repairs done and have invoices for those amounts.
Nope - you talk to your insurer and see how they want to defend the matter.
I make a claim, give you the claim number and tell you never to contact me again. We are talking about minor repairs where ge vehicle is still drivable. Anything else is insurance claim.
Maybe some people do some weird crap with negotiating a settlement but if you come at me with a cash claim I’ll want to see quotes for the repairs not just some random number you make up. I then give you the amount for the repairs. If you want to screw around and make up random claim numbers it goes straight to an insurance claim.
If I’m making a claim against you, there will be minimal negotiation. I get quotes for repairs and that’s what you pay. If you screw around you can deal with and insurance company and get full rates for repairs.
give you the claim number and tell you never to contact me again.
That's not how legal action works. I have your ID which has your name and address, which is all I need to serve you a legal notice. It's up to you whether you want to defend it yourself or ask your insurer to defend the matter. If you ignore it, I'll get a default judgement and start repossessing your belongings or garnishing your wages.
if you come at me with a cash claim I’ll want to see quotes for the repairs … I then give you the amount for the repairs
It's just as easy to embellish those repair quotes. It would be silly to pay a cash settlement based on quotes, rather than an actual repair invoice. No insurance company in the world would do that and you shouldn't do it either.
@salmon123: For it to get to legal action is pretty serious. As I said, if you start playing games, it goes straight to insurer. There’s no legal action, defaulting or reposssesing going on. I make a claim, be you the number and tell you to contact the insurer. Simple.
Sure it’s easy to embellish quotes, but getting a couple of quotes and using ozbargain to ask how much it’ll cost should mean it’s harder to get ripped off. Again, if it start to look dodgy - insurance.
I’ll never get a car repaired and hope the other party will cough up. Insurers are a business that pays for repairs based on invoices. Joe Citizen might not pay up, so waiiting for an invoice hoping they pay isn’t a smart move. Get the cash before the work. Yes, there is a risk of unforeseen repairs, but that’s not the sort of damage that you risk a cash claim for. Besides, your original premise was collecting cash for a repair and not getting the work done. The sort of damage many would be inclined to get an estimate for a full repair then leave it or DIY with wrecker parts.
The attitude of the negotiations comes into it as well. If it’s all amicable, seems legit it’ll be an easy process. If it starts to get dodgy - insurance.
I make a claim, be you the number and tell you to contact the insurer. Simple.
You don't get it. I have no obligation to deal with your insurer. I have no relationship with your insurer. You would need to contact them and tell them to defend the matter. Until your insurer steps up and says they are representing you in the matter, I can hassle (but not harass) you directly, including serving legal notices.
getting a couple of quotes
The not-at-fault party would never waste their time getting multiple quotes.
I’ll never get a car repaired and hope the other party will cough up …your original premise was collecting cash for a repair and not getting the work done
I don't know what point you're trying to make now. The only point I was trying to make was that, if you're angling for a cash settlement and not getting the work done, you need to ask for a lot more than you'll actually settle for. That's how the world works. It's basic negotiation tactics.
The attitude of the negotiations comes into it as well. If it’s all amicable, seems legit it’ll be an easy process.
Lol - If you find yourself in any negotiation where it's all amicable, you're definitely getting ripped off.
@salmon123: You’re not getting it either. If you get to the point of taking legal action my response is ‘talk to my insurer, here’s a claim number’. Any lawyer that recommends you not take it up with the insurer and continue to pursue me is an idiot. It’s what insurers do, pay for damages. Lawyers know the most effective option.
You are sounding like one of those people that run off to lawyers at first chance or someone that is related to a ambulance chasing lawyer that gives the profession a bad name.
If you get to the point of taking legal action my response is ‘talk to my insurer, here’s a claim number’
That response is meaningless.
You are sounding like one of those people that run off to lawyers
Actually, I'm pretty well versed in small debt recovery - no need for lawyer in a small accident claim.
@salmon123: Then why the $&@ are you talking taking legal action? We aren’t talking small claims court or debt recovery. This is a claim for a motor vehicle crash. It’s a simple process. Get the cost for repairs, claim against the other party. Don’t chuck in rental car and ‘belongings’ if you have no intention of getting the damages repaired. you don’t seem very good at negotiating if you think aiming high and getting 50% is a good outcome.
Stick to what you are entitled to. Don’t accept less. If it goes pear shaped use insurance for crying out loud.
If it goes pear shaped use insurance for crying out loud
Which will fix your car, but wont give you cash.
if you think aiming high and getting 50% is a good outcome.
Each there own. If I had the OPs corolla, I'd rather $500 cash, than a repair. I might have to submit a $1000 repair quote to get the $500 cash.
Your proposal seems to be to submit a quote for $500 and settle for $500, which never works in practice. It'll only work if you submit an invoice for $500.
Stick to what you are entitled to. Don’t accept less
Let me know how that works out for you.
If I had the OPs corolla, I'd rather $500 cash, than a repair. I might have to submit a $1000 repair quote to get the $500 cash.
You are right, to each their own. If I had OPs corolla I’d want cash plus repair on the cheap. I’d submit a quote for the full cost of repair and maybe accept a little less. Eg for a $1200 repair quote I might accept $1k for cash discount, certainly not $500-$600 and certainly not if you are being painful to deal with.
Are you in the habit of doubling your quotes to get what you want? Doesn’t sound like a good way to do business and pretty sure you’d be annoyed at tradies doing that.
End of the day I’d prefer cash, but if I’m not getting the full amount for a legit repair quote (not a padded one and not a cheap and nasty repair) I’ll take the insurance option and get the repair and you can wear an at fault claim against you.
Like I said, you throw me a $1k quote for a $500 repair, you sound dodgy so you can work it out with my insurer and I’ll get my car repaired by them too.
Are you in the habit of doubling your quotes to get what you want? Doesn’t sound like a good way to do business and pretty sure you’d be annoyed at tradies doing that.
I think what you've missed is that negotiating with a individual vs tradie vs insurance company are completely different beasts.
You can negotiate a cash settlement with the other driver or you can negotiate a cash settlement with the other drivers' insurance company. The problem is, if you ask the other driver for a legitimate repair of $500 cash and he kicks it over to his insurance company, you'll never get $500 cash. You might get lucky and the other driver just pays the $500, but you should be prepared for haggling with the insurance company too. It's not like you can ask the insurance company for $1000, after you've asked the driver for $500.
@salmon123: If my negotiations start with a legit repair cost there isn’t much negotiable, just how they are paying for it. They might have some questions as to the value, but if the quote has come from a recognised repairer or is matched by another repairer how can they try to pay much less?
The whole point I’ve been trying to make is that there shouldn’t be much negotiating if it’s a legit, reputable quote. The price is the price - just like a tradie or insurance co. If they/I don’t like it that’s when it’s time to get insurers involved and get a proper repair done and forgo the cash.
I guess you come from a background that haggles and barters everything. I don’t.
how can they try to pay much less?
That's the job of the insurance company - to minimise the cost. You're asking for a cash settlement, rather than a repair, so that's an automatic signal that you'll accept less. There's no way you're getting the full value of the repair quote.
I guess you come from a background that haggles and barters everything. I don’t.
I come from a background that knows how insurance companies work.
400-500$-full respray/patch for bumper and touch up for the quarter panel.
A bottle of cut and polish, a rag and some elbow grease. It’s a 10yo Corolla, I wouldn’t be wasting my time, money and insurance on a claim like that. You could spend $1000 having a panel beater repair it only to scratch in the next day.
He shouldn't be spending any money on it, it is the other persons bad luck that they have to spend $1k+ fixing a 10 year old corolla and they don't get a choice.
It was not my fault
I wouldn't worry about what it costs, lodge a claim with your insurer and provide the drivers details. The rest is up to them.
I also want to ask, will this increase my premiums if I make a claim even though I am not at fault?
Didn't increase when a similar thing happened to my wife.
Car is 2012 Toyota Corolla Sedan.
Being an older car, shouldn't be too bad. Based on your photo, I would say a new bumper, paint and then repaint the other panel. Should be fine, but again, I wouldn't worry because you aren't at fault. So it is up to the insurer to deal with the other driver.
I have had similar damage repaired on my Corolla in the past. $500 which involved some panel removal and respraying. I paid cash as $500 was less than my insurance excess.
About $600 I reckon.
Between $1k and $1.5k.
Bumper needs removing, re-work and re-paint.
Panel needs removing, beating, preparation and re-paint.
Panel needs removing, beating, preparation and re-paint.
That "panel" is the entire roof/side of the car, and is welded in.
$2500-3500
$3k minimum
I've had worse damage than that (3 panels on the car, deeper scratch) which came to $1,500.
Love the shading.