Insuance question

You want to claim on a scratch? How much is your deductable would be the next step. I wiuld not claim if I can as it effects how much you pay next time round.

Go out and get a few quotes, it can't be that bad,

Depends on what your deductible is, and how much is the estimate to repair it.

I certainly would not make a claim. Save that for the serious issues.

I think it depends on the insurance company and the policy. I would not hesitate to make a claim with my policy, because they will not raise my rates unless I have several claims in a short time.

sure, there are extenuating circumstances, but i'm of the mind that there will be dings and scratches -- battle scars, if you will -- on a car over time. it's not *that* big a deal, to feel the need to file a claim.

It's not like the guy's bumper was crushed; it's a scratch. He could find a shop to touch it up and it'll be fine. Since it's a front bumper he can be sure there'll be other damages to the paint over time.

Forget the insurance claim. Pay for it yourself. Is that really paint loss or what? I backed over a small wood sign on my car and it left a mark like that with some shallow dents. Turns out it was mostly a mark that I removed with Turtle wax bug and tar remover. Then a little touch up paint and it looked fine. If yours is not the case take it to a body shop yourself, do not file a claim.

I asked my mechanic for a recommendation of a good body shop. He told about the "Creme de la Creme" shop with the cute young blonde "assistants" who brought you coffee and gabbed with you while you were waiting, the free rental cars, etc. He said to take my car there if it was to be covered by insurance.

If I was paying for it myself, take it to this "other shop" on the bad side of town with six rottweilers in the yard, a shack for an office and no free loaner cars.

I've taken cars both places and if the top shop estimates $2300, the "other" shop wants $900. I've had work done by both shops and both did an excellent job.

The morale, if you have a good mechanic ask him were to go. The rule of thumb that I've been told that much over $1,000 consider going with insurance. Over $2000, go with insurance.

Two different fender benders have taught me that bumper repair on either back or front 03 Camry, unless it is total destruction, will be $300 to $400, irregardless of the number of scratches (removing the bumper is always necessary, filling in the scratches hardly equates into the price, matching paint is the big thing here).

My opinion.....I would go to the local parts store ....Advance , Auro Zone etc and get some sandpaper and bumper touch up paint and spend a couple hours fixing it myself. Hard to believe that some shop would actually charge 2300.00 for something like that....or even 900.00 is criminal IMO.

Ken Day

That's a minor scrape on a plastic bumper. Wash it, let it dry, and spray it using n aerosol of matching paint. Believe me, you will forget it's there and it will not reduce the resale value of your car. Do NOT claim it on the insurance and do not get a body shop to deal with it, unless you have more money than sense.

I totally agree, in fact I've seen worse scratches on metal and it was easily buffed out with a power buffer, so plastic should be even easier. If you already own one then the cost is FREE! The way insurance companies are ripping us off these days you really DO NOT want to make a claim for something minor like this. My personal formula is if the damage costs less than $2000 then I pay for it myself. If you make a claim the insurance company WILL jack up your premium and get their money back from you tenfold. FOOD FOR THOGHT: Insurance companies rarely if ever lower their rates.

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