Right, so I had just changed my brakes that day and was driving on the streets, brakes weren't completely 'broken in' so while stopping at a light I failed to neglect that fact and ended up tapping the guy in front of me. The damage to his car was minimal:

Pic 1
Pic 2

Anyway, he sent me two quotes and is asking me to pay the lower one of $330, plus he wants $40 to rent a car for two days while the damage is being repaired. Grand total $370. I have 5 days to respond before he's "forced to contact the insurance company".

Is this bull**** or reasonable? He wants me to send a cashier's check paid to his name, which is already suspicious. It seems like I'm just getting milked for money and he'll end up going to pep boys for a $2 bottle of touch-up paint.

What options do I have? I'm insured with Progressive, will they jack up my rate if he does go to them and I am ruled to be at fault? Will this go on my DMV record?

ANY advice would be much appreciated.

 

if you are going to settle with him outside of insurance make sure you make him sign off on it and even get it notarized so that he doesn't turn around and sue your a$$. i guess if you wanted to be safe, you could go with him to the shop and actually pay the shop directly to do the work. that way you could see exactly what he is having done and decide for yourself if the cost is reasonable. your HUGE pics just finished loading. damn they are big, even for my cable modem. it looks like the bumper is scuffed....may even be able to buff it out. if your insurance has to pay your premium will definetely go up. they will rule it as your fault for sure b/c you hit him. it's a tough situation but imo it's better to pay the 370 and have him sign off on it and chalk it up to experience.

 

$300 bucks to refinish a pannel or spot something in and clear over it is VERY reasonable. Your fault, you hit him, pay the man and get on with it.

 

Pay the guy, get him to sign a waiver (see maximasefu above), and be more careful. By the way, was there a police report???

This could happen to anyone, even if you are not tailgating.

Not sure where you live, but if it was NJ you'd get an insurance surcharge that would choke a rhino. This guy saved you some bucks.

 

you need to pay up, but make sure you get him to sign the full release, from any property AND bodily injury. Keep in mind that he can have a stiff neck and then sue your ****! Avoiding this risk is well worth $370 so don't be cheap.

 

I have handled small fender benders like this many times, being on both sides of the fence. Like stated earlier, just make sure he signs some sort of waver.
You should feel lucky he is willing to handle the situation in this manner.

 

damage looks minimal. Just pay and avoid any other problems

 

tapped a guy?


jk...good luck with the accident. I would go through insurance rather than risk getting ripped by this guy.

 

offer to detail his car free of charge..

i am willing to bet he will rather pocket 370$ than go and get that "damage" fixed.. Yes, you're at fault and you can't really do anything about that.
95% of cars around here have 10 times worse looking bumpers

 

Pay up and the notary idea is good, make sure you explain that very clearly. It would help too if you have a lawyer friend make sure the wording of your release is "legally sound", releasing of bodily injury, further mechanical failure, etc.

DO NOT go thru the insurance company if you can help it. In the long run youll get screwed more. Premiums will go up and you'll loose any accident free discounts you may have. Ontop of that, that is one "strike" against you when you might really insurance to do something for you.

If he wanted to take that $300 and buy lottery tickets with it, theres not much you can do, but at least you would have settled your debt to him.

 

If you want to be an ****, write the check to the body place that the estimate is from But I think he's being fairly reasonable. He could have picked the higher one and he could have went straight to the insurance/police. Then you could have had a ticket too.

 

This is where it pays to have a good relationship with your insurance agent.
Every man should have one as part of his dream team -- CPA, insurance agent, divorce lawyer, travel agent and mortician, to hide the evidence.


Anyway -- I've been in this situation and there is a solution. Go to your insurance agent with the dude's quotes. First, ask what it's going to cost you if the insurance company handles it. As others have said, you'll probably get drilled in premiums. At this point, any reputable insurance agent is going to recommend you just pay the damages. But instead of you forking cash to the guy, your insurance agent should work with Driver B's insurance company to make sure the quotes are legit and the work gets done.

This way A) your premiums don't get raised
B) The dude doesn't pocket your cash
C) Everything is recorded, witnessed, etc., by professionals in case the guy comes back on you.

Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet, and this is one of them. But you also gotta CYA, and doing anything on a handshake is not a good idea this days.

Good luck.

 

exactly. like i said before, it's better to just pay the small amount of money to him and just come away with experience. you are lucky that he is willing to settle with you rather than go through insurance. just pay him and have him sign off and you will be much better off in the long run.

 

I hate to say it, but when I read the title I was seriously thinking the smae thing. I was like WTH...dookie shot!?!?

 

yeah, last night i almost didn't click on this thread because i thought it was some ****.

 

I got even less damage when some fool tapped me in a school parking lot because his ebrake failed (his car was up against my rear bumper when i went out to run some errands) i went through insurance and got a check for $350, to repaint my rear bumper, your estimate seems very reasonable and not going through insurance is one less bad thing for them to look at you with. Pay the man and make sure he signs some sort of paper stating that you've paid for damages.

 

man up. its your fault and what he does with the money is his choice, i had a similar situation, i bumped my gf stepdads truck and really did a job on the door 780 worth. he is a mechaninc and has many friends in the autobody buisiness, but he asked for the full amount. i did it, so i paid him, my fault no complaints

dont let those bloodsuckers at the insurance company know unless you have to.

 

Turd Burgler.

It should have been labeled "Mild car collision". And please don't use the word "accident". If a plane falls from the sky we don't say plane accident, we say plane crash.

 

Original poster;

Yes, the quote he gave you is very reasonable. Especially for a mercedes (that's what it was, yeah?)

If it was me, this is how I would handle it... Write out a letter saying the following;

"I, <insert his name>, am accepting the sum of $xxx from <your name> as full and final settlement for damages arising from the incident on <date of crash>."

Also, if there is a memo field on the cashier's check, write "Full and Final Settlement incident <accident date>" on that too. Make the check out to him - he probably already paid the bodyshop.

Then, take the check in person to his home or place of business and have him sign the form and give him the check. Then you should thank him for being so reasonable. Don't give him the check unless he signs the form.

I had the saem damage on my car when I got rearended and the quotes where $450-500. The kid behind me was a **** so I went thru his inusrance. It was not his first accident, and his insurance dropped him aftre paying me.



Oh, and those who say he'll take the check and not fix the car... THA IS HIS RIGHT!! His car is now worth less money because it is damaged. If he chooses to fix the car then his car is again worth it's full amount, and if chooses to pocket the cash then he has $370 in his pocked and a car worth hundreds less that it used to be. He is not gonna make a profit - all you are doing is making him right again.

I'd say the guy was being very reasonable.

 

$40 for 2 days worth of rental? Thats really not asking much, since its probably going to cost him more after Taxes, Surcharges, and Tourism taxes(despite the insurance claim-tourism taxes are still charged. He's only asking to drive a cheap economy box, like a Metro.....so for someone to drive that instead of a atleast a full-size is pretty generous I think....most insurance companies (depending on the state) will reimburse for a like size car for claimants. Good luck! Lata!
-Jeremiah

 

If there wasn't an accident report, don't pay him and run bish run! j/k

He's being pretty reasonable. Make him sign the waver and give him money.

 

yeah, good point jeremiah brings up about the rental charges. cheap as hell. just pay him and move on.

 

370 bucks is a god send dude, think about it this way, if you go through insurance, your rates are probably going to get jacked up like 400-500 a year for the next 3-5 years

 

FIrst off, Make the check out to the company that does the work, if he says no to that, then have an agreement written up to cover your butt and get it notorized. I would never just give him the money. Tell him to get 3 estimates and whatever one he chooses pay for. But make the check out to the place where he has it worked on and get a copy of the receipt to once again cover your butt!!

 

Tapped a guy -NEED ADVICE

where a rubber


...sorry couldnt resist