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Last edited by BringOnTheMen; 07-28-2012 at 05:03 AM.
I work in the collision industry. $1,200 sounds excessive for a light scrape. I would go with them to a shop for the estimate. If it just needs to be buffed/polished out it should be less than $200. Usually if you can feel the scratch with a finger nail its gonna need paint. If it just needs to be buffed another option would be bringing it to a detail shop instead of a paint shop. They will probably charge less for the same job. Either way, over a grand sounds like too much. Hope this helps!





Get the police report and then decide. It would seem you'd have been cited if they thought you were at fault, for leaving the scene of an accident if nothing else. Once you see what the report says, then make your decision.
"never trust a big butt and a smile"-- Bell Biv DeVoe
If you're in your twenties and aren't a liberal, you have no heart. If you're in you're forties and aren't a conservative, you have no brain - Winston Churchill




^what he said about getting the police report, even if you have to pay for it. You didn't say if it was a rear wheel, which I assume it was, but if that was the case the other driver should have yielded to you in a merge situation. Unless they took paint samples and are doing lab testing, there is no way to determine if 'damage' to your wheel came from the other vehicle. I'm calling BS - unless you're some kind of stunt-driver, it would be pretty hard to hit someone with your wheel and not damage any other part of your car. I once had another driver intentionally swerve into me because I 'beat him' in a merge lane. I argued successfully that the other driver was a fault because the damage was behind my rear wheel, therefore he should have yielded.
If you do end up paying, find a body shop that specializes in 'detailing' for car dealers. Those guys fix blemishes and make cars look showroom new just doing touch-up, blending etc. so they don't have to do the whole panel, or bumper, which I suspect is the damaged item on the other car.
Don't be afraid of getting your insurance company involved if you believe you are right and need back-up. Maybe as a negotiation strategy call your company and ask general questions without identifying yourself. If they agree you are not at fault, tell the other party you spoke to your insurance company and they will fight on your side.
If you do settle make sure you get a release for all damages from the other party, since paying can be used later as proof you admitted fault.
Good luck!





I'm terrible at accident deduction, but this reals of bullshit to me too. Sounds like he just wants someone to pay for the scratch he got some other way, and you - young, 20-something female - looked like a good scapegoat.
Hope you don't end up having to pay for this nutjob's paint scratch. Smh.
What kind of car is it? And what kind of paint job? The estimate should say.
On my baby, it has a 3-coat pearl paint job, so a minor scrape can easily top 1,000 due to the amount of time it takes to do-I had a spot the size of a dollar bill cost $1200. Depending on his type of car and paint, over a thousand may not be unreasonable.
Depending on where you made the U-turn will affect whether or not you were at fault. Some counties/townships don't allow u-turns under any circumstances, so you'd be at fault.
The police report will state who they found at fault.
And not receiving a citation does not mean you were absolved of fault. I was recently rear-ended, and the police report very clearly states that the other driver was at fault, but they didn't cite her. They typically only cite for extreme cases, such as extreme high speeds, drunk driving, etc.
Last edited by kandie_kitten; 05-14-2012 at 02:42 PM. Reason: typo




Unfortunately, with the ridiculous cost of labor, $1000 sounds right. If they do it "right," it's not just a simple buff job. You basically rid the entire area of paint and redo it all. Yeah, someone could do a shit job for a few hundred bucks, but if this guy has the opportunity to get it on someone else's bill, then he wants it done well.
Did the police hear/record that you said you'd pay for it? Because an insurance company will use that to "prove" that you accepted fault. I had a woman back into my car in a parking lot, then try to say it was 55% my fault in order to negotiate with my insurance company so that her company paid for her damages and mine paid for mine. My insurance company didn't care, because they're huge and I'm just one person, so why fight it when damage was minimal, I guess. Even if your company determines that the accident wasn't your fault, it'll still worsen your rates/record.








Try taking the estimates he sent you to different shops to see what they think. Also, you can try to negotiate a lower price. They may be willing to lower their price to get your business, if you tell them you're considering other places. You may be able to get a discount if you offer to pay in cash.

Damn, that sucks. Having a hard time visualizing the accident though. Was he behind you and also made a U-turn?
Regarding 3, never admit that you are at fault. Regardless of how obvious fault may seem, and it definitely isn't in this case, never admit fault. I can't tell if you did or not so as the others said the police report may have documented it in a particular way. Here's a web page that goes into it a bit and also has some info on rear end collisions:
http://www.californiacaraccidentlaw....accident-fault
And, as others have said, certain paint jobs can wind up costing as much as he claims. Don't know what your deductible or rates are, but it might wind up being cheaper to let your insurance handle it. You don't mention it, and it sounds like you were intimidated and it was late, but did you, he or the police take any pictures?
Have you called your car insurance company yet? Do they cover slight accidents? I have the cheapest insurance and if I damage another car they take care of it, but if I damage MY car I'm kinda screwed. Tell your insurance and see if they can send someone out to look at his car, your car, the police report. Have you talked to the guy who claimed you hit his car? A scratch could've been from anything and since your car is fine I think your two insurance companies should take care of it.
^It could show up on your record anyway, even if you don't report it.
When the cop was on the scene, I'm sure he took your info, like your license, insurance info, etc. All of that will come up on the police report.
More than likely, this guy contacted your insurance company directly (which is why I would also hesitate to pay the $1,000-he could end up getting paid twice that way). I always contact the other person's insurance myself when they are at fault-dealing with the individual can be messy. They always argue the estimate, delay paying, etc, whereas if I deal with their insurance, I can get it taken care of immediately.
Even if you don't report it to your insurance, if he does, it shows up on your account.



If you handle it personally, one on one and not thru your insurance company...you need to make sure you get a release from him that it is for payment in full for all damages (revealed and not) incurred to vehicle on such and such a date. Otherwise you take the chance of getting another call in a week claiming there was more damage not previously revealed and he will want more money.
^Exactly. If you pay him now, there's nothing to stop him from coming back next week saying there was mechanical damage and he needs another $1000.
I know you don't want another accident on your record, but insurance is there for a reason. They can fight for you and argue your side, and make sure this is handled without you getting screwed out of thousands.





If he did that, he could get arrested for insurance fraud.
If you pay in cash, you should pay the auto-shop directly, and make sure you get a receipt. Try to get a few estimates, and then try to bargain the price down. I just got three estimates for some body work on my car, and there was a big difference between them. I asked one place if they give a discount for cash payments, and the person offered me a ten percent discount.





Once again, I think you need to get the police report before you do a thing. It seems to me, if you were at fault, you'd have been cited.
"never trust a big butt and a smile"-- Bell Biv DeVoe
If you're in your twenties and aren't a liberal, you have no heart. If you're in you're forties and aren't a conservative, you have no brain - Winston Churchill
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