Hit & Run, need advice

[Cortexiphan]

Hello,

Yesterday morning I drove to New York City, and came back at night. My car was parked in a garage during the day, and at night, I had to park it on street for like 2 hours, and left around 11pm. I didnt notice it there because it was night, and the damage wasnt noticable from sides or inside. When I came back home, I noticed my car was hit from front end, there was a little bit of yellow paint, front end of the hood was bent (I'd say 1.5 inches) , kidney grills were moved a little bit, and there were small scratches on the bumper. The damage weren't noticeable from inside, so the hood didn't really move. Looked like an SUV hit in reverse, judging from the color, it was possibly one of those ford suv cabs. But of course, it's irrelevant now.

So at this pont, I have to ask, should I make an insurance claim or should I pay for it myself? And how can I make an insurance claim for this? How much would it cost to paint the bumper + fix and paint the hood + possibly replace the holders of the kidney grills and where should I take it? I live in Newton.

I would appreciate any kind of advice.

[lorinzo]

Depends upon if you have coverage and amount of your deductible.

Sounds like more that $1k worth of damage.

Best of luck with the repairs.

[Cortexiphan]

I have $300 deductible and full coverage. Would they cover it even though I don't have a police report? Even if they do, does it worth loosing my clean record and raising my premium?

[Cortexiphan]

So... Anybody?

[DopeM3]

If you have collusion coverage, you're good.

[MJM]

If you have the optional collision coverage, insurance pays for collision damage to your auto, less any applicable deductible, no matter who causes the accident. If your car is financed, your lender may require this coverage and may require it to be fixed.

Why would you pay for this yourself? You were not at fault and not cited by law enforcement. Since the cost to repair this correctly will certainly exceed your $300.00 deductible, this is exactly what you have insurance for.

First you need to submit a claim to the insurance company with all the information you have. Then find a body shop you feel has a good reputation for quality work, get a formal written estimate and submit that to the insurance company as soon as you can. Don't just go to anyone they recommend.

I have had quality work done by Dick's Auto Body in Somerville, MA. They work on lots of BMWs, Porsches, and other high-end cars. Frank the Manager there can guide you correctly.

[Cortexiphan]

Originally Posted by MJM

If you have the optional collision coverage, insurance pays for collision damage to your auto, less any applicable deductible, no matter who causes the accident. If your car is financed, your lender may require this coverage and may require it to be fixed.

Why would you pay for this yourself? You were not at fault and not cited by law enforcement. Since the cost to repair this correctly will certainly exceed your $300.00 deductible, this is exactly what you have insurance for.

First you need to submit a claim to the insurance company with all the information you have. Then find a body shop you feel has a good reputation for quality work, get a formal written estimate and submit that to the insurance company as soon as you can. Don't just go to anyone they recommend.

I have had quality work done by Dick's Auto Body in Somerville, MA. They work on lots of BMWs, Porsches, and other high-end cars. Frank the Manager there can guide you correctly.

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. Meanwhile, my car got fixed. Rather ridiculously, the bill was $8K, I really don't understand what they did, but I think they replaced the entire hood, bumper, and some stuff behind the bumper. I've checked everything, it's all original OEM.

[OMID INC]

your insurance probably will not go up. if the accident occurred at or near the zip code you provided to the insurance company as the zip code where the car is "parked most of the time" or "parked over night," then it may if accidents like this continue to happen.

they ask for that zip code because they place relative risk valuations on the neighborhood your car is parked in. for example, if there are many thefts or break in's reported in that zip code, your overall insurance price would likely be more expensive anyway.

i doubt this one time event will change much, but insurance is in the business of managing risk. once they feel your car is in a risky place, rates may change. again, unlikely though.

sucks to hear about that. happens all the time. ive had a few cars hit outside my place over night.