You would have to smack this very hard with any part of your body to get the fender etc to distort to that amount.

Google away until you get good customer reviews and BBB ratings etc of local body shops and get 3 estimates.

The insurance company's obligation in this area is to return your car to the condition it was in prior to the accident so don't expect to see new panels necessarily and even if they do replace a panel they will often do so with a USED panel of similar year/condition.

 

I've had several people hit me and one hit my wife with Geico. They were extremely helpful and ended up helping us get the other party to pay 100%. I'm pretty certain from the interaction that I would have had no issues getting it covered if it had been a hit and run.

 

Lots of people would damage a car, key it, kick it. Usually its someone that is jealous of what you have, knows you value it, and are too lazy to find opportunities to make their own successes in life. So parking a nice car, with nice, bright paint, in a spot meant to protect it from other cars shows you care about it, and thus are a target for this brand of low life.

Looking at that damage I find it hard to imagine how another vehicle could have inflicted it.

The body shop is going to say it needs 6 hours of sanding and prep, the insurance company is goi g to argue it should only be 4. The body shop is going to say the badges need to be replaced, insurance will say they can be reused. There will be a negotiation back and forth on how much time, $, and materials it takes. Shopping going high, insurance going low. Shops that are in tight with insurance companies and are on their 'preferred' list are simply those that go along with their recommendations.

 

I see.. I just talked to the adjuster. She quoted me around 880$ for the damages. I thought it was a bit low, but my body shop is the one getting the money; whether its more of less, that's what they are working with. The adjuster said that the fender is not going to be replaced. They are going to pound it out and repaint, as long as everything looks OEM than I will be happy. I rather them repair it than replace it with an aftermarket piece. The car is going in on Monday!

 

Agree... That said, I still think it's a non-car collision... The sheet metal on the body paneling is pretty thin... You can put small dents in the S2000 fender by simply leaning up against it the wrong way... Wouldn't be visible but from an angle with the sun hitting it just right...but it's definitely possible to accidentally put small shallow dings in that fender without realizing it...

I accidentally did that with my old 1988 Acura Integra... I was testing out my "shock sensor" by tapping on the car, and I guess I tapped a little too hard and put a shallow dent in the sheet metal... I obviously wasn't tapping too hard, as it was my mint condition "baby". I didn't realize it until days later and blamed it on some external root cause, but remembered that I was the likely culprit.

 

What if it looks like crap when they're done? You'll be SOL.

 

If the body shop is being paid directly by the insurance company and it is one which the insurance company lists as on their "approved" list, then the body shop has to make it right regardless of cost. And the body shop has to work it out with the insurance company directly. All the owner of the car has to do is deal with the hassle of getting the car to the shop, being without it, and making sure the body shop makes it right if anything isn't right. I'm not downplaying the level of potential hassle, but bad stuff happens sometimes. Life is full of hassles. It's what makes us appreciate when things are going well.

But if the body shop gives an estimate to the insurance company or if the body shop agrees to fix the car for whatever the insurance company pays, then that is what they have to do. And if it turns out to need more work, then the body shop has to go to the insurance company or they just eat the cost difference. It isn't the car owner's problem.

 

The one time I dealt with Geico because of getting rear ended on the freeway in stop and go traffic, the at fault person's policy covered me with a nearly brand new at the time rental car, worth several times what my car was worth. Of course, it was a '95 Jetta, and this was back in '06.

 

I got the car back from the body shop. Everything looks good, but I shouldnt have told them to "touch up" some areas. The paint job was great, there is a tiny over spray on a rubber seal around the hood and a tiny run that I am thinking about having them buff away. The only problem I have is that the new paint looks too new! I can tell the new from the old, so I hand polished the hood and fender with 3m rubbing combound and waxed it. It brought back some shine but it's still not "like new" quality. Any ideas?

 

Depends on how you like to handle things.

If it were my car, I would ask them to have the rest of the car buffed/detailed so that I can't tell the difference between the old and new areas. I would absolutely have them fix the run and the overspray -- no question about that at all. (well, okay, I guess it depends on your definition of tiny, but if you can see it, then I would want it corrected)

The idea is that the car is supposed to look the same as before the accident. So if it was perfect and matching before, then it should be perfect and matching now.

However, I'm quite picky about such things.