# so I rear ended a car yesterday...



## jillyb (6 Feb 2012)

Hey there

so I rear ended a car at a roundabout yesterday in waterford. going slow enough but caused a small dent above their licence plate. Had to happen at some point i guess in my driving career!!

Exchanged details etc and he said he'd get a quote from a place he knows today.

He got back to me with it and it was v expensive and he thought so too so i looked up a couple places and passed them onto him to get quotes.

It seems the quote was for a whole host of things:

- rear bumper cover
-rear bumper cover lower
-bumper bar
-number plate
-paint and consumables

+ labour came to €842 incl vat!!

anyone think is way too much work need and price??

thanks


----------



## ericsson (6 Feb 2012)

Had a very similar accident in the snow last year... came to 900euro for the smallest dent to the other cars bumper...so sounds pretty much about right


----------



## mark1 (6 Feb 2012)

It sounds pretty standard price wise, I know it might look like an insignificant dent when you look at it but a lot of modern bumpers pop back into shape immediately and can mask more damage underneath.


----------



## jillyb (6 Feb 2012)

thanks for the replies.i was afraid of that - thought at most it'd be €200/€300.

maybe i will go through my insurance. i'm with aviva and have no claims bonus.
do you think my insurance would go up by much if i claimed?

thanks


----------



## mark1 (6 Feb 2012)

Ring them and ask, they will let you know, if you have bonus protection or step back you may be ok, I know it seems a lot but it's a relatively minor amount where car damage is concerned and maybe come back with whatever percentage they say might help other people with the same question.


----------



## robbie00 (7 Feb 2012)

same happened to a friend he got rear ended and only looked like a scratch brought it to a garage to get quotes cost a couple of thousand seemed like there was damage in behind the back bumper of the car that cost a good bit to repair. So your figure is probably about right. 

You need to work out if you claim how much it will push your insurance up by. Hopefully the other driver wont feel stiff or anything like that in a few days even small speeds can lead to personal injury claims which would definately mean you would have to go through your insurance.

Least no one was hurt and a lesson learned to pay more attention.


----------



## roker (7 Feb 2012)

Seems the bumpers are not doing their job if there is damage behind


----------



## rustbucket (8 Feb 2012)

This happened to me a couple of years ago. bumped into a ten year old car. Made a small dent in a bumper that was already riddled with scratches, cracks and dents. €600 to repair as the whole thing had to be done. essentially I paid for a brand spanking new bumper.


----------



## Leo (8 Feb 2012)

roker said:


> Seems the bumpers are not doing their job if there is damage behind


 
Bumpers aren't there to minimise damage to cars. In order to meet NCAP ratings now, manufacturers have to incorporate crumple zones that result in more expensive repair bills in the event of accidents such as this, but also save lives in more serious cases.


----------



## Time (8 Feb 2012)

It's the stiff neck that he will suddenly develop that will cripple you. You need to tell your insurance now if there is a chance of a PI claim.


----------



## Jazz01 (8 Feb 2012)

Hi,

I think you need to tell your insurance company anyway (in terms & conditions), regardless of you paying the bill or it going through insurance...  Just hope issues don't develop with the other party.. sometimes the temptation of easy money is just too... "tempting"


----------



## mathepac (8 Feb 2012)

Leo said:


> ... manufacturers have to incorporate crumple zones that result in more expensive repair bills in the event of accidents such as this, but also save lives in more serious cases.


+1 Behind the plastic bumper there are brackets and things that are designed to absorb energy. In order to do this they have to bend or break. To  restore the car to the pre-crash safe state for the occupants, everything must be put back as it was originally otherwise there may be serious injuries if it is rear-ended again.


----------



## Leo (9 Feb 2012)

mathepac said:


> ...otherwise there may be serious injuries if it is rear-ended again.


 
Exactly, and if that does happen, guess who gets sued, yes, the garage! So any reputable garage will insist on doing it correctly.


----------



## TillyD (10 Feb 2012)

Same thing happened me a few years back, tipped into the back of a parked rav4, brand new. I was sick as a dog for a week. He was very nice about it, probably because I waited until he came back but said he was taking it to his Toyota garage. I could see the dent and the scratched paint work and everyone was telling me to expect to pay out 1k, he came back looking for €225. I was just delighted that he didn't go out to rip me off.


----------



## jillyb (13 Feb 2012)

so here's the update.

He got a couple more quotes and the cheapest was €800.

That was including car hire as he wont have his car for 3 days.

Guess ill have to get onto my insurance company as def cant afford to fork that kinda cash out


----------



## brigadear (13 Feb 2012)

jillyb said:


> thanks for the replies.i was afraid of that - thought at most it'd be €200/€300.
> 
> maybe i will go through my insurance. i'm with aviva and have no claims bonus.
> do you think my insurance would go up by much if i claimed?
> ...



Hi Jillyb, I scratched a car while reversing and caused about 950euro damage to other car, It was my first year of driving and i was paying about 1500 for insurance with Quinn, thought my insurance  would go up to over 2k the following year, but came down to 900euro!!, not saying that this will happen to you, but who knows with insurance companies these days.


----------



## wednesday (11 Mar 2012)

Your insurer will get the best possible deal they can. Insurers make savings on car hire, paint & sundries, price per hour of labour and amount of labour. It could turn out that you could repay your insurer when the claim is closed too - no harm in asking them. By informing your insurer you are protecting yourself and letting them earn the money that you've paid for years in premiums.

Best of luck


----------



## Asco (11 Mar 2012)

I say count yourself lucky. I rear ended a guy a few years ago coming off a motorway in traffic at approx 5km/hr and the claim was €21k €1,200 of that was the car. 
I'm still paying for it in my insurance.


----------

