Dumb BMW driver!
 

Long story short a young lady driving a 328i hit my driver side front bumper while I was parked. She left a note saying "Sorry I hit your car this is my number..." I called her and she thinks the damage isn't going to be over $500 that she's willing to pay me. She doesn't want to go through insurance because it will increase her payments blah blah. I laughed when she said this but she really thinks $500 will do it.

-Side marker is broken
-Left Headlight is sticking out about 3 inches
-Big gap (two fingers) between Headlight & fender
-She scraped my rim!!

:(

I don't want an accident on my carfax either but I'm just confused. Any insight is appreciated, thanks guys!

Atleast 1500 and she good

collision damage
 

A new factory alloy rim is likely $400-$500. If the headlight unit is damaged or even scratched, then that would be another $1500-$2000, then there is the cost of repainting the front bumper and replacing the side marker light. All together, the cost of repairs could easily reach $3000.

Tough question.

In Mass., If it's reported as an accident and you are found as the offender it will be on your insurance record for 6 years, roughly $150-200/year. So if reported she would be responsible for the deductible as well, $500.00 or possibly $1,000.00. Close to 2,200 charged to her over 6 years.

Carfax is an unknown variable. Will it put people off from buying your used/damaged vehicle? Unsure. It did for me on one auto, but it was on a non CPO MB.

My advice would be to get a quote tomorrow and let her know asap. If you decide to report the accident and submit a claim, do not wait more than a day or two or your insurance company will start to question why you waited to file.

Belarus may be close, but if the headlight unit itself is damaged, its going to cost you a lot more.

I would contact my insurance company ASAP and let them work it out with the offender and go to bat for you. Just be glad they left a note, that is way nicer than a hit&run.

it will cost over $3k easy

You need to inform your insurance company ASAP as others have already stated. She hit your car and is responsible. It does not mean her insurance will be reported to if she wants to just pay for it but $500 for the damage is just a dream...

But, I would respect the fact that she actually left an apology and a number to call as so many don't so treat it respectfully. It probably will go against her wish not involving her insurance though as $500 will not be even close to cover this.

Thanks everyone for the replies its really appreciated. Sorry IPhone pictures.

I just hate that it might show up on the carfax. I really shouldn't even think about, I'm going to call my insurance first thing in the morning. She gave me her info she's really young and I don't think she can afford to pay for all that.

As mad as I am, I'm just really happy she left her number. Or else I would be starting a thread asking about a hit and run.!

Like everybody is saying call your insurance.i remember when i got hit at the car wash and left a scratch no bigger then a penny and it was 800 bucks to repair my rear bumper...... Hopefully everything works out for you! P.S you got her number, if she's hot its not all bad! :D

Sorry to see that damage, I appreciate the her behavior as well . Because As Arrie said she left a message for that mess .

same damage happened to my C class, except add a broken headlight. cost $2600

damnit!!


good luck with the fix OP, at least you got that note too :)

Take good photos and don't worry about the Carfax report. When you sell to whomever you will have proof of the damage extent, which is expensive, but minor.

was she hot???
get a photo of her first.

In any case, get the estimate first then call her. My wife's car had a similar incident and once you file a police report or go to an auto body shop, the shop inputs the vin for the estimate sometimes. Then you are on Carfax.

As long as it gets fixed properly with OEM MB parts I wouldn't worry about the carfax at this point.

I agree !

+1. this is crucial to the situation. ;)

in terms of carmax, informed buyers are looking for things like structural or water damage. if fender benders were a huge deal breaker, the used car market would be very tight.

however, it doesn't sound good that the headlight was jarred out of position, as these units are typically not attached to the front bumper. this may indicate that the metalwork behind the bumper has been affected somewhat. on the other hand, if the headlight works fine, there's probably little reason to have it replaced.

EDIT: want to add that bmw has a long-standing reputation for aggressive/selfish drivers, but now audi has joined the dbag party as well. almost got hit in a parking lot the other night by an audi guy, who was apparently irritated at stop signs and proceeded to disregard. "i drive an audi, i go first. always." LOL

Yes, I agree with your first statement. However, if the headlight is working OK but it is scratched or shows any cosmetic damage, the insurance adjuster should agree to have it replaced. The OP's car should be restored to 'good as new' condition by the insurance co.

When my previous E320BT suffered widespread stone chip damage after traveling on a mountain highway in winter, both front headlight units were replaced, front bumper and hood were re-painted and the total bill paid by my insurance company was just over $8000 !! The headlight units were over $2K each.

After seeing the latest batch of photos, I would say that the repair cost for the OP's car will easily exceed $3K if the headlight unit is included.

so frustrating!!! sorry that happened and she is being so stupid.

Its hard to imagine that we live in a world where you can not even be in your car when someone hits it and you end up being penalized for it. just sucks.

and I agree, that is much closer, if not more, than 3k worth of damage. she sounds like an entitled spoiled brat who has never paid a bill in her entire life.

carfax will knock of 2-3 k off retail or wholesale value right away, minor or major. most ppl see accident and move on, not spend the time to research.

If you can get it done with insurance only and not have a police report. most likely carfax will not pick it up. Any police report and carfax gets it for sure.

depends if headlight and rim are replaced or repaired.

could be 1500-3500 damage range.



sux.

Don't automatically sweat the carfax report because it isn't always accurate. I got rear-ended to the tune of over $2000 in a previous vehicle. When I traded it in the incident never showed up on the carfax report.

No matter, make sure to call insurance. She could easily turn the table and fight the total cost of the repair if outside of insurance. That's serious risk when some receives the full repair estimate on a high-end German car.

Absolutely file police report of event.
as you said she's young and doesn't have a lot of money, so what happens whens she tries to bail in a few weeks because she can't afford to pay for damages?

If those wheels are the 18" AMG wheels you into $1100 all by itself.

You can also ask for compensation of diminished value on the insurance because of the carfax report.

I would not call her dumb.

I'd definitely contact my insurance company. Police/DMV report? Up to you. If it were me, I couldn't be bothered.

i had an accident before and had my insurance take care of it, 7 years later while selling the car, wasnt on the carfax, forgot to fill out the dmv report. YMMV

Thanks everyone for the responses it's really appreciated.

Okay so she has admitted to her insurance for being at fault. Her insurance adjuster was just at my house and he quoted me at $750. LOL!! I told him I'm not going to get it fixed with them I'm going to the stealership. They will love to over charge but at least I will have the comfort that they repaired it. Besides it's not like it's coming out of my pocket.

Okay question so if there isn't a police report is there a lower chance that it won't show up on my carfax?

And @drsaab I guess selling the rims to you is going to get delayed. But you might get one brand new one :).

I just hate how my car is looking right now :(
But really thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts. I've been on this forum for two years and I have to admit it's always the first place I go seeking for advice :)!