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Hey guys, I need your help! So yesterday I parked my 16' E63s on the street in Boston, everything was fine I was enjoying my day, then boom I get back to my car and notice a small square dent on the front bumper that looks oddly similar to a trailer hitch as well as the MB star emblem looks as if it got pushed in and doesn't want to pop back out and into the circles molding. Since I didn't see the car or get any plate numbers etc, I'm questioning whether or not to go through insurance. Obviously I would rather not have to pay out of my own pocket, but I am worried that if I make a claim on this little "fender bender" it will be reported as an accident on carfax in turn hurting myself when I choose to sell the car. Since it is relatively minor and in no way "an accident" is there any way I can make a claim and not have it reported to carfax?
Other info: talked to a body shop who told me they would have to buff out the dent/ scratch and then repaint the bumper = $$. A big concern of theirs was the emblem being kinda damaged and pushed in because this directly affects the sensors (driver assistance package I believe) which can be very expensive.
What do people think I should do? Does anyone have experience dealing with insurance / making a claim like this, and is it possible to not have this on the cars record?
The general rule is that if you report it for insurance - it will exist in the record.... That should be your baseline. But this will not be an at fault accident, and *may* even be a comprehensive claim since you were parked.
Sometimes it will disappear when you sale the car out of state. In most cases Carfax will pick up an insurance claim.
However - the "value decrease due to accident" statement is a bit mythical out there. Yes, if you are trading in the car the dealer will use it against you. if you are selling the car privately it's pretty much irrelevant. But - do document the damage well, pictures, receipts etc. and most buyers won't care. I have personally sold and bought cars that have had damage. Rather buy a car with documented (minor) damage and a perfect repair job versus a car without documentation (which is very common as you know).
So - in the end - if the damage is minor - pay for it and live happily ever after. Still document the damage since if the buyer in the future does a PPI they will find the damage. if you report it - have the repair done very well and live happily ever after. same thing with documentation.
I would respectfully disagree that reported damage would not impact selling price down the road.
My E63 has a “Damage Reported” on its Carfax from the previous owner and I used this as a negotiating point on the sales price. Besides helping lower the price, I also had serious concerns about what actually happened - to this day I have no idea other than something minor happened to the rear. Could have been a paint chip, replaced bumper or something in between. If not for my obsession with this particular vehicle I might have passed on it to find a “clean” carfax. I would avoid reporting this or having the dealer fix anything if avoidable. That could be terrible advice so seek lots of opinions on the matter.
Hey guys, I need your help! So yesterday I parked my 16' E63s on the street in Boston, everything was fine I was enjoying my day, then boom I get back to my car and notice a small square dent on the front bumper that looks oddly similar to a trailer hitch as well as the MB star emblem looks as if it got pushed in and doesn't want to pop back out and into the circles molding. Since I didn't see the car or get any plate numbers etc, I'm questioning whether or not to go through insurance. Obviously I would rather not have to pay out of my own pocket, but I am worried that if I make a claim on this little "fender bender" it will be reported as an accident on carfax in turn hurting myself when I choose to sell the car. Since it is relatively minor and in no way "an accident" is there any way I can make a claim and not have it reported to carfax?
Other info: talked to a body shop who told me they would have to buff out the dent/ scratch and then repaint the bumper = $$. A big concern of theirs was the emblem being kinda damaged and pushed in because this directly affects the sensors (driver assistance package I believe) which can be very expensive.
What do people think I should do? Does anyone have experience dealing with insurance / making a claim like this, and is it possible to not have this on the cars record?
Here's my super simple take: if you can swing the cost of the repair, don't involve insurance. It will be 1) reported, 2) increase your premiums, 3) reduce your "insurance credit score" that are gaining more traction these days.
Insurance companies are out to get a profit and a scam sometimes. So early last year, I had a zero-deductible windshield replacement on one of my many cars. Wanted to replace it because of numerous rock chips from road debris. Was told by insurance that it would qualify under comprehensive and since it's comprehensive, would not raise my premium. Total cost to replace windshield (OEM) was $930. I didn't pay a single penny. 6 months later, my policy renews and bam! $42 increase per month. Called insurance and complained. Their explanation was that since the comprehensive claim was higher than $700, it affected my premium (was never told this in the first place). Cancelled that policy and went somewhere else. I'm sure my current insurance is full of crap too. Never trust what is said over the telephone.
Back on topic, having an accident on your record (carfax, autocheck, etc) will affect your resale value, period! If it's not too expensive to fix, pay out of pocket unless you don't care about resale value.
2 is not true in MA. he was parked and nto at fault.
3. Not sure what that is?
#2 is true unless it's paid out by the insurance of the person who hit him. When that party is unknown, you'll take the hit since your insurance pays out.
#3 is a new-ish product that the 3 major credit bureaus are tabulating as another way for companies to judge your worth. =D
#2 is true unless it's paid out by the insurance of the person who hit him. When that party is unknown, you'll take the hit since your insurance pays out.
#3 is a new-ish product that the 3 major credit bureaus are tabulating as another way for companies to judge your worth. =D
#2 was why my premium increased. Even though it was comprehensive, my insurance paid it (damn you rocks) and I got bent over.
#3 is new news to me.
#2 was why my premium increased. Even though it was comprehensive, my insurance paid it (damn you rocks) and I got bent over.
#3 is new news to me.
Yup, it's a safe bet that, whenever you make an insurance claim (of any kind) and your insurance company is the party that pays out, it'll contribute to higher premiums for you and/or your risk pool. In the eyes of their actuaries, it's very simple: every claim event is a signal for increased risk, which is covered by increased premiums.
Some of this depends on the state you live in. Different states have different laws, but generally unless you hit something while driving, the insurance claim falls under comprehensive and it shouldn't get reported as an accident. Although not entirely sure how they would categorize this claim as your car was technically hit. I also agree that accident reports and their affect on resale value is overrated. Yes, a buyer might try to use it for negotiation power and a dealer might also try to lower their offer based on it. Both my last two cars had a minor accident report. Small impact at less than 5 mph. I traded in the first car, and dealer didn't care. They asked what happened, I explained and that was it. Second car also had a minor bumper impact in a parking lot at 2 mph (a parking challenged lady bumped into me) and I had two vandalism claims. First one somebody kicked in my rear quarter panel and second one somebody scratched my rocker panel. Both were in the neighborhood of $2000 to repair and everything was reported on CarFax. I got it appraised by the dealer (Audi) I bought it from, and they didn't even ask and made me a very good offer. I then also talked to the MB dealership I bought my C63S and the used car lady tried to haggle me down based on the minor accident report giving me some BS that it reduces the value by 10%. I told her what the Audi dealership offered me and she changed her tune. Ultimately I ended up selling it privately for KBB value and buyer didn't care, but I disclosed it to him. I actually had PPF on the rear bumper so most of the damage was absorbed by the PPF and he basically got new PPF out of it. I honestly no longer sweat this stuff. **** happens if you drive the car and what's insurance for if not to pay for this kinda stuff. My comprehensive claims never affected my insurance premium. I also had several cracked windshield claims, which also fall under comprehensive.
As stated above - any question around insurance is very state dependent. Mass is an unusual state - we have some unusual rules around insurance here....
I can absolutely state that unless rules have changed in the last 2 years, a parking incident will NOT increase your premiums, just like a someone smashing your window etc does not. The location you park your car at etc of course matters.
In addition, in Mass there is a "first accident forgiveness" type of effect built into the ratings of each driver.
To the OP - if you have additional questions - ask your agent. (assuming you are using a local company - if you are using Progressive or another similar carrier you are in tougher spot) They will know and can refer to YOUR specific situation.
To go back to the other point here - if you have it fixed on insurance - it will show up. If you have it fixed by a dealer - it will show up on the service record. If you have it fixed by a separate body shop - it will not.
When you sell your car, a buyer that does a PPI will 100% find out the car was resprayed etc. Which is totally cool when you show them the pictures and the story. These are unusual cars, any transaction is a unique one.
If you tell the buyer this happened, and they do a PPI and the shop says the same - you GAIN credibility.
If you say the car is flawless and shop finds the work - most buyers will walk (and they should, or drop the price a LOT since the entire history of the car is now in doubt)
That PPI is a permanent “health record” for your car and a savvy buyer will use to their advantage. I passed on an E63 down in FL that was brought in every 3k miles for electrical issues. Literally there were 6-7 repeat service visits for the same issue within 25k miles - and the dealer simply reset or battery pulled. What do you think will be your experience if you buy it? Does the CPO designation magically make everything better? So my two cents, generally speaking the less things on that record the better.
Imagine if you could get a PPI for people in the dating world. Would you rather go out with the woman that has herpes and a history of going bat ***** crazy or the one that has a clean sheet? Given the choice which would most rational people go with?
That PPI is a permanent “health record” for your car and a savvy buyer will use to their advantage. I passed on an E63 down in FL that was brought in every 3k miles for electrical issues. Literally there were 6-7 repeat service visits for the same issue within 25k miles - and the dealer simply reset or battery pulled. What do you think will be your experience if you buy it? Does the CPO designation magically make everything better? So my two cents, generally speaking the less things on that record the better.
Imagine if you could get a PPI for people in the dating world. Would you rather go out with the woman that has herpes and a history of going bat ***** crazy or the one that has a clean sheet? Given the choice which would most rational people go with?
In this case yes, if the car was brought in repeatedly for the same issue then yes, I would shy away., too, but if the record shows the car was in for different issues that were addressed under warranty then I would actually conclude the previous owner took the time to get all the issues fixed, so hopefully I don't have to deal with any of them. My previous car actually had a somewhat lengthy service history. It was in the shop regularly during the first 2-3 years for issues from the factory that all got resolved under warranty. My buyer actually took positive to this seeing that I maintained the car well and took care of all the issues it had. I sold it after 6 years, so the second half of my ownership was largely free of issues, other than a known transmission sensor failure that unfortunately happened outside of warranty, but again that gave the buyer a piece of mind that he wouldn't have to incur an expensive repair to get it fixed later.
I would 100% agree addressing warranty issues with the dealer - my view is in the context of reporting small-dollar, out of warranty items and what impacts those may have on resale. It all depends (as always) and the OP will have to balance what he views as the pros and cons in his case. My effort was to suggest that things that end up on a permanent history “may” influence a purchaser in some way, but depending on his situation it still might be worth it to him. And I would agree that not all purchasers care. But many do. You might not get sick eating a handful of dirt, but why take the chance?
But if you have a lemon I’m not suggesting NOT taking it in for warranty. I suppose my electrical example was a poor one and could lead to that conclusion. I am simply suggesting that these reports provide a lot of detail so the less the better (again, my opinion).
I don't see this taking your value down for a small thing like this and 50/50 that carfax even finds out. I would 100% get them to pay for it and not worry about the value of the car unless your ready to sell soon.
Insurance companies are out to get a profit and a scam sometimes. So early last year, I had a zero-deductible windshield replacement on one of my many cars. Wanted to replace it because of numerous rock chips from road debris. Was told by insurance that it would qualify under comprehensive and since it's comprehensive, would not raise my premium. Total cost to replace windshield (OEM) was $930. I didn't pay a single penny. 6 months later, my policy renews and bam! $42 increase per month. Called insurance and complained. Their explanation was that since the comprehensive claim was higher than $700, it affected my premium (was never told this in the first place). Cancelled that policy and went somewhere else. I'm sure my current insurance is full of crap too. Never trust what is said over the telephone.
Back on topic, having an accident on your record (carfax, autocheck, etc) will affect your resale value, period! If it's not too expensive to fix, pay out of pocket unless you don't care about resale value.
I agree on it being a scam - pay for coverage but don't you dare try to use it or you'll be punished with higher premiums. Sure, if i caused it due to negligence or something, understandable seeing that as a higher risk. If it happened through no fault of mine, such as the case with this parked car, the driver is no higher a risk than before simply because they parked and someone else bumped the car, but will likely get punished the same.
I agree on it being a scam - pay for coverage but don't you dare try to use it or you'll be punished with higher premiums. Sure, if i caused it due to negligence or something, understandable seeing that as a higher risk. If it happened through no fault of mine, such as the case with this parked car, the driver is no higher a risk than before simply because they parked and someone else bumped the car, but will likely get punished the same.
Insurance companies do differentiate between the type of claim. Comprehensive claims which cover most of what's out of your control do not increase one's premium, and as far as I know, the collision premium only goes up in an at-fault collision. So it's actually fair in a way. Those who are causing collisions should pay more.
IMHO sounds so minor. Take it to the official MB dealer body shop (taking bumper off requires systems reset) and have an estimate done up there. Tell them you are paying and not insurance. If the estimate doesn't hurt, just pay it. I wouldn't let a non-MB body shop mess around with my AMG, or spray anything!
I just got a quote done from MB and surprisingly it's not that much to take the whole front bumper off including the systems reset. I'm replacing a front kinnard that I cracked hooning through snowbanks last winter. It was worth it and I'd do it again
All Canadian $:
Body 2.4h @ $75/hr
Mechanical 1h @ $169/hr (the reset required from having the bumper off - sometimes not required if they don't fully remove it)
New kinnard is $138.
Total $550.62. Pfffffffft. Who cares.
Add in the paint spraying that you need, the emblem thingy if you need that - it can't be that much money.
02-05-2020, 11:01 AM
Insurance Claim: Strategy Question
