Got rear-ended. Time for a bumper upgrade?—PLOT THICKENS!—

[Artsifrtsi]

Take it in to a dealer, like Ford, and ask them for a trade in value with and without an accident on record.

If you have a buddy...

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[Mjolnir]

You can also go onto KBB and things like that to see what the value is with and without an accident to at least give you a starting point.

Then go to 4 dealers and ask for value before and after this accident.

***Make sure you know what the damage actually is prior to doing this. Only hitch damage will drop the value less than damage to body paneling, for instance.

I did a diminished value claim on my wrangler a few years ago. It was a hard fight with the other insurance company, but I was able to get about 90% of what I wanted vs the 30% they wanted to give me.

 

[LostWoods]

You'll need a "diminished value" appraiser to get you an official number. Dealerships will quote you on their current outlook which can change from day to day and person to person so you need to go with someone third party that doesn't have skin in the game.

I will also say that diminished value does not apply to things that are 100% correctable so if this was truly just a bumper and hitch replacement, you aren't going to get anything for it. Diminished value is more intended for cases where OEM parts aren't available or not used or where paint is involved since a commercial shop will never truly match the OEM for quality.

 

[Mjolnir]

I will also say that diminished value does not apply to things that are 100% correctable so if this was truly just a bumper and hitch replacement, you aren't going to get anything for it. Diminished value is more intended for cases where OEM parts aren't available or not used or where paint is involved since a commercial shop will never truly match the OEM for quality.

False. I have done three DVC's and received money for all three.


- Driver fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into me at 55MPH. Multiple body panels were needed to be replaced along with my tailgate (no frame damage). Other drivers car was totaled. This is the one I personally mentioned above that took a long time to get. This was April 2019

- Driver rear ended me on the GSP in Jersey because he was texting and driving. I had no body damage, no frame damage. Only had scratches on my hitch and rear bumper. Other drivers car was totaled. I filed and received a DVC. This was April 2018

- Driving down the road and someone pulled out into my lane. Hit my rear passenger fender while I was going around 30-35MPH. Their bumper was ripped clean off. Barely a mark on my fender. Filed a DVC and received payment. This was summer of 2015.

You do not need "paint or body damage" for a DVC. It is recorded that your vehicle was in an accident, therefore value drops. Different states may have different statutes regarding WHEN you can file, like you said above. If that is the case then OP needs to speak to his insurance company and do research about this for what his state allows.

AFAIK, in Dirty Jerz, if I am in an accident and I am not at fault, I can, and have every right to file a DVC. And win.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

You'll need a "diminished value" appraiser to get you an official number. Dealerships will quote you on their current outlook which can change from day to day and person to person so you need to go with someone third party that doesn't have skin in the game.

I will also say that diminished value does not apply to things that are 100% correctable so if this was truly just a bumper and hitch replacement, you aren't going to get anything for it. Diminished value is more intended for cases where OEM parts aren't available or not used or where paint is involved since a commercial shop will never truly match the OEM for quality.

I 100% agree with @Mjolnir with this as being false. I had 2 fender benders in my Canyon, neither of which I was at fault (one my truck was parked and I was inside office) Both times parts were replaced with factory parts, and there was no structural repairs. But both times the incidences were recorded for the truck, and showed on car-fax. Both times I got approx 30% of the damage total repair cost (~$1k each) in Diminished Value.

Funny thing was when I traded it on the Gladiator, the dealership gave me a signed trade in value of the Canyon, then ran the car-fax... they tried to reduce the trade it value by nearly $4000, but we told them we'd walk and held them to the initial offer.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

They aren't going to do a diminished value on just a bumper replacement or hitch replacement, you will waste money on a lawyer trying to fight that. I'd take it to a shop and get it looked over and get them to give you a appraisal on the damages. If you go to a dealership and they do the work they aren't going to let you use aftermarket parts they are going to put a OEM bumper back on. If it just ends up being bumper damage, then I'd get a quote, get a check cut to you and put the a aftermarket bumper on yourself. Had something similar happen on mine but it was the front bumper. A guy hit me in a parking lot but I already had my front bumper on the way. I didn't feel like dealing with insurance claims so I told him not to worry about it. @LostWoods statement is pretty accurate, my wife was a claim rep for allstate and adjuster for allstate for about 7yrs and she dealt with this stuff on a regular basis and use to tell me stories about people trying to sue for diminished value, more times than not people walked away empty handed, and some of those were worse wrecks than this one.

 

[Mjolnir]

They aren't going to do a diminished value on just a bumper replacement or hitch replacement, you will waste money on a lawyer trying to fight that. I'd take it to a shop and get it looked over and get them to give you a appraisal on the damages. If you go to a dealership and they do the work they aren't going to let you use aftermarket parts they are going to put a OEM bumper back on. If it just ends up being bumper damage, then I'd get a quote, get a check cut to you and put the a aftermarket bumper on yourself. Had something similar happen on mine but it was the front bumper. A guy hit me in a parking lot but I already had my front bumper on the way. I didn't feel like dealing with insurance claims so I told him not to worry about it. @LostWoods statement is pretty accurate, my wife was a claim rep for allstate and adjuster for allstate for about 7yrs and she dealt with this stuff on a regular basis and use to tell me stories about people trying to sue for diminished value, more times than not people walked away empty handed, and some of those were worse wrecks than this one.

If that is the case, then explain why it has happened with me, and dozens of people I know here in Jersey/PA? Again, this could VERY well be a state by state thing, I don't know. But to blanket a DVC claim as it will never happen for small things like a bumper, fender, tow hitch, etc, is ludicrous.

I never once retained a lawyer. I simply got multiple adjusters/appraisers and brought that info into the conversation, and said I wanted the average of all numbers. That's all there is to it and I got what I wanted each time (at least mostly what I wanted on my last DVC).

 

[LostWoods]

Ok, I get it, avoid absolutes. This has just been my experience in industry that it's extremely common to rejected by insurance on 100% repairs. Every insurance has a different risk profile so that will always be a factor of whether they want to deal with your ass or pay you 8 hours worth of their attorney's time to avoid paying more.

Though I will say, there's five anecdotes provided here and only one of them would not be eligible even by my absolute statement. A 100% repair doesn't mean to the untrained eye, it means entirely indistinguishable from factory. The most perfect paint and body work in the world still isn't a 100% repair and would get some sort of compensation.

But I am mostly sticking to my statement above. A bumper and hitch replacement is extremely unlikely to be honored and if they do, it's in all likelihood a mitigation that it costs less for the payout than they would pay to fight you in even small claims court.

 

[Redjk07]

I plan on going with a Rebel they have steps in the side which come in handy!

 

[10ecHarry]

I got rear ended while driving away at a gas pump. Cost just a tad over $300. for dealer body shop to replace plastic cover.

 

[Wicked1]

I went with a DV8 after getting hit in a parking lot. Vents are paintable.

I'm going with one from them also. I love being able to customize the panels to match the paint theme. Looks nice.

 

[John Hursh]

You know, I was thinking about that last night. How would I go about calculating that amount?

My 17 JKU got hit 16 hours afterI bought it. $23,000 damage , new frame, 11 weeks in the repair shop. The dealer was able to give documents to verify the diminished value. Traded the JK this Sept for my Overland.

 

[PyrPatriot]

They aren't going to do a diminished value on just a bumper replacement or hitch replacement, you will waste money on a lawyer trying to fight that.

Never know until you try. I did, and took what was offered for sheer laziness of not wanting to file a lawsuit against the insurance and the driver. I had a feeling I shouldn't be greedy and took $1k less than I was asking for replaced bumper and trailer hitch assembly. Put that money into a bumper, winch, and tires and the value of the vehicle should now be higher than the appraised trade-in I used

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Never know until you try. I did, and took what was offered for sheer laziness of not wanting to file a lawsuit against the insurance and the driver. I had a feeling I shouldn't be greedy and took $1k less than I was asking for replaced bumper and trailer hitch assembly. Put that money into a bumper, winch, and tires and the value of the vehicle should now be higher than the appraised trade-in I used

I mean sure, never hurts to try.

 

[Gladiator Brad 704]

Same thing happened to me. First the rear then about 7 months later the front. The rear was i. The pouring rain when I was stopped at a traffic light. The front happened when I was standing behind the truck in a parking lot.

I used a shop called EXTREME TRUCK AND TRAILER in Mooresville NC. They did estimates for both accidents. Lots of tiny parts in the factory bumpers. I replaced both with bumpers from RUSTYS OFF ROAD. I was shocked as to how weak the factory bumpers were.

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