Another car wreck question.....?

Question

OK on Friday the 4th my husband and I were invited to a cookout and fireworks at his cousin's house, where she lives with her kid and boyfriend. We live out of town and she told me to park my car behind theirs so that the fireworks wouldn't hit our car. His cousin and I were sitting inside, and her boyfriend comes in and says," d**n it, I'll trade insurance info with you in the morning," We were going to stay the night. But we didn't. When he said that it took a minute to figure out that he hit our car. Well, we went outside and looked and it's the whole side panel on the passenger side. He had been drinking and they ( my husband and the boyfriend) decided that he would just pay out of pocket. Because he was family and my husband didn't want to start any c**p between them. Well I went and got a quote yesterday and emailed it to him. He called and said that it was too much and that it could be fixed cheaper. And I told him I didn't care if it cost 50 cents or 500 dollars....

Answer 1

All I can think of is turn it around on him.  Say, "Tell me where you would want to take your Scion?"  or "Listen, I'm just trying to make the best out of this situation.  I would love to make this as easy as possible, but I need your help.  Please, put yourself in my position, what would you want me to do if I had done the same thing to your new Scion?"  Every Scion owner I know is very protective of their vehicle, so that may help.  Bottom line, he hit you and he will have to pay for it.

Answer 2

Call your insurance company and get a claim going! You shouldn't even need a police report, as long as the boyfriend accepts fault.

This is why you (and the boyfriend) have insurance. Your insurance company should be able to get everything set up for you and have the car fixed, usually with a warranty if you use their preferred shop. Boyfriend doesn't get to argue over price, car gets fixed ASAP, and you can still go to the cousin's house for BBQ on weekends. No brainer to me.

Answer 3

When you go through the insurance, you can take it to any auto body shop.  He is out of the picture.  His insurance company will deal with the payment.

don't wait till the weekend.  Just get the info right now.  Just tell him there's no sense in waiting and there's no need to meet just to exchange info.

good Luck...

Answer 4

i was in a car accident and I had very similar damage, but to the rear of my car (quarter panel, bumper, etc) and i got it done for 1200... it is very expensive to fix that part of a car.

Ask him where he is taking his car to be fixed, and get a quote from there.  But, make sure you ask around and find out if that shop is legit first... you can find a lot of stuff on the internet just by looking up "ABC body shop, townsville, usa customer reviews"

good luck... but i think it would be better just to go through the insurance if he's not willing to pay for quality work.

Answer 5

Id take it to Macco if you want it done even cheaper.

Answer 6

This is a typical situation that occurs when people amicable attempt to resolve auto claims on their own. If you are attempting to "keep the peace" and your cousin is admitting that he is in the wrong then you can for go calling the authorities. Obtain his insurance info and file the claim. His carrier will pay for your damages, regardless of the estimate value. Additionally, the exposure to his policy is minimal as your vehicle was parked and unoccupied at the time of the loss (no injuries). And although you are aware that he was drinking, he can probably save face in the situation and just advise the adjuster that he backed into your vehicle. The results of how it may effect his premium will not be as severe.

Answer 7

If it happened on private property ? The police will not get involved !! You will either have to take him to court or have your agent file a claim on thier homeowners insurance, that will get thier attention !!!!   Good luck !!

Answer 8

I think that you are in serious trouble.

First, your husband agreed to allow him to pay for it instead of having the insurance company get involved.

Second, he isn't family he is just a boyfriend to the cousin.

Third, the laws in most, if not all States, will charge you both for leaving the scene of an accident.

Fourth, the boyfriend will s***w you and a your husband over on this repair no matter where you get it done.

Fifth, Maaco is low priced for a good reason. The quality of the repairs and the paintjob are low to say the least. You will get what you pay for.