I got rear-ended today. Driving at a safe speed on a 2-lane street, guy at the right lane tries to change lanes without looking, I slam on the brakes and the car behind hits me. The guy at the right lane just drove away. Tried to file a police report about him, obviously was told there is nothing to do.
The damage is only on the bumper. I had taken off the dashcam because of the windshield tint and was lazy to put it back on, big mistake. Unsure if this is fixable or needs to be replaced.
I need some assistance as this is my first accident. I filed a report and gave them my side of the story (I don't think the other person is going to say anything different but who knows).
Insurance call center person gave me a few options for the repairs none of which is the dealership. So what happens when I want to get this fixed at the dealer? (as Soul Red is hard to match) Has anyone gone through something like this? Again, sorry as I have no experience in this. Thanks
Basically, what happens varies by location. Here in Manitoba, we only have one insurer, MPI. When I lived in Alberta, I had a choice of insurers. Generally the process is similar across provinces, but for more detailed info (like does an adjuster come out to you, or do you bring it to a facility?), it would be best to contact your insurer to get the correct process directly from them.
I can tell you that for me, an adjuster/estimator will
not come to you - you go to a facility where the adjuster looks at your car, then takes your statement regarding what happened, while a damage estimator goes over the car to determine what needs to be replaced. Exceptions can be made if the car/driver are not able to be driven/drive, but for the most part, if the car is drivable, you bring it in.
Then, with the estimate in hand, you're free to have your vehicle repaired either by an "MPI-accredited" shop, or a shop of your choosing. I think the difference is just that if a preferred shop determines that the estimate wasn't high enough, MPI is much more likely to assist. You do
not pay up front - the shops deal directly with MPI to get reimbursed.
Again, process will likely differ across provinces. Call your insurer and they should be able to provide you with more accurate info.
As far as who is best to do the repair, the dealer may not always be the ideal choice. What I would suggest is contacting multiple body shops (including dealership body shops) to see if they have any experience painting this colour. If they say that they do, I would check their Google reviews or ask them to see examples of their finished work with this colour. Then I would go with the shop that has the best reviews/best examples of finished work. I did this for my CX-9 with MGM paint, and a Honda dealership's body shop repaired the paint on my car. The paint looked as good as it did the day it was delivered once they were done with it.
Good luck!