Someone hit my car, what can i do to fix the damages?

[Archangel11224]

Let me preface this by saying two things first;

1. I'm not sure who did this, as it happened at work and I never saw anyone acting shady around my car.
2. I'm also not sure what forum category to put this in, so apologies if it's in the incorrect forum.

So here we go. The tldr version is while at work this passed Saturday, someone either hit or kicked my car, and took off without leaving information. I dont know who did it either, as by the time I got out of work it was sundown and the damages had probably sat for awhile. Most of my friends and family have said it appears to be more of a hit rather than a kick, and was likely someone with a black plastic bumper due to the scuff marks. The damage is on my back bumper, on the colored portions of plastic underneath my license plate.

I have suspicions on potential culprits (I work customer service in a curbside only business currently, which is angering a lot of people for...some reason), but no actually concrete proof or evidence, and since the damage isnt "major" I dont want to involve my insurance (I just had a claim for rodent damage back in February) or the police if it's absolutely nessacary.

My father and I were able to remove most of the scuff Mark's (thank you ceramnic coating) and a bit of the dent with the boiling water method, but I'm still left with a few serious kinks and creases. Since I have this car for AT LEAST another five years and it's my dream car, any damages at all hurt my soull.

So I have two questions;

1. Should I contact the police and/ or my insurance to file a claim? Will not filing a claim hurt me in the long run? (My current deduc is 500, and a second claim even though the prior one mentioned and this one were not my fault could result in upped rates. At 23 with a sports coupe, they're high enough as is).

2. Any suggestions on how to fix the damages? I've seen all the PDR guys on youtube, but 600-800$ usd seems a bit hefty for my more minor damage. Theres also those dent puller kits I've seen online, but I'm unsure if they're legit. I'll attach all the photos I have of the day 1 damage, and the damage remaining after a few hours of playing with water and elbow grease.

Sorry if the formatting is garbage, I'm posting from mobile.

This thread is now posted in two places because I cant figure this forums out, lol.

 

[arpypat]

Doesn't look so bad in the last picture - you guys seemed to take most of the damage out.

Probably should've filed a claim for it or taken it to PDR before messing with it yourself. But I get it. Insurance is a bitch. Even if they do fix it for you, they keep track of all of your claims and adjust your claims accordingly. You will always be paying for it one way or another.

Some of those PDR are real good. I had a friend put a huge dent in my passenger door on a older car after violently swinging it open into a boulder of ice. Went to PDR and it was as good as new.

 

[amirza786]

First of all, sorry this happened. Just speaking personally and looking at the damage, it's really not that bad, so if this was my car, I would just leave it. You could have a body shop repair it, but you would be paying a few hundred dollars not including painting. If you know how to do it yourself or know someone who knows how to repair it, than that would be an option. I've seen plenty of DIY jobs that actually make it worse, so I would be cautious going that route.

Another option is to buy a rear bumper cover, I had to change my front bumper cover last year and the OEM ran around $230. But it's a lot work and you have to have it painted first. Aftermarket can be cheaper but they don't fit very well and have to be modified to fit properly

 

[Archangel11224]

Doesn't look so bad in the last picture - you guys seemed to take most of the damage out.

Probably should've filed a claim for it or taken it to PDR before messing with it yourself. But I get it. Insurance is a bitch. Even if they do fix it for you, they keep track of all of your claims and adjust your claims accordingly. You will always be paying for it one way or another.

Some of those PDR are real good. I had a friend put a huge dent in my passenger door on a older car after violently swinging it open into a boulder of ice. Went to PDR and it was as good as new.

I would end up getting completely shafted in an upcharge rate no doubt, so even if it was 500ish on my own I'd pay that outright rather than a repair shop having my car for 2 weeks and dragging their feet again. Especially during a worldwide pandemic. Do you have any idea what their rates are? Thankfully I dont think I've done any further damage, as it was only hot water and rubbing with a cloth. I remember reading about newer cars having "shapeform" plastic that allows them to sorta...pop back out from a dent. No clue if that's true, either.

First of all, sorry this happened. Just speaking personally and looking at the damage, it's really not that bad, so if this was my car, I would just leave it. You could have a body shop repair it, but you would be paying a few hundred dollars not including painting. If you know how to do it yourself or know someone who knows how to repair it, than that would be an option. I've seen plenty of DIY jobs that actually make it worse, so I would be cautious going that route.

Another option is to buy a rear bumper cover, I had to change my front bumper cover last year and the OEM ran around $230. But it's a lot work and you have to have it painted first. Aftermarket can be cheaper but they don't fit very well and have to be modified to fit properly

If the issue wasnt so pronounced, I could probably ignore it since it's only plastic and that will no doubt get scuffed and bumped over the years, but it's enough that the bumper Is "billowed" up slightly and that's what upsets me.

 

[amirza786]

If the issue wasnt so pronounced, I could probably ignore it since it's only plastic and that will no doubt get scuffed and bumped over the years, but it's enough that the bumper Is "billowed" up slightly and that's what upsets me.

I get it, it's always upsetting when someone damages your car and doesn't even bother to leave so much as an apology. That being said, you will get used to it. Early 2019 someone parked next to me scraped the front drivers side bumper cover and actually tore it. I basically continued the drive car with no plans to change the bumper cover until one day I hit a giant pothole that caused extensive damage, at that time I changed the bumper cover. The total cost came out to around $900 range

 

[Archangel11224]

I get it, it's always upsetting when someone damages your car and doesn't even bother to leave so much as an apology. That being said, you will get used to it. Early 2019 someone parked next to me scraped the front drivers side bumper cover and actually tore it. I basically continued the drive car with no plans to change the bumper cover until one day I hit a giant pothole that caused extensive damage, at that time I changed the bumper cover. The total cost came out to around $900 range

That's disgusting and I'm sorry someone had the gaul to just take off, I'd be enraged., you have the gloss black too which makes it so much more pronounced. EGP has actually hidden a lot of dirt and dings.

Thanks for the comfort, i only ever had a car that came to me rusted and dented to hell so I've never had to deal with it being anything other than ordinary.

 

[amirza786]

That's disgusting and I'm sorry someone had the gaul to just take off, I'd be enraged., you have the gloss black too which makes it so much more pronounced. EGP has actually hidden a lot of dirt and dings.

Thanks for the comfort, i only ever had a car that came to me rusted and dented to hell so I've never had to deal with it being anything other than ordinary.

Well, I had it fixed by changing the bumper cover

After hitting a giant pot hole driving in Los Angeles, there was now a lot more damage so I went ahead and changed the bumper cover out of my own pocket (insurance wouldn't cover it because it was "prior damage"). Plus I had plans to sell it so needed to get it back to new condition

 

[Drake]

Yeesh, you would think having a lime-green car would make it visible enough for other drivers to notice at all times. I would investigate possible suspects by checking who might be colorblind...

 

[Archangel11224]

Yeesh, you would think having a lime-green car would make it visible enough for other drivers to notice at all time. I would investigate possible suspects by checking who might be colorblind...

You would think, but if anything they cut me off more than my old beater that was gray/purple out of spite. You got a chuckle out of me, though. Well done. I've been pretty sour the past few days.

Not to mention I always pull or back into my spot as far as possible and park way away from work to avoid things like this. ?

 

[Boni]

Just get a big ass bumper sticker and call it a day. Get a dashcam and park your car in reverse.

 

[Archangel11224]

Just get a big ass bumper sticker and call it a day. Get a dashcam and park your car in reverse.

Any recommendations in the cash of dash cams?

 

[Boni]

Any recommendations in the cash of dash cams?

Roav DashCam S1, by Anker, Dash Cam, Dashboard Camera, Full HD 1080p Resolution, 60 fps, NightHawk Vision, Sony Starvis Sensor, Built-In GPS, Wi-Fi, Wide-Angle Lens, 2-Port Charger, 32GB microSD Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DF8MQX1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tQhVEbCEQTYAG

Owned this one for two years, looks like it’s a sensor and not an obvious camera i got it for $40 so i have no clue why it’s almost $100. Check ebay maybe.

 

[Archangel11224]

Roav DashCam S1, by Anker, Dash Cam, Dashboard Camera, Full HD 1080p Resolution, 60 fps, NightHawk Vision, Sony Starvis Sensor, Built-In GPS, Wi-Fi, Wide-Angle Lens, 2-Port Charger, 32GB microSD Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DF8MQX1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tQhVEbCEQTYAG

Owned this one for two years, looks like it’s a sensor and not an obvious camera i got it for $40 so i have no clue why it’s almost $100. Check ebay maybe.

Thanks!

 

[biosses]

Any recommendations in the cash of dash cams?

i'm getting dash cam too, thinking about Rexing V1, about 100$ on Amazon.

 

[AdamD19DFK8]

That's infuriating. My poor old Si has been hit and dinged and scratched more times than I can count. When I was outproccessing from the Army out in Colorado, some douche in a brodozer smashed into the front of my car. Someone else managed to catch the guys plate number and was kind enough to leave me a note. Took it to the on post MPs and filed a report but of course they did nothing, and I was leaving short after so I didn't get it fixed. Someone where I live put a big dent in my rear bumper.

People have no respect and an overwhelming sense of entitlement. With my R I always shield it with my old Si or the girlfriends car so no one can park next to me. Where I live people can't park for shit. Always crooked, over the line, super close to people.

For your bumper, I'd try to get it as normal looking as you can. This is a bit cynical way to look at it, but someone else would be likely to hit it again. Before I even made my first payment on my brand new car someone slammed into the back of me because she was on her phone. Luckily I got her insurance to replace my bumper. It still cost me money by missing hours of work and the pay out was $60 short of the cost of the bumper + paint. I replaced it myself but if I had someone else do it that's even more.

Replacing the bumper is pretty expensive. My bumper and defuser along with one of the fake vents was damaged. I had to get new everything besides reflectors, one vent, and the toe hook access panel. Still ended up being over $900 for the parts without paint

People suck man

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