Hello 350Z members,

Yesterday I went to the doctors and parked in the public parking when I came out an hour later I realized that my car had visible damage I assume from someone pulling in to the spot infront of me.

To top it off the day before this happened my wife lowered my insurance coverage because I only commute 7 miles to work and dont drive the car much so we figured full coverage wasnt neccesary....

Would you guys pay the insurance deductible $500 which they will more than likely replace it with a stock bumper or pay out of pocket im thinking about the same $500 to keep the Nismo and maybe remove the canards.I was in the process of selling the car and maybe parting .I just feel like paying the deductible will just increase my insurance and might not be worth it in the long run.any advice??

Im wondering if the bumper is trashed or if they can repair it and paint it.here is a picture the bottom rock chips is from daily driving and I was gonna get it painted but wasnt counting on the bumper being cracked.

 

I don't think that bumper is good to fix, there is a big crack almost going through the entire top.
Btw your insurance company doesn't have accident forgiveness?

 

If you're planning to sell try to find a stock bumper in that color

 

It'll probably cost more to repair and repaint that thing then buy another one.

 

- The $500 deductible might make your insurance go up, or your insurance company might allow a one-time write off (accident forgiveness or something along the lines of that). You could call up your insurance company and ask from a hypothetical standpoint
- Alternatively, find a used bumper in silver (couple of hundred on the forums, shouldn't be too much)
- Second alternative, get a used Nismo v2 bumper in your color, or any other color, repaint, fit. Might cost a bit more than $500 for second alternative.

Personally, I would find a used bumper in silver.

 

First off, ask your insurance agent if an incident like this will raise your rates. I was hit outside my boss's house last month, with nothing more than a basketball-sized dent in the driver's side door. I was quoted $900 from a local place, but my insurance then told me it would absolutely not raise my rates (State Farm, by the way), so I paid my $500 deductible and got it taken care of via insurance.

 

Why do people drive these cars with reduced insurance coverage...blows my friggin mind. I seem to see one of these posts every day.

 

Ask for the surveillance cameras and give that b**** a really hard time

 

I was just about to say that look around where you were parked and see if any cameras are around. I hate hit and run scumbags!

 

it wasnt my idea my wife changed companys and lowered the coverage,since I have never had any reason to use it . Good news last night when I was bartending I just happen to over hear someone talking about working at a body shop. I handed him a drink and asked if he could give me a good price.

I showed him the picture and he said $400 with a new bumper and painted.

 

New bumper is only $150 , less without canards and easily picked up in SoCal. Then paint.

 

^ where in socal can I get the bumper for $150???? I was qouted $200 for paint so thats just a $50 difference but I thought these bumpers go for $400??

 

Look under venders and see who is in SoCal. Extreme dimensions is one.

 

found them,just not too close to me.im thinking ,for the $50 difference ill just pay $400 for a brand new bumper without canards painted.

 

Lol, I just sold my nismo v2 bumper for $150, so yeah its possible. I'm wanting to know where you're able to get $200 for paint though??

 

be sure to report it right away!!! it may not seem like it will do much but this happened to me at school and i dint report it. the following week i saw the car! furious, i called the police and there was nothing i could do. left to take matters into my own hands... you dont **** with a man and his car, so i wish you the best of luck and hope this gets worked out quick and safely

 

in sc we only have a $200 deductible for cases like this, check if cali has the same (doubt it, but worth a look)

 

Sorry to hear that. Every time I go to a populated parking area I always make sure I park far away from anyone else or park next to newer clean cars because I know they care about their car just as much as I do so they won't want to ram into my Z. It will probably cost alot more to buy a new bumper and repaint it. I sometimes pull a d!ck move and take up two spots so no one can't park next to me lol

 

What insurance company are you with? I'm a claims adjuster at GEICO and any incident that is considered a non-fault incident, like this one, does not affect your rates. Sucks though man, sorry to hear about it. Might as well use your insurance... Don't know how much it will exceed your deductible. From what I've seen, GEICO pays a little over $300 for a stock bumper replacement and add a few hours of labor plus paint. It probably won't be too much over the $500 deductible when they write up the estimate for the damage. What you can try to do is tell them it's an authentic Nismo bumper and they might give you a little extra money for the bumper. All insurance companies have different policies, but GEICO will cover up to $1,000 in aftermarket parts that are damaged. Anything above $1,000 you'd have to have special endorsements on your policy in order to get them covered. So, I guess if you don't have GEICO then give your insurance company a call and just confirm it won't raise your premium if you file a claim.

 

Also, you do have the option to have them write an estimate for the damages and issue you a check for the damages, less the deductible. So, you don't have to have the work performed at one of the insurance's certified shops. The only stipulation, depending on the insurance company, if you have a leinholder on you Z, they'll only write a two party check between you and the body shop of your choice, so just make sure you have a shop lined up that will work with you getting an aftermarket bumper.