Hello everyone,
Wanted to share this experience and get some opinion.
So I was driving on Route 50, and stopped at a red light. I was just waiting for the light to go green and then bang. I get out and see it's a Honda Accord that rear ended me. Fortunately, the driver was slowing down and was distracted by his phone (he admitted). So I wasn't hurt or anything and there is a minor dent in my bumper made by one of his license plate screw (near the exhaust).

I have his insurance card and everything and filed a claim. In everyone's opinion how bad is the repair or replacement cost? I don't think there is any major damage to the car itself. Any comments or suggestion would be highly appreciated. By the way my NX is a 2016 model.

 

When their insurance company gives you an offer for the damage repair, you want to counter with 100's or even 1,000's over that amount because now, your vehicle will appear as involved in an accident on CarFax--thus, lowering your trade-in or resale value.

As per CarFax's website: (emphasis is mine)

 

NXOwner is exactly right. I just ended my search for a used NX200t and every time I found one priced $2k-$4k cheaperwith same options/mileage it was a car with an accident and usually described as minor-no airbag deployed.

 

While I agree with what was said in the two posts above, the good news for the OP is that, more often than not, accidents, especially minor ones, never get reported and don't appear on a CarFax report. Unless the body shop, insurance company, or a police department reports the accident, it won't appear.

Over the years, I've checked many CarFax reports, and I've seen cars, including ones that Lexus dealers were selling as CPO vehicles, and I've seen a good number of such vehicles for which I could see that their had been collision repairs, but their CarFax reports came up clean. I've also owned a couple of cars that had had collision repairs during the period when I owned them, but their CarFax reports showed clean accident records. Many states have laws requiring that, if there is damage over a set threshold, say $5000, it must be reported, but it is often the practice of body shops, insurance companies, and police departments not to report accidents that they are not required by law to report, and those accidents never end up in the data base.

With regard to the OP's question about the cost of the repairs on his/her NX, from the picture, it is hard to tell just how much damage there is. If the damage is truly minor and if the bumper can be repaired and refinished, the cost of such a repair could be as low as the $500-1000 range. If the bumper cover needs to be replaced, the likely cost would be in the $1500-2000 range. However, there is no way to know if there is damage to components behind the bumper cover. If the bumper shock absorber is damaged or if there is damage, say, to the parking sensors or bumper mounting brackets, the repair cost could be somewhat higher. All of the numbers that I've stated could also vary somewhat from one part of the country to another depending on the customary hourly labor rate for the shops in a particular area.

 

Thank you NXOwner. That's good to know. Will there be a record if I don't go through with the insurance claim? Since it's a minor dent I think it can fixed for a relatively lower cost.

 

Hi Lesz, thank you for your comments and that is what I was thinking. Parking assist and all other sensors works, it's just that small dent (smaller than a quarter coin).
I'all see what the estimates come out. I may juz trade for another Model if it gets a lil hairy.

Its just frustrating that this happened. Specially since it's not my fault.

 

If the damage is truly that minor, I'd give good odds and wager that it won't ever show up on any vehicle history data base.

About 10 years ago, I had a Toyota Tacoma pickup. At one point, it slid off of an icy road and down into a ditch, where it rolled onto its side. Seven or 8 body panels either needed to be replaced or required straightening and refinishing. The cost of the repair was around $10,000. A couple of years later, a Walmart semi couldn't stop on an icy road, and it rear ended the pickup. That incident required about $5000 in body work. When I eventually traded in the pickup, I was surprised to see that neither of those accidents showed up on the CarFax report.

Car dealers love CarFax reports because they can give used car buyers a false sense of confidence that the used cars that they are buying have never had any collision repairs, but the reality is that, when a car comes up with a clean CarFax accident record, it means very little.

On your car, if there is damage beyond the bumper cover, a likely spot would be the bumper mounting brackets. They are designed to snap/break upon impact because, when they break, that is what prevents or minimizes damage further forward into the quarter panels.

 

You're welcome!

It may be better for both of you to settle this privately. Go get four estimates, asking each repair shop if they report such repairs to CarFax or other data service. Once you have four from non-reporting shops, give the person at fault the highest three (or the three that you prefer). Let him/her choose one and pay you. This way, there is no reporting on the accident (good for you), and he doesn't have to report it to his insurance company (good for him).

Finally, I would wait about a week or so before giving him/her the estimates because I've heard that whiplash or other injury sometimes doesn't appear for a few days. If that happens, ask for medical money or (if serious) use his insurance company.

 

Thank you Lesz and NxOwner
You guys brought up some good points. I am considering Carfax scenario and will ask my body shop if they report to them or not.Just by looking at the bumper, it looks fine other than that dent. And all electronics like tail light, camera and sensors works, but like Lesz mentioned, I can't see the mounting brackets which my have took a hit.

I'll update this post once I get the result from the body shop. But thank you again everyone for taking time to share your thoughts with me here. Greatly appreciated!

 

Just to clarify, CarFax doesn't have its own data base. Instead, CarFax, for its reports, accesses various data bases, including the data bases of the states that include information about titles, flood damage, and accident records, insurance industry data bases, law enforcement agency data bases, etc.

So, if information appears on any of the various data bases that CarFax checks, that is when it will appear on a CarFax report.

 

Get your car fixed by the best body and paint repair center you can find, regardless of the cost. It's worth every penny. BTW - high end auto dealers have a good idea which is the best shop, in case you don't already know of one. My goto shop was recommended to me first, by my Lexus service writer even though they have their own shop. You probably already know that your insurance company is not on your side. They want to minimize costs, while you wanna get a good repair that you'll never see again.

Make the guy's insurance pay for everything, including the depreciation and the rental of a similar class car. If you're like me, you (and the guy that hit you) pay a LOT for insurance, and probably have for a long time. You don't have to deal anything less that 100% satisfaction, and you certainly shouldn't accept any impact to the value of your car.

My 2 cents worth

 

To be honest, that "damage" if you are referring to the whitish grey dot on the black plastic part of the bumper, I wouldn't even have filed a claim. If the guy gave me say, $200, I would have called it off and left it as is. I'd rather keep the vehicle's record clean.

 

I agree with computerwi if the damage is limited to the white grey spot. Most body shops are not that careful about the delicate surfaces of our NX. You may get more marring on the paint. But trims such as rubber and stainless steel such as the one on the doors may get a lot of minor scratches which take a lot of time to fix (if it is possible to restore to 100%). So in conclusion, it is not worth it to go through a body shop for that kind of damage.

Try the following first -- have a good car wash, the white grey spot is probably a scuff mark which is a combination of light scratch and some dirts transferred from the other car.


So do some research or probably ask the question in the Detailing forum of ClubLexus. Some plastic cleaner should partially take care of the scuff mark. It should make it look much better than left alone. I believe Zach over there could probably tell you the right product to try to remove the scuff mark safely. Probably start with some diluted alcohol or some goo gone.

If that area is clear-coated (which is not in your case, unfortunately), some very light paint polish such as Scratch X should do the trick. But for plastic, some paint polish may stain the plastic. So don't know what to recommend.

 

From the picture posted, I can't really tell for sure what the extent of the damage is or even exactly where it is. The OP describes the damage as being a "dent". If it is a dent, just cleaning up the area with polish, obviously, isn't going to remove the dent.

It would be easier to make meaningful suggestions as to what type of repair would be appropriate if the OP could post another picture that is more of a close-up of the actual damage.

 

Hello everyone,
Thank you all for your comments. Yes, there is that small dent or a mark left by the other driver's license plate screw. That dot in the picture is an impression of the screw.


It's not noticeable from but like Lesz mentioned, I can't say If there is a damage in any of the mounting brackets of the bumper. It's more of a safety concern for me. That's why I filed a claim with his insurance. And I totally get what AndyL said so I insisted that they pick one of the Lexus Certified body shop and not the one they recommend.
I am in Virginia and Pohanka Lexus recommended Caliber Collision. Due to inspect next week. I will post update after I hear from them.

Thanks again sooo much guys! Really appreciate it.