pamada4

I hit a curb during an ice storm today and caused $2,700 in damages to the front driver's side wheel. I did not file an accident report with the police, but I am considering filing an insurance claim. If I file a claim, would Carfax have access to that information and adversely report the vehicle's history? Based on my research, the fair market value of a 2005 RX330 that has a Carfax accident indicator is reduced by approximately $3,000. If I file an insurance claim and pay my $500 deductible, I will also lose (pay) $225 of multiple discounts during the next year. The deductible, added to the loss of discounts and decrease in the current fair market value equals $3,725 ($500 + $225 + $3,000), versus $2,700 of repairs. The $1,025 difference in costs seems great enough to justify paying for the repairs out of pocket. However, if the damage is not reported by Carfax, the difference in savings becomes $1,975 ($2,700 - $500 + $225). Can Carfax find out about the cost or nature of repairs? As a knowledgeable car buyer, I would want to know the extent of damages and repairs of a vehicle involved in an accident, compared to a vehicle that just hit a curb.

shikbas

Just pray for being safe

salimshah

Have you thought about living with it.

File it down at a tire shop to minimize the visual impact.

You can also keep looking for one in classified.

Salim

The G Man

$2700 worth of wheel damage, was there something else damged beside the wheel?

jfelbab

Doesn't the 05 RX have a full sized spare? Just swap them out and go. I wouldn't care what my spare wheel looks like anyway as I wouldn't be using it unless it would not hold air.

pamada4

The $2,700 repair cost reflects Lexus labor charges and replacement parts which includes a four wheel alignment, struts, tie rods, upper and lower control arms, steering knuckle, bearings, wheel hubs and ABS sensor. All that damage occurred while traveling at only 15 MPH...

salimshah

15mph seems like not a lot, but the momentum is huge.

Every thing has its limitation, but RX is not a bonafied (sp?) off roader and off axis impact can bend things. LandCruiser might have fared better but boy the momentum would have been even more.

Salim

vietdeluxx

iTrader: (2)

By reading your title, I thought it was only a curb rash with your wheels.. turns out the curb took out your car... the good thing is you are safe!!!

The G Man

Pamada4, not every accident or damage event is reported to CARFAX. It sounds like you have quite a bit d damage there. I would file a claim and take my chances with CARFAX, afterall, thats what insurance are for.

Who_Me

Even if you don't report it to your insurance company, the body/tire shop that does the repairs may still report the repair to CARFAX. You could probably ask before you had the repair done, just in case the shop has a business arrangement with CARFAX to report all repairs.

I would report the accident to my insurance company for a couple of reasons. First, you are paying at least $1000 per year for insurance, so why not use it? Second, intentionally concealing previous damage to a car isn't very ethical. You wouldn't want to purchase a car for yourself, where the seller had failed to disclose previous accidents or damage. Maybe the Golden Rule should apply.

salimshah

Revisit the repair shop and ask what is the minimum repair which is needed as you intend to pay out of pocket. There are some items you can live with like the curb rash. Sometimes the shop go for A+++ repair job as the customer is being reimbursed by the insurance. [also depends upon how miserly or liberal your insurance is]. There may be hidden damage and when you start omitting things, you may run the risk of not a perfect repair.

If I understand your reasoning, I would say change your insurance to a higher deductible. Save the money and pay out of pocket for repairs up to 3000.

Salim

afpj

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought CarFax only reports major issues like being declared totaled, or junked, and the cause ie flood. I was not aware that it also reports any repairs. Is there a monetary limit as to how high a repair bill gets a CarFax hit? Just curious.
Sorry to hear about the accident to the OP though. Had our first run in the RX330 AWD in Las Vegas area 2 inches of snow. Yep, antilock brakes worked and so did the traction control. Had Bridgestone Alenzas on. My neighbor up the street parked his $100k mercedes down the hill and walked home since his fancy car couldn't make it up. Fancy traction control don't work if you got crappy tires (well, I'm sure they were expensive tires, not not M & S rated) Sorry, just ranting.

ggebhardt

You also need to factor in the possible increase cost of insurance if you use them to fix this. Rates do go up very easy these days.