Anyone have an idea what it costs to replace the big plastic wrapper that goes around the rear bumper? Some dummy side-scrapped his rear corner and dinged the plastic. Doesn't appear to be anything underneath that got bent, but the plastic is gouged/scraped. Looks like it all just snaps in, but I'll guess that it doesn't come already painted. $$$$$ ?
The bumper cover does not come prepainted, maybe yours can be fixed by a body shop? They offer free estimates
The gouge can be easily fixed. I got tagged like that on another car and made the guy's insurance cover it. I went to the local place that Geico wants me to (a reputable new car dealer's body shop.) It was about $400.
If you want good results, you should take your car to a well reputable shop, not one that the insurance wants you to go to. It's your choice, not theirs
Now that's a foolish statement as in this case they were the same thing. AND Geico warrants the work, even though the other insurance company paid for it, for the life of the car. So that you know, Geico doesn't require that I go to the places they work with. It is just quite a bit easier all around.
Insurance companies are here to make money, not pay out expensive claims. It's almost like an HMO plan, where they have designated rates they charge per hour. As you know, mechanics can charge anywhere from $60 to $150 per hour. It just depends on the shop. They all don't do the same quality work and they all warranty their work for a certain amount of time. It's in your best interest to choose the best shop you can get your work done at. The insurance will always guide you to shops that charge $60 per hour......
Having lived through several generations of bumper design, this topic always sets me on a slow burn. It used to be legislated that bumpers could take a low speed impact with little or no cosmetic or structural damage. Today they have fragile, damage prone fairings. it's laughable to still call them bumpers.
