I tend to agree after a Toyota RAV4 plowed into me while I was stopped at a red light. I'm going to need a new rear bumper and new Rhino tire cover.



RAV4 needs far more work:



Nobody was hurt which is all that really matters. It's annoying that the Defender's CarFax report will now be flagged with an accident and just took a big depreciation drop.

 

I learned recently by watching Doug DeMuro’s video that not every repair gets reported to carfax. He had his done at an independent body shop and wasn’t reported but he disclosed it when selling his defender via the description video.

 

I just went through this with my son's Bronco. Was hit at around 25 mph. The other driver was cited.

Idk how your state is set up but here's how it works in Florida. When the other driver is cited:

1. Their insurance pays 100% as long as they have enough $ in coverage for both vehicles and any other property damaged. If not, yours takes over. Your rates will not increase.

2. Their insurance must provide a rental when you need it for estimates or repairs. Does not matter if she/you have rental coverage or not.

3. I can select ANY repair shop I want. I got quotes from Ford but that was just to see how bad it was the day after he was hit and to make sure it was safe to drive. No way was I using them. I took it to the absolute best place in town. They do resto-mods on multi-hundred-k classic cars, 85" monitors for the techs to see diagrams. Eat-off-the-floor $$$$ kind of place. I've used them before. Amazing work. They had it 12 days before they had an estimate. Geico said it would take 6 weeks to review the estimate and then I told them where it was. They literally reviewed it an hour later because this place was already $6k in for estimate and storage.

4. You are entitled to diminished value. The shop told me they have two companies they use that provide that number after the repair and insurance has to pay. They can argue the amount but they have to pay something fair.

In the end, the repair that Ford quoted for $20k without even looking underneath the vehicle, was over $46k at my shop.

Ford said it needed a new rear 1/3 frame and my shop said, no, it needs a complete frame and they would not do a rear 1/3. Since I was not at fault, insurance can't effectively argue that. The Bronco was $52k new. Geico offered $70k replacement value and we took it.

Like I said, idk how your state works but I would find out asap and get everything you're entitled to because the insurance company will not tell you this.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for all the info Allegedly. Living here in the Boston area where people tailgate like NASCAR drafting, I've been through this many times.

I will be sure to have my shop check for any unibody damage under the bumper. But even the tow hooks and trailer hitch look perfectly fine. Plus that spare tire mount is crazy strong and the rear door looks fine too. The Defender is built like a Rhino.

 

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This is excellent to hear because the Bronco folded like a cheap suit. The floor was bent up to the driver's seat and the gaps at the front of the pax door to the front quarter panel were off by 3mm. All this at maybe 25mph.