Seeking Advice With Accident Aftermath

[Crystal2]

Hi, My new RX330 was rear-ended today. Fortunately, the damage was minimal with mostly cosmetic damages - scratches and rear bumper dent.

Questions:

1) Shall I avoid taking the car to Lexus dealership for repair work since Lexus charges are known to be inflated? My concern here is that excessive cost for repair will show up as a recordable accident for my car, thus affecting later resale value. In NYS, any property damage over $1000 has to be reported to the state. Should I take the car to an outside repair shop if the repair work is under $1000 so that it does not appear in the accident record for the car (after all, there were no operational damages and the cosmetic damage was relatively minimal)?

2) Lexus Cental Customer Service advised me to take car to Lexus dealership to ensure matching of color with the repair work. Is this correct? Shouldn't the repair shop be able to order the right color paint from Lexus? I will contact the autobody shop we usually use tomorrow.

Any responses would be helpful.

[stonecutter]

Here's my 2 cents. Assuming you have insurance and the out of pocket expense is the same for both shops (I'm guessing even the non-Lexus shop would charge more than your deductible), I would go with the Lexus dealer, they are more likely to do the job right and more likely to stand behind their work should a problem arise. I personally don't think having a minor ("cosmetic") accident recorded would lower the resale value considerably, especially if you can show it was fixed by a reputable Lexus dealership.

[monarch]

To keep my insurance / accident record incident free, what I do in the event of a minor accident is to try not report it to anyone, assuming the other party is receptive to the idea. Even if it was the other party's fault. I just bite the bullet and pay for the damage out of pocket or ask the other party to pay, or help pay, if it was their fault.

This strategy has worked well for me. I''ve had four minor accidents in the last 10 years and neither the police nor my insurance company will ever know about them !!!! So my driving record remains perfect and I get the lowest insurance rates.

[Crystal2]

Here's my 2 cents. Assuming you have insurance and the out of pocket expense is the same for both shops (I'm guessing even the non-Lexus shop would charge more than your deductible), I would go with the Lexus dealer, they are more likely to do the job right and more likely to stand behind their work should a problem arise. I personally don't think having a minor ("cosmetic") accident recorded would lower the resale value considerably, especially if you can show it was fixed by a reputable Lexus dealership.

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Monarch,

I was under the impression that any incidents (my fault or not) would be held against me. However (unfortunately), my husband was driving our Toyota Avalon when it was rear-ended and totalled in another recent accident. Both of us are safe drivers but a group of metro NY drivers are aggressive, inconsiderate and frequently in a great rush. We were told that it would not affect our insurance records since it was not our fault. In fact, our insurance co. recouped the deductible for us from the responsible party's insurance co. There appears to be no question of who is responsible when it comes to a rear-end accident.

Moreover, I found out that the party responsible had given inconsistent information to me (possibly false info). He gave me info without his driver's lic. # or insurance info. Just said it was a co. car or co. rental and his employer would take care of it. He was about to leave, saying he was rushed and had to go to work. I told him he had to wait until police got there, since he had inconvenienced me and damaged my car (his van sustained no damage).

I think he was trying to get away after giving false info. Good thing I stopped him and insisted on getting the police, who then did a complete report! The address he provided to the police and the employer name were different from info given to me. Also, I do not feel like footing the bill for at least a $1000 bill (this is a given if repair is thru a Lexus dealership and with the higher cost of everything on Long Island, NY).

This reinforces my desire to take the appropriate steps (tho I hate to deal with Long Island police, who can be arrogant, unhelpful and downright nasty).

Thanks for your replies! Crystal2

[dgorrie]

I'm in Texas, and use Hartford. Hartford "guarantees" repair work if taken to one of their approved shops. That said, whether insurance is paying or not, I'd try to get references regarding the work that any shops perform. I'm not sure that a Lexus shop can be considered more reliable than a lot of others shops -- it all depends on the conscientiousness of the shop and the attitude and competence of the techs.

Matching colors shouldn’t be particularly hard. We backed into a pile of rocks, and the local shop got a new bumper and matched the paint perfectly. It wasn’t a Lexus shop either, but we had referrals from neighbors and had other repair work done there on other non-Lexus cars.

I’m guessing that if insurance pays, they wouldn’t pay Lexus any more than they would pay any other shop. If it is out of YOUR pocket, then shop around.

[katzjamr]

In most states when you are rear ended in an auto accident the person who hit you is entirely at fault. This person has already been dishonest and you need professionals on your side to get your car fixed correctly. In many areas when you take your car in for auto body repair it is recorded on a national list that the insurance companies monitor. So even if you dont claim the damage, your insurance company can see a repair has been done. This car is almost new, and mismatched paint or poor repair wll put you on the road to lower value for your car. Have it done right, and let your insurance company go after him to collect. Even though a small area was damaged, a much larger area may have to be repainted to make it all work.

[Crystal2]

In most states when you are rear ended in an auto accident the person who hit you is entirely at fault.  This person has already been dishonest and you need professionals on your side to get your car fixed correctly.  In many areas when you take your car in for auto body repair it is recorded on a national list that the insurance companies monitor.  So even if you dont claim the damage, your insurance company can see a repair has been done.  This car is almost new, and mismatched paint or poor repair wll put you on the road to lower value for your car.  Have it done right, and let your insurance company go after him to collect.  Even though a small area was damaged,  a much larger area may have to be repainted to make it all work.

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Katzjamr, Some very good points! I believe I was headed in the direction of your thinking, since in NY, the rear end accident is considered the fault of the person who hit my car. However, you have given me pause to consider letting the Lexus dealership handle the repair. Crystal2.

[RX400h]

I recently was front-ended by a guy who decided to back up without looking at a gas station. Upon calling the three Lexus dealerships in my area, I found that one refers customers to a Chevy body shop nearby, another, to a Mercedes collision shp, and the third, to a Toyota collision center. Now I look at body shops the same way I do auto shops. How often does the local repair place work on a newer Lexus? How experienced can they be with my vehicle if they service 10 other makes of vehicles? The Toyota collision center was getting ready to repair an identical (even the same color) 2006 RX400h when I arrived for a quote. To me, they are likely to be the only body shop in town that has repaired an RX400h and are accustomed to doing the job right.

So, I recommend that you not skimp on repairwork. Go to a place that knows your vehicle. You'll be happy you did many years from now.

Good luck!

[SW03ES]

Actually believe it or not, you'll probably get a much better job by an independent body shop than by the dealer. Usually dealer shops do volume work not quality work. They have a steady influx of business from the dealership and don't have to worry about making a name for themselves or having their quality stand on its own. Find a shop with high tech color matching equipment (Lexus doesn't make paint) that has good references and you'll be fine.

[kh046]

Our dealership in town does not do any body repairs. They send it to a local shop here in town. The first time I went and asked, the advisor told me to just take it to them myself. I've been using that local shop myself for 2 years now. Recently, someone just swiped my front driver's bumper area. It left a scrape on the bumper where I can see the black underneath the paint and some of that black rubber got scraped as well.

I was debating whether I'll pay it for myself, or go through my insurance. I ended up taking my vehicle in to that local shop and have them do an estimate. It came out to be around $600. $600 is about $300 more than my deductible. In that case, I just called it in to my insurance. By the way, that shop is also one of the shops in my insurance's list of repairs. My insurance just told me that, this case was sort of like a hit and run.

The Local shop here says that they use the number on the vehicle to order the paint from where Lexus buys the paints. The after look is flawless. It looks just like the original. Just like a couple of replies before me. Do your research around your area, and take it to a independent shop that does body work for a living.

[RX in NC]

For the past two decades I've used a top-notch local independent body shop owned by the same family for 30 years on the rare occasions we've needed body work done. They have the best paint-matching technology and some of the most highly-skilled body repairmen and painters I've ever met. Regardless of what we're driving at the time, this is the only place I allow to do bodywork and paintwork on our vehicles. I recommend that you look around and find a similar shop and stay with them as you need them.

[RX400h]

Actually believe it or not, you'll probably get a much better job by an independent body shop than by the dealer. Usually dealer shops do volume work not quality work. They have a steady influx of business from the dealership and don't have to worry about making a name for themselves or having their quality stand on its own. Find a shop with high tech color matching equipment (Lexus doesn't make paint) that has good references and you'll be fine.

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I believe that there are some good independent shops out there, just as there are some good independent auto repair shops. My experience, however, has shown that the body shops that repair any type of vehicle are not always the best choice for repairing a very expensive vehicle. 20 year-olds who have their 1983 Civic body damage repaired are normally not as picky as a 50 year-old executive who is having his or her 745i BMW repaired. I made the mistake twice of bringing my old Corvette to a local, family-owned shop.

As I mentioned, the Toyota Collision center that we chose has plenty of Lexus-specific experience and must answer to both the owners of those vehicles and Lexus Customer Service, both of whom tend to be very meticulous when it comes to receiving high quality of work.

[Crystal2]

Hi, Thanks to all for your feedback. I ended up with the autobody shop used by us previously. The work has been consistently good and the prices reasonable. The shop has a computer system for matching colors (I saw a Lexus RX300 on the lot as I pulled in and the boss told me they work on a regular basis on Lexus and Mercedes vehicles). The Lexus dealership did refer me to an outside shop for body repair on the RX, so I decided to go with our own shop.

The claims adjuster came today and saw the damage (he could see the imprint of the license plate of the other car on my rear bumper). He estimated the cost to be a little under $700, so I will not have to report the accident to NYS DOT. Of course, this depends on the final cost of the repair.

Your insights have helped to alleviate the aggravation from the accident.

Crystal2

[SW03ES]

I believe that there are some good independent shops out there, just as there are some good independent auto repair shops. My experience, however, has shown that the body shops that repair any type of vehicle are not always the best choice for repairing a very expensive vehicle. 20 year-olds who have their 1983 Civic body damage repaired are normally not as picky as a 50 year-old executive who is having his or her 745i BMW repaired. I made the mistake twice of bringing my old Corvette to a local, family-owned shop.

As I mentioned, the Toyota Collision center that we chose has plenty of Lexus-specific experience and must answer to both the owners of those vehicles and Lexus Customer Service, both of whom tend to be very meticulous when it comes to receiving high quality of work.

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You have more confidence in Lexus Customer Service than I do LOL, seems every story I hear about a customer reporting an issue with a dealer to Lexus they get "thats between you and the dealer".

Of course you can't just use any shop, you have to find a good one. Ask your friends who are as picky as you who they use, look at their cars, tour the shop it should be clean and have the latest equipment, they should be thrilled to let you see everything and see the cars they work on. Don't be too married to high dollar cars, IMHO people with more modest cars care more than people with expensive cars...

A good body shop is something you need like a good mechanic, a good accountant, a good lawyer, a good dentist...

The dealer is good at what they're usually good at...costing a lot.

[RX400h]

You have more confidence in Lexus Customer Service than I do LOL, seems every story I hear about a customer reporting an issue with a dealer to Lexus they get "thats between you and the dealer".

Of course you can't just use any shop, you have to find a good one. Ask your friends who are as picky as you who they use, look at their cars, tour the shop it should be clean and have the latest equipment, they should be thrilled to let you see everything and see the cars they work on. Don't be too married to high dollar cars, IMHO people with more modest cars care more than people with expensive cars...

A good body shop is something you need like a good mechanic, a good accountant, a good lawyer, a good dentist...

The dealer is good at what they're usually good at...costing a lot.

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Well, since I have initially called Lexus Customer Service last week, they have called me at least four times to let me know that they are working with the dealership and collision center to get the bumper cover in as soon as possible. Certainly, it is possible that some independent body shop wcould work as closely with Lexus parts and Corporate headquarters, but in all likelyhood, this wouldn't happen.

Here's an example of why I usually stay away from small shops for auto repair: We took our old van in for new brake padsand fluid flush not too long ago. After driving the van for a short distance afterward, we noticed that the brakes were very mushy (scary). When we brought the van back, the technician took it for a drive and announced that the master cylinder was bad and needed replacement ($200). Upon questioning the technician, I found out that they didn't have a pressure bleeder (the type that dealerships use) and pumped the brake pedal manually. When I explained that by extending the master cylinder further (during manual brake bleeding) than it normally travels during normal braking, the shaft seals can become scored/torn, resulting in fluid leakage past the seals (and mushy brake feel), the technician and owner admitted that this could be true. My proof was that other than thin pads, the brakes were fine before I brought the van in for service. The shop owner ended up replacing the master cylinder, but had they bled the brakes correctly or with tools that eliminated manual pedal bleeding, I wouldn't have had to go there twice, wasting many hours of my time.

This is just one reason why I tend to pay a little bit more at a dealership. Others like yourself may have different experiences, but until I have a good experience with a mom-and-pop shop, to the dealership I will go!

[RXinMN]

I had a similar situation recently with our 05 RX330 - a young girl backed into us in a parking lot. It was clearly her fault but no witnesses, and no police involvement because there was no personal injury and no jurisdiction in parking lots. Fortunately, her own insurance (Geico) caught her lying and assessed it as 100% (her) fault.

The claims adjuster gave us checks for the repairs and rental, and sold their own shop as "the best". They didn't do a very good job of explaining why they were "best" so I called my Lexus dealer. They have a nearby bodyshop do all of their work, and said that all they do is Lexus bodywork. I ended up taking it there, and they did a fantastic job. The rear bumper and one lens was damaged, and you simply cannot see any evidence of it anymore.

In my case, cost was the same regardless of where I took the vehicle for repairs. With this kind of vehicle, plus the fact that it's new, I wanted the best job possible done on it. Repairs came to just under $700.

I hope your repairs were done (or will be done) as well as mine. Good luck!