Of initial damage and of when bumper is off. If it can be added to accident report great. If the damage is just a bumper and you have pics and an invoice for the repair the carfax is not a big deal and almost meaningless. Paint is so thin almost everyone has to paint a bumper cover now even with ppf.

 

Always file the claim with your own insurance company! You should never have to speak to her or her insurance company. It's not you fault so there will be no surcharge. And press for a diminished value claim. And take photos of the damage and repair to minimize the impact of the carfax report.

 

If it's obvious beyond a shadow of doubt that it was the other party's fault, report it to your insurance company and confirm that they'll return your deductible once they've subrogated the claim with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. Good luck!

 

I am a lawyer. File a claim with your insurance. They will manage the case with the other. Too many possibilities for you to worry about. Too many benefits from having professionals help you. Insurance rates are regulated. Consequences of a claim are worth the benefits: that is the premise of the entire industry.

 

Do Not Pay out of your own pocket. I understand your worry about CarFax but it's just a bumper and should be explainable to a future Buyer (as you said, maybe 'way future') with quality documentation. And if CarFax will affect it by a few thousand than take the steps now to get ahead of that concern with a Diminished Value Claim. Or consider how much you feel a CarFax bumper will realistically affect your resale value - you're considering $5k (min) out of pocket so IMO I doubt a CarFax will impact it more than that for only a bumper replacement. Just another POV.

 

If there’s anything I learned from this thread, it’s that when I buy my next car, a clean car fax doesn’t mean much since the owner could have simply paid out of pocket and so hidden an incident.

 

Start with the carfax history, then ppi with paint meter reading, then personal inspection.


QUOTE=Otakugamer;18152032]If there’s anything I learned from this thread, it’s that when I buy my next car, a clean car fax doesn’t mean much since the owner could have simply paid out of pocket and so hidden an incident.[/QUOTE]

 

That is not correct. Carfax gets their information from multiple sources including repair shops, police etc. in addition to insurance companies”


“CARFAX gets information from various motor vehicle bureaus across the U.S. and Canada, insurance companies, auto auctions, repair and service facilities, rental companies, state inspection stations, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and vehicle manufacturers.”