The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: By the River on May 14, 2019, 10:43:19 AM
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Our "new" car, a 2014 infiniti QX80, that we bought last year was slowly backed into in a parking lot. My wife was in the car and we got the other driver's insurance information. There are a couple of scratches on the front bumper but all sensors work and everything behind the bumper appears to be straight and normal. Their insurance adjuster came out and said we can bring the car to the shop for repairs and will be sending us a ~$800 check. A relative in the car business looked at it and said that he wouldn't do anything. If the bumper is repainted, the paint is likely to spider-web in the future after any small impact.
Would you bring the car to a repair shop or just cash the check?
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Cash the check , drive the QX80 for a month with the damage. Your vehicle looks "tough" now !
If you can't live with the scratches after a month , then fix it.
The spider cracking issue depends on the underlying material the bumper is made from, and how well the bumper is "prepped' [ sanded down and cleaned and primed ] by the auto-body shop. I have a buddy in the collision repair / auto restoration business and he is always harping on the quality of the paint job being very dependent on the amount of time spent on 'prep-work'.
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I would cash the check.
To me, the first dent/scratch/imperfection on a car is almost a relief. Now it's over with.
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repairing cosmetic damage is vanity, plain and simple - you would be spending $800 just to 'look good'.
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If the scratches are deep and obvious (e.g., revealing plastic/primer of a very different color), you can buy a little tube of touch-up paint to make them less noticeable. Manufacturer made is best for matching the color (can be found online, or possibly through the dealer).
It won't look like new, but it can make the cosmetic defects easier to live with.
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Sounds like it's totaled. Definitely better sell it and buy something else. :P
Joking aside, why are you driving a vehicle that gets 16 mpg?
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Sounds like it's totaled. Definitely better sell it and buy something else. :P
Joking aside, why are you driving a vehicle that gets 16 mpg?
I know...My only defense is that the work commute is short (6 miles) and our 3 kids are all large, The smallest is 6ft 2, 180lbs. However, they are all going to be moving or have moved out. I should have put in the original post that we will probably sell the car in the next couple of years and not replacing it with anything close.
Thanks all for verifying what I wanted to do.