Auto Insurance Claims: Am i able to minimize a claim against me?, paint operations, small claims court

Question
I was recently in a car accident where i was at fault. I hit the car in front of me, after i aquaplaned from hitting the breaks hard. Because of the rain i was already doing under the speed limit of 60. After the accident it appeared that only the rear bumper had been damaged. My front headlights where smashed and the bonnet was bent upwards a little. Both the other party and their insurance company where informed, by me, that i was uninsured. The total damages to my car are $730. And the total cost of damages to the other car was $3,600. Included in the claim was a 19 day car hire. I have noticed small items that are being claimed also eg, Boot Lid badges. They are small details that i noticed on site that had no damage. Is there a chance that not all these items (through the whole process 41 items are being claimed) should be nor need to be claimed. Do i have any way of protesting or am i able reduce the total cost without an insurance company to back me? Thank You

Answer
It is hard to dispute the repair costs when someone presents a paid invoice for repair. Boot lid badges, for example, may have had to been removed and reinstalled after paint operations. It is often a question of economic sense when it comes to the labor costs of removal, cleaning adhesive and re-installing the emblems, as opposed to simply installing new items.

But absolutely, you have the opportunity to challenge the repair costs in small claims court. Our system of justice will require that all costs be substantiated.