QuestionHello William . I hope you can help me. I'm in an ongoing situation that started 2 days ago .I backed up into another family friend's car in my driveway at home. There is only paint scratches on my car's rear on the left (driver's)side on the lower part of the "bumper". The OTHER car however- was lower than mine- I hit it at an angle as I hit the passenger's side headlight- broke it- and made a crack in the bumper right under it and paint residue left as well. The girl got an estimate somewhere and the repairs included a new headlight- new bumper and manual work- totaling in a little over 1,000 dollars- that's my first question- how could it be so much for those two things? Obviously you can't see the photo- but the other places I've shown the photo of the damage to always tell me it's less or around $500 for new bumper/or repair of it- and the headlight I already purchased after market for $90. Now that same shop that estimated 1,000 for the repair of headlight and bumper- made another estimate for the girl's father(who is now adamant in being involved even though his daughter is over 18). It now includes repair to the car's horn- radiator- and passenger door.I can only imagine what the amount this new estimate is now! My final question is could I have really affected the horn and the radiator? The door I understand. ---And is it normal for a shop to go back on their original estimate and add more? This girl told me someone else had hit her in the front before and she got her repairs done their as well- how do I know that I'm not paying for repairs and damages that were needed to be fixed before I hit her diagonally? It sounds so shady- the girl basically told me the mechanic said he's doing me a favor and that I won't get any cheaper estimates elsewhere. This shop is known to overcharge- or so a former employee of theirs says. I would greatly appreciate your input/advice/knowledge
AnswerSuck it up, and pay for the damage, Noemi. Yes, sometimes a shop adds money to a repair for hidden damage, or things the estimator may have missed in the origional estimate. That's why they call it an estimate, not a written-in-stone-imate. The owner has every right to take it where ever they want to fix it. Chances are, they feel their work is worth the extra money, and I bet they can back it up. Maybe they (the owners) want an OEM head lamp and bumper, and not aftermarket crap that you would prefer to buy for economy's sake. It sounds like you damaged the radiator support, causing damage to the radiator. That requires the shop to pull the support, which requires using some sort of frame equipment. The horn is always mounted out on the end of the frame rail, right in the bumper attaching area. I can absolutely see the horn being damaged. I write estimates every day WELL in excess of a thousand dollars for similar damage. I'm guessing you didn't have insurance, or don't want to claim it. So, you have 3 choices- file an insurance claim, pay for the damage you caused, or go to court, lose, and pay for the damage, plus court cost, plus lost work. Stop being stingy, this was, by your own admission, caused by your negligence. Make this right, and don't lose friends over a measily thouand bucks. A year from now, you won't know what you did with the money. One day, I promise you, making this right will come back to you, That is what's called Karma. Doing your friends wrong is bad Karma, it will come back to you, also. Ying and Yang, my friend. You choose. Bill
