Small rear ending of the truck = $8k in repairs

[Joejk3d]

Just before Xmas the rear end of my truck was tagged by some contractor truck not watching the lights... it was a relatively light hit, but still not awesome.

This is the damage:

This is the repair estimate. now both tail lights were damaged, so I know thats like $1500+ right there. But there is no body work damage other than some paint on the tailgate, and overall seemed to be minor in terms of what happened.

Fortunately, since it a rear ending - the other guy is paying for it all (via insurance)... But still blown away at the costs here.

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[Joejk3d]

And to be fair, I havent talked to the place yet, I just got this in email. I am curious if they found something under there more messed up than it seems that jacked the price up. But a damn steel bumper cant cost 4-5K.

 

[got3fords]

How are the tail lights damaged? Looks like contact was well below and more toward the center.

 

[rang19ca]

Collision damage and Insurance rates are out of control. If the tail lights are working, I would just replace the bumper, unless there is more damage than what the picture shows. Good luck.

 

[Joeiconic]

Aren’t the tail light assemblies around $1500 EACH.

 

[Joejk3d]

How are the tail lights damaged? Looks like contact was well below and more toward the center.

Crack on one side, and the light you can see clearly to the right in the picture has a chunk out of the corner.

 

[Joejk3d]

Aren’t the tail light assemblies around $1500 EACH.

If you are replacing the BLIS unit they are I think
For just the lens I think they are $700 OEM
But I could be wrong

 

[Cabose-1]

If you are savvy enough to do it yourself, buy the replacement parts do the work yourself and pocket the extra money.

 

[Big Blue]

Personally since is the other guys fault and his insurance, I wouldn't worry about out the cost. I doubt they will you a cash payout, let them fix it. That said, yes factory lights are expensive and yes the original BLIS modules should be reuseable. Aftermarket lights are available for a couple hundred each on Amazon. And you could put a nice aftermarket bumper on and touch up the paint yourself.

 

[LawnMM]

$1500 each, that's $3k of it but that's still $5k under your estimate. I'd say thanks for the estimate, pay them for their time, get the money from the insurance and put a new rear bumper and tail lights on myself. Put the rest towards upgrades or college funds

 

[Tom_C]

If you can find a shop that is an approved repair shop for the insurance company, then it will be a lifetime warranty (not sure about the company though, maybe they are different). Since you got hit then it should be free to you.

 

[JimG_AZ]

I had a similar incident. Mine was just over $3k., It took out the rear bumper, hitch and there was a ding on the tailgate.

 

[Joejk3d]

If you can find a shop that is an approved repair shop for the insurance company, then it will be a lifetime warranty (not sure about the company though, maybe they are different). Since you got hit then it should be free to you.

Yup, this shop is what my insurance sent me to (and is highly regarded, and 5 blocks from my house) so this is all good... I am going to pay nothing on this. Just amazing what the estimate is!

 

[dozxab]

Mine got hit where I marked in the photo. A friend backed into it at about 1 MPH. No damage to the light. My hitch was bent and the bumper cover and some brackets had to be replaced. Came close to $2000.

 

[harringtondav]

If you're going to get into a collision do it while your vehicle is fairly new with a high fair market value.
in 2023 my daughter air headed and rear ended someone in the 2016 Cherokee we gave her. $18K+ FMV, $12K+ repair estimate. Mostly front end body parts, plus A/C condenser and radiator.
This was just under the 70% repair cost/FMV limit insurance uses to total the vehicle, but they totaled it anyway because it was so close, and they wanted some cush for hidden damages.
The Jeep was otherwise pristine, and far better than what she could have bought with the FMV check. I spent some time with the insurance company, and pointed out they didn't include the $500+ 'Active Drive II' package I bought for the car when new. That was enough to get the Jeep under the limit and repaired.
Her fault didn't matter. This was in MN, a no-fault state. If someone else was at fault we would have had the same fight with our insurance.

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