Got rear ended yesterday! Damage is barely noticeable. What should I do?

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2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring
Yesterday it was raining quite hard outside and the woman behind me ran into me. It was 100% her fault and she acknowledged the fact that it was. She was freaking out because it was her second accident (her fault) in the last month) so she was afraid of her rates/losing her insurance. She offered to pay me extra for the inconvenience caused.

The dent itself, is only on the plastic bumper. It honestly looks like it can be pushed back in but I don't want to do that before I take it to the shop. I am open to the idea of having her pay for the fix and not report to her insurance to save her ass. I was also considering getting a quote and having her right me a check for the damage and just popping it out myself. And of course, there is the logic choice of reporting to insurance and letting them handle it..

What do you guys think since the damage is so minimal? I obviously don't want a dent on my brand new car.

Cheers.
http://imgur.com/a/JvawS
 
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My wife was rear ended while stopped at a light in her Mazda3. It didn't look bad at all, just some scratches/stretch marks on the bumper. I still got her to take it to the dealer and they found out when you pulled the plastic bumper all the foam and asorbers or what ever were destroyed and had to be replaced. I would't have protected the car or passengers as well if it was rear ended again.

I would have it looked at and then leave it up to the other lady.
 
I got rear ended by a lady at a light (probably no insurance - I live in south texas cough) who just bought a ragedy ass 1st gen mazda 6. She said it was the brakes... instead of pulling into the parking lot after I saw the damage and took a picture of her plate, she drove off. Went back to the dealer she bought it form (she had temp plate) and confirmed it... never did press charges although I did file a report.. I had a dent on the black potion of the bumper which I just popped out. Under the right lighting and angle you can see a crease but barely noticeable. I could tell not frame damage was involved but it never hurts to play safe than sorry
 
Yesterday it was raining quite hard outside and the woman behind me ran into me. It was 100% her fault and she acknowledged the fact that it was. She was freaking out because it was her second accident (her fault) in the last month) so she was afraid of her rates/losing her insurance. She offered to pay me extra for the inconvenience caused.

The dent itself, is only on the plastic bumper. It honestly looks like it can be pushed back in but I don't want to do that before I take it to the shop. I am open to the idea of having her pay for the fix and not report to her insurance to save her ass. I was also considering getting a quote and having her right me a check for the damage and just popping it out myself. And of course, there is the logic choice of reporting to insurance and letting them handle it..

What do you guys think since the damage is so minimal? I obviously don't want a dent on my brand new car.

Cheers.

EDIT: Here are the photos
http://imgur.com/a/JvawS
 
That type of repair is easy to DIY, the real trick is getting it completely out and that depends on several unknowns. Just heat up the dent and surrounding area with a hair dryer, reach behind the cover (assuming there are no obstructions) and work the dent out. If the result isn't to your satisfaction, then go to plan B. If you're not comfortable with doing it yourself, take it to a good body shop and have them try it. Then have the perp pay for their labor. Come to think of it, a PDR shop is an even better alternative as they do this kind of thing all day long.
 
Those mobile dent fixers (ie: Mr. Dent or something similar) are pretty good at fixing stuff like that. They'll come to your home or work.
In fact I remember somebody on this forum used one and posted pictures.

If it was me I would of least gotten a police report.
When you go to get your money she can say she never saw you before. It's her word against yours. Hope you got some pics of the accident.
As somebody else said there can be hidden damage behind the bumper. I believe those bumpers are only build to absorb impacts at around 5 mph or less.
 
The person who hit me was probably going 15 mph. So there is a small chance there will be damage to the bar underneath.
 
We were rear ended in a Subaru Forrester a few years ago and at first were going to leave the car alone because the damage was barely visible. We took it to a shop to be evaluated and it ended up having $8k of damage. The rear floor was bent and the spare tire was wedged in the well. The rear floor had to be cut out and replaced. The exhaust system was also bent and parts of it had to be replaced. I would take your car in for a good inspection because the bumpers do a good job of hiding the damage behind them.
 
I would take your car in for a good inspection because the bumpers do a good job of hiding the damage behind them.

(iagree)
This is a no-brainer.

Plus, if you have the Blind Spot Monitoring system, the radar is located under the rear bumper cover. Mazda specifically recommends having this system checked for proper aim after any rear impact. Otherwise it may not function properly.
 
Report it to the insurance and let them handle it. People are always apologetic until the bill comes in and then they sometimes tend to get amnesia. I have been hit twice in the back. Replacing that back bumper cover with no damage underneath will be about $800 from a body shop, not including rental. She got in 2 accidents already this month? Maybe she already got dumped. I know it might sound cold but YOU'RE the one that's going to have to chase estimates, picking up rental cars (if you choose, or finding an alternate ride), and might end up spending a lot of your time on the phone because of this. Been there, done that. Last guy that hit me had a current card, but in reality had let his insurance lapse so everything came down to me.
 
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Yesterday it was raining quite hard outside and the woman behind me ran into me. It was 100% her fault and she acknowledged the fact that it was. She was freaking out because it was her second accident (her fault) in the last month) so she was afraid of her rates/losing her insurance. She offered to pay me extra for the inconvenience caused.

The dent itself, is only on the plastic bumper. It honestly looks like it can be pushed back in but I don't want to do that before I take it to the shop. I am open to the idea of having her pay for the fix and not report to her insurance to save her ass. I was also considering getting a quote and having her right me a check for the damage and just popping it out myself. And of course, there is the logic choice of reporting to insurance and letting them handle it..

What do you guys think since the damage is so minimal? I obviously don't want a dent on my brand new car.

Cheers.
http://imgur.com/a/JvawS

No to sound crude, but that would be the absolute least of my concerns.
 
I know this is an old thread but want to share what I did. I managed to back into somebody on 03/01 and do a little damage to my bumper cover and passenger side reflector. A body shop within walking distance of my house gave me an estimate of $731.66 to fix. I found a used bumper cover the same color as mine and got a new OEM reflector on line. The guy from the body shop buffed out the minor scratches and installed everything for $50 leaving me with a total cost of $275.08
 
Yesterday it was raining quite hard outside and the woman behind me ran into me. It was 100% her fault and she acknowledged the fact that it was. She was freaking out because it was her second accident (her fault) in the last month) so she was afraid of her rates/losing her insurance. She offered to pay me extra for the inconvenience caused.

The dent itself, is only on the plastic bumper. It honestly looks like it can be pushed back in but I don't want to do that before I take it to the shop. I am open to the idea of having her pay for the fix and not report to her insurance to save her ass. I was also considering getting a quote and having her right me a check for the damage and just popping it out myself. And of course, there is the logic choice of reporting to insurance and letting them handle it..

What do you guys think since the damage is so minimal? I obviously don't want a dent on my brand new car.

Cheers.
http://imgur.com/a/JvawS


Man, I can't stress this loud enough. If you're involved in an accident (not private property) no matter how small - call the police. Get an accident report. You will thank me in a couple days when you try to pin the person down after your inspection/estimate and they blow you off. Without an accident report it's your word against theirs.
With an accident report your insurance company will intervene. Most of the time when the person says they don't want to put another claim in it means they don't have insurance. With the accident report you can go back to your insurance company and get it covered under the no-fault provision and you won't be held liable. Without a report there's no way to prove you didn't back your car into a wall.
 
Man, I can't stress this loud enough. If you're involved in an accident (not private property) no matter how small - call the police. Get an accident report. You will thank me in a couple days when you try to pin the person down after your inspection/estimate and they blow you off. Without an accident report it's your word against theirs.
With an accident report your insurance company will intervene. Most of the time when the person says they don't want to put another claim in it means they don't have insurance. With the accident report you can go back to your insurance company and get it covered under the no-fault provision and you won't be held liable. Without a report there's no way to prove you didn't back your car into a wall.

def get a report if you can . what looks ok on the outside can have broken parts underneath . my car just got hit and i thought it was just tail light but under the tail light it had broken supports i would of never seen till it was too late . if it is not your fault always report it . and make a claim .
 
Your kindness for this ladies sob story will come back to bite you. If she is having trouble with her insurance its because she is a bad driver and hasn't learned her lesson. Take care of yourself, go through insurance and get it completely fixed by a professional so it is back to perfect. You will end up paying for her mistake.
 
You can get a police report without getting her insurance involved if you wish. This is for your protection but, because you have put this into print, it may be too late if she changes her mind and goes after you. Ed
 
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