My preliminary estimate for me was around the same. Then they took the bumper off, and bam it jumped to $8000. They also used their laser measuring system to ensure that all of the body panels and the frame were aligned correctly. Parts are quite expensive, the muffler I think was around $1200, and the rest of the parts added up to a few more thousand plus the labor.

All I can say is wow. And she didn't even hit me that hard!! That's good info regarding the laser measuring system. I need to ask them if they use that. Thanks!! And I'm going to laugh if it ends up costing that much cause at first she didn't want to go through her insurance and wanted to pay out of pocket. :rofl:

I guess she must have thought they can gets some parts from the junkyard. :rolleyes:

LOL. Absolutely not!! I knew $$ would be an issue for her cause she said she didn't have enough money to pay her deductible. And then she wanted to pay for the repair and the rental car . . . interesting . . . Good thing I have her insurance information!!

She should not have to pay a deductible to get your car fixed at all only hers.

You should check to see if you can file a diminished value claim some states allow this some don't. It works kind of like this your BMW that you own was purchased brand new and was worth X # of dollars now because of this claim it is worth X# of dollars less this is the diminished value and most of the time if the car is only a few years old and you are the original owner you can file this type of claim too. Many times diminished value claims get filed on your own policy but think about it this way your car is worth much less now that it has been involved in an accident even if the work is done better than the factory. Carfax will show it and would you want a used car with a 8k dollar accident? It sucks but just trying to help. Most people never even think to file D V claims.

She must have a high deductible then! In any case I am not sure if she need to pay the deductible for the fixing of your car. Also if you own your X5 you should if possible push for a diminished value claim. With a lease there is no point and I do not think you are even aloud too.

Ok, I'm not sure if you're saying that her insurance company should waive her deductible nor not. I'm just not sure about filing with my insurance cause then I will have a claim on mine. I do feel bad because she might have to pay a deductible but at the end of the day she did hit me, not the other way around. And thank you for the diminished value claim. I will definitely check into that on Monday.

Its been awhile and I'm sure it varies by state. But the last time someone hit me, you do have to file a claim with your insurance simply to help get their insurance company to work towards a settlement. Although if their insurance company cooperates, you will deal with them on proving fault (get the police report for your own satisfaction), the estimate, the arrangements (make sure its an authorized BMW repair center), the inspections, etc. You pay the deductible, they pay nothing (up front), their insurance company covers the repair, any rental costs, any diminished value, and reimburses you for the deductible. Any part that you don't get satisfaction on is where your insurance company steps in.

BTW, their insurance will likely go up because of it being their fault, so they do pay for it in the long run.