If you had bumped my car & left only a smudge, I would have told you not to report it. Too bad it didn't turn out that way.

Hi Rock, I feel for you because I've been in your situation a number of times. (Mario Andretti I am not.) My dear old dad taught me a way to respond, and I've used it repeatedly, and I've been very pleased with how it has played out. His philosophy was: Do not report accidents involving minor damage, if you can possibly avoid it. When you're the liable party - as you are - here's how you do that: Offer the person you hit cash-money in satisfaction of the damage. You say the following: "I can give you $50 cash right away, if that would make this alright, or you can go through my insurance company." Lots of folks would really rather have cash into their hand quickly, as opposed to submitting a bill to your insurance company - especially if the damage is next to nothing . . . . . and even when the damage is considerable, if their car is kind of old and not in cherry condition.

I have made offers ranging from $50 to $500. My offers were accepted Every Single Time! The party you hit knows that your insurance company is not going to give them a penny in cash. It will reimburse what they have to spend on a mechanic or to a body shop, when an actual bill is submitted. Also, your insurance company is going to set a limit based on some reasonable considerations. They're not going to pay to have this guy's vehicle repainted. So ask yourself, "What do you think a body shop is going to charge to erase that smudge?" It's not going to be a fortune. Furthermore, this guy might rather take $75 that he can put into his pocket, instead of seeing some body shop get $200 for erasing a smudge that's hardly noticeable. How pristine was his vehicle to begin with? (If it's new, a gorgeous vehicle, and totally cherry - then, yes, he wants that perfectly restored.) Otherwise, he might just as soon take your cash. He might have a cousin who can fix the smudge for nothing. He knows your insurance won't pay his cousin who has no business license.

So call the guy up, and say "I'ld like to offer you immediate cash compensation, if that would do it. Then you don't have to deal with the insurance company." Offer more than the smudge is worth. You'll get that back by not having your premiums go up.

It may be too late for you to do this. Just remember it for next time. I've done this repeatedly. It works like a charm. I crumpled a guy's hood, backing into his parked car. Totally my fault. His car was old and ugly. He happily took the $500 cash I offered him. I figured an auto body shop would have billed my insurance co. more than that. The guy belonged to an immigrant community where unlicensed handimen do a lot of stuff cheap. He'ld get somebody like that to fix it and pay them under the table . . . and have a few bucks left over.

My insurance company thinks I'm a perfect driver. What they don't know won't bother them. My premium is $59/mon. Good luck! Always take photos with your phone - of the damage AND of the whole car to record its general condition.