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I was rear-ended, there’s a crack on the upper part of my bumper and the plastic part of the trunk locking mechanism is broken (trunk still closes).

The insurance company was pretty insistent that I use one of their recommended auto shops. I asked for a list of auto shops so I could make a choice but they made me pick one over the phone. They wanted to make an appointment for me but I said i wanted to handle it myself so they sent me the address and phone number.

I’ve been getting lots of calls from the auto shop because the insurance company gave them my info and let them know i’d be contacting them which is not something that they told me they’d do beforehand.

My questions are:

1) Does a crack on the bumper require replacement of the bumper and how much does it cost?

2) Is it risky to use the insurance company’s favorite shop? (I’m asking for a quote to get $$ from the insurance company instead of getting it repaired)

3) Why did they not respect my privacy? (Insurance knows I want the check)

1) The insurance company is normally obligated to return your car to the condition it was before the accident. It is between the insurance company and the repair company to decide which is cheapest. They are very good at "welding" plastic nowadays, my bumper repair looks as good as new. Make sure that you point out the crack to the repair company.

2) It is more risky not to use the company's recommended shop. If the actual repair cost exceeds the estimate, things will go more smoothly if you are using a recommended shop.

3) Let the check go to the repair shop.

For 2) and 3), other reasons is that insurance companies to not want to send you a check and you either keep it without making the repairs or finding a cheap repair shop and pocketing the difference. The purpose of their service is to protect you from large unexpected expenses, not for you to profit from them.

So they partner with local repair shops to ensure that the work that they pay for is completed to their standards.

If you don't fix the bumper, the next accident may cause even more damage because the bumper couldn't adequately protect the rest of the car.

Or, you don't fix it now, another accident occurs, and you get the same thing repaired...or not after dinging the insurance company for more money.