Safe Auto Insurance "Buffing out" $3,000 damage - Apraiser recommended Bondo instead of a new fender Columbus Ohio

I never dealt with these clowns until a SUV broadsided my Dodge Grand Caravan SXT (1.5 years old) The front fender was dented and displaced so that the passenger side door would scratch against it with an ugly noise when trying to open it. the plastic mirror cover was deeply scratched, as well as the plastic door handles, the corner of the plastic headlight lens and other parts. One of the alloy rims was scratched and dented, since the wheel was hit it could have affected the alignment.

Safe Auto sent out 3 guys in 2 cars in order to look at the damages, obviously one of them was a supervisor. After aproximately 3 seconds of looking at the damages, the appraiser explained: "This can be buffed out, that one can also be buffed out, the scratched mirror can be buffed out and the door handles can also be buffed out."

One of the two door handles actually has an area where aproximately 2 mm of plastic are gone. the mirror is made of a polished black plastic material, the scratches are aproximately 1/2 - 1 mm deep. A body shop estimated the damages between $ 2,500 and $ 3,000 and they told me that the only way how to correctly fix the damages is to change the parts. According to Safe Auto's appraiser the damage is $ 1,089.-

When I talked to this clown he actually told me "take the car to a car wash and give $ 50,- to some mexican, he will be able to buff out most of it. In regards to the dented fender he told me "Its better to leave the old fender on the car and to fix it with Bondo instead of replacing it with a new part."

The Safe Auto appraisal did not contain one single part, according to their experts nothing has to be repainted.

Steve
Mesa, Arizona
U.S.A.