Anyway I was hit from behind while sitting in traffic last friday.

Took some pictures in the dark last night and the damn car is still shiny even with my bottle of Zaino missing, so it's hard to see the damage but...

http://www.sim-plex.com/rx8/

Anyway, I went to the insurance adjuster and he estimated the damage to be $843.00

Now get this with 73 miles on my car the day after I drove it off the lot (back in August last year) Someone backed into it with a trailer hitch and damaged the rear bumper. The estimate was $1200. Ended up costing $900 to replace the bumper.

Well that time it was only the rear bumper that was damaged. This time the rear bumper and the pieces around the exhaust pipes are damaged. So why are they low balling me?

I've been dealing with a body shop since early April. When I first had my car brought there, no one had the Mazda parts in their computers yet. Just in the last week or so my insurance adjuster (who did all the original estimates from a "book" ) told me the parts are now getting loaded on his system. So I think early on, and your was much earlier - last August, right? There was less info available and more of a anything goes outlook on estimates. Now that the insurance companies and parts managers are finding the stuff on the standard price lists, it will start getting a little more consistent. At least that's what I think is going on.

For a second, I thought you mean your own rear end... yikes :eek:

The pieces around the exhaust pipes are only $31 at Rosenthal Mazda. + $6 S/H.

I had to replace mine too. The total should still be higher than the first number unless it was estimated too high the first time.