<prompt> Human: Opinions please ... My parked car was hit while I was in a mall store. As I walked to my car, two good samaritans approached me and said that a car full of teens hit my car and sped off. They were able to write down the license plate number of the car and said they witnessed the accident and gave me their contact information in case the police needed to speak to them. I called the local suburban police department, they showed up and took the report and accessed the damage. Since the driver sped off hit and run, the police said that they would send a letter to the offending party so they could come into the police station with their information. A week went by and I contacted the police officer to follow up and found out that the mother of the teen was coming in to talk to the police the following day and she asked the police to convey to me that she would like to work it out between us.I have since talked to the mother and she has indicated that she and her husband wants to avoid getting the insurance companies involved, because their daughter is a new teen driver as of July 2014, and their rates would go up. The damage appears minor, definitely a small dent and paint missing from the quarter panel and a few surface scratches near the gas tank door and the corner of my bumper. So far, I have two estimates -- ranging from 600 to 850 and will get one more tomorrow. I have a high deductible and since the estimates are coming in under 1K, I am open to working it out. The wife was trying to steer me to get an estimate from a shop they frequently use to fix their car. I prefer to get the car fixed locally, in my own neighborhood.How do I protect myself? Do I have them give me cash or do I ask for a Cashiers Check? Do I have them sign a document admitting fault? Thanks in advance for anyall replies.  <response>: Could so try rlegaladvice but this is what insurance is for. For sure, you pick where the repairs are done. Remember being nice could get you burned. They could be expecting 100 repair bill. 