FFS

[bigman1976]

Having recently posted by Superb after 2 days of detailing, I’ve had some, um, numpty (trying not to swear) hit my car whilst parked outside my house. Of course, they didn’t have the balls to leave their details or knock on my door. Most annoyingly, I think it was my next door neighbour as the paint transfer is silver like his car. Sadly, he works away and isn’t around (he left the same evening as the damage occurred). 
 

Likely looking at a large repair bill or insurance quote. 
 

 

[trickstargee]

Thats gutting and very annoying! I'd maybe wait for neighbours to come back and see if any damage on their car...and if its obvious, maybe ask how they want to go about it? They maybe happy to pay for repairs if it was an accident, prior to ringing your own insurance company - fear of a non-fault claim pushing premium up - regardless that you werent even in the vehicle when it happened, hear of stories when it happens.

[nutters_uclan]

Awww man, that really sucks. I feel for you.

 

They've given it a right whack' haven't they? Very sad if it is a neighbour and they've not owned up. Future tensions are the last thing you need on top of this nightmare.

[bigman1976]

Quick update. 
 

I put a note through the letterboxes of the local residents asking if they had seen anything. I mentioned the times it could have happened and that it was a silver car. 
 

Had 2 knocks on the door. First was from one neighbour who thought, like I did, that it was  my immediate neighbour who has a silver Mercedes. He did say his initial thought was it was Luke, a youngster whose car is junk but who hadn’t been around. 
 

The next knock was from Luke and his dad. It transpired that he had popped home at 1am to get some “baccy” and that he’d backed into mine on the way out. He said he checked his car when he got back to where he was staying and couldn’t see any new damage and assumed mine would be OK. He didn’t tell his parents but when they read my note, they asked and he confessed. 
 

So, he’s going to pay for repairs (£650) in cash as  don’t want it going through insurance (he recently drove into/over a motorbike parked outside too) which is fine with me. He seemed contrite and apologised and I felt a little guilty as he’s young and we all dropped the ball when we were youths, but, I think (hope) he’ll learn from this. 
 

The body shop repair will be essentially invisible which is good. I’ll know it’s been repaired but it is just a car at the end of the day. I promised my wife I would remember that!

[Warrior193]

Wow, what a relief that must be for you, big 'thumbs up' for Lukes' dad. 

[nutters_uclan]

Yeah, it's not great, but this has turned out about as well as it could do.

 

It's not easy to own up to stuff like that when you're his age, but he's done the right thing eventually.

 

I look forward to pics of the seamless repair!

[trickstargee]

Fair play to Lukes dad to making him confess...im sure there might even be plenty who might go on to say, deny it, or prove it first! And for Luke to come knock on your door and apologise.

 

I'd imagine his excess might by fairly high anyway and then to proceed after a claim against would make sense for him to settle privately.

 

Glad the outcome will hopefully be a reasonable one and you're not out of pocket and will be as if nothing has happened once repaired.

 

I would say its maybe worth saving the pictures before and after, as a second hand car buyer i'd be trying to look for repair areas etc. If its noticable, at least you can show its just a light crease and not full on rear qtr damage with worse still a bent rear axle etc.

[J.R.]

The story has taken me back 35 years to a formative moment in my life when I did a Luke while pulling out a tree stump with my Shogun, I did not have a father as a mentor but the sub-conscious influence of my deceased mother made me do the right thing even though as someone who had to duck & dive to survive from a really early age it was against all my instincts.

 

I never regretted it and was repaid in spades decades later by the now deceased neighbour.

[bigman1976]

8 hours ago, trickstargee said:

Fair play to Lukes dad to making him confess...im sure there might even be plenty who might go on to say, deny it, or prove it first! And for Luke to come knock on your door and apologise.

 

I'd imagine his excess might by fairly high anyway and then to proceed after a claim against would make sense for him to settle privately.

 

Glad the outcome will hopefully be a reasonable one and you're not out of pocket and will be as if nothing has happened once repaired.

 

I would say its maybe worth saving the pictures before and after, as a second hand car buyer i'd be trying to look for repair areas etc. If its noticable, at least you can show its just a light crease and not full on rear qtr damage with worse still a bent rear axle etc.

Thats a good idea. I’ll make certain I get some “after” shots for my records. 

[trickstargee]

It wouldnt bother me, if i knew what the damage were before and after and was up front (if obvious).

 

I once travelled 6hrs each way to view a car, looked great in the advert pics, asked the guy loads of questions with replys and pictures...was a 10yr old car so wasnt expecting a mint car, but the guy reversed it out his garage. The offside looked great, got round to nearside and it had a different colour passenger door on it! (Same colour, but bad match). I had to leave it and walk away as instantly you think has it had a smash or do I take the guys word? No pics to back up so didnt risk it.

[EnterName]

Oof! That's a nasty whack someone's given your car.

My kid opened my wife's door on our neighbour's car and put a tiny ding in it. 

I went straight round and rang their doorbell to own up to it and apologise.

I'd rather take the insurance hit than be on bad terms with my neighbours, TBH.

 

As it happens, they were lovely about it and didn't GAF, so all's well that ends well.

I left the option open for them to change their mind and bung it through the insurance if it turned out that it later bothered them, which seemed like the reasonable thing to do.

To put something like the dent on your car then hit and run is a pretty scummy thing to do.

[bigman1976]

Update 2

 

On Friday, I collected my car from the bodyshop and, fair play to them, the repairs seem to be invisible. I’ve not yet been out to wash it but I cannot see any mismatches in paint colour or overspray or anything like that. I’m really impressed with what they’ve done. 
 

Needless to say, I’ve made sure it’s parked out of the way of the neighbours cars. Especially Luke’s. 
 

 

[trickstargee]

Looks a good repair that @bigman1976 ! What does a repair like that cost?

 

I'd imagine its a pig to do due to the shape of it.

[bigman1976]

It cost me £650 all in. That repair of the dents along with painting the rear door and rear wing. 

 

They’ve done a great job from my point of view - it’s an area with a lot of angles and lines which isn’t easy to repair, I’d imagine.