minor bump - other driver wants us to pay for repairs

[Jamberson]

Hi.

 

Where I live, parking is tight. My other half brushed against a neighbour's bumper while parking and did the decent thing by telling her what happened.

 

A couple of days later we had a note through the door asking for insurance details. My other half called round and they agreed that if she needed it repaired, we would pay rather than involve insurance companies.

 

The other car is old, and has lots of cosmetic damage - bumps, small dents, rusty bits, and the bumper itself is bent a little from a past incident. As to what damage my other half did, it's almost impossible to say, but I would expect maybe an additional scrape on the bumper. Who knows for sure?

 

This was several weeks ago, and we assumed that the neighbour had decided to let it pass. Now, the neighbour has dropped another note through saying she is about to get a couple of quotes for repairs.

 

I fear she is trying to cash in on this and get her battered old bumper replaced with a new one, at our expense. Where do we stand?

[sailor sam]

They can only expect you to return the bumper into it's pre-accident condition which it was in before your wife 'brushed' against it. An experienced bodyshop estimator will be able to tell apart old damage to the fresh one so my advice would be to say 'fine, ok but I want to be present when the estimate is obtainerd'. Then you will be able to hear the estimator's opinoins. However, I would guess that your neighbour will not be keen on that option so my then agree to the price if a tin of T-cut.

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek face to face professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[ArtisanUK]

Where do we stand?

If you are wise, you'll not stand anywhere near her car.

 

Seriously - your OH admitted that the collision occurred and admitted blame. Rather than bothering with insurance companies (presumably to protect your no claims discount rather than admit that you had lodged a surety with the Paymaster General of the Supreme Court?) you've agreed to pay for the repairs to your neighbour's jalopy.

 

What your neighbour may reasonably expect is for her vehicle to be in much the same condition as it was before the collision.

[Jamberson]

Thanks both.

 

Before the collision, she had a lightly battered bumper. After the collision she has a lightly battered bumper, but with perhaps an extra scrape or two.

 

I can't see how she could know what damage was done by us, or obtain a quote at all.

 

If she comes back with a quote for, say £100, what's the best thing for us to do?

[ArtisanUK]

If she comes back with a quote for, say £100, what's the best thing for us to do?

That may well depend on how much you want to devalue your house by having a needless row with your neighbour.

[sailor sam]

Thanks both.

 

Before the collision, she had a lightly battered bumper. After the collision she has a lightly battered bumper, but with perhaps an extra scrape or two.

 

I can't see how she could know what damage was done by us, or obtain a quote at all.

 

If she comes back with a quote for, say £100, what's the best thing for us to do?

 

Politely ask if you can obtain a quote from a second bodyshop where you can go along too.

 

Please Note

 

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

 

I would always urge to seek face to face professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

 

Please click my reputation 'star' button at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice useful.

[raydetinu]

did you take a photograph of the bumber? if not, do so now to show that there is a lot of other damage that you could not have caused.

Now this has happened to me in the past and we came to an agreement that to get a new bumber or complete respray would amount to betterment!

so I would suggest that you offer a small sum, say £50 towards any such repair, so they can get it done if they wish.

make sure you get a receipt which sates the amount and that this is in full and final settlemnt of the incident.

 

It may be worth reporting it to your insurance co. for info only at this satge, just in case it escalates to a full and ridiculas level.

[Jamberson]

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I took a few photos a couple of days afterwards - when she put the first note through our door about insurance companies - it rang alarm bells at that point.

 

There is lots of damage she COULD claim we did - eg a broken light, which we definitely did not do. If she starts saying we did all the damage, this could become a major issue between us!

 

The light I noticed when the accident happened. I went outside to look within a minute, and saw the light broken and specifically looked for glass on the road - not a spec was there. The other scrapes and bumps - I couldn't say which we did and which were already there.

 

Note the outward (!) dent below the light, the buckle near the wheel arch, the cosmetic damage to the bumper next to the big scrape... much of this must have been done previously - out car just has a couple of straight line scratches on the side.

[ArtisanUK]

Just buy her a tin of paint and tell her she can use it to cover up her other scrapes too - free of charge!

 

Of course, she hasn't yet submitted her claim for whiplash injury...

[Dragons Dennis]

What age is this rusty, battered old Primera? Reg letter will do. ie, T reg?

[Jamberson]

It's a V reg.

[raydetinu]

Looks more than just a parking scrape to me, more low speed impact.

I pressume that is the corner in question that she hit.

Any corresponding damage, paint transfer on your car? with a bump like that there would of been something to indicate a coming together,

[Dragons Dennis]

V-reg? In that sort of condition? Would realistically be valued at no more than £400 for the whole car. To restore the bumper to its pre-collison condition would take about £10 worth of touch up brush. There is no case for betterment. No doubt in my mind that an insurance claim, if proven and successful (which is unlikely) would result in the car becoming a total loss Cat C with a settlement for average condition, but taking into account pre accident condition of no more than £250.

 

With that in mind, I would offer her a full and final settlement offer without prejudice of £100. Take it or leave it.

[Jamberson]

Thanks for the observations Dragon. Good point re: valuation.

 

@ raydetinu - our car shows a couple of thin parallel lines of red paint around the wheel arch area. They are of the same sort of height as the photos I took of her car, which is of course where the impact was. However that large "blotch" of a scrape on the corner of her car seems inconsistent with the damage to ours as it's too broad (measured top to bottom) to leave a thin line on the side of ours. I'm just guessing of course - but there's nothing definite to go on here.

 

And I should say, my own car has stacks of scrapes and scratches as well - it's a real problem where we live - tight spaces.

 

[raydetinu]

with due defference to Dragon, £100 too much me thinks.

Also a third party claim if succesful, would entitle the third party to be put back to a condition before the incident, irrespective of cost.

i.e replace with a car in a similar conditon or cash equivalent if cost to reapir was greater.

[ArtisanUK]

with due defference to Dragon, £100 too much me thinks.

It certainly seems to be at least £80 too much.

 

Also a third party claim if succesful, would entitle the third party to be put back to a condition before the incident, irrespective of cost.

i.e replace with a car in a similar condition

From a scrapyard?

[Dragons Dennis]

I agree that £100 is too much, but it is a suitable figure that they will most likely grab with both their dishonest thieving hands. Offer them £20 and you will get nowhere. Greed appeal.

[ArtisanUK]

I agree that £100 is too much, but it is a suitable figure that they will most likely grab with both their dishonest thieving hands. Offer them £20 and you will get nowhere. Greed appeal.

You're probably right.

 

Any idea how much she'll demand for whiplash injury?

[Dragons Dennis]

Oh thosuands for her and her 4 passengers.

[ArtisanUK]

Oh thosuands for her and her 4 passengers.

Only 4 passengers?

[Dragons Dennis]

LOL!

[Jamberson]

To be fair to the lady, she wasn't in the car at the time, and we don't yet know what sort of quote she will come back with. She's not done anything dishonest, but I just fear that she might exploit the situation.

 

This thread has helped me put things in perspective though.

[Dragons Dennis]

To be fair to the lady, she wasn't in the car at the time

 

Trust me. There have been many cases like yours where people magically claim whiplash, even though they were not in the car.

[ArtisanUK]

To be fair to the lady, she wasn't in the car at the time, and we don't yet know what sort of quote she will come back with. She's not done anything dishonest, but I just fear that she might exploit the situation.

By claiming for car hire while her jalopy is being fixed?

[ArtisanUK]

Trust me. There have been many cases like yours where people magically claim whiplash, even though they were not in the car.

Sometimes the "whiplash victims" have been in more than one car crash (in different locations) at the same time.

 

That must really hurt.