Firstly, I apologise for bringing up something that has probably already been discussed many, many times before.
On Sunday we went to the shops at a local retail park. We were early and the car park was fairly empty so I parked in a space that had no cars on either side as it makes it easier to get the baby out of the back. We came back to the car 15mins later (we wanted to go to another shop) to find a blue 206 parked next to us and a matching blue scrape mark and a small dent in our passenger door (from where they had open their door). It was quite windy that day so I guess that the wind may have caught their door as they opened it, and as the doors are quite long you can guess the rest. We waited around for a while to see if the owner returned but they didn't.
So I left a polite note on the car and noted the time, date, reg number of the car and even took a few pics.
If the owner had left a note or come over and apologised I would have said not worry as 5mins with some t-cut would sort out the mark and I could live with the dent.
I'm not the sort of person who is going to waste a large chunk of my life on this but I would at the very least like to make the owner of the car think twice about this in the future.
So what can I do about it?
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Sounds like I suffered more damage, but I successfully persued a claim against another driver in similar circumstances. Only difference was that I was going on anonymous witness statement left for me, and managed to find the other car the following day, having reported to the police. Took 9 months, but full costs of hte repair were met by the other party.
If they had rung, sounds like you should let them off. They haven't, so give them hell.
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BTW, the 206 (3 door) is a particularly bad car for parking next to, shame they parked after you.
Never park next to one if you can help it.
I had one as a hire car once and was shocked to find that the (large) door swings very sharply outwards, almost on its own and will not stop until it reaches the first "catch point" - set critcally just past the point where you can ding the car next to you.
I hate door dingers with avengance, but even I managed to ding someone next to me whilst driving the 206. It just can't be helped with that car.
Forgive and forget eh? They might be fed up of getting hassle for damaging other cars too? :)
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Forgive and forget eh? They might be fed up of getting hassle for damaging other cars too? :)
Nah, their problem. I dinged a car in high winds a couple of years ago, so I left a note. Got an email the next day saying thanks, and not to worry. Left both sides feeling good about it. there's no need to forgive discourtesy where damage to your property has occured - it should be up to you, not them, if it needs fixed.
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That's great, and if everyone was this nice to each other then the world would, indeed by a nicer place and all that.
Except in this case, the wrong-doer has driven off, perhaps even unaware of doing the damage (maybe it was the kids climbing out from the back?), is it really worth the bother of tracking them down and trying to get them to pay for something they either didn't care about before or didn't realise they did?
Seems like a lot of bother to me to try and save the £50 or so to get it fixed. Life's too short, IMO.
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And then to prove it. And then to extract the money (if they have it).
It shouldnt happen, and it is bad etc but far more important things to worry about imo.
Best advice is always park in the area furthest away from the store maybe? Other people who choose to park in these areas tend to be there for the same reason so more care gets taken, possibly.
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Or have some sprogs so you can park in the extra wide parent and baby spaces?
Trouble is, car gets ruined from the inside/out instead... ;)
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For those awkward(?) car parks i always go in my transit the wife and i may look like we are going to sell pegs, but absolutely nobody parks near me.
Its just another day in paradise (to coin a phrase) moonshine and i totally understand your feelings.
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LOL om.
Always used to fancy an old Land Rover with extra bull bars made out of scaffolding, sticking out six inches on either side front and back, like the old Porsche 356 that belonged to a New York artist I used to know.
That would keep them at a distance. Or if it didn't they'd only have themselves to blame.
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Except in this case, the wrong-doer has driven off, perhaps even unaware of doing the damage (maybe it was the kids climbing out from the back?),
It was both a scrape (careless parking) and a dent (perhaps kids). OP left a note, so they know they've done it.
is it really worth the bother of tracking them down and trying to get them to pay for something they either didn't care about before or didn't realise they did?
Yes, especially if it's the former, as they will be doing this regularly. Toerags deserve to be pulled up on this sort of thing. The money's not the issue. OP has monor damage and doesn't sound that bothered. What about people with more major damage and who can't afford it (the posiiton I was in when I had to fight for months to get it repaired)?
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You can park in a deserted car park and the next car in parks next to you! WHY??
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You can park in a deserted car park and the next car in parks next to you! WHY??
My wife and I actually take bets on this when we leave the car; at least 75% of the time we'll come back to a car alongside despite the fact that we parked away from the shops or whatever and there are countless other empty slots. Can only conclude that many drivers need "help" parking (ie another vehicle to use as a gauge).
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Very valid points but................
How much time and money is it going to cost to recover?
It's not right but how valuable is your time and life worth? Worth spending ages and getting worked up etc to find out you can't prove it and they have no money to give you anyway?
You are totally correct though!
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Took very little effort on my part - handed it over to solicitors once it became obvious the toerag wasn't going to pay. I had to provide evidence (ptotos, quotes etc), but other than that the uninsured loss people I took on handled it. I needed to get it sorted tho - £650 lost on a stoved in door was about 50% of the value of the car and I needed to change cars.
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The don't have to have money to give you - their insurance company should pay. Chase them as hard as you can for as long as it takes, if it is worth it to you.
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Good comment Armitage.
Its all if it is worth it to you !
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Yes, life is too short to get all hung up on this. However, I would like to give the owner of the impression that I'm going to do something about. Not that I want anything from it but maybe it will make them think twice in the future.
I like the saying "all that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing" - or something like that!
It's all the more annoying becuase I had picked a spot with no other cars nearby, I would always rather walk an extra few metres and have a decent parking space.
So what do I do next? Do I report it to the police? My insurance company? Can I find out the owner of the car?
Please bear in mind that I don't this to get out of hand.
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for a fee of about £8 dvla will supply the car keeper details but bare in mind if you go to the house with a meat clever you will get 5 years.
Honestly i would leave it if i was you it will make you torn and twisted..
sorry........
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I agree with om really moonshine. Annoying to get a ding on a prized possession, I know, but impossible to avoid in the real world in the long run. Doesn't sound all that bad either.
I had a very pretty Renault18GTX estate, silver with brown windows, went like a rocket too and quite economical. A toerag pushed in both the offside doors when it was parked in the East End of London one day. I still haven't recovered from that many years later, as I was very attached to it for sentimental reasons. Better for the soul and the liver not to care too much.
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"You can park in a deserted car park and the next car in parks next to you! WHY??"
Herd mentality?
Safety in numbers?
Maybe they parked there so that they knew that if the wind caught the door, your car would be thoughtfully parked next to them to stop it?
Any other suggestions?
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Just had this done about 2 hours ago to my car:
tinyurl.com/fgfhg
tinyurl.com/j4rdg
tinyurl.com/zp24u
tinyurl.com/gpdm3
It was done outside the house, we are lucky in the fact that the person who did it left a note of their name and I saw the neighbour whose friend it was leaving the note on the windscreen (they did not know it was our car), so have spoken to them already and will phone to get their insurance details later. Am glad it happened the way it did as it could easily have happened in a car park and the culprit driven off without leaving details - at least I should not be out of pocket on this one!!!
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thats going to take some sorting,.......
do i win a sweetie for guessing its a mazda?
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2nd guess was correct - bet it was the wheels that gave it away ;o) It is a Prelude, and the damage seems to have got almost all of the curvy bits and accross the door. still, I have a client who has a bodyshop so they are putting a quote together for the work, and they do do good work (or have done in the past for me anyway).
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