Parking incident... advice needed :(

A

aquazi

Elite
 Derby + N. London
So last night i went to the local iceland for milk and yoghurt, took the Z as i havent driven it in a while.

The parking there is a separate lay-by parallel to the main road where cars park on one side in a slanting bay parking style fashion - not parallel. I was waiting in my car creeping forward waiting at the end of the road to get way when i hear a crunch look at my passenger side mirror and see a car reversing and then going forward - she was starring at me as i looked at the mirror... the though crossed my mind maybe she hit my car - but thought she cant have as i didnt feel anything.. so thought maybe she went over a can, or the front bumper of hers caught the curb.

Anyway this morning i look at my car and she definitely clipped my bumper as it has a scratch all over the side of it :( lucky it was jut the bumper... but it has misaligned it very slightly too. :cry:

I should have just got out of the car last night and had a look... but didnt think anything of it.. my radio was on but i didnt feel anything.

Now as i have a front facing camera on my car i have caught the make, model and colour and a partial plate (as the car was slanting in the bay i didnt get the beginning of it) as i drove past her car...but I havent got on camera her hitting my car as my camera faces forward.

Do i call my insurance and report it? recon its a £200 job to respray the rear bumper.. which was perfect before hand having covered so few miles since i got it resprayed

Or do i take the hit and just get it fixed out of my pocket? this is the third time my Z has had a hit and run on it in the 5 years that i have had it, i am so annoyed i didnt get out and look last night to the point where i have had enough and feel like leaving it and selling the damn car now.. definitely lost the love for it. :o
 
That's annoying to say the least.... Has she left any paint on your bumper that you could identify as having come from her car? Otherwise I don't think you'll be able to pursue it. Would the mark buff out if you had a paint correction? Are the bumper clips broken? Maybe it just needs re-aligning. Gutted for you.
 
I personally would take the hit.
If you report it to your insurance company you can guarantee a premium hike and even if they pay for the repair I expect your excess won't be far off the cost. :cry:
 
z4pilot said:
That's annoying to say the least.... Has she left any paint on your bumper that you could identify as having come from her car? Otherwise I don't think you'll be able to pursue it. Would the mark buff out if you had a paint correction? Are the bumper clips broken? Maybe it just needs re-aligning. Gutted for you.
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it has the usual lacquer scratches which can be polished out but some have gone down to the plastic - so i guess it will need a respray... her car was a yaris, with a semi painted bumper and the plastic bits on her car protrude so probably wont have any of her paint on it.

I have rewatched my car am footage about 20 times this morning in slow motion to try and read the plate.. but can literally make out the last number of the year (5) and just about the last 3 letters "OKE") each time i see it i just get a little bit more annoyed! why didnt i just get out and look!

My insurance is protected and my excess is £200 so if i have to claim on mine it wont be worth it.
 
Sorry to hear of your problem, I wouldn't be too hasty in getting rid, or even thinking of it! Unfortunately accidents happen and just be thankful it's 1) not worse 2) your not injured in anyway!

Annoying yes,but also fixable and not too expensive, regarding the insurance,I would take it upto your local garage (who you used last time) and seek advice re cost then see if it's worth going through the insurance when excess is taking into consideration and possible loss of no claims / a hit on protected policy.

I'm not sure of the stance re reporting it to the insurance company at this point in theory you probably should incase, even if its just to alert them to a possible claim rather than making one at the time.

Guess the moral of the story for you and others is if there is a chance your vehicle has been pranged check it immediately :cry:

Out of interest where is your cam mounted in relation to the mirror (thinking of getting one but its a tight gap up top above the mirror, and im looking for decent night vision after a makro special one was sent back last week ) - thought in your instance it didn't yield any benefit this time
 
Take the hit. Not worth the aggro to pursue it.

Also your insurance will go up whether it is protected or not. Your NCB will be the same but it will give you a percentage of a higher initial figure.

I would have got out of the car as I am always suspicious when people are nearby. I saw someone hit a car in Asda a few years ago and just as they slowly drove off, I stopped them and told them to leave a note. I had the reg and a description of the driver. As far as I know it got sorted.

People really wind me up, she must have known what she had done.

H.
 
"What ifs" are always easier with hindsight. If you didn't feel anything though, it's my guess a lot of people would have assumed the same as you - that she'd run over a can or something. To be honest the incident says more about the woman than it does about you, if she knew she'd made contact and didn't get out of her car to have a look and talk to you.

It's damned annoying that people have no respect for your property but there's not much else you can do do but swallow it up and move on. Someone clobbered my wifes car in a supermarket car park a few weeks ago so I know how pissed off you must feel - especially as it was your P&J. Hope you get it sorted o.k
 
This is bad luck, and it depends on your insurance costs and the costs of your repair.
If you claim, you will be loaded 25% (industry fairly standard figure) on your next renewal, even in you protect your NCD, plus back to 2 years NCD if you don't
If you didn't feel anything while sat in the car, then I'm sure it will have done nothing more than scratched the bumper skin.

More likely to do it through insurance....
If you have protected NCD
If your insurance is cheap
If it is likely to be a new bumper

Less likely to put through insurance
If your insurance is already high
If you already have claims
If it looks like it can be touched in
If you can live with the scratch that's left after t-cutting most of it out. :evil:
You'd be surprised what gets polished out ( or maybe you wouldn't if you've seen it before)
 
You can go to the police and report it, they will follow it up as technically it is a hit and run, although how seriously they take it depends on how busy they are. No need to inform insurance.
 
Thanks chaps... Well pretty unanimous really... Better take the hit :(

A pic of the damage

37eb94d96fc4a94e9d49b347ca0bb1dd.jpg



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That's so annoying and you're bound to feel brassed off that you didn't get out and have a look but you could have returned to your Zed and found a similar mark and not ever known how it happened. Had you been able to read the full car number then it might have been worth chasing up. Very frustrating!

Looking at the damage, one of those specialist firms that visit, might be able to sort it out, 'dent master' that kind of thing and it might be cheaper than £200.

Your Zed is far too nice to fall out with over this..... it looks great and apart from an ///M, where you going to get anything like it. Get it sorted back to pristine and then the frustration will fall away and you can get back to enjoying your Zed.

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
paulgs1000 said:
That's so annoying and you're bound to feel brassed off that you didn't get out and have a look but you could have returned to your Zed and found a similar mark and not ever known how it happened. Had you been able to read the full car number then it might have been worth chasing up. Very frustrating!

Looking at the damage, one of those specialist firms that visit, might be able to sort it out, 'dent master' that kind of thing and it might be cheaper than £200.

Your Zed is far too nice to fall out with over this..... it looks great and apart from an ///M, where you going to get anything like it. Get it sorted back to pristine and then the frustration will fall away and you can get back to enjoying your Zed.

:driving: :thumbsup:
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X2
 
Stratts said:
You can go to the police and report it, they will follow it up as technically it is a hit and run, although how seriously they take it depends on how busy they are. No need to inform insurance.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I am dealing with my mother in laws car which was hit in a car park, with witnesses, and the driver drove away after hitting two cars. Police is not interested as all they did was check to see if the car was insured and left it at that. Even though the driver went off without stopping.
 
|feel your pain, thats a blooming shame. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you know whats wrong with the car and once its sorted and the summer is here again, you will be glad you still have it. So keep the Zed and let the good times roll.
 
Thanks chaps.

Well i think i've been thinking about getting a new car for a long time, And got past the largest hurdle... Managed to convince the wife to let me get another 2 seater, despite her getting an SLK earlier this year and us planning on starting a family now!

Wont be anytime soon but on the lookout for a Cayman now!

Stratts said:
You can go to the police and report it, they will follow it up as technically it is a hit and run, although how seriously they take it depends on how busy they are. No need to inform insurance.
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Well a friend of mine had a taxi hit the side of her car and drove off, she reported it last week to the police with the numberplate... And they basically said if no one is hurt they dont care!!



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