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Someone hit our parked car, admitted to it, now have questions....

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
So........wife was parked in her work lot and got nailed by the property manager going into a space. She came in and told her she hit her bumper. When she went out to look at it she thought it didn't look so bad but said that her husband (being me) would have to look at it. It's a 2007 4runner and up to that point it was mint as far as paint went.

She brought it home and there's scratches and a chunk missing from the painted bumper cover. The scratches all went down the the plastic. I told her they weren't "scuffs" and that I couldn't get those out. Even with touch up paint it would take a while to make them not noticeable. So we decided to get a couple estimates from bodyshops in the area and see what damage we are looking at.

One shop was $860 and the other was $790. She was shocked but I told her body shop work isn't cheap. They will strip/repaint the bumper cover basically. I told her to ask her what the women wanted to do.

So the women and her went back and fourth about what she wanted to do. She asked her if she did it herself, meaning damaged her own car if we would get it fixed. My wife said that's beyond the point........you hit my car. The women that hit our car just wasn't getting that it was her fault, the car was parked and she hit it being careless. They're called accidents for a reason.

She has aggred to pay for it but for one is insisting that she pay the shop that we want the repairs done. She also is requesting that we sign some sort of waiver that she wants to write up. We don't think we would be getting it fixed in the next 2-3 weeks & we don't want to keep dragging this on. I was telling my wife when I've gotten in accidents (not my fault) they do their claims and you get a check. If you choose to not use the check then it's your money. I think it's fair for her to want to pay the bodyshop but it makes no difference who she pays as long as she pays. I've seen people just whip a check book out and write a check for the damages and off they go. I think for the amount of damages $860 is steep but it is what it is. On top of that they don't call the estimates for nothing.

Just seeing what you guys think? I'm pretty confident I can repair the scratches myself with touch up paint and some wet sanding/buffing/detailing and probably get them close to gone in my spare time. I've never dealt with someone in this type of deal before so I'm not sure what we should sign or agree to. She told a co-worker (lady who hit our car) that she thought my wife was so nice and quiet and why she was doing this..............and everyone has told her because you hit her car (like it's a hard concept to grasp)

Makes sense doesn't it?
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
It aint cheap on those huge plastic bumpers. She hit it, so she should pay to have it fixed. If she wants to pay the shop, let her pay the shop. Otherwise, call your insurance company and let them handle it.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
accident report or the chick should settle. I got tapped once pulling into a gas station. No damage, but a big scratch. The lady gave me her number and her name. I didn't have the time or money to get it properly fixed, so I made up a number that I thought was reasonable, then asked her to pay half and be done with it. She obliged and all parties were happy...she didn't pay the full price and I got some compensation for the 4" scratch on my bumper. If I was anal or the car was a show car I'd be much more concerned, but it wasn't too big a deal.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
Back when Liz and I lived in LA, we got rear ended on the way to work one morning. It was some stupid 16 y/o girl chatting on her cell phone. We were in Liz's Mini (and she was driving). The girl gets out, she was like freaking out cuz she was on her way to school and couldn't be late. I ask her to get us her insurance information while I started to take pictures of the damage (making sure to catch the license plate of the vehicle that hit us). She couldn't find her insurance and had to call her mom. Her mom shows up and says "I'll handle this" and tells her daughter she can leave because she can't be late for school. At this point, I almost blew a gasket. Me: "Look lady, if your daughter gets in that car and drives off, being late to school will be the least of her worries. I'll call the police and she'll get arrested for leaving the scene of an accident." This shut the mother up. She gave us a hassle about giving us her insurance information. She kept claiming there wasn't any real damage to Liz's Mini and that we should just let it go. At this point I'd had enough. I had my phone out and 911 was dialed, all I had to do was press send. I told her either give us your insurance info or I call the police. We get her info, thank her, and tell her we're going to get the car looked at because its a leased car. Turns out there was over $2000 in damage because the bumper, backup sensors, and a portion of the exhaust had to be replaced, all by the dealer, at ridiculous dealer costs. So it makes me ROFL that this dumb high school kid and her uppity mom had to pay it. I only wish I knew how much their insurance went up :D
 

strangeland2

Monkey
Jul 11, 2007
305
0
masshole
If you re making her pay that kind of money then drop the car off at the shop. If you want to do it yourself then offer her something like half the dealer estimate. She shouldnt be paying top dollar for you to be getting the damage close to gone. Also if you re doing the work yourself then signing something for her stating that the matter is settled isnt unreasonable.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,926
14,438
where the trails are
I honestly wouldn't give much/any consideration to what SHE wants. She hit your car, handle it in whatever way you wish. I think you're being a bit too nice.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,558
24,181
media blackout
If you re making her pay that kind of money then drop the car off at the shop. If you want to do it yourself then offer her something like half the dealer estimate. She shouldnt be paying top dollar for you to be getting the damage close to gone. Also if you re doing the work yourself then signing something for her stating that the matter is settled isnt unreasonable.
I honestly wouldn't give much/any consideration to what SHE wants. She hit your car, handle it in whatever way you wish. I think you're being a bit too nice.
bingo.

"oh, you're here to rape me? well let me get the handcuffs and some lube"


Remember who's the victim, and who's the perp.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
I honestly wouldn't give much/any consideration to what SHE wants. She hit your car, handle it in whatever way you wish. I think you're being a bit too nice.
:stupid:

You didn't do anything wrong, she did....make her pay up.
 

mantispf2000

Turbo Monkey
Aug 9, 2001
1,793
243
Nevada, 2 hours from Mammoth
Many years ago, when I was living in Scottsdale, I was making a right-hand turn into a Circle K. I knew my right indicator light was burned out (hadn't replaced the bulb yet) and used a hand signal to let the driver know I was making a right turn. Apparently, she thought I was turning left, started passing me on the right (on the shoulder, no less), and we collided. When we had stopped, I got out, asked if she was ok, and she got all uppity with me. Called the reservation police, she called her mom, and the fun began when both arrived. The cop could see she passed on the shoulder, but did not cite her. Her mom got torqued at me when I didn't have my insurance card readily available (on parents' policy, which had been changed a week earlier and I had not received my card yet). Tried speaking with their insurance, and was constantly told that since it appeared I was turning left (not right), they were not going to pay. My new insurance company got involved, and once the agent found out she passed on the shoulder, case closed. They paid immediately.
 

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,290
973
BUFFALO
If you do the work yourself and she pays you out of pocket it is fair that she only pays you what it costs you.

If you want to do the work yourself and get a big fat check you will have to file a claim with your insurance or hers.


I'm in a similar situation now except my wife drove her car into a tree. We are in the process of getting the highest quote so we can submit that to the insurance company. I have a buddy that does body work at a much lower price so we can pocket some $$$. :greedy:
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,931
13,129
Portland, OR
I'm in a similar situation now except my wife drove her car into a tree. We are in the process of getting the highest quote so we can submit that to the insurance company. I have a buddy that does body work at a much lower price so we can pocket some $$$. :greedy:
So your wife hits a tree, and you get a check. Awesome.

Next time my insurance company wants to do an annual premium adjustment, I'll have them take it out of your fat check.
 

cadmus

Monkey
May 24, 2006
755
0
PNW
Many years ago, when I was living in Scottsdale, I was making a right-hand turn into a Circle K. I knew my right indicator light was burned out (hadn't replaced the bulb yet) and used a hand signal to let the driver know I was making a right turn. Apparently, she thought I was turning left, started passing me on the right (on the shoulder, no less), and we collided. When we had stopped, I got out, asked if she was ok, and she got all uppity with me. Called the reservation police, she called her mom, and the fun began when both arrived. The cop could see she passed on the shoulder, but did not cite her. Her mom got torqued at me when I didn't have my insurance card readily available (on parents' policy, which had been changed a week earlier and I had not received my card yet). Tried speaking with their insurance, and was constantly told that since it appeared I was turning left (not right), they were not going to pay. My new insurance company got involved, and once the agent found out she passed on the shoulder, case closed. They paid immediately.
That's really good advice, I hope the OP takes it.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
I got rear ended by a lady, and caved in a portion of my rear bumper cover. Got money to replace the bumper cover (didn't go through insurance, got a personal check), popped out the dent in a matter of minutes, and bought a complete Thule roof rack setup with the money.


One of the joys of having a vehicle that you don't have to worry about minor body damage.
 

Leethal

Turbo Monkey
Oct 27, 2001
1,240
0
Avondale (Phoenix)
I got rear ended by a lady, and caved in a portion of my rear bumper cover. Got money to replace the bumper cover (didn't go through insurance, got a personal check), popped out the dent in a matter of minutes, and bought a complete Thule roof rack setup with the money.


One of the joys of having a vehicle that you don't have to worry about minor body damage.
Unless the substrate (foam) was damaged and the next time you get hit there you get hurt..

For the Four runner have it fixed professionally and let her write the ckeck to the shop.. don't see the downside.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
Unless the substrate (foam) was damaged and the next time you get hit there you get hurt..

For the Four runner have it fixed professionally and let her write the ckeck to the shop.. don't see the downside.
My receiver took 95% of the impact. Just minor cosmetic damage to bumper cover. There's actually NOTHING behind the area that got hit (90% certain there's only foam in the front)
 
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dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
bingo.

"oh, you're here to rape me? well let me get the handcuffs and some lube"


Remember who's the victim, and who's the perp.
To be fair, she does get some points for being honest about hitting the OPs car. If Spunger is confident that he can fix it himself, quote a number like $400 or 500 cash and call it even. I've had instances where people *didn't* admit it, and having to fork over $500 to fix someone else's mistake sucks...
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
Your interest is getting your 4runner back to mint right?

Her interest is not getting in trouble or reporting to her insurance co, right?

If she want's to pay the shop directly, fine. So long as your truck gets fixed properly, then it's all good.

I used to work at a body shop. Stuff like this happened all the time. Oh, and that disclaimer that she wants you to sign, make sure both parties are covered.
 

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
I understand what you guys say when if I want to repair it myself she should only be out what it costs me to repair it (or attempt to). We went and got our quotes because that was what we wanted to do. Of course a body shop will be the most expensive route that's why we got 2 different quotes.

Throughout all of this it's just a matter of her doing what's right, and that is she hit the car and needs to pay for the repairs. Our other option was for her to write us a check for the estimate and call it done. I think it rubbed us both the wrong way when she started asking questions and questioning our motives for doing this. She said to my wife "it's just a car". It sure is just a car, it's our car that we pay good $$$ for not to have rejects F*$*ck up. When she asked if we did the damage ourselves would we fix it? That's really irrelevant in the situation. She hit our car, we didn't back into something causing the damage. She asked us if the quotes were inflated due to being a cash estimate or an insurance estimate. So we ask the shop and they said it doesn't matter, that's the quote. She's gone to people in the building and asked if what we are asking is right, and everyone is telling her that yeah, you hit it you fix it. Now she went as far as to dictate who can park in what spaces because of this that it is our only car. If we went through insurance they would get us a rental car. She went as far as to offer paying for that too. We tried making it clear we weren't after all the money, we just wanted to be covered for the estimate. My wife could walk to work for 3 days if that's what it took.

We'll see tomorrow, should know an answer. If this was a leased car we would have no choice to get it fixed or probably pay a nasty fine. We're just 2 years into the 5 year plan on it, which to this point it's been in great shape so true, in the end we just want it repaired OR at least know we are compensated for the repair costs. That's all it boils down to.
 

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
I have to agree. Is it worth the hassle if you can just fix it yourself?
Agreed. And pocketing the full amount and fixing it yourself is not cool. To me, that would be just going after the money and not caring about much else. If it were me, I probably wouldn't fix it. But if I wanted to, I'd probably do it myself and ask the woman for a couple bucks to cover it. Seems like that would be fairly convenient for you and nice for her. Seems more convenient for everyone.
 

slowmtb

Monkey
Aug 17, 2008
216
0
ChurChur, NZ
If everything your saying is true, then I find it unusual that she doesn't want to go through insurance companies.
Is there something she is trying to hide? I say hit her with the "we have had enough and are contacting out insurance company" line and see what her response is.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,375
12,529
In a van.... down by the river
If everything your saying is true, then I find it unusual that she doesn't want to go through insurance companies.
Is there something she is trying to hide?
I dunno about NZ, but involving insurance companies in something "minor" like this can often lead to rate hikes or even getting dropped by the insurance company. Combine that with a high deductible for collision and there is often time very little reason to involve the insurance company.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
If you don't want to walk away from the whole thing, bring it to a shop, have them do the work, and get her to pay for it. (Perhaps best to get her to leave a deposit and pay for it in advance, so you don't end up with a bill and then have to chase her for the cash.) Otherwise you are trying to profit from someone's mistake, which is kind of lame IMO, especially since she was honest about it. Does she have any real legal standing to refuse to pay you the full price if you do the work yourself? Probably not. Is it worth fighting about? Again, probably not.
 

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
If you don't want to walk away from the whole thing, bring it to a shop, have them do the work, and get her to pay for it. (Perhaps best to get her to leave a deposit and pay for it in advance, so you don't end up with a bill and then have to chase her for the cash.) Otherwise you are trying to profit from someone's mistake, which is kind of lame IMO, especially since she was honest about it. Does she have any real legal standing to refuse to pay you the full price if you do the work yourself? Probably not. Is it worth fighting about? Again, probably not.
If we ran this through the insurance companies they would just write us a check for the damages and we could choose to fix it or pocket the $$$. Just once you pocket the $$$ you've pretty much closed the door on any repair work if you decided to have it done after the fact.

She was honest about hitting the car, but since hasn't been so honest in how she has approached the whole situation. I mean it's some good marks and scratches down to the plastic on the bumper cover. What's funny is there's some BMW's/Audi's that park in the same lot (owners to the other businesses) and we were thinking if she hit one of their cars she would jump to fix theirs but to her ours is just "another car" was her words. It's just things that come out of her mouth that we're both pursuing it to be paid for and done with.

Believe me when I chewed my wife out for not getting her information when this first happened. I told her you always get that weather or not it's handled outside of insurance or not. I said body damaged/cosmetic damage is the worst to happen on a car, and a body shop will want to strip the bumper down and repaint the whole thing. I said that's just how things are done (well done right). I said they could probably spot paint that area (like a bumper repair/dent repair place) but even then I've had $300-500 quotes for minor things from them as well so we'll see. We should know something by tomorrow.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
If we ran this through the insurance companies they would just write us a check
If that is what you want to happen then you'll need to contact your insurance company. Expecting her pay you for the cost of a repair you're probably not going to have done is not reasonable.

She has offered to pay the repair bill directly to the repair shop - what's wrong with that? To me, from what you have written, she has acted in an honorable manner.

What damages have you suffered as a result of this accident? How much devaluation has this had on the value of your 2 year old vehicle? How common are scratches on bumpers?

I was in a similar situation - I backed into my coworkers Lexus leaving some very visible scratches on her 2 or 3 year old SUV. We exchanged insurance information and she began to get estimates, the first was in $500.00 range from her dealer who wanted to replace the entire plastic deal. Fortunately my coworker was REASONABLE and sought out 2 more estimates, eventually getting the scratch filled and buffed for $175.00. I agreed to pay the bill and did so directly to the repair shop.

I treated her with honesty & respect and she returned the favor. Its what reasonable people do for each other.

In this situation you are only going to get as good as you give and you are not giving an inch.
 

Spunger

Git yer dumb questions here
Feb 19, 2003
2,257
0
805
If that is what you want to happen then you'll need to contact your insurance company. Expecting her pay you for the cost of a repair you're probably not going to have done is not reasonable.

She has offered to pay the repair bill directly to the repair shop - what's wrong with that? To me, from what you have written, she has acted in an honorable manner.

What damages have you suffered as a result of this accident? How much devaluation has this had on the value of your 2 year old vehicle? How common are scratches on bumpers?

I was in a similar situation - I backed into my coworkers Lexus leaving some very visible scratches on her 2 or 3 year old SUV. We exchanged insurance information and she began to get estimates, the first was in $500.00 range from her dealer who wanted to replace the entire plastic deal. Fortunately my coworker was REASONABLE and sought out 2 more estimates, eventually getting the scratch filled and buffed for $175.00. I agreed to pay the bill and did so directly to the repair shop.

I treated her with honesty & respect and she returned the favor. Its what reasonable people do for each other.

In this situation you are only going to get as good as you give and you are not giving an inch.
You are right. She wants to fix it now, yesterday, tomorrow but we can't be without a car at this point in time. That was why we had suggested she pay us for the estimate and call it done (so in a month if we get it fixed it's on our time, not HER time).

We did seek out more than one estimate. We've gotten them all pretty close (within $60-80) of each other so we know in the ballpark what it is going to cost to repair it. Short of the "Dent Master" guys which we haven't gotten a quote from yet the rest has been done. If we get a quote from them and they can make it "back to normal" for less then we'll go that route.

I know they are called bumpers, probably to bump at times, but on these new cars with plastic covers and they're painted, it sucks to get bumped. She could have bumped my truck (91 chevy) and I would have cared less. Hell even if I had a new truck I would have cared less. As long as nothing broke or bent I'm fine. But on SUV's with the painted bumper covers it's lame that the repairs have to be made the way they are.

We're still discussing what we want done. She gave us a release today for us to sign but me and my wife do feel it's stupid for such a small repair, but at the same time you can't go hit anyone and anything you want and think you're getting away with it. I know after this she's the kind of person that wouldn't tell you if she hit your car.