Need advice as I'm blinded with rage!

[Greyman63]

Well blinded with rage might be an exaggeration but I am pi$$ed off!

Decided the best place for advice is obviously the internet!

Yesterday I spent 4 hours cleaning the car, washing, clay bar...I even vacuumed the engine bay! I know the cars lines better than I know my wife!

Today I had to park in my usual multi-story which is fine as I have a place far away from everyone else... except today the top two level are closed for jet washing!

So I find a space at the end of the car park next to a new 3 series...plenty of room to get child out of the car and more importantly plenty of room so I shouldn't get a door in the side of my car.

2.5 hours later and I'm back. 3 series gone, A class in its place parked so close couldn't get child in...DENT IN THE SIDE OF MY CAR!!!

Looking at coloration of my car, dent and A class I can see it was this car door that has been swung into my car! Looking at my camera there was a large guy who got out and I'm almost sure hes looking at it. His wife and daughter also come into frame and there's a conversation going on so I'm like 99% sure now.

So what do I do? Is it worth following up? I can probably get it fixed at my expense which irritates me. I know its only small and can hardly be seen but I do like to look after my cars. I hate people thinking they can damage other cars and just get away with it. I know it would be hard to prove but still...!?

You can see in the picture the reflection if offending car is off where the dent is, just by the edge of my door.

Thoughts please.

 

[garycat]

I think your only hope is that there is CCTV covering the area that shows the event and the A-class reg.

 

[55AMGsuperchare]

Since you got them on camera. Yes chase it up. Things like that piss me off. You go out your way to park properly and so should everyone else. They all passed the same driving test as us or we hope they did.

 

[markjay]

Really sorry to hear that. Hope you get it sorted painlessly....

 

[219]

If you feel that you have sufficient evidence , between your DashCam recording , and photos showing the relative position and proximity of the other car to yours , not forgetting a photo of the damage , I'd be inclined to pass it to my insurer and let them deal with the hassle ...

 

[KennyN]

IMHO i would just get the dent teased out by a smart repairer , pay the guy £50 and take the wifes car next time.

If it goes through the insurance then they will do the same as the above but it will be a PITA with dash cam / CCTV footage and unless you have actually got them on film then it will be almost impossible to prove.

No point involving the police as they are stretched to the max with all the other goings on in the country

Sometimes it is just not worth the grief and hassle , even though it very annoying.

Similar thing happened to us on Thursday at Breahead shopping centre , in the wifes silver Juke. A wreck of a 207 parked too close to us and there wasnt enough room for the occupant to get out and move between the cars without leaving a lovely scratch along both doors either caused by a belt / jeans stud or some metalwork hanging from a handbag. Most of it "cut" out but it is still visible.

Kenny

 

[zipdip]

well I would have put a big dent in his bonnet,and go knock for knock.

 

[Peter103]

If the A class did the damage and then occupants gathered round to look at it, why would he not pull out and park elsewhere? You'd been away for over 2 hrs. plenty of time for others to have damaged yours and be long gone.

 

[Greyman63]

Cheers guys!

My dash cam shows it was only the BMW and the Merc in the space. There was a passenger in the BMW but there was no way it was that car as I made sure there was plenty of room plus the ding would have been in the back door if it was them as they parked front-on. Also I wouldn't have parked there if I thought that there would be a risk of that car door knocking mine.

Whats even more annoying is that there was about 5ft between offending car and the car on the other side!

I showed the video to a friend and he agreed that the wife gets out and they have a conversation about how close the car is parked, which they obviously decide is fine and then he opens his door into the side of my car!

I hate to let this go as I can't stand the fact they would get away with doing this, but out of interest has anyone ever successfully claimed for something like this?

 

[KennyN]

I hate to let this go as I can't stand the fact they would get away with doing this, but out of interest has anyone ever successfully claimed for something like this?

Wait till the morning and have another think about it , i picked up a dent on my passenger door and it cost me £40 to have it pushed out with no damage to the paint or involvement from the insurance.

Playing the devils advocate here , who is to say the big bloke and their insurance company is responsible for "that" dent and you could start the insurance ball rolling and it could backfire and bite you financially.

They obviously dont give a toss or they would have moved their car to another spot so they will say that it wasnt caused by them and it was there when they parked and how can your ins company prove it wasnt.

Kenny

 

[Petrol Pete]

I had 15 years in company cars and I didn't give a Continental Fu8k as to where I parked 'my' brand new car. Or how close someone else's car was parked to mine.

What you have to remember is no one out there cares about you or your car, really, they just don't give a sh8t. That's the selfish society we live in today, some will assume that you are a rich guy who can afford to get dents fixed or that your car is a company car.

These days the police are struggling to convict real criminals so a few dents on your (and my) car are not worth their time.

Let it go, but I wish you luck if you try to pursue a claim.

 

[Greyman63]

Yeah... I know I don't really have a choice...its just the principle.

 

[clk320x]

I've been in this situation before

Unfortunately often people who drive turds on wheels think it's ok to do this

I wouldn't even think of going to insurance it just isn't worth the hassle and shortening your life span with the stress lol

Smart dent repair is what I had to have on my car... cost £40 for a parking dent

Actually you have just jogged my memory...

WHAT ACTUALLY REALLY FILLED ME WITH F****** RAGE

IS WHEN AN ABSOLUTE C*** DROVE PAST MY CAR WHILST IT WAS PARKED ON THE ROAD AND CAUSED A LONG CREASE DENT IN THE DRIVERS DOOR AND PAINTWORK DAMAGE ON REAR QUARTER !!!!! WHAT KIND OF ***** THINKS ITS OK TO DO THIS AND DRIVE OFF. Even the glass from the side mirror had come off (mirror was closed)

£120 for the crease dent, £100 paint, mirror glass was just clipped back on (thanks god)

RANT OVER

 

[oldguy57]

It's going to cost you far more than £40 to pursue a claim. It's seriously annoying that's for sure and the reason why I have a daily to hack around in, which seems to get damaged on a regular basis. Get it repaired and forget it. What goes round comes round.

 

[Wheelsnuts]

Extremely annoying but I don't see that you have the evidence to make the claim stick and the insurance route is almost certainly going to cost you more than £40.

 

[grober]

Just treat it as another manifestation of the second law of thermodynamics and move on.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Get a paintless dent removal at your cost and never park somewhere again where this can happen OR buy a snotter for shopping journeys.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

Get a paintless dent removal at your cost and never park somewhere again where this can happen OR buy a snotter for shopping journeys.

Yes good advice !!!
My missus accuses me of parking in the "North 40 Acres" when going into shopping complexes for that very same reason!

As for scratches and damage! A few years ago having straightened out my Ghost purchase (fine English lady got kicked up the ar$e in a bar brawl ) Swapped her for a Peterbilt 6x4 tractor unit in a horse trade so to speak ! Can't help it, its the bit of Irish in me!

I dropped into dealer for some trim parts on my way back from an inaugural 2500 mile trip to Idaho.
With my teenagers in the back it looked like New Jersey with all the trash inside with all the road grime outside .
They insisted in cleaning it--then scratched to driver's door! FFS

I astounded the grovelling apologetic general manager by saying
Well we have same extras paint work to do in various areas after the rebuild --So don't worry about it ol' mate!.
They brought some of the shop techs out to look at the job so far in the boot (trunk deck lid area) ! (A Mechanics to Mechanics talkfest) Broke the ice so to speak !
And my teens saying Dad can we go now!
Tuercas Viejas

 

[ph47mf]

that would annoy the hell out of me, i normally have a quick look when i return to my car, if there's anything, and i know who it is, i will wait and confront the person. doesn't matter if i don't get any money, these people needs a good telling off.

the worst is those who slams the door into your car whilst you're in the car and they don't even look at you or apologise, just walk off like it's normal.

like you, i tend to find the furthest and biggest place to park but i still get some idiots who love to park right next to my car when there's hundreds of spaces around. just why?!

 

[Greyman63]

I have a picture where I parked as far away from anyone else (and the actual place I was going) as possible, to return an hour later to find a car parked either side and at least 40 empty parking spaces all around!

Whats wrong with people!

Showed my car to a mate who said he couldn't even see the dent...accused him of being blind...we don't talk anymore!