The White Dog

[Alex]

Just finished reading - sorry to hear that man. I once witnessed a dog getting hit by a lorry at high speed, flying across the motorway, landing and trying to make it on foot in agony before collapsing - I was upset for the rest of the day. Still remember this 2 or 3 years on. Like others have said, it could have ended much worse for the car and the dog, so at least it's only a bumper cover. I would just get this sorted, put behind and move on.

Don't forget to clean behind the bumper while it's off.

 

[Rashman]

Just finished reading - sorry to hear that man. I once witnessed a dog getting hit by a lorry at high speed, flying across the motorway, landing and trying to make it on foot in agony before collapsing - I was upset for the rest of the day. Still remember this 2 or 3 years on. Like others have said, it could have ended much worse for the car and the dog, so at least it's only a bumper cover. I would just get this sorted, put behind and move on.

Don't forget to clean behind the bumper while it's off.

Hey Alex, I hope you are well bud.

Yes, it was not very pleasant at all. It was nothing like you witnessed but horrible nonetheless.

Yes, it could have been alot worse (sadly not for the dog, who passed away an hour or so after ) and it is just a new bumper and arch liner that's needed.

I have all relevent guys at Maidstone Mercedes on the case. They know me and my car and know what I am like with my car so I am hoping that is all that is needed to ensure my car is A1 again soon.

Really don't know how long this is going to take but I reckon getting the bumper from Germany is the bit that'll take the longest, so once they have that, it shouldn't take long thereafter.

I'll keep you updated.

Hope to see you soon Alex!

 

[mw_C32]

Just read through this thread too and I'm sure you'll get your car all fixed up nice Rash. Sorry to hear how it got damaged through no fault of your own.

As a dog owner it's a real shame how the responsibility of pet ownership is looked at so lightly in a lot of cases, I often see dog owners "walking" with their pets by not having a lead on them, the dogs are just trotting along behind!!!
Anything could spook them and cause an accident....stupid people....it's left up to us with insurance to cough up.

Have you thought of paying for the repair without involving the insurance and hitting your NCD?


Regards
Mark.

 

[Rashman]

Just read through this thread too and I'm sure you'll get your car all fixed up nice Rash. Sorry to hear how it got damaged through no fault of your own.

As a dog owner it's a real shame how the responsibility of pet ownership is looked at so lightly in a lot of cases, I often see dog owners "walking" with their pets by not having a lead on them, the dogs are just trotting along behind!!!
Anything could spook them and cause an accident....stupid people....it's left up to us with insurance to cough up.

Have you thought of paying for the repair without involving the insurance and hitting your NCD?


Regards
Mark.

Hey Mark,

Thanks for taking the time to read through the thread.

Yes, it was incredible bad luck.. and very sad about the dog.

I really do hope they had pet insurance as I think I will be pursuing a claim through their insurance if possible.

If they didn't have pet insurance, then I'm both screwed and inclined to not pursue the owner of the dog

As for NCD, I have protection and my insurance company said my no-claims won't be effected.

But I'm also assuming that they'll still hike up my premium next time I renew, no? Isn't that how it goes? I'm not too clued up with claims etc as I've not had to make one before.

Plus I'll also have to cough up my excess

 

[Ullevi]

Sorry you've been put through this bad situation , Rash, and of course a shame for the dog.

It looks like the owners have not taken responsibility following an accident caused by their pet.

As others have told, there are circumstances where a dog causes an unavoidable accident yet the owners inspite of their grief take the responsibility and see that things are put right for the unfortunate car owner involved.

It reminds me of 30 years ago when I had just passed my driving test, I was tootling along in Belsize Park along the narrow damp streets in my Mini 850, when a young labrador darted out between parked cars having escaped its owners.

I literally did not have time to react other than slamming on the brakes and skidding once it had bounced off the front grill.

Thankfully, it survived although it had various broken bones and a punctured lung. I was pretty shaken up and felt awful, but the owners were great, and despite their worry, gave me their details and asked me to let them know what the repairs would cost and that they would take care of them.

In the end, it was a cheap and straight forward front grill replacement, but the owners did the right thing by me.

I hope you get this sorted ASAP and better still if the owners own up to their dues and don't leave you out of pocket.

 

[BTB 500]

As for NCD, I have protection and my insurance company said my no-claims won't be effected.

But I'm also assuming that they'll still hike up my premium next time I renew, no? Isn't that how it goes?

Pretty much. Although the NCD protection means you retain 'X years NCD' you'll have a claim on file, which you'll have to declare if you change insurance. If you're insured on any other policies you're obliged to declare the claim to them as well when they renew - my wife had a no fault claim on her Audi this year, which put the renewal on my SL up by about £100 because she's a named driver on that! But it didn't affect the renewal on the Vito, which she's also a named driver on.

 

[Rashman]

Sorry you've been put through this bad situation , Rash, and of course a shame for the dog.

It looks like the owners have not taken responsibility following an accident caused by their pet.

As others have told, there are circumstances where a dog causes an unavoidable accident yet the owners inspite of their grief take the responsibility and see that things are put right for the unfortunate car owner involved.

It reminds me of 30 years ago when I had just passed my driving test, I was tootling along in Belsize Park along the narrow damp streets in my Mini 850, when a young labrador darted out between parked cars having escaped its owners.

I literally did not have time to react other than slamming on the brakes and skidding once it had bounced off the front grill.

Thankfully, it survived although it had various broken bones and a punctured lung. I was pretty shaken up and felt awful, but the owners were great, and despite their worry, gave me their details and asked me to let them know what the repairs would cost and that they would take care of them.

In the end, it was a cheap and straight forward front grill replacement, but the owners did the right thing by me.

I hope you get this sorted ASAP and better still if the owners own up to their dues and don't leave you out of pocket.

Hi mate, thanks for posting your thoughts.. and I'm sorry that you had a smiliar situation some years back - really not pleasant, eh.

You're right, the owner of the dog that hit me didn't do the responsible thing at all.

Getting the dog to help was, but leaving the scene wasn't

The vet that they took the dog to confirmed to me over the phone that the owner came into the vet saying that the dog escaped their control and ran straight into the road - and into my car.

I'm hoping that they'll be as forthcoming with this information when the police contact them, which should be in the next day or two.

I called the police today and they said that they are still waiting for the accident report from my local police station! But they should have it soon and will contact the vet as soon as.

Spoke to my insurance company.. they will still need to treat it as a claim on my own insurance until they can pursue the dog owner

If they can indeed make a claim on the owner's pet insurance (if they had any!) then I can apply to get my excess cost repaid.

Fingers crossed!

As time as gone on, I am more and more annoyed by the dog owner.

I feel really sorry for the dog, poor thing, but now that the "smoke" has cleared, it's mean that is left with damage to sort out and costs to pay.. and it's just not right.

I have told my insurance company to do everything they can to recover the costs.

In the meantime, Mercedes has compiled their estimate and sent it to my insurance company, which they received at 11.20 this morning.

It is with their assessors who will, i'm sure, approve it in due course. Hopefully not too long. I believe they are "negotiating" a deal on the estimate, from what the helpful young lady told me on the phone.

Once approved, it'll be a case of ordering the new bumper and arch liner, painting the bumper and then fitting everything together.

 

[Rashman]

Pretty much. Although the NCD protection means you retain 'X years NCD' you'll have a claim on file, which you'll have to declare if you change insurance. If you're insured on any other policies you're obliged to declare the claim to them as well when they renew - my wife had a no fault claim on her Audi this year, which put the renewal on my SL up by about £100 because she's a named driver on that! But it didn't affect the renewal on the Vito, which she's also a named driver on.

Hi mate,

Hmm.. I see.

Bloody marvellous, eh.

Hopefully there's a chance of claiming on the owner's pet insurance before it gets that far.. if they had any!

Just have to see how it goes.

I've called both the police and the insurance company again today to make sure they are on the case. Can't do much more than that at the moment

 

[DITTRICH]

My advice is to stay calm, take notes of everything, be calm but persistent. Do not give up under any circumstances.

 

[Alex]

Rash,

I know it might be a bit late now but did you check how much was going to cost to just buy the bumper over the counter and have it sprayed? Without the whole insurance/claims saga. Might be cheaper in the long run.

Just a thought.

 

[Rashman]

My advice is to stay calm, take notes of everything, be calm but persistent. Do not give up under any circumstances.

Yeah, I trying bud.

As far as I am aware, I've done as much as I can at the moment.
Just got to wait until the insurance company and police get round to chase the information on the dog owner

I certainly won't give up.

I just spoke to the vet again today to enquire whether they know whether the dog owner had insurance.. they said that it was the first time th edog owner had used their vet and registered them as they arrived.

The vet was not sure whether they had insurance.

Doesn't sound too good at the moment to be honest... lived locally, but weren't even registered at the local vet?!?!?!.... fat chance of this idiots having insurance as far as I can tell at the moment!

The vet also said that the police had no contacted them yet to get info on the dog owner .... nothing like incidences being treated with abit of urgency, eh?!

I'll ring the police again this afternoon to find out if they've even received my report yet

 

[Rashman]

Rash,

I know it might be a bit late now but did you check how much was going to cost to just buy the bumper over the counter and have it sprayed? Without the whole insurance/claims saga. Might be cheaper in the long run.

Just a thought.

Hey Alex,

The estimate of the total repair given to the insurance company by Maidstone Mercedes was just shy of £2000

I believe the insurance company is trying to negotiate a deal on that.

So as far as I can see, it will be cheaper for me to go through the insurance company in the short term, but as I mentioned before, they just stiff you later on with increased renewal premiums.

So I'll end up paying for it either way.

I tell you, this country is a joke.


Maidstone Mercedes will be using their "approved bodyshop" which is just next to them.

This makes me extremely nervous and anxious because I had the worst experience I have EVER encountered with a bodyshop with them about 4 years ago when I had my old CLK.

I'm telling you - it was dreadful!

My old CLK was in the condition my 63 is in.. but that didn't stop them from trashing it!!

The interior of the car was filthy.. and I mean FILTHY - sh#t worked into the leathers, metal filings, dirt, dust grime, they messed up with their paint work, un-polished bodywork that was really rough, bubbling paint, sh#t under the clear coats, tore and nicked interior trim, didn't out interior trim together properly, forgot to bolt up sections of the rear bumper, over-spray, electric's failed because they didn't connect them properly, passenger door window was at an angle because they hadn't aligned it properly, rust appeared after a couple of weeks, and then again and again and AGAIN.

Repeatedly took the car back to have it sorted.. they failed again and again..

It ended in a monumental compaint being fired at all levels.


So now, Maidstone Mercedes says that they are obliged to use their bodu shop.

You can imagine my response to this!

Believe me when I say I might it extremely clear about how I feel about those clowns in the their bodyshop!

Service Manager at Maidstone - David Skinner, and Service Team Leader guy, Darren Bond, are good guys. They've known me for a while now and know my car. David has gone to the bodyshop and warned them about what is about to head their way.

He has notified the managers and other bods higher up too.

He said that he expects nothing but A1 standards of work otherwise they are at risk of losing their business.

One of the Managers at the body shop remembers me from my run-in with them 4 years ago... he better have some toilet paper handy, that's all I can say.

David Skinner said that he was not at Mercedes when that all happened, but assured me that he is there now and will be dealing with them.

I have faith in David and Darren and I'm glad I have them there.

I really wanted another bodyshop up the road to paint the bumper and then for Maidstone Mercedes to do the installation in their workshop... but it seems that it has to be the bodyshop that does it.

So ontop of everything else, I now how Crusty The Clown & Co entering the equation!

I have forwarded my long complaint letter from back on the day to David & Darren, just to give them an understanding of the events with my old CLK.

I will keep you all informed of how all this goes down!

I will report to you immediately, as to how exactly this bodyshop treats a 63AMG when they get one to work on!

If any of you use Maidstone Mercedes and come to ever need bodywork done, I suggest you follow this thread closely over the next few weeks!

 

[Alex]

Man... I don't know what to say. I would be paranoid like yourself if I knew my car could end up in the same shop that butchered my other car! £2G for a job like this is a lot of money.

A new bumper for my ML55 was £500. Spraying and fitting - extra £200. Remember that MB Owners Club membership gives extra 15% off the retail price. Get the new bumper, spray to your liking, bring over and fit in your garage with the help of a competent mechanic, taking your time and aligning everything as you go. I know this may sound extreme as you're not supposed to be paying for anything but just think of all this hair and nerves it will save you knowing that you're in control of the process.

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.

 

[C240Sport97]

when I had to replace my CLS's bumper last year following incident with bambi, it was £1250 all in.

 

[Rashman]

Man... I don't know what to say. I would be paranoid like yourself if I knew my car could end up in the same shop that butchered my other car! £2G for a job like this is a lot of money.

A new bumper for my ML55 was £500. Spraying and fitting - extra £200. Remember that MB Owners Club membership gives extra 15% off the retail price. Get the new bumper, spray to your liking, bring over and fit in your garage with the help of a competent mechanic, taking your time and aligning everything as you go. I know this may sound extreme as you're not supposed to be paying for anything but just think of all this hair and nerves it will save you knowing that you're in control of the process.

Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.

Believe me, I have made my feelings very known to David & Darren at Maidstone.

David read my account of my encounter with the bodyshop and knows exactly what happened.

He called me earlier to reassure me that he is going to stay firmly on their case about the pending work.

David is quite the "force to be reckoned with", from what I gather from some of the guys at Maidstone. This is what I need!

As for the Crusty The Clown body shop - the phrase "Fool me once, shame on you.. fool me twice, shame on me" comes to mind

It seems I may be putting the accuracy of that phrase to the test.

I understand what you say about having the work done myself, but I really need accountability with this work.

If something goes wrong, I want someone to be responsible for putting it right.. which I won't have if I mess something up doing it myself.

The trim on the front bumper that wraps round the 2 corners is one thing that I think would be tricky. I really don't want to mess anything up myself, so I will let someone take on all that responsibility. If they mess it up, I just tell them to do it again.

I told David that, after 4 years, things may well have changed at Crusty The Clown & Co and that this could well be an opportunity for them to redeem themselves and restore lost faith in me.

All I can say is, they better get their thumbs out of their a$$ when my car rolls in there.

To be honest, this really should be a straight forward job for them... paint, transfer components from old bumper to new and then install!

We'll soon see if they are capable of even that!

When my car goes in there, I'm going to have a meeting with the bodyshop manager, take photos, let them have a good look at the car and the condition it is in, and get them to acknowledge my expectations.

I tell you now, if there is ONE mark ANYWHERE on that car when I get it back.. they better run!

As for the cost of the work.. yes, it is alot of money for the job.

I suspect Crusty The Clown & Co are rinsing it as they are the ones doing the quote and not Maidstone Mercedes.

Maidstone Mercedes are just punting them some work by the sounds of it.

Having said that, David reassured me that they are taking ownership of the work and that he and Darren are my point of call for any concerns I may have.

I suspect that Jim Hickmott (the manager at Crusty The Clown & Co who I grilled when I had all the trouble with them before) has told David to keep me away from them... I wonder why?!?!

 

[Rashman]

when I had to replace my CLS's bumper last year following incident with bambi, it was £1250 all in.

Hey Sean,

Your price, though expensive no matter how you cut it, seems alot more reasonable.. especially considering that you also had a fog light to replace too, didn't you?

 

[C240Sport97]

Hey Sean,

Your price, though expensive no matter how you cut it, seems alot more reasonable.. especially considering that you also had a fog light to replace too, didn't you?

price above excludes foglight.

also, I got the bumper with a 10% discount.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Just come into this thread. You have my total sympathy Rash. Which is more than I can say for the dog owner, no matter how distraught they may be. I somehow fear that they won't have any insurance and that you'll be landed with some expense.

It's no good talking about getting the work done yourself because you've already reported it to your insurance company so it's on their records as an accident. Whether or not you make an actual claim doesn't seem to matter any more.

I had a similar situation a very long time ago when a dog darted out into the road, straight into one of my wheels. Although easily within the speed limit, I was going relatively fast so the dog was badly injured. I didn't know how badly injured the dog was until a couple of the group of people who had gathered around the dog came over and appeared to be on the verge of attacking me for causing the accident.

Fortunately a man came over to my defence and said that he saw the dog run straight into my path. Then he helped me up off the ground and offered me a lift to hospital. The dog had run into the front wheel of my bike and sent me flying. I was 14 at the time. As well as skin lost from both arms and one leg, I had a broken collarbone. My bike was in a sorry state too.

I felt lucky to get away with my life intact after the reaction I got from the majority of passers by and the dog owner. I certainly didn't get any compensation.

Most posts here have expressed sympathy for the dog. I find it difficult to share that sympathy having experienced the comparison between love of a dog and concern over an injured human. Young children are liable to run out into the road without looking so we keep hold of them. The same should apply to domestic animals. Birds usually have the sense to get off the road when feasting on some morsel and a car is heading towards them. So why are dogs so stupid?

I certainly have little or no sympathy for the owner who wasn't able or willing to control their dog. As only one poster has said, if you can't control it don't have one.

Good luck getting it all sorted Rash. But you'll probably have to put it down to one of life's experiences. Just as I did.

 

[Rashman]

Just come into this thread. You have my total sympathy Rash. Which is more than I can say for the dog owner, no matter how distraught they may be. I somehow fear that they won't have any insurance and that you'll be landed with some expense.

It's no good talking about getting the work done yourself because you've already reported it to your insurance company so it's on their records as an accident. Whether or not you make an actual claim doesn't seem to matter any more.

I had a similar situation a very long time ago when a dog darted out into the road, straight into one of my wheels. Although easily within the speed limit, I was going relatively fast so the dog was badly injured. I didn't know how badly injured the dog was until a couple of the group of people who had gathered around the dog came over and appeared to be on the verge of attacking me for causing the accident.

Fortunately a man came over to my defence and said that he saw the dog run straight into my path. Then he helped me up off the ground and offered me a lift to hospital. The dog had run into the front wheel of my bike and sent me flying. I was 14 at the time. As well as skin lost from both arms and one leg, I had a broken collarbone. My bike was in a sorry state too.

I felt lucky to get away with my life intact after the reaction I got from the majority of passers by and the dog owner. I certainly didn't get any compensation.

Most posts here have expressed sympathy for the dog. I find it difficult to share that sympathy having experienced the comparison between love of a dog and concern over an injured human. Young children are liable to run out into the road without looking so we keep hold of them. The same should apply to domestic animals. Birds usually have the sense to get off the road when feasting on some morsel and a car is heading towards them. So why are dogs so stupid?

I certainly have little or no sympathy for the owner who wasn't able or willing to control their dog. As only one poster has said, if you can't control it don't have one.

Good luck getting it all sorted Rash. But you'll probably have to put it down to one of life's experiences. Just as I did.

Hi mate,

Thanks for taking the time to post up your thoughts - and recall your experiences.

I understand what you say about having already reported it to my insurance company. Alex's suggestion of doing the work myself is a good one and I do know someone who works for Mercedes that would probably help me with it too - but as I mentioned before, I want to be able to hold someone accountantable for the work if I am not satisfied.

I could have taken the hit and paid for all the repairs myself and not bothered going through the insurance at all - but I thought "why should I?!"

Sure, I'll end up paying for it in the long run, but if I don't use my insurance in a situation it is intended for, then surely THAT is a waste of money?!

My sympathy for the poor dog remains.. but my sympathy for the dog's owner has quickly diminished. I am getting more and more angry with them for not even attempting to exchange details.

I'm currently on the phone to the vet to see if they could contact the dog owner themselves and get them to give the vet consent to giving me their details. I even suggested that the vet could pass their details onto my insurance company directly if the dog owner didn't want me to have their details.

Just trying anything to speed things up!



.... Vet said she will speak to her boss to see if this is possible. She said that she has to respect that this is an upsetting time for the dog owner.. to which I emphasised that there are two sides to this incident and at no point has the dog owner made any attempt to leave their details with the vet for me or the police who may be enquiring about them. They merely left the scene and left me standing there!

I am now waiting for the owner of the vets to ring me back.

Anyway, you're probably right.. I'll probably end up having to deal with this myself.

 

[Rashman]

Ok, just heard back from the vet.

They are going to call the dog's owners and ask if they would be happy for them to pass their details on to me.

The vet said they are a nice family and probably just didn't think about things like this. I hope that is the case.

The vet is going to call me tomorrow to let me know if the dog owners are happy with my request. Part of me is thinking they should have offered this information to the vet to begin with, but hey.

Hopefully this will help by speeding things up for my insurance company.