Parking bumper scrape, can identify other vehicle
Discussion
I had quite a pleasant lunch just now, sitting out on a cafe balcony looking down at, among other things, my car parked on the road below.
I noted another vehicle park behind me while I was on the balcony eating lunch.
When I got back down, there was a scuff mark on the corner of my bumper. There was a matching scuff mark on the other vehicle. I took photos.
The mark on my car isn't that bad, it would almost buff out, but maybe not quite.
Any ideas? I'm not going to write them a private letter. If I do anything, it would be via my insurance company or their "legal cover", which would likely mean 5 years of declaring it.
There was no reason for this to happen, it was not a tight spot, the other vehicle driver just cannot park properly.
I noted another vehicle park behind me while I was on the balcony eating lunch.
When I got back down, there was a scuff mark on the corner of my bumper. There was a matching scuff mark on the other vehicle. I took photos.
The mark on my car isn't that bad, it would almost buff out, but maybe not quite.
Any ideas? I'm not going to write them a private letter. If I do anything, it would be via my insurance company or their "legal cover", which would likely mean 5 years of declaring it.
There was no reason for this to happen, it was not a tight spot, the other vehicle driver just cannot park properly.
Edited by creampuff on Sunday 15th June 14:47
Retroman said:
Without CCTV, or independent witness i doubt your insurance or their legal cover will be able to help much.
If he tells his insurance he didn't do it, and you must have hit his car and caused the damage how would they be able to prove he's the one telling the truth?
Because the location of the damage and the location that the vehicles of parked would mean that I would have mounted the kerb and driven along the footpath for it to have been me that caused the damage rather than the other party who did cause the damage. There are various poles, walls and other stuff to prevent you driving on the footpath (or which would cause additional damage) even if you wanted to.If he tells his insurance he didn't do it, and you must have hit his car and caused the damage how would they be able to prove he's the one telling the truth?
Whilst it is highly likely that the other car did hit yours causing the damage, in the absence of anyone actually seeing the collision or it being on CCTV the response of the other driver and their insurance company could be 'Prove it'.
Short answer is that you can't. The other driver could say that they had existing damage & hadn't bothered doing anything about it.
Getting the police to send samples from both vehicles for forensic examination to see if there is a paint match isn't going to happen.
Short answer is that you can't. The other driver could say that they had existing damage & hadn't bothered doing anything about it.
Getting the police to send samples from both vehicles for forensic examination to see if there is a paint match isn't going to happen.
Edited by paintman on Sunday 15th June 18:22
The realistic outcome of this is that your insurance co will not accept that this is proof that the other party caused the damage.
When the other party end up being approached by your insco, they will likely deny it, and you will be left with a few years of higher premiums, and paying your excess to fix it through the insurance.
If that is the most likely outcome, it would be akin to cutting one's nose off to spite one's face.
As unfair as it seems, it would be much cheaper for you to use Chips Away or similar and and lot less stress and hassle.
When the other party end up being approached by your insco, they will likely deny it, and you will be left with a few years of higher premiums, and paying your excess to fix it through the insurance.
If that is the most likely outcome, it would be akin to cutting one's nose off to spite one's face.
As unfair as it seems, it would be much cheaper for you to use Chips Away or similar and and lot less stress and hassle.
desolate said:
How?
If the other party denies it, you won't get anywhere I am afraid.
As I wrote above, due to the location of the damage on both vehicles the conclusion would be either they damaged my car while parallel parking or I was somehow driving along the footpath, somehow missing footpath furniture, before scraping their car while still driving on the footpath, then ultimately ending up parked normally on the road. If the other party denies it, you won't get anywhere I am afraid.
creampuff said:
As I wrote above, due to the location of the damage on both vehicles the conclusion would be either they damaged my car while parallel parking or I was somehow driving along the footpath, somehow missing footpath furniture, before scraping their car while still driving on the footpath, then ultimately ending up parked normally on the road.
OK -which part of each vehicle is marked?creampuff said:
desolate said:
How?
If the other party denies it, you won't get anywhere I am afraid.
As I wrote above, due to the location of the damage on both vehicles the conclusion would be either they damaged my car while parallel parking or I was somehow driving along the footpath, somehow missing footpath furniture, before scraping their car while still driving on the footpath, then ultimately ending up parked normally on the road. If the other party denies it, you won't get anywhere I am afraid.
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