Heathrow Terminal 3 parking

[TrickyTrevM5]

so, yesterday i parked my shinny M5 at terminal 3 short stay parking while i flew to a meeting and back yesterday. when i got home last night, I realised that the front of the car had been smashed in.

(I reversed in the space to ensure speedy exit when I returned) and approached the car from behind when I got back into it. I know the car was perfect when it was parked as I cleaned it by hand yesterday and the trip to Heathrow was the only journey.

So someone with a white car of some sort has hit the car hard enough to push the wing and bumper in, taking the paint off it, gouging the alloy etc. In fact, I thought it odd that when I got into the car, before it would allow me to start in, it requested that I recalibrate the steering manually by moving the wheel half left, then half right…. I thought this was a cool ‘M Car’ thing regarding handling etc…

Heathrow have so far done nothing, the car will need a new wheel, bumper and wing and it looks like I will have to stomach the cost. I am hugely frustrated.

I reckon it will cost a couple of grand to get it fixed.

So if you are reading this and you pranged a car at Heathrow and drove off, shame on you. You lack class and morals.

[helix402]

Bad news, likely to cost much more than a couple of grand.

[TrickyTrevM5]

i fear you may be right.... i have a call into my local BMW dealer / body shop to discuss..

my wife has used up our no claims protector by cutting the corner of our driveway in our range rover a couple of times - which is not a good idea as there is a wall on the corner....

[Thermobaric]

No CCTV about in the car park that might have caught it?

[Wills2]

I would have thought that every inch of a Heathrow short stay car park would be covered by CCTV these days, but getting them to review the footage will be an issue.

Steering sounds very odd, asking to you calibrate the steering? Sounds well a bit far fetched to me.

[mybrainhurts]

The lanes between parking spaces are pretty narrow in that car park. How the hell did somebody generate enough momentum to do that damage? Must have been something heavy.

I thought Heathrow car parks had some kind of security status. If so, there must be CCTV. Why won't they help?

[mybrainhurts]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

So someone with a white car of some sort has hit the car hard enough to push the wing and bumper in, taking the paint off it, gouging the alloy etc.

How does that happen when you're in parallel parking spaces?

[TrickyTrevM5]

On heathrow airport's advice, I had to file a report with the Met police in order to have them retrieve the cctv footage - but you are right every space has a camera on it so that people can find their car that was involved.

On steering recalibration - search on line. The car does (and did) prompt this before allowing me to fire the engine - its not in the least bit far fetched.

Kind regards

Trevor

[TrickyTrevM5]

mybrainhurts said:

TrickyTrevM5 said:

So someone with a white car of some sort has hit the car hard enough to push the wing and bumper in, taking the paint off it, gouging the alloy etc.

How does that happen when you're in parallel parking spaces?

I guess their reversing angle was not acute enough leading to them running the back of their car along the front drivers side of mine. The wing was all pushed in and the tyre and alloy badly marked too - the must have reversed quickly. Hopefully CCTV footage will reveal all.

[mybrainhurts]

Ah....were you in an end space?

[mybrainhurts]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

On heathrow airport's advice, I had to file a report with the Met police in order to have them retrieve the cctv footage - but you are right every space has a camera on it so that people can find their car that was involved.

Get on with it quickly, before they wipe the recording.

[TrickyTrevM5]

no - that's what surprises me as much as anything else. They must have been collecting someone off a flight and reversed quickly so that they weren't late for their fair.
who knows. I'll let you know when i do.

[JohnG123]

Good Luck, hope you get it sorted.

Why cant people just be bloody honest and leave a note on your windscreen............................

[TrickyTrevM5]

Its been a week since the incident and guess what?


Nada..... not a peep from anyone

[Shezbo]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

Its been a week since the incident and guess what?


Nada..... not a peep from anyone

White paint on your car...with the damage - i suspect a white van?

[mybrainhurts]

TrickyTrevM5 said:

Its been a week since the incident and guess what?


Nada..... not a peep from anyone

Do some pushing. If they have that safe car park status thing, tell them you're going to put your experience on record with the body that controls membership.

[TrickyTrevM5]

good idea...

[TrickyTrevM5]

well still no further forward.

The very nice people in the Met police are looking to get hold of the tapes - might be too long now - my insurance company are covering the cost and it will hit my no claims protector unless we find the driver responsible.

The car is now being worked on by my local BMW dealer's body shop.

Hoping the car will be fixed in time for Sunday Service at BMW HQ