Car Door dent from neighbour - advice needed

[MikeT66]

I know we don't have the largest car park spaces at our flats, but usually everyone tries to be careful. Yesterday I parked my car in my space, leaving as much room as possible to my driver's door side, with the one next to me empty (on the passenger side cars back in toward that side, so no chance of people not being able to access their cars). No issues.

Went down to it this morning to find my car door dented and blue paint embedded in the door paintwork - very clearly from where the leading edge of neighbour's Astra rear door had been opened and hit it.



(Astra now switched around - if was tail-end in this morning, and arc of where rear door would open and height made it obvious).







(Photos taken on my arrival home.)

As it was 4.30am I obviously didn't go knocking on their door, so politely left it until I got home late this afternoon. Knocked on the door and very nicely told them what had happened and asked if the couple wanted to come and look at the cars themselves. They point blank refused, declaring there was no way it could have been them that caused the damage. It took me ten minutes of dogged, determined but remaining polite conversation to get them to reluctantly look at the two cars. Blue paintwork matching their car? Check. Damaged area in perfect alignment with the leading edge of their car door? Check. Still refused to even ackowledge that it could possibly have been them as they "didn't even move the car yesterday". A blatant lie, as the car wasn't there whan I arrived home from work and was there this morning. Total dismissal of even the chance of an accident. And to think I helped the guy change a wheel when he had a flat last year as he had no clue (they're Indian, but it makes no odds).

So... I think it's going to cost upwards of £100 I reckon (I work in motor trade) to repair. The couple, both doctors I think, earn significanly more than I do I trust, even if they do drive a st-box (the Astra is in pretty poor condition).

Queries:
1) I know some will just say suck it up and pay for the repair, but, fk it, why should I? Had they come straight away and apologies for the accident, maybe, but even when I was being my most polite (and I really was) they told me I was being difficult and rude. Would you ask them again to pay?

and

2) I know it's hard to assess via photos, but would anyone think my cost assessment is correct? The paint has been completely taken off my door and the blue paint embedded. An online quote suggested approx. £70 for dent removal, but that's without repairing the paintwork.

TYIA

[finlo]

Torch their car, it's the only way you'll arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

[Sheepshanks]

I forget the name of the quote system body shops use - Autodata? - it’ll probably produce a quote of about a grand.

[Kev_Mk3]

Place a stone in the valve cap and tighten it down so it goes flat. They will keep pumping it up and hopefully go for a repair and find nothing costing them time and inconvenience.

In the interim suck it up and sort it yourself as your not going to get anywhere sadly.

[MikeT66]

finlo said:

Torch their car, it's the only way you'll arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

Hmmm... I like that idea.

Kev_Mk3 said:

Place a stone in the valve cap and tighten it down so it goes flat. They will keep pumping it up and hopefully go for a repair and find nothing costing them time and inconvenience.

In the interim suck it up and sort it yourself as your not going to get anywhere sadly.

"Another flat tyre? Sorry, can't help this time".

Just gone back to the car to put my torch back in the boot (a torch pretty much fills the boot of an IQ) and found that someone has been carefully trying to remove the blue paint - so now there's a fair bit down to bare metal. And surprise, surprise - the st-box Astra is not in it's parking space, so they've gone out. s,

[nickv]

Sheepshanks said:

I forget the name of the quote system body shops use - Autodata? - it’ll probably produce a quote of about a grand.

Audatex

[nickv]

If you can get it repaired for £100 you will be doing very well

i would think more like £250 plus vat

Shame the paint on yours is damaged or it could have been paintless dent repaired for around £50

[budgie smuggler]

That's annoying. Makes you want to re enact the Street Fighter 2 car bonus stage on their car.

[designforlife]

You have my sympathies OP, that would boil my piss.

Their attempt to clean off the paint is an obvious admission of guilt too.

I would leave it a sufficient amount of time, and plot your revenge.

[bad company]

Op you can get details of their insurance company here and make a claim:-

https://www.mib.org.uk/check-insurance-details/che...

They just may be less likely to lie to them.

[Winky151]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Place a stone in the valve cap and tighten it down so it goes flat. They will keep pumping it up and hopefully go for a repair and find nothing costing them time and inconvenience.

Or a banana in the tail pipe.

[TartanPaint]

Do they have a lawn? Do you have a freezer? Is there a butcher nearby?

I have an idea...

[p4cks]

TartanPaint said:

Do they have a lawn? Do you have a freezer? Is there a butcher nearby?

I have an idea...

People still pedalling this unfunny quip?

[banjowilly]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Place a stone in the valve cap and tighten it down so it goes flat. They will keep pumping it up and hopefully go for a repair and find nothing costing them time and inconvenience.

In the interim suck it up and sort it yourself as your not going to get anywhere sadly.

God that is a sneaky, underhanded low down, dirty no good, varmint of a thing. I like it.

[bad company]

Here’s what I’d do. Write them a letter before legal action and hand deliver it to them. Include the photographic evidence, a quote for the repairs and give them 7 days to respond. If they still deny causing the damage or fail to respond sue in the County Court. That sounds difficult but very easy and cheap:-

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/cour...

Will they lie to the Court? Possibly but possibly not and at worst you’ll have made your point and made them think.

[PixelpeepS3]

wont help you this time but get a tesla, they have sentry mode (https://electrek.co/guides/tesla-sentry-mode/) which uses all 8 cameras around the car and would give you proof to show them which would hopefully tip them to doing the decent thing. Much cheaper than a £100 mobile repair

second option - small claims court?

[designforlife]

bad company said:

Here’s what I’d do. Write them a letter before legal action and hand deliver it to them. Include the photographic evidence, a quote for the repairs and give them 7 days to respond. If they still deny causing the damage or fail to respond sue in the County Court. That sounds difficult but very easy and cheap:-

https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/cour...

Will they lie to the Court? Possibly but possibly not and at worst you’ll have made your point and made them think.

this is probably the best suggestion sofar IMO.

[TartanPaint]

p4cks said:

TartanPaint said:

Do they have a lawn? Do you have a freezer? Is there a butcher nearby?

I have an idea...

People still pedalling this unfunny quip?

My apologies, you're absolutely right. I just checked and there was a unanimous agreement to drop it, and move on to supercilious rhetorical questions.

[bad company]

This PH’r just issued in the County Court at a cost of £25.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

ETA. I wonder if this would have been better in Speed, Plod & The Law?

Edited by bad company on Tuesday 3rd September 17:13

[davhill]

Winky151 said:

Or a banana in the tail pipe.

Fresh kipper, length of soft wire and their ehaust, near the tail end where it isn't so hot