Now where did I put my shotgun....!!
Discussion
Should've stayed in bed...!!
Just got my 997 back from OPC on Saturday after a longstanding problem. Beautifully cleaned, looked like new. After all the stresses in the past few months I truly fell in love with the car again yesterday after a few blasts around my favourite roads...
Leave the house ready for work and... one of my neighbours has quite literally parked his Merc 4x4 on top of my car..!! B@stard!! His high bumper was 20cm on top of my bonnet and he'd just left it like that... In the end had to watch as he reversed it away, causing more deep gashes on the bonnet and front bumper and ripped my number plate off for good measure... the most painful thing ever to watch..!!
Guy was hugely apologetic and said he "didn't notice" last night. How the hell do you park your car on another and leave it like that without noticing..?? Looking bleary eyed I accused him of drink driving last night after the football to which he had no reply. Shame I can't prove it now. Really hate these people (his car has 2 child seats in the back) - should be locked up.
Very respectable neighbourhood and my wife's calming words saved this guy from my best "Chris Eubank" impression.. He was within an inch of a trip to A&E himself.
Anyways, without even seeing the car, OPC have quoted £2.5k for a front respray (bumper panel and boot lid), new plate mounting and new number plate. Sounds a bit hefty to me.
Any advice gratefully received. Should I go for an independent (anybody know good ones in London?). Would this affect the resale, etc etc.
Just got my 997 back from OPC on Saturday after a longstanding problem. Beautifully cleaned, looked like new. After all the stresses in the past few months I truly fell in love with the car again yesterday after a few blasts around my favourite roads...
Leave the house ready for work and... one of my neighbours has quite literally parked his Merc 4x4 on top of my car..!! B@stard!! His high bumper was 20cm on top of my bonnet and he'd just left it like that... In the end had to watch as he reversed it away, causing more deep gashes on the bonnet and front bumper and ripped my number plate off for good measure... the most painful thing ever to watch..!!
Guy was hugely apologetic and said he "didn't notice" last night. How the hell do you park your car on another and leave it like that without noticing..?? Looking bleary eyed I accused him of drink driving last night after the football to which he had no reply. Shame I can't prove it now. Really hate these people (his car has 2 child seats in the back) - should be locked up.
Very respectable neighbourhood and my wife's calming words saved this guy from my best "Chris Eubank" impression.. He was within an inch of a trip to A&E himself.
Anyways, without even seeing the car, OPC have quoted £2.5k for a front respray (bumper panel and boot lid), new plate mounting and new number plate. Sounds a bit hefty to me.
Any advice gratefully received. Should I go for an independent (anybody know good ones in London?). Would this affect the resale, etc etc.
Ouch.
To be honest I'd OPC it. Either he's going to pay, or insurance will. Its not just the value of the car I'm thinking of, but the fact you don't want to look at the car all the time and think "front doesn't quite look right". I know if your insurance pays it won't help premiums etc etc etc, but you want it done right.
Reminds me of the time many years ago that some tw4t in a camper van parked next to my 355 on a street in Putney. It was parked outside my house, and I was woken at 2am by him reversing into the Ferrari. I flew downstairs, ready to have a similar conversation to your one, but found not a mark on the 355 and his (crap, decaying, rusted) old bumper on the floor.
Didn't make him less of a tool, but saved all the hassle. How can people do this?????
To be honest I'd OPC it. Either he's going to pay, or insurance will. Its not just the value of the car I'm thinking of, but the fact you don't want to look at the car all the time and think "front doesn't quite look right". I know if your insurance pays it won't help premiums etc etc etc, but you want it done right.
Reminds me of the time many years ago that some tw4t in a camper van parked next to my 355 on a street in Putney. It was parked outside my house, and I was woken at 2am by him reversing into the Ferrari. I flew downstairs, ready to have a similar conversation to your one, but found not a mark on the 355 and his (crap, decaying, rusted) old bumper on the floor.
Didn't make him less of a tool, but saved all the hassle. How can people do this?????
That is outageous, and you may well be right about booze being a factor.
I would send it to a recommended OPC, with a good bodyshop (I imagine this stuff just gets farmed out from the Dealer to a local paintshop, so make sure the 'local' has a good rep. Phone a few OPC's and ask about their bodyshops and ask for references.) I would also get the car thoroughly checked out, the cosmetic damage is the least to worry about. The weight of that car on your suspension all night may have damaged it? Get the car checked from front to rear with a tooth comb. Remember it may have been a very slow shunt, but the forces are huge.
best of all don't even worry about it, you have proof he did it (Any pics, of the car on your Porka? Makes it easier to claim?) so doesn't matter how much it costs. I would push for parts to be replaced if there is any doublt as to whether they could have been damaged. Tot that bill right up, he should pay for his obvious irresponsibility. I would also claim for loss of value to your car, due to its damage. Get a letter from your OPC giving you valuations of the car for before and after the damage and make that part of your claim.
Good luck.
G
I would send it to a recommended OPC, with a good bodyshop (I imagine this stuff just gets farmed out from the Dealer to a local paintshop, so make sure the 'local' has a good rep. Phone a few OPC's and ask about their bodyshops and ask for references.) I would also get the car thoroughly checked out, the cosmetic damage is the least to worry about. The weight of that car on your suspension all night may have damaged it? Get the car checked from front to rear with a tooth comb. Remember it may have been a very slow shunt, but the forces are huge.
best of all don't even worry about it, you have proof he did it (Any pics, of the car on your Porka? Makes it easier to claim?) so doesn't matter how much it costs. I would push for parts to be replaced if there is any doublt as to whether they could have been damaged. Tot that bill right up, he should pay for his obvious irresponsibility. I would also claim for loss of value to your car, due to its damage. Get a letter from your OPC giving you valuations of the car for before and after the damage and make that part of your claim.
Good luck.
G
People like that deserve a good hiding IMHO 
No respect for others if he was drink driving, which he must have been to leave his car where it was, and no respect for his family if they were with him
OPC are probably going to respray the whole front of the car at that price. If you have told them how the damage was caused they have assumed the other guy's insurance is going to pay and therefore don't care how much they charge. Only good point here is that you have total comeback on OPC if you are not happy with the finished job, something you may not have if you go elsewhere.
One point, do you think you need to report the incident to the police? Just a thought in case he tries to wriggle out of the problem.
Best of luck,
Yex
No respect for others if he was drink driving, which he must have been to leave his car where it was, and no respect for his family if they were with him OPC are probably going to respray the whole front of the car at that price. If you have told them how the damage was caused they have assumed the other guy's insurance is going to pay and therefore don't care how much they charge. Only good point here is that you have total comeback on OPC if you are not happy with the finished job, something you may not have if you go elsewhere.
One point, do you think you need to report the incident to the police? Just a thought in case he tries to wriggle out of the problem.
Best of luck,
Yex
Yex said:
People like that deserve a good hiding IMHO No respect for others if he was drink driving, which he must have been to leave his car where it was, and no respect for his family if they were with him
OPC are probably going to respray the whole front of the car at that price. If you have told them how the damage was caused they have assumed the other guy's insurance is going to pay and therefore don't care how much they charge. Only good point here is that you have total comeback on OPC if you are not happy with the finished job, something you may not have if you go elsewhere.
One point, do you think you need to report the incident to the police? Just a thought in case he tries to wriggle out of the problem.
Best of luck,
Yex
No respect for others if he was drink driving, which he must have been to leave his car where it was, and no respect for his family if they were with him OPC are probably going to respray the whole front of the car at that price. If you have told them how the damage was caused they have assumed the other guy's insurance is going to pay and therefore don't care how much they charge. Only good point here is that you have total comeback on OPC if you are not happy with the finished job, something you may not have if you go elsewhere.
One point, do you think you need to report the incident to the police? Just a thought in case he tries to wriggle out of the problem.
Best of luck,
Yex
He sounds like an utter cock.
You might want to suggest to him that if he doesn't sort this out to your satisfaction then you will be more than happy to inform the police about what has happened.
If he was boozing this may well concentrate the mind.
D1ck.
Hope you took some photos!!
I had a smash a while back in my Boxster...guy rear ended me on the motor way. You need to get it done at the OPC approved centre...it's the only way that you can keep your paint warranty. When they've done the repair, you get a leaflet and certificate from the Porsche garage stating the paint thickness after the repair etc. It's his insurance - his problem.
I had a smash a while back in my Boxster...guy rear ended me on the motor way. You need to get it done at the OPC approved centre...it's the only way that you can keep your paint warranty. When they've done the repair, you get a leaflet and certificate from the Porsche garage stating the paint thickness after the repair etc. It's his insurance - his problem.
Thanks for the comments guys..
Yes, I took tons of photos of the cars before/after that clearly show the damage. Also, on the threat of calling the police I made sure he wrote out an admission of liability for me.
I was worried as I have a £1,000 excess on my policy that I thought I'd have to pay. All my previous cars have been under German insurances so really not clued up about the UK system.
However, the good news...
My insurance broker (Cheam Insurance) and insurance company (CHUBB) have been really fantastic. Spent the morning on the phone and they are collecting the car tomorrow morning to go to Premier Body Shops (they do all of London OPCs body works apparently). Also, given the admission, my excess will be untouched. And the best part, CHUBB are providing me with an AMV8 as a courtesy car for a week for no cost..!! Bloody hell, wasn't expecting that.
I know I paid a fortune for it (£2.5k), but have to say Cheam Brokers and CHUBB (Masterpiece Policy) have been totally amazing. Both very highly recommended.
As for the neighbour, hope my insurance company take the b@stard for every available penny. Drunk drivers should be publicly shot and he's very lucky I didn't deal out a bit of my justice on the spot.
Yes, I took tons of photos of the cars before/after that clearly show the damage. Also, on the threat of calling the police I made sure he wrote out an admission of liability for me.
I was worried as I have a £1,000 excess on my policy that I thought I'd have to pay. All my previous cars have been under German insurances so really not clued up about the UK system.
However, the good news...
My insurance broker (Cheam Insurance) and insurance company (CHUBB) have been really fantastic. Spent the morning on the phone and they are collecting the car tomorrow morning to go to Premier Body Shops (they do all of London OPCs body works apparently). Also, given the admission, my excess will be untouched. And the best part, CHUBB are providing me with an AMV8 as a courtesy car for a week for no cost..!! Bloody hell, wasn't expecting that.
I know I paid a fortune for it (£2.5k), but have to say Cheam Brokers and CHUBB (Masterpiece Policy) have been totally amazing. Both very highly recommended.
As for the neighbour, hope my insurance company take the b@stard for every available penny. Drunk drivers should be publicly shot and he's very lucky I didn't deal out a bit of my justice on the spot.
The man to talk to is Greg Bridges at Cheam Insurance Brokers as CHUBB don't deal directly with the public. He is on 020 8652 7733. Let me know if you need a referral (might be worth another few quid).
The policy I have is the CHUBB Masterpiece policy. According to Cheam its the best comprehensive policy out there currently for high-end cars. Accepted all the sales talk at the time but having gone through this morning I can vouch for them being superb.
Other highlights:
1) My wife and I are totally covered on our car and any other car we want to drive (inc. rentals) on the same terms.
2) Our car is covered to 100% of the sale price this year (i.e. I right it off and I get all my money back, not the current market value). Those buying from an OPC it means you don't need to pay for 'gap' insurance.
3) Anybody is insured to drive the car at my permission
4) No mileage/usage cap
5) Automatic free courtesy car for repairs (OPC kindly offered a Boxster, the bodyshop guys a Ford Fiesta..) and CHUBB a AMV8 (still can't believe that..!)
Sorry to sound like an advert for these guys but after this morning its actually nice to deal with some no-nonsense professionals who are used to dealing with high-end cars. No quibbles, fast, efficient, etc. Yes, it is expensive but I think worth it.
Having said all of this, I wish I my neighbour had just parked on the other side of the street in the first place...!!
The policy I have is the CHUBB Masterpiece policy. According to Cheam its the best comprehensive policy out there currently for high-end cars. Accepted all the sales talk at the time but having gone through this morning I can vouch for them being superb.
Other highlights:
1) My wife and I are totally covered on our car and any other car we want to drive (inc. rentals) on the same terms.
2) Our car is covered to 100% of the sale price this year (i.e. I right it off and I get all my money back, not the current market value). Those buying from an OPC it means you don't need to pay for 'gap' insurance.
3) Anybody is insured to drive the car at my permission
4) No mileage/usage cap
5) Automatic free courtesy car for repairs (OPC kindly offered a Boxster, the bodyshop guys a Ford Fiesta..) and CHUBB a AMV8 (still can't believe that..!)
Sorry to sound like an advert for these guys but after this morning its actually nice to deal with some no-nonsense professionals who are used to dealing with high-end cars. No quibbles, fast, efficient, etc. Yes, it is expensive but I think worth it.
Having said all of this, I wish I my neighbour had just parked on the other side of the street in the first place...!!
I'm surprised they wrote out a statement of liability, most insurers say that they won't pay out if you admit fault.
This kind of thing p*sses me right off! I don't have a problem with people totally screwing their own lives by f
g around, but for god's sake why can't they let the rest of us get on with ours!
This kind of thing p*sses me right off! I don't have a problem with people totally screwing their own lives by f
g around, but for god's sake why can't they let the rest of us get on with ours!I genuinely hope his insurance company refuse to pay and he has to foot the bill... serve the w@nker right..!!
As for writing out the admission of liability, judging by the smoke coming out of my ears I think he realised it was either that or handing over one of his kidneys on the spot..!! I'm not the world's biggest fella but can be quite "persuasive" when I want to be.. especially on a Monday morning before my first coffee..!!
By the sounds of it everything will be ok and I won't be out of pocket. On the positive, I'll have a week to find out what all this fuss is about the AMV8.. Hope it's not too good, my 997 is only 3 months old..!!
As for writing out the admission of liability, judging by the smoke coming out of my ears I think he realised it was either that or handing over one of his kidneys on the spot..!! I'm not the world's biggest fella but can be quite "persuasive" when I want to be.. especially on a Monday morning before my first coffee..!!
By the sounds of it everything will be ok and I won't be out of pocket. On the positive, I'll have a week to find out what all this fuss is about the AMV8.. Hope it's not too good, my 997 is only 3 months old..!!
X15 JEB said:
5) Automatic free courtesy car for repairs (OPC kindly offered a Boxster, the bodyshop guys a Ford Fiesta..) and CHUBB a AMV8 (still can't believe that..!)
Be careful with that! If it's really free of charge, then fine, but if you had an accident and they tried to claim the cost of such a courtesy car from the third party's insurers, you may end up with a bloody nose.
This happened to me a few years ago, when I got a Merc, then a Porsche courtesy car provided whilst my 911 was being repaired. The resulting bill resulted in the third party's insurers disputing the claim and it ended up in court. We lost, with the judge making it clear than I was not entitled to a car of a similar standard, just one suitable for my use.
drcarrera said:
X15 JEB said:
5) Automatic free courtesy car for repairs (OPC kindly offered a Boxster, the bodyshop guys a Ford Fiesta..) and CHUBB a AMV8 (still can't believe that..!)
Be careful with that! If it's really free of charge, then fine, but if you had an accident and they tried to claim the cost of such a courtesy car from the third party's insurers, you may end up with a bloody nose.
This happened to me a few years ago, when I got a Merc, then a Porsche courtesy car provided whilst my 911 was being repaired. The resulting bill resulted in the third party's insurers disputing the claim and it ended up in court. We lost, with the judge making it clear than I was not entitled to a car of a similar standard, just one suitable for my use.
Thanks for the heads up. Checked my own policy and in there it specifically states that in the case of an accident, the insurance company will provide a replacement loan car for the duration of repairs and one that is ideally a direct replacement to the insured car. Ideally they should provide me with a 997 but as they don't have any available the AMV8 is actually a 'second choice'... works for me..!! The cars are provided through a performance car hire company so in theory I could've had a few choices.
Chubb and Cheam can't seem to do enough to make me happy at the moment so I'm not too worried about getting screwed in the long run. Can't actually believe I'm saying this about an insurance company...!!
Not often you hear such good things about an insurance company 
I have seen someone in a 4x4 park into another car (hatchback thingy) and didn't notice. It was in a supermarket car park, with an audience! The driver so calmly locked her car and went to walk away as a few people went up to her saying "hang on a minute" type thing. Her first reaction was "I didn't do that" as it dawned on her that the evidence was staring her in the face and she did!
Some people are just cr*p drivers - without paying attention, not looking enough and not noticing bumps and noises. Couple that with a huge, powerful car and you can get a highly unfortunate situation.
Hope you get it back, perfect, soon and fall in love with it all over again!!
I have seen someone in a 4x4 park into another car (hatchback thingy) and didn't notice. It was in a supermarket car park, with an audience! The driver so calmly locked her car and went to walk away as a few people went up to her saying "hang on a minute" type thing. Her first reaction was "I didn't do that" as it dawned on her that the evidence was staring her in the face and she did!
Some people are just cr*p drivers - without paying attention, not looking enough and not noticing bumps and noises. Couple that with a huge, powerful car and you can get a highly unfortunate situation.
Hope you get it back, perfect, soon and fall in love with it all over again!!
What is all the ranting and raving about?
So a neighbour drove into your new car and damaged it. He's admitted liability so it sounds like his inurance will pay out. It may be infuriating to have your toy damaged but you would feel a dam sight worse if he had driven of and denighed it.
Also, I fail to see the relevance of him having child seats in the back of his car. I have two child seats in the back of my 911. So what.
pp
So a neighbour drove into your new car and damaged it. He's admitted liability so it sounds like his inurance will pay out. It may be infuriating to have your toy damaged but you would feel a dam sight worse if he had driven of and denighed it.
Also, I fail to see the relevance of him having child seats in the back of his car. I have two child seats in the back of my 911. So what.
pp
Pickled Piper said:
What is all the ranting and raving about?
So a neighbour drove into your new car and damaged it. He's admitted liability so it sounds like his inurance will pay out. It may be infuriating to have your toy damaged but you would feel a dam sight worse if he had driven of and denighed it.
Also, I fail to see the relevance of him having child seats in the back of his car. I have two child seats in the back of my 911. So what.
pp
So a neighbour drove into your new car and damaged it. He's admitted liability so it sounds like his inurance will pay out. It may be infuriating to have your toy damaged but you would feel a dam sight worse if he had driven of and denighed it.
Also, I fail to see the relevance of him having child seats in the back of his car. I have two child seats in the back of my 911. So what.
pp
There's always one...
My point about the child seats I thought was obvious. The guy was obviously driving drunk last night and given the child seats he obviously has kids. I just hope he doesn't mix the two.. Just trying to show what an irresponsible w@nker he is.
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