Minor bump - some advice needed please

[londonman]

LOML was straightening up in the Waitrose car park and as she inched back out of the space so she could straighten up a bit, a woman was driving by very close to the line of parked cars and so LOML had a slight bump. Looking at the damage done to the womans' car and that done to ours and her initial comments when my wife got out to talk to her, we smell a rat and think that she may well be being a bit opportunistic about this. So I went round to her house to take some photos and measurements.

Don't get me wrong...if we did the damage then we'll get it sorted. Just that to my eyes, the damage does not seem consistent with what happened. Would welcome your thoughts, guys.

This is the womans' car. My wife was reversing back squarely.

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080287opt....

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080288opt....

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080290opt....

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080291opt....

Note that the height of the bump strip is about 19-20" above the ground. Also that the dent below the bump strip is very dirty and shows no sign of any disturbance.

This is our car.

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080303opt....

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080304opt....

http://www.tristan.demon.co.uk/images/P1080305opt....

The bump strip on our car below the number plate is 17" above the ground. The projection (if that's the right word) above the number plate is 25" above the ground. The scuff mark on the bump strip in one of the photos is an old one done by me when I reversed into a wall..oops). I can see nothing on our car at the height of her damage.

To my untutored eye, her damage looks to be old and looks more like a point impact rather than a square on impact - perhaps caused by someone reversing into her car in a carpark and hitting her with the corner of the car or bumper. The car also has a lot of other dings and dents. That front tyre looks as bit borderline but I digress.

Any advice or suggestions are very welcome.

[Steamer]

the damage does seem a little 'ripply'- is that what you were thinking?

[DBaldwin]

Theres no way your car caused that damage. I cant even see any damage on yours! The damage on her's looks like it happened a while ago.

[londonman]

Ripply? Yes, that but also the fact that it is below the height of the two things that stick out most on our car and that the damage looks as if...well, imagine giving it a damn good kick. If we'd done that damage I'd have expected there to be a long or couple of long creases corresponding to the two parts on the back of our car that 'protrude'.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Front Tyre on the Astray is illegal IMO:



Damage looks possible, doors are thin and dent easily, the frame behind can make it ripple in unusual ways!

It's going to be dented whatever, but worth pointing out bald tyres, perhaps they couldn't stop in time for your wife reversing to stop???

[Steamer]

londonman said:

Ripply? Yes, that but also the fact that it is below the height of the two things that stick out most on our car and that the damage looks as if...well, imagine giving it a damn good kick. If we'd done that damage I'd have expected there to be a long or couple of long creases corresponding to the two parts on the back of our car that 'protrude'.

yes - I share your opinion.

I'm sure, if you really wanted to push this, the insurance co. will send out people who will know instantly.

We had someone try to put in a bogus claim on one of our vans - we were totally dumb-founed, insurance company reassured us it wouldnt come to anything (the other party had already got letters from solicitors & doctors).

[McSam]

I would expect the RX-8's bumper to be more likely to show damage than her door, to be honest, and while I could be wrong on that score I absolutely cannot see that your car did that damage. Even if the mud was scraped and the heights were right, I'd still be dubious!

I reckon it's pretty simple.. She drives a stheap, sees that the car that's hit her is "a flash sports car so they must have loads of money", and figures she'll get some cash out of it, whether or not there was any damage actually caused.

[londonman]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Been a long time and a Hell of a lot of chasing and pushing my insurance company who eventually sent round an engineer and he agreed that the damage was pre-existing. Hooray!