I need some advice. The links below are to a couple of pictures of the rear quarter of my car along with a dent produced by a neighbour. Real pleased.

http://www.compounddesign.co.uk/files/dent003.jpg
http://www.compounddesign.co.uk/files/dent004.jpg

Here’s how if happened and what the problem is.

Saturday evening, 5pm. Leave house to go out for the evening, in my car. I’m locking the front door of the house, girlfriend is standing behind, waiting. Hear a crunch, look over to see the back of neighbours R32 right next to my car. Assume that the crunch was it reversing into my car. Go over to inspect damage as R32 pulls forwards. Assumed it was going to stop, however it just drove off before we could do anything to make it. Look/feel area where R32 back end was near my car. Yep, there is a dent.

Go straight over to the house of the owner of the R32 and ring bell. Husband of the driver that hit the car answers. Let him know what happened and show him the dent. He says he will sort it. I explain we have to go out (now late) and that I am off to US early Sunday morning and will not be back till Wednesday. Will come over Wednesday to sort out the details. He was fine with this.

Went over this evening to sort out the details of getting it fixed. Women answered door. The first thing she says is that her husband isn’t back (R32 wasn’t outside). I basically say ‘so what’ (after all he wasn’t driving at the time). Turns out she is denying hitting my car at all. Says she would have noticed hitting it, also they can’t find any mark/paint on their car. To top if off they say the noise we heard is down to tyre noise when reversing of something like this (wasn’t too interested in this detail at this stage). I politely get the point across that I know she hit my car and will not accept the denial. We left it that I will come back later when the R32 is back and so is her husband, so they can show me the car/lack of mark. I have already said that I wouldn’t expect to see a paint mark on their car, it was reversed straight back into it, not scraping it. I haven’t been back and don’t intent to until I know where I stand.

So that is my problem.

I appreciate that I didn’t handle the situation well in the first place, however, saying that I not sure what I should have done anyway. Reported it as someone not stopping at the scene of an accident?

More to the point, what shall I do now? I really don’t know where I stand. Who would be best to contact for advice? What would you do?

I was thinking of going down to the police station and explaining the situation and ask for their advice (not reporting it, yet.)

I had some time this afternoon so went to a couple of bodyshops, looks like £375 + vat to fix.

Any advice appreciated
Al

firstly, they are your neighbours, wankers as they may seem to be, YOU have to live next to them

so, do you call an all out war over this, or solve it normally, hard I understand, especially if you witnessed it, & the dozy cow can't drive for toffee, so you have to remind her, that you were watching & have your bird there to re-enforce your neighbours stupidity. Also worth waiting for the old man to return....

else this could be neighbours from hell

Its a civil matter so doubt the police will be any help.

You really just need to threaten going through the insurance i think. Maybe the husband will have a different opinion, to the wife. Maybe he has said its to come out her pocket and she thought she would try and avoid that.

Ross

Nasty!

What buggers, id be at war, probably had the golf repaired or touched up!


Not a bad repair quote though, very reasonable, although will look alot better when popped out, its nice soft damage!

Cheers for the comments
Yeah, getting into a dispute with them is the last thing I want to do. The response I got when it first happened led me to believe it would be an easy, trouble free solution.
I will go back and see them, just need to get across that there is no way she couldn’t have caused the dent. The hard bit!
Al

Just need to explain that there is a dent in your car, noise was heard and she was there at the time. Even if she didnt do it she's still at the wrong place and the wrong time.

Ross

Tell her you will be putting it through your insurance and that you need her details as you believe it was her car that caused the dent. If she refuses to give them then you can head down to the police station and report her for failing to exchange details.

Some twonk smacked into the back of my Golf (1998 2 litre and rubbish) at a set of traffics lights (shortly after I bought it brand new) and although it bashed in the front of his astra their was only a tiny scratch in the bumper of my car, no damage at all according to VAG so if its been done with the bumper then I can believe that there are no paint marks.

Go to B&Q and buy some flooring tacks then accidently drop them as getting out of your car by their drive, unfortunately you won't be able tofind them in the dark so you'll have to wait until light, then when morning comes open the curtains and watch as they try changing 4 wheels.
Add up the cost of 4 new tyres and think mmm my dent will cost less than that.
Only joking, bad luck, what goes around comes around though, she'll probably hit a post in a multistorey then have to explain the knackered bumper to her husband.

Just been for another chat with the husband, all very civil thankfully. He is taking the approach that his wife would have felt it and would have stopped if she had hit my car. If she had done it he would happily sort it all out through his insurance.
I was taking the approach that I saw and heard what I did and that I wouldn't have coming knocking on his door a moment later if it hadn't have happened. I also believe that you could quite conceivably produce such a shallow dent without noticing it. After all, it’s a thin piece of relatively unsupported metal against a tough bumper.
Anyway we left it that we would meet on Saturday to look at things in the daylight and 'see if the dent/bumper match up' and hear the noise of his ' tyre rubbing on full lock'.
I also know that that morning I was out in car and there was no dent before parking it outside my house.
I am so positive that she caused the dent that I can't believe that this will not be resolved on Saturday. (Such an optimist!) If it isn't it may get messy.
Ta.
Al

sorry to hear about this mate, some 16 year old smacked my old car and drove off, got some money back with some uninsured drivers government scheme thing? you could try that if they don't own up?

really bad luck.

you are doing the right thing though. try and keep it amicable, but don't let them get away with it.

a fine line and i don't envy you.

picture the scene... one morning, in the bath, hear an almighty crash from outside. quickly get out of bath, put on robe and run outside. my coop wasn't on my drive where i left it, but in next doors garden!!

my other neighbour started her car whilst standing outside it.. it was in gear and the damn thing smashed into the front of mine pushing it through a dwarf wall with wire fence!

she then proceeded to get into her car sobbing saying "i'm late from work" and buggered off!!

proton persona 1 fiat coupé 0... her car wasn't even damaged. we did sort it later that day and my brand new coop needed a new front and rear bumper, bonnet repair and virtually a total respray!

know how you feel, an awkward situation.

sorry to hear about your car.

things like this really annoy me and being childish and immature as i am (or so my girlfriend says) i would sort it the following way.

1. go over and politely but firmly say that you want compensation.

2. if this fails, which it prob will, wait about 3 weeks follow them in car to supermarket/ pub/ gym in evening. when they leave car use a quick but heavy blow with lump hammer to startegic point(s) A pillar, roof, 3/4.

3. act sympathetic but smug.

as it happened out then its nothing to do with you.
if you have gotta pay to fix yours at least make them pay more.....

or for a more lasting and quieter effect brake fluid keeps coming back after a respray.

many of you wont agree with this, but i dont care.and it is just a suggestion.

people should take responsibility for their driving, and the police and insurance companiesare are about as usefull as a choclate teapot when it comes to this sort of thing.

and i cant spell..........

I think to be honest, you're best bet is getting the two cars together and see if the dent matches up in terms of height, shape and position. Its should be pretty obvious and undeniable with the two cars lined up.

Good luck.

yeh and if they dont match up you are still going to fall out with them for saying it was her,and if they do match up your still going to fall out coz she will still say it was not her,been there done that,big time years ago when this bitch hit my parked escort i was in work i even had her paint on the car but she got away with it,one thing you have got going for you is he seems to be ok so far,good luck mate

Best to try and not think about it till the weekend dude. Take what happens on saturday at face value.

Ross

Pm'd

<moderator hat = on>

If I might remind folks of the board rules, to which you all agreed when you signed on:

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Please refrain from suggesting criminal damage, and similar 'remedies'. Let's keep this on the practical point of resolving the OP's issue.

Thanks,

Neil

Shocking to have to live next door to such a scumbag,but as has already been said here, you will have to face them every day as neighbours so try and kep things civil.

[quote[ Its a civil matter so doubt the police will be any help.

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Leaving the scene is a police matter.

Some good suggestions on here. If hubby don't play ball though - get even .

I saw someone hit another car in ASDA and they drove off.

Gave the owner of the car the details and the police got involved, but it was only to get them both to swap insurance details. Not sure if anything came of it like a prosecution but the police certainly helped out.

So let me get this straight.

It was a Golf and not a Skyline.