Need some urgent advice following car park incident please

[drbru]

So I returned to my car to see that a child getting into the car parked next to me opened his door and caused damage as per the pic on my rear passenger side door

The female driver of the car was very apologetic and advised that her husband owned a body shop and I could take my car there for a repair..At the time i got her to write something down that acknowledged she was at fault, she allowed me to take a pic of her driving license and her number plate, gave me the number of her husband but refused to give me her insurance details.

I spoke to the husband who initially seemed like he wanted to help but I did say to him that if the car is to be repaired it will be through BMW and only BMW. I also said to him I was happy to accept going through insurance or sorting out with cash but he did say he did not want to go through insurance because of the hike it would place on his trade insurance

I then sent him a picture of the damage to which he then called me back and his tone completely changed. He basically accused me of sending through a different picture of the damage and accused me of harrassing him and his wife and said he would call the police if I continued??! He also said he would deny everything

Obviously my tone changed completely at this point and I am now not interested in making his life any easier. At this point in time he has still not sent through his insurance details and whilst I have informed the police that they have not provided their insurance details, i have still not filed a formal report.

So the question is what do I do?....

Im conscious that I may need a full respray on the door which wont be cheap.

1) If I call up my insurance company and simply inform them of the incident, my premium could well go up even if no claim is made.

2)ALternatively, I give my insurance company all of the details and let them fight it out assuming that the piece of paper with the drivers original acknowledgement of fault is enough to secure a full recoverable claim (no doubt that even in this scanerio my premium will still go up).

3) Third option is to literally do nothing and take it on the chin.

So what do you all think?/

Thanks

[Craze]

Either touch it up

Harass him a bit and try get some money

Pay for it out of pocket

Or do an insurance claim, normally no fault claim should not impact your premium

[drbru]

Thanks....

The problem with the going through insurance is that he has already said he would deny it and I dont know if the piece of paper with her signature is enough to admit liability...

She could turn around a say anything potential...I signed it because I was intimmidated and scared blah blah blah and then the whole thing will turn into something longwinded where I could well struggle as I dont have an independant witness...

I may just try to touch it up and see how it looks after

[VoytekM5]

File a police report so it’s on record. Then contact your insurance co.

Of course this might end up on your carfax and considerable lower your resale value.

I would just take it on the chin and park far away from other vehicles.

[carrera2RSL]

I'd harass him, tell him to call the Police.... His wife damaged your car, She said he owned a repair shop etc,etc.

I would also speak to the Police and ask their advice, you might find they will be helpful

[apexlocator]

File a report and contact your ins. The other guy clearly knows how to play the game since its his line of work, and has instructed his wife of what to do in these situations (not give ins info). Harass them a little more.

But in the end, police have better things to do than deal with a door ding. I'd try to touch up paint.

[drbru]

If I let my insurance company know, my premium will go up even if i dont make a claim so should i still let them know??

[josec70]

Make your life easy and pay for the repair yourself .. sh*t happens.

[DTP1980]

Originally Posted by drbru

If I let my insurance company know, my premium will go up even if i dont make a claim so should i still let them know??

This isn’t true. Any incidents held in the Insurance Database are ONLY claims that are actually processed. UK insurance companies are obliged to help you decide on the best option, they are not there to force you down a route which you may not favour, but favour them.

I therefore suggest phoning your insurance company and ask for the best possible advice. This can include allowing you to make the claim directly with the third party, and of that fails, then you could still use your insurance.

Hopefully you are insured with a reputable company, not some cheap shit that ‘go compare’ suggest. You get what you pay for.

I would also call a dent and scratch repair specialist for a quote. It may not be worth the hassle to chase one way or the other if it only costs £200 to fix.

Regarding the ‘carfax’ comment, this is similar to the UK HPI system and such an incident will have no affect on the car at all.

Any claim that is not your fault won’t affect your no claims. If you have protected no claims, this is the same, though I would not sacrifice that benefit on a car park ding.

[Craze]

Why does it matter if she denies it? Anyone can deny any accident

You got her to sign a paper and took her details

Report it and move on

[drbru]

Originally Posted by DTP1980

This isn’t true. Any incidents held in the Insurance Database are ONLY claims that are actually processed. UK insurance companies are obliged to help you decide on the best option, they are not there to force you down a route which you may not favour, but favour them.

I therefore suggest phoning your insurance company and ask for the best possible advice. This can include allowing you to make the claim directly with the third party, and of that fails, then you could still use your insurance.

Hopefully you are insured with a reputable company, not some cheap shit that ‘go compare’ suggest. You get what you pay for.

I would also call a dent and scratch repair specialist for a quote. It may not be worth the hassle to chase one way or the other if it only costs £200 to fix.

Regarding the ‘carfax’ comment, this is similar to the UK HPI system and such an incident will have no affect on the car at all.

Any claim that is not your fault won’t affect your no claims. If you have protected no claims, this is the same, though I would not sacrifice that benefit on a car park ding.

Are you sure? Im reading plenty online (for reputable companies as well) that state that simply reporting an incident (irrespective of whether you claim or not) will increase ones premium simply because statistically you are a higher risk and hence the increase in the premium

[DTP1980]

Making an enquiry or simply asking for some advice about what could be a theoretical situation cannot possibly have an affect. No invoices have passed hands and no costs incurred, so such a practice would be unethical and wouldn’t stand up in court. When you inform your new insurer about previous claims I simply cannot believe that there is a database to which they refer about simply enquiries too.

You could of course not disclose your own details in full, just tell them you’re a customer looking for neutral advice....

[drbru]

Originally Posted by DTP1980

Making an enquiry or simply asking for some advice about what could be a theoretical situation cannot possibly have an affect. No invoices have passed hands and no costs incurred, so such a practice would be unethical and wouldn’t stand up in court. When you inform your new insurer about previous claims I simply cannot believe that there is a database to which they refer about simply enquiries too.

You could of course not disclose your own details in full, just tell them you’re a customer looking for neutral advice....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23903966

And guess what...Im with admiral

[DTP1980]

Those crafty backstabbing SOBs. Lots of interesting things to read on this subject.

I still say make an enquiry about a theoretical occurrence. Also, you have a signed, though not witnessed, ‘confession’, so that may hold water.

But unless you know how much it’ll actually cost to repair, it’ll be difficult to judge which route to take.

Best of luck

[drbru]

BMW have quoted £1200 for the repair....FUll respray if and blending in to rear quarters if need be....crazy

[drbru]

im going to go down the touch up pen route...if i cock it up ill just get it sorted properly

[DTP1980]

Might I recommend this for you then:

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/c...up-system.aspx

I’ve had great results with this.

[Spinny02]

File a police report and give insurance the their details. They can look up who their insurance is. So can the police now. At least in Texas.

[TLK]

Call the police. You have a pic of her license and number plate. How do you have the pic of her license if it didn't go down like you described? They will believe you