Am I an idiot?

When I was working, I reversed my car out of my parking space and into the back of a Volvo that was parked outside the building opposite ours. He wasn't in a parking space. I went in and identified the owner and he came out and had a look. Having first rubbed off all the dirt and muck, he said "oh, it's just a scuff, it'll probably polish out. I'll give it a wash when I get home and have a proper look". I couldn't see anything other than a scuff either. My Primera had a dent! Anyway, a week later, I get a letter from his insurance company putting the damage at £7,000!!! The damage they outlined couldn't possibly have been caused by the impact from my car. I couldn't believe it and there ensued a vigorous and ill tempered exchange of correspondence between me and his insurance company, with my insurance company, who I was then obliged to bring in, sitting in the middle doing bugger all except twiddle their thumbs and look the other way! Oddly enough I came across the letters the other day when I was looking for something else. It made me feel cross all over again! I got my dent repaired for about £360. So much for being honest; I wish I'd driven off!

Someone scratched, or rather gouged, my car door in the parking area at work. No-one owned up! The cost of repair was £350 because although it looked to me to be a fairly easy job to put right, it turned out that once the skin of the paintwork is broken then it is more difficult to rectify. I had three quotes for the job and this was the cheapest. Maybe you're not being conned.

Worth getting another quote but it doesn't sound excessive to me I've used a company who come and do it on your drive in the past Long dent/scratch Was about £160 I think But it was a while ago .
're your suits You can buy sheets to do DIY clean in your tumble dryer if you just want to freshen them up.I just gave all my business suits to charity (many of them have dry cleaner who clean for free for them)

You did the right thing

We spent nearly £200 on a key-scratch on ours. This was with a small paint shop we had used before who is cheaper than the dealership.

My friend has done something similar reversing her car. The damage to the other car didn't look all that bad, she said, but the repair bill is similar! Seems that what it costs nowadays! Sorry for your bad luck, it could happen to anyone! X

Be careful Pheonix, what you get from eBay could be less than the cost of cleaning. You can look at similar items and see what they sold for using the advanced search option.

Thank you all for the posts, appreciated as always.

I have emailed her saying that a second quote might be an idea, but I won't force the issue.

I have LOADS of business suits that I will never wear again, and could do with them gone, partly because it would free up quite a bit of wardrobe space, but I have never sold anything on eBay, plus they were in the house before I gave up smoking and many of them are dry clean only.

It happened to me the other way round. My car was reversed into by an idiot in a Porsche at a T-junction. He admitted it was his fault and I duly sent him a quote from my garage - an honest one. No response, so next time I passed his house I put a copy through his letter box. After that, one of my colleagues at the CAB phoned him for me and he said I was trying it on. I then submitted a written report on the incident to my local police station who forwarded it to Thames Valley Police who sent an officer round to see him. He settled! Turned out that the car was a courtesy car from the Porsche dealers and he didn't know how to handle it. Moron!

You must choose a garage you use and get another estimate to compare.... They are after bumping it up as your paying cash.Because your a woman they will assume you don't know much about this sort of thing. Trust me I've been bitten by this situation before, repair cost elbow grease and £38 I was quoted £340. Don't be fooled.

You did the right thing. Sadly any mark on a car costs a fortune.

I had a similar situation once coming out of a hospital car park. Not many spaces so people had parked at the side of the road. Someone came round the bend towards me (going too fast in my opinion), I instinctively steered out of the way but then didn't straighten up properly when moving off again - cue scraping noise, instant sick feeling and shaking. I moved off, dashed back into the dept I'd come out of to beg some paper and like you left a note under the windscreen wiper. Also like you, it cost me about £250, but my conscience would not have let drive off without saying anything (plus it was busy, who knows who might have been watching )!

Some kind person went into the back of my daughters parked car. They dented the bumper bar and the back of the car under the boot-must have hit it quite hard to do that damage. Of course no one left their details. Estimates from £630 to £750. She doesn't want to claim on her insurance cos it will cost a lot more next time she renews.
So dents will stay till they really need to be done.

The wind blew my car door out of my hand and into the side of (wouldn't you know it?) a BMW. I left my details under his windscreen for which he was grateful. We left it to our insurance companies and luckily I had no-claims protection. Heard no more of it. Sorry you have come off the worse for it, phoenix. Unfortunately, I also feel that her estimate for repairs could be honest, but if you have a mechanic you can trust, couldn't you get an alternative quote and have it done at your expense if it's cheaper?

Phoenix for a lovely lady who did the right thing. I hope that everything will speedily get better for you and that this incident will soon be just a small shadow in the landscape.

You absolutely did the right thing, I don't think the estimate is unreasonable for a proper job. Sadly you will have to tell your insurance company at renewal even if you don't claim, or you could be technically uninsured.

Have a clear out and sell some things on ebay to soften the blow a bit?

At least you can drive. I passed my test after 5 attempts but after getting a car I just got my self in a state every time I was to drive anywhere. In the end I called it a day and never drive now - so I admire anyone who gets behind the wheel. So no you are not an idiot, just an honest person and that can never be bad.

The main thing is that you did what you felt was right to do - and that way you are able to look yourself straight in the eye in the mirror every day. It's called having integrity. I live in Paris, am a careful driver but have a lovely car with quite a few scratches along the side etc. which I have not inflicted on the car. Be sure that nobody left a word on the windscreen or would ever own up to having done it. I have learned to live with them as the car would be constantly in the garage and I would be bankrupt.

Sorry for your predicament, happens to the best of us, but I think you should ask for 3 estimates and as you are footing the bill, you choose the one you want to repair the damage. Good for you for being honest, many wouldn't have owned up, sadly.flowers

I don't think she is trying it on. My car bumper has some minor scrapes on it from someone who didn't leave their details, and the estimate to repair it was £275. I have never had it repaired but learned to live with it, but it will reduce the value when I trade it in.

You definitely did the right thing. How anyone can damage someone else's property and run away is beyond me, particularly amongst our generation that prides itself on its honesty and fairness.

Well at least you were honest try to put it behind you at least your conscience is clear it is probably an average estimate garages do charge a lot for this type of repair.

No you are not an idiot you are honest put it down to bad experience hope you ok ?

stansgran I like the way that you blame your car, haha, always getting itself into predicaments ( norty thing.)

I once had a scrape with the car ( at that same place as you) so I blame the other car for bad parking, it may well have been the same person! you should have immediately legged it ( or floored it , to be precise) with them none the wiser.

We have a local man who even mixes the paints to get the right colour. He's brilliant and it's always the same price- scraped bumper or complicated round the hood stuff £130. We have an old car which is always getting itself into predicaments with hedges and stone pillars and such like.