Are you kidding me?

[silverrat]

Originally Posted By: sciphi


Considering where he is in life and what that car's going to be needed for career-wise, it's better to get it fixed. Nothing worse than showing up to an interview, and a prospective boss catching a glimpse of a rusty area on a newer car.


I can't imagine a prospective boss being interested in the amount of rust on my car unless im using it for limo service.

 

[hr1940]

I was parked in front of my son's house and came out to find someone had backed into my car. They took the front part of the drivers door and part of the front fender. The police said it was the neighbor across the street due to the angle and when they rang the door bell no one would answer and they went back 2 or 3 times with the same results. The police told me to watch for a dark blue or black SUV and turn the plate number over to my insurance agent so that I would get my deductible back. I saw their SUV later and took the plate number and turned it over to my insurance company and they sent my deductible back. I was super angry due to the fact they knew they hit me and where I was. Just to tick them off I wave and smile when I see them outside.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: R2d2
When repair shops find out your going through insurance they tend to juice the bill.


Yep that's true and they're not shy to admit it shockingly enough.

Once paint is added to the bill, the price goes way up.

Case in point; I need a new front left fender for our 2008 Odyssey. A new certified replacement fender is $200. Once paint and labor is included, the bill goes to $700 and this is a cash deal.

 

[jim302]

Some inconsiderate fool left a shopping cart out at Target on a very windy day (40MPH+ gusts). It damaged the bumper cover on my Optima and chipped some paint off. The car was about 2 years old (but I bought it used a week prior to this incident so I was NOT happy).

This little incident caused over $800 in damage. Needed a new OEM bumper cover and paint, plus blending the paint to match it. That being said, they did a great job and you can't tell that anything ever happened, and I have looked at it in all lighting conditions. The car is silver, which I understand is one of the harder colors to match.

Most of the cost was paint. Insurance took care of it under my comprehensive deductible (since the wind storm was a contributing factor). Thankfully I had a low deductible for comprehensive claims.

Nick R, glad you found the person responsible so it won't cost you anything. If you have a good body shop, you will never know it happened once you get it back, especially since the car is new and that makes it easier to match the paint. Sounds like the paint job will cover a fairly large area, so that's adding to the cost.

Getting it fixed is definitely the right thing to do... on an old clunker, pocketing the money might make sense, but on something relatively new, the damage would be annoying for years to come (especially once rust sets in, which would not take long)

 

[meep]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Nick,
That's why I park WAY WAY out. It's not uncommon for me to walk 75 yards or more to go into a store.
I would slaughter someone if they scuffed my dually.


this is such a varied issue...

I try to "do unto others." my car has been tagged *even with me in it*. and I've made mistakes, or my kids have, as well. If I'm in a bad mood I will admit to a stare or "thanks buddy..." but it's not worth the time or aggravation. and when I've tagged someone else's car by accident, I apologize and have been forgiven. I left a note with my phone number once when I did it and was never called.

It's an expensive investment but sheet metal is sheet metal and gets thinner every year. I guess to me, as long as people are respectful and apologetic, "good peoples" to me is more important than a ding in my door.

those are for door/cart dings. it's another issue when there's real damage. tail lamp busted out of my jeep with a 2' scratch at work... that had me steamed. frame damage on my old 57 chevy when someone nailed the bumper at wal-mart... that had me just depressed with humanity.

 

[surfstar]

Poor, poor trucks getting scratched! Funny after just reading the BP thread where people spout how 'merica is built on trucks - nice shiny ones? or ones that actually get used?

I would feel your pain, except one of the reasons I like used cars, is that someone else went through the heartache of the first dings. I know I would spend way too much time caring about a new car or truck's appearance if I bought one.

 

[45ACP]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
So I'm leaving Radioshack after I picked up a Kill-a-watt, and the guy sitting in the truck parked on the far side informs me that when the girl that got out of the car on the other side opened her door, she slammed it into my rear quarter panel. Her daughter was the one that had done it, and walked into radioshack when I was leaving. I had not half an hour before gotten my car washed, too. So I look, and sure enough there is a nice little dent on the crease in the rear passenger wheel arch (metal), along with a nice gouge in the paint/metal and a nice spot where the clearcoat was removed. Shoot.

So I go in, and tell her that the guy had told me that her daughter had hit my car, she was all "Oh that was your car? Do you want to go through insurance" I'm like [censored] right I do, that's a 7 month old car, mand it's definitely noticeable, especially from a distance.

So she comes out and we exchange information, and my mom (our insurance agent through state farm) calls hers, and files the claim.

I take it to the body shop for an estimate, and I was staggered, over a thousand dollars, because they have to repaint/match the rear passenger door, bumper, trunk, and that panel as well as remove the dent itself.

A thousand dollars, because of carelessness. She was only like 10, so I felt kind of bad, I mean they weren't snotty or try to deny it or anything, they were very nice, so I didn't give them a hard time. I wasn't really angry, just more frustrated because of the inconvenience of it all.

Anyway, just wanted to rant. Maybe I'll take some pictures tomorrow and post them.


We had someone try this in a parking lot. Four people, actually. College kids, with money. Ill never forget this. This is how it went down..

~11PM, small town. We had a 1996 Toyota Avalon. We go to a convenince store. I am about to get out of the car. As i am about to, four young(er) College males with a young, monied mentality FLY into the parking spot next to us in a Black, NEW Volvo XC90. They park SOO close to the door that i can barely open it. They park, get out. I am about to get out. I look at them they look at me, im like "I cant get out you parked too close." They are acting as if they can see but cannot hear me. I get out anyway. I go in the store. THey sit by the ca, incredulous i actually opened my door. They start talking with each other. I get back to the car I was in, they dont move. They stay there. (My mom and stepdad are driving, driver seat passengers seat.)

Now, get this.. they APPROACH US AS WE ARE BACKING UP. They say there is a "paint chip on their door." They literally ask us for money right there. They struck me as being from Massachusetts. I ddont know why. (Maybe car plate.) My Mom, being the gullable old lady she is, actually gets OUT of the car to look, after moving it.. we dont see anything. They are all like "We need some money right now, you just damaged OUR car and we will call the cops about it.) Thank God my Stepdad was there, he just says "Look, you do what you have to do, there is nothing here, we are leaving. Goodbye." We then pull off, uneasy because my Mom thinks she did something now and we have these four guys just looking at us (will they follow us? Will this escalate?) .. and of course, nothing ever happened.

They expected us to whip out $50-$100 right there. And no, i did not hit their car with our door. But still. They sure acted like i did.

shrug

2009 (2010? Probably. Brand brand new) Black Volvo XC90 vs 1996 Toyota Avalon.

No camera was available/

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Poor, poor trucks getting scratched! Funny after just reading the BP thread where people spout how 'merica is built on trucks - nice shiny ones? or ones that actually get used?

I would feel your pain, except one of the reasons I like used cars, is that someone else went through the heartache of the first dings. I know I would spend way too much time caring about a new car or truck's appearance if I bought one.


So taking care and pride in the appearance of your vehicle and using it are mutually exclusive in your mind.

Got it.

 

[saberz]

Parking WAY WAY out never worked for me.


One night my wife and I went bowling with her sister and her husband. I parked in East Jabib, far away and alone. End of the night we are coming out and apparently someone with an F150 wanted to park next to my Xterra. I get to the driver side and there is a huge ding in it. I see my paint on their passenger side door.

Guy denied it was him(speaking in the Bowling Ally). So I went out back to the car and took my knuckle and gave his truck a matching dent.(Yes its wrong).

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: cchase
So taking care and pride in the appearance of your vehicle and using it are mutually exclusive in your mind.

Got it.


Definitely not high priorities in my life. Use it like a tool and accept that it gets wear, scratches etc. Don't loose sleep over swirl marks in your new black 'work' truck.

Like I noted, it was just a funny juxtaposition from the BP thread I had just read prior.

 

[Russell]

Originally Posted By: RoGuE
Could you take a check for the same amount instead and seal the damaged paint yourself? An extra thousand in your pocket, and even better you don't have to worry about the that next "first" dent.

When someone ran a red light and smashed my bumper (all it did was take a lot of paint off, the plastic popped right back out), I just collected a check for $750 and left it alone. Got totaled 5 months later anyway...


Guess you don't care how your vehicle looks.

 

[Russell]

My old 17 year old BMW has minimal scratches, nicks and door dings. I am not sure why. I do take care of it. Try to park carefully and yes it has had painless dent work done two or three times and one accident repair. But I am always surprised that no one seems to beat up on it.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: meep

this is such a varied issue...

I try to "do unto others." my car has been tagged *even with me in it*. and I've made mistakes, or my kids have, as well. If I'm in a bad mood I will admit to a stare or "thanks buddy..." but it's not worth the time or aggravation. and when I've tagged someone else's car by accident, I apologize and have been forgiven. I left a note with my phone number once when I did it and was never called.

It's an expensive investment but sheet metal is sheet metal and gets thinner every year. I guess to me, as long as people are respectful and apologetic, "good peoples" to me is more important than a ding in my door.

those are for door/cart dings. it's another issue when there's real damage. tail lamp busted out of my jeep with a 2' scratch at work... that had me steamed. frame damage on my old 57 chevy when someone nailed the bumper at wal-mart... that had me just depressed with humanity.


I'm with you. I would be [censored] if this happened to my new car, just like I'm [censored] every time a car in front of me kicks up a rock that hits my windshield or hood and leaves a nice little chip. But I don't think I would turn my car over to a body shop for a door ding, or demand an insurance claim out of someone for one, especially if caused by a careless child. It's like the rocks getting kicked up. Eventually it's gonna happen no matter how careful you are.

AFAIK I've never door dinged anyone (i.e. I can never remember doing it and am generally careful and conscious about that kind of thing) but if I did, TBH, before reading this thread it wouldn't have crossed my mind to leave a note. I just don't think of door dings the same way as "real damage".

Not saying I'm right or that I would blame anyone for reacting this way though.


And on the job interview commentL I hope there aren't too many bosses out there like that. I'm involved in the interview process at work, have direct reports, etc. and it would never even cross my mind to form an opinion on someone based on their car. To be fair we don't shuttle clients around anything like that...

 

[SEMI_287]

Don't feel bad, I came out of Chinamart a few weeks ago and some moron took off my drivers side mirror. I fixed it with some epoxy.