I HIT A CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

Exactly this.

his happened to me about a year ago, somebody scraped past leaving a very similar scratch but didn't leave their details. Even if they did leave their details it's too much hassle to get someone out to repair it (not to mention it's only a matter of time before it happens again) so I'll fix the scrape just before I try to sell the car.

Stop worrying! Either they won’t bother contacting you or if they do, you just pass on your insurance details. There’s no need for it to cause you any more stress, just enjoy Christmas.

Be careful.

I accidentally bumped into a car a few months ago (guy was driving like a dickhead coming off the motorway and overtook me on the single lane off ramp and I tagged him. Sadly my camera chose that moment to go on the blink so I couldn’t prove his shitty road manners and dangerous driving and as I was the car behind I was found to be at fault 🙄 ).

Other car had very a minor scratch, way less damage than in that picture you posted op (we’re talking less than a 2 inch scratch at most that needed a quick buff). Reported to insurance all ok and then the assholes decided they wanted a courtesy car for a week. Scratch cost £150 to mend. Fancy courtesy car cost £2500. My insurers were so annoyed but there wasn’t anything they could do. Glad I decided to report to insurance though as there was no way I’d have been able to pay for their nonsense.

Hopefully you’ll never hear like me.

Why would you consider borrowing money when going through the insurance is not only the correct thing to do but will also cost you nothing now

Obviously your premium will increase at the next renewal but it's today that you have no money

I understand Op but if it's say £250 - 300 you could maybe borrow it from somebody and pay them back over Jan/Feb. Or ask your bank for a, short term small overdraft. Any of that would protect your insurance. The last thing you need is your insurance going up and it on your claims record. I'm crossing everything that it's someone decent who doesn't contact you or if they do then they are at least understanding and reasonable.

Have you nobody you can borrow the money off Op? Friend or family? Or a credit card to take you through ti January?

@Shade17
Of course they are. I thought WillowCraft was suggesting that the op gets quotes herself and gives those to the other party.

It's not up to the OP to get quotes. The person whose car is damaged is entitled to have it fixed by their choice of garage/panel beater.

And they’re more than welcome to discuss that with the OP’s insurer.

@WillowCraft
In any case get 2 quotes before handing over any money.
It's not up to the OP to get quotes. The person whose car is damaged is entitled to have it fixed by their choice of garage/panel beater.

I scraped a car in Tesco’s car park once. I left a note on the windscreen with my contact details and never heard from the other driver. I was astonished. It seems some people aren’t precious about their cars.

They may well be upset and annoyed but they can still communicate in a civilised way. Anyone who shouts, swears, harasses you should be reported to the police.

All this talk of insurance going up is rubbish anyway. Your premium is not going to go up by more than £100 at the very most for a small claim. So it's always cheaper to go through the insurance unless it's like £50. In any case get 2 quotes before handing over any money.

I have claimed on mine to replace a whole car and the increase for a new policy was under £100. You don't lose all your no claims bonus, just a bit in proportion to the amount. So unless a very new driver, to lose a couple of years won't make much difference.

That's all you can do. Hopefully they're feeling the Christmas spirit! Try not to worry, you can insist it goes through insurance and it sounds like that means it will be covered with no excess. It's what insurance is for. You did the right thing leaving your details, many wouldn't.

I hit a parked car this weekend. I was worried about the owners reaction but he sent me a text with a heart at the end then popped round to see me, we swapped details and insurance is dealing with it. He was very understanding and obviously I was very apologetic.

My car is hardly scratched, his had the side panel ripped off.

If it had been the other way round I would have been understanding. Yes, my car is nice, but that's why we have insurance, so this sort of thing can be sorted out. Maybe it's because I see my car as a method of getting me from A to B rather than something precious and special.

Just to note (in case it hasn't been said already), be very careful of leaving notes. Some chancer could easily come along, take the note and scam you. Not advocating doing the wrong thing at all, but do make sure you are contact with the registered owner!

It was an accident op, they happen

The fact that you left your details is the main point here. I've had this happen twice to my cars and the people who did drove off without leaving details.

I disagree. I've had 2 minor scrapes myself and both times said forget about it and the same vice versa. My dad said the same when a new driver dented his boot.

You won't need to pay an excess for the third party claim. The excess only applies if you are claiming for your own damage.

Depending who your insurer is, they may be proactive in contacting the third party quickly. They will want to arrange the repair quickly to minimize any additional costs e g. vehicle hire whilst the vehicle is being repaired.. They will also want to make sure that a third party claims handling company don't get wind of the claim, because if they do, they will be looking to claim for as much as they can from your insurer.

When was this, and roughly where?