Neighbour not happy with us and wants us to pay for car damage

´This.

Why did he use a pressure washer so close to someone else’s car? If she will let you then get some T-Cut and see if it will buff out. If it won’t, then you’ll need to pay for it being painted.

Your neighbour is full of nonsense. Fgs, any car travelling at a reasonable speed is chucking up all kinds of gritty debris. Paint finish on cars is tough. Just ignore politely!

Your dp has been silly - unfortunately- and unless you want up start off in your new home with a reputation as nightmare neighbours, disruptive & inconsiderate, you need to ask the neighbour to get detailed quotes for repair, and pay for that repair.

And next time it is important for your dp to think about what is sensible in the context of your new home, not what worked in the old home - they are different places.

Extremely easy to do this if the ground has the slightest bit of gravel on it. Pressure washers have their place, but the jet they produce can throw up a huge amount of dirt and debris, including small stones, if not used very carefully.

I’m really appalled by the “she can’t prove it” type comments. No, maybe she can’t. But the OP does accept that the pressure washer did flick stuff onto the neighbours car so knows her DP is responsible for damage. I shouldn’t be shocked at how many people would refuse to fix damage they caused but I actually am.

Using a pressure hose anywhere near anything of anyone else's is a stupid idea for this very reason.

Sort your neighbour out with proper compensation.

Have you actually looked? Seems like the sensible way to deal with it. Assess if there actually is any damage first then go from there. If there is it’s likely that your dh has caused it, pressure washers will throw up all sorts of debris. But don’t agree until
you actually check for yourself.

She would need to prove that any damage from stones was caused by the jet wash.

this. We just have tarmac so it isn't an issue but we're still careful.

What is the surface of the driveway? I agree that a pressure washer would dislodge stone chips, but there’s also a fence between the properties. If the drive is very loose stones or gravel, it certainly could cause damage, but not if it’s block paving or tarmac, unless the tarmac has degraded.

It’s difficult to prove either way. She can’t prove your DP did the damage and he can’t prove that he didn’t.

What do you do?
You make good any damage caused by DP. Washing a car isn’t going to help repair paint chips.

My lower legs were similarly affected last summer when I pressure washed the patio. If there are stone chips I would ask her to get some quotes to see how much it will be to repair.

I know nothing of pressure washing, but logic would indicate that blasting mud and grit off your car in close proximity to another car could cause mud transfer and damage from grit to the other car. And a quick internet search confirms that idea.

Are there stones nearby that have been lifted? Can you see the damage?

Do you have a gravel driveway? Are there little stones that could have caused the damage?
pressure washers do flick stones, dirt and debris up if you aim the spray in the wrong direction.

Its your partners problem let him deal with it.

If I was him I would ask them to put an insurance claim in. Was a mistake to admit liability with someone like that Chips were prob there before but partner should have been more careful. But its not in writing. I think they would struggle to get a successful claim

Very common nowadays

Need the pressure washer to apply the snowfoam, then to rinse, then hand wash, then rinse, then dry, then apply sealer...

It's not just a bucket, sponge and hose anymore :)

I fail to see how him washing the car could kick up stone chips that hit theirs unless he deliberately aimed the stream at the floor that had stones just lying there.

And no way could your car have had, what, stones just sat on it big enough to cause chips as they were blasted off?

Nah. Total chancers. Id be apologising if they felt it was caused by him. Make it clear a professional valet was offered just as a courtesy, take it or leave it.

Your dp lacks common sense, its obvious a pressure washer will send debris flying all over. Its not a hose pipe. Unfortunately in this case it’s a case he pays to fix whatever damage was caused by his own stupidity.

Yes very common?

How close were the cars OP and have you seen the damage yourself? If you are living in closer proximity to neighbours than before you may have to change the way you do some things

Unfortunately a pressure washer will send debris flying all over so if her car is as close to yours as it sounds I'd imagine there would be some marks left on it. Complete lack of commonsense on your DP'S part. Do you not have third party liability cover on your house insurance? I'd check on that first.

Could you elaborate? When was a hosepipe no longer adequate?

its an entirely normal thing yes.