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Original poster

Scraped a car

16 replies

Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 19:26

NC in case it’s outing!

2 weeks ago I scraped the front right bumper of a (parked) car as I went into a parking space

Left details but it took the owner of the other car a while to get back to me, and generally they are taking a very long time to reply to things which is why I’m only posting now.

they messaged yesterday to say they sent some photos of the damage to a garage, and they’ve quoted £400 to fix the scrape.

Now the damage on my car is minimal, I can see a scratch if I look very closely. I’ve seen the picture they sent the garage and it does look like a few scrapes and scratches

£400 seems a lot to me (that I don’t really have!). I’ve asked them to take the car to the garage for a formal quote (in the hopes that by seeing it in real life the quote will be less!)

mostly be question is do I go through insurance? If it’s £400 I think I might have to?

OP posts:
SoullessInSeattle · 19/07/2023 19:29

£400 seems pretty cheap to me. I scraped my own car (on my wall) and can’t get the tiny scratch out myself - attempting with t cut and gone over 3 times. I can’t imagine a garage wanting to do it for much less.

Original poster
Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 19:30

Ah ok interesting! If that sounds ok then I suppose I’ll suck it up and find the money. Don’t want to faff with insurance if it’s a good quote

OP posts:
Mossstitch · 19/07/2023 19:31

I'd check what your excess is on your insurance, mine is more than £400🤷‍♀️ in case your young and don't realise your excess is the amount you have to pay and the insurance pays the rest.

EssentialGarage · 19/07/2023 19:32

Agree definitely reasonable- they don't want to touch in the scrape, rather paint the area, I could see a formal quote being more.

Yes you could go through insurance but that will end up costing more usually, you have an excess and then your premiums will increase for 5 years.

GenerallyGreenerGrass · 19/07/2023 19:33

Don’t go through insurance for that amount, find the money somehow.
Seems pretty reasonable price to me….

Original poster
Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 19:33

Mossstitch · 19/07/2023 19:31

I'd check what your excess is on your insurance, mine is more than £400🤷‍♀️ in case your young and don't realise your excess is the amount you have to pay and the insurance pays the rest.

True. I was finding it hard to tell from the docs whether the excess was £49 or £250!

OP posts:
glasgow1983 · 19/07/2023 19:37

As you’ll need to notify your insurer of the incident anyway, there may not be a huge downside to letting them handle the cost of the third party’s repairs.

For most insurers, the excess is only payable on repairs to your vehicle in the event of a fault claim. If you’re happy not to claim for the damage to your own vehicle then there won’t be a cost.

(Your premium will likely go up next year as a result of the fault incident. But you need to tell the insurer about any incidents asap even if you settle privately).

WavyOne · 19/07/2023 19:39

Someone hit me recently when i was parked. Seemed really minor but was £450 to fix. She wanted to pay rather than insurance and I felt embarassed to tell her the amount as i thought shed think i was making it up. But she said oh thats quite cheap!

toomanydicksonthedancefloor1 · 19/07/2023 19:56

Why on earth would she tell her insurance and not claim? Theoretically maybe you're meant to, but back in the real world I don't think anyone would do this. That's bonkers! If your excess is £250 then you'll find you're paying a lot more than the added £150 you will gain back in future premiums.

£400 is expensive if it's just a small scrape but there may be a repair to 'fill' as well or the panel next to the bumper may need partially painting to blend the repair in. So the quote doesn't sound too silly as it is a very skilled trade.

My advice would be tell her you're prepared to pay for it, ask her to get 2 quotes (from garages who have seen the car, a photo is not ideal as it's hard to tell from a photo and they would need to check the bumper clips haven't been broken) and send them to you. Once the car is booked in, arrange to go and meet her when she picks it up so you can see it has been done and you can pay the garage directly. Don't just give her £400 cash.

I would also get something in writing that this is what you've agreed to do as full and final settlement for the issue and both sign it maybe?

Nowitstarts · 19/07/2023 20:00

£400 is cheap for any work done on a car IME.

Personally I'd go through insurance. That's what it's for, it means it's all dealt with officially and there can be no future comeback and you're supposed to tell them you've had the accident anyway.

Questionsforyou · 19/07/2023 20:02

You won't pay excess if you're not claiming off your own insurance. So I'd just do that.

Original poster
Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 20:27

toomanydicksonthedancefloor1 · 19/07/2023 19:56

Why on earth would she tell her insurance and not claim? Theoretically maybe you're meant to, but back in the real world I don't think anyone would do this. That's bonkers! If your excess is £250 then you'll find you're paying a lot more than the added £150 you will gain back in future premiums.

£400 is expensive if it's just a small scrape but there may be a repair to 'fill' as well or the panel next to the bumper may need partially painting to blend the repair in. So the quote doesn't sound too silly as it is a very skilled trade.

My advice would be tell her you're prepared to pay for it, ask her to get 2 quotes (from garages who have seen the car, a photo is not ideal as it's hard to tell from a photo and they would need to check the bumper clips haven't been broken) and send them to you. Once the car is booked in, arrange to go and meet her when she picks it up so you can see it has been done and you can pay the garage directly. Don't just give her £400 cash.

I would also get something in writing that this is what you've agreed to do as full and final settlement for the issue and both sign it maybe?

Thank you this is good advice. Particularly about going to the garage and paying them directly

And certainly about getting it in writing/signed that it’s all been sorted

OP posts:
Original poster
Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 20:27

Slightly conflicting advice now as to whether I should go through insurance or not!

OP posts:
kitsuneghost · 19/07/2023 20:29

Go through your insurance. As soon as you agree to pay that £400 will grow and grow.

Parky04 · 19/07/2023 20:49

Excess won't apply to third party property damage. Only applies if you are claiming damage to your own vehicle.

Original poster
Carproblem1 · 19/07/2023 21:32

Thanks so much for all the advice. Still I two minds about insurance! I’m going to wait and see what formal quotes the other driver comes back with.

I don’t really want my premiums to go up. But at the same time I feel like them sorting it out has advantages

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