OK, so I bumped my car.....

[Glitterygookwithchocsonthetree]

...very carelessly reversed into a parked car and dented it's door. First look at mine showed no damage.

I was in a quiet, dark cul-de-sac and nobody saw me but, like the good citizen that I am , I knocked on the door and admitted my error!

Since it didn't look like much damage I said I'd just pay for the repairs, not going through insurance and I also gave the guy the name of a good mechanic type bloke that I know.

So he gets a quote from him, that we confirm and say 'go ahead'. The plan was for him to get the work done and we would pay the mechanic guy directly. Job done.

But the guy rings me tonight and says that he feels it's dragging on because 'mr mechanic guy' can't fit him in for the work just yet and, his words, 'I don't want you changing your mind down the road' (after all, I could have bloody well driven off so I'm clearly not that sort of person!!!). He wants me to just write him a cheque now for the quote 'mr mechanic guy' gave him. He says it's that time of year, he's skint and he doesn't want to end up paying out for it.

I said I'd speak to dh about it first anyway so have not agreed anything but what do you think?

At first I thought, yep, just pay him the cheque. Now I'm thinking not - he may not get it repaired and just pocket the cash and I'm paying for the damage I caused, not compensation. Plus, him going on about me changing my mind, by the same token he could pocket the cash and then get the repairs and ask for the money again.

Another issue is that since the night it happened, I have noticed that my bumper is cracked and that's going to cost me an arm and a leg to get replaced so I'm thinking of actually going through insurance now - could I do that even though it happened a few weeks ago?

Well done if you got to the end! Interested in opinions!

Not sure about insurance co's view as you are legally obliged to report all accidents whether you are claiming or not. They might be a little sceptical about your decision to now report it.

Wrt the other chap, I'd pay him but get him to sign a document confirming that this is in full and final settlement of all claims arising out of that incident. Otherwise he may come back for more if "Mr. Mechanic Guy" actually charges more than his quote or if he decides to go elsewhere which may cost more.

mm don't know about the insurance thing (I imagine there is a time limit but have no idea what it is)

but yes, I would share your concerns about giving the money directly to him

I would call your insurance company and see what they say.

FestiveFrex - bolleaux - really? Y'know I did wonder about reporting it but there was nobody in the car, it was parked and I just nudged it causing a dent and then willing to pay for damage. OMG, am I a criminal!

Glad you said that Fio - was thinking afterwards 'baaaaad idea GDG!!!'

Don't give him a cheque, if you don't want him to pocket it for christmas. Call mr mechanic yourself and ask if he really is that busy, or suggest he finds another mechanic. Or you could evne offer to pay mr mechanic now, so that the bill is paid already ready for when it can be fitted in.

Check your policy. I bet there will be a clause about reporting all accidents regardless of whether you are claiming. After all, under the terms of the policy, they are indemnifying you for all claims arising out of your negligence. If you don't report that you have been negligent, they could be faced with a greater bill if the chap decides to sue etc., so could refuse to cover the cost.

I would report the accident, indicating that you are currently dealing with the matter and do not at this stage intend claiming on your insurance.

If you have a subsequent accident, they may refuse to pay out on the basis that you failed to report an earlier indicent.

Oh 1978 that is a wonderful idea. LMAO

Oh and, at the end of the day, it is irrelevant what the chap does with the money. He has a valid claim for the cost of repairing his car. If you give him the cheque and he spends it on Christmas, he still has to pay for the repairs to his car.

We had a similar situation to this a couple of months back. A woman pulled out on my DH causing some damage to the passenger door. The first thing she said was please don't go through the insurance co because it will cost me too much, I'll pay you cash for the damage. DH got a couple of quotes which was about five hundred quid, the woman then faffed around for a week because she then decided that it was too much money to pay, so DH called the insurance co and started the process of claiming through them, when she turned up one evening with the cash and a slip of paper for DH to sign stating that payment was in full and no further claims could be made. Admittedly, the cash hasn't been used on the car but Christmas, although we will at some stage get it done. We notified the insurance co that she had paid in full and they were absolutely fine. I think its better to be honest with them. In terms of timing, it was probably two weeks after the accident that my DH first spoke to them. It all depends whether the price of the repair is comparable to what the increase of your policy would be, if that makes sense. If the repairs are one hundred quid but the increase of your insurance only seventy, then I would probably be more inclined to go through the insurance.

Only give him a cheque if he signs in triplicate and provides a DNA sample to the effect that he will not try and claim against you.

Is his car driveable ??

Thought so...

Either chivvy your friendly grease monkey along, or pay the grease monkey in advance.

Do not part with hard earned cash, or you will have two of us to deal with.

Ha ha - yes his car is driveable. I am stunned it will cost £350 to replace the door on his crappy Ford Ka - it's only got a dent in it. It's not buckled so that he can't open and close it.

And I've got the mother of all tax bills to pay in Jan.

All irrelevant I know - I hit it and I need to pay up - fair enough but I'm not feeling that comfortable with just writing him a cheque.

Why can't he just wait to have it done and then have it paid for? Oh, cos he wants to go out and get pissed over Xmas!!!!

Um,just go thro yr insurers?? Then you won't have to give it another thought or have anymore contact with him. I am currently on the receiving end of someone reversing into my car-- similar to yr scenario,it's dents and scuffs to the passenger side but of course nowadays they replace bits instead of banging out dents so this is costing £500,even tho it looks nothing.At first twe woman wanted to pay for me to get it repaired but i will need a replacement car while repairs are done and it would be so much faff and extra expense.

Um, whatever you think he might do with the money is irrelevant - it's money you owe him. Pay him but get a receipt and a note to say this is in full and final settlement (but check with your insurers about any requirement to notify all accidents to them, first).

He is losing out if you are only paying for the repair to the door - I had someone bump my car door recently (with us inside it), and asked to pay us directly, for a number of reasons I refused and was glad I did as the insurance company paid for a replacement car and the garage took a week to complete the work - I would have been lost without the car for the week - and the car hire alone was £500.
Since he has been nice enough to let you pay direct I would go with Kelly1978's idea and offer to pay the mechanic direct.

Go through the insurance company. It saves hassle in the end.

Don't pay him upfront, no siree!
Go through the insurance. You can ill afford the money at the moment anyway.

You did the right thing owning up now do the right thing and let the insurance company deal with it.

xx