another legal situation

[DementedReality]

thanks for all your input!

i will talk to my insurance company in the morning and go from there.

[Incinerator]

FWIW, my bumper recently got a backed into by an old lady and the 6 body shops I went to all wanted $900+ to repaint the entire bumper for the tiniest little hairline dent. So $600 for a door dent isn't that unthinkable (note I didn't say unreasonable) IMO.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Also having many custom vehicles there is NO WAY that a door ding would cost $600 bucks to get repainted. My last truck cost me $8000 to get painted because of the type of paint and when I had to get the door repainted (because some punk keyed it) it only cost me about $350 bucks. Now if this is a stock paint job then there is just no way.

All they would have to do is repaint the one panel, and if that costs $600 I want to know what kind of paint they are using, is his car made of gold?

I had my car door keyed last year, which necessitated the respraying and blending of the panel. Cost me $800 to have it done right...

[Kjesse]

You're going to pay here one way or another. If I were you I wouldn't let insurance cover it, pay it out on your own.

And your son might not have done it. That doesn't matter now though, the other guy is going to say things like, no ding before, ding same color as your door, etc. That's proof enough, given that you don't know (and apparently neither does your son) if your son did or didn't hit the door.

Now if you had no passenger, and he said you dinted his driver's door with your passenger door, you've got a case.

Sucks, but in case your son did do that, teach him to be careful when opening the door. This is all about making the best out of a bad situation at this point.

[TibHockeyPlayer]

I've had two accidents before. One where I got hit, and one which I hit someone else. Both times, a printed estimate to fix was furnished. When I hit a mercedes in a parking lot, I waited for the guy to come out, and then we exchanged info. He got a printed estimate and took it to his insurance company. In the case where I was hit, we exchanged insurance info. and then I got three estimates of which the lady who hit me, opted to choose the cheapest one including used parts, instead of new. I didn't care for ripping her off, or getting a new fender, so i agreed to get the cheap one put on. Don't know if this helps, but I guess your looking for all kinds of info.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by ken0042

It is, but all it takes is a camera phone, admission from your son that he went out that door, and that he "isn't sure" that he did it.

Sorry; I'm not trying to come off as harsh, but from just hearing your side of the story; I'm inclined to believe that your son may have banged up his car. At the bottom line is he has the right to have it repaired anywhere he wants. So if he wants to get his '79 chevette fixed at the Mercedes dealership; he is allowed. (I once had a neighbour hit my car, and then get mad when I wanted to get my Grand Am fixed at a GM dealer.)

but if he goes through insurance then the guy will have to go to insurance approved body shops.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Shawnski

If my son dinged someones car, which apparently is obvious now, I would ensure the other party is satisfied, either by fixing it (get quotes from a few sources) or negotiate on the spot for a value (hey, sorry, here is a couple hundred cash for your trouble.) Hell, that latter one usually results in the people saying "shyte happens". This thread would never have occurred had the situation been addressed right away. THAT is MY perspective.

Thats great and all but if you read the original post he was not willing to give him a written estimate, he was saying it was $600 and that is that. To me that is not good enough, I would expect the person to get at least 3 quotes or get his insurance company to estimate it and send me a bill. I would not just go on what the guy tells me it would be.

Let me guess you are so trusting you would lend the guy your car until his was fixed right?

I guess THAT is MY perspective on how I would deal with it when handing out money to strangers on their word.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Do you know what kind of car it is he owns? Year, Make, Model & Color?

I would phone around to a few paint shops if you do and ask what something like this would "roughly" cost. If he is not even close in his estimate then I would deny the claim and if he takes you to small claims court tell the judge how much he lied to you. IMO his credability should be shot...

This is the answer.

Or talk to your insurance company.

[fredr123]

Judging by previous threads on CP, you're probably lucky the other guy didn't slash your tires or kick in your side panels

[Tron_fdc]

I thought that getting into an accident in a mall was equal responsibility? As in, if I dinged your door it was just as much your fault for parking beside me as it is my fault for hitting your car.

The reason I say that is a few years back, my g/f at the time was t-boned by a taxi cab in the Chinook Mall parking lot. Police were called and there was a report showing it was clearly his fault, but after going through insurance they cam back saying it was equal fault. She ended up getting a strike on her record for having a claim (even though it wasn't her fault) which I thoguht was really wierd. Anyone else have that happen?

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I'm not an expert but I wouldn't give over $600 without a written estimate.

I would ask where he got the estimate done, as well as phone around and get a rough idea from a number of different autobody shops as to the repair for his make and model car.

I would also explain to the insurance company, that it's not that you're not willing to pay to fix his car, it's just you want to see the paperwork for what you're paying. It's not unreasonable to have a transaction for what you're paying for, in fact it's unreasonable to deny you it.

DR isn't looking to get out of not paying, he's saying he may not be guilty and wants to be treated as such. The possiblity of him being guilty, and him without a doubt being guilty aren't one in the same.

He said a red flag went up when the estimate came back at $600 and the other party refused to show him the estimate. Frankly, that's a red flag for me too. Now he's simply looking at advice on how to go from here. Essentially his guilt or innocence is a non-factor if he's willing to repair the door. The question and argument lies on what do you do when someone tells you an unreasonable estimate and refuses to back it up in writing?

DR could have kicked the guy's door in, if the guy doesn't give him a written estimate to fix it, isn't not unreasonable to hold out for one.

For all those saying DR not paying the guy is wrong, or you can't claim you're innocent suck it up, doesn't matter.

If the guy goes to small claims court over it, guess what he'll have to provide to get DR to fix his car? EXACTLY what DR is looking for (a written estimate). So really small claims court is more of a hinderance on the other party than for him anyway, as the other guy could merely hand over the written estimate without court costs.

DR, in my laymen opinion, you're doing fine. It might cost you $600, it might not, but it is without question unreasonable to hand over $600 for an estimate without getting it in writing first.

[return to the red]

I think your trouble lies in the fact that you pretty much accepted guilt right off the bat. I know you were trying to avoid a confrontation but telling the guy to get a cost and giving him your number pretty much puts a guilty sign on you.

You should have examined the scratch, if you could stick your finger nail in it it can't be polished out and the door would have to be repainted, therefore the cost associated with it.

[Burninator]

I wouldn't be surprised if he is trying to scam more money out of you. My brother rear ended a women a couple years ago and he decided to not go through insurance. The women was very cooperative and gave us a couple quotes. One being $900, one being $1000, and one being $1400. We had agreed to take the middle one, as it was with a body shop we had dealt with before. The plan was to pay the body shop directly for the damages. Well just before we were going to do that, her boyfriend called us, who was a total asshat BTW. And demanded that we pay them directly $1200. If not we was going to go through insurance and take the most expensive body shop bill.

It was clear what was happening. The car was still working fine with the damage, and they were just going to pocket the money and not fix the car. Not really much my brother could do. I think this was quite dishonest, some other people may think otherwise, but if you want money instead of getting your car fixed you shouldn't be asking more than the agreed quote.

My family has been burned several times by car accidents. It has left a sour taste in my mouth, and gives little inclination to act fair if I get into an accident. If I sense any foul play, I am going to play hard ball and fight anything.

My advice would be to consult your insurance company and look at your options. I have a feeling that the accident will be split 50/50 and you'll be paying far less than $600. I do sense that he is trying to extort money out of you. Not wanting to give you a written estimate is definitely a flag.

[return to the red]

so I just spoke with my wife, who does all the paperwork in a body shop. I asked her about the scratch and she said it depends where the scratch is on the door.

If the door has molding and it is under the molding they can paint up to the molding. If it is anywhere else on the door they would have to repaint the whole door. Keep in mind that a scratch can be buffed out if it isn't deep (ie. you run your finger nail over it and it doesn't catch).

I also asked her the cost and she said without knowing the make of the vehicle it would cost about $350 (here in Lethbridge)

[urban1]

Ive never heard of door dings becoming a police and insurance issue.

I think this would be one of the hardest things to prove. Although you giving him your phone number does seem like an admission of guilt I dont think is would be sufficient for the police or insurance co's.

Since its your word against his, in your statement to the insurance co's you recollection of the incident could be that your son was opening the door to your car and then the other driver opened his door. This would result in his door getting dinged and not yours and would be more his fault than yours but would likely end up being 50/50.

[DementedReality]

thanks guys .. i will give an update when i have one!