neighbour scuffed my bumper

leslieknope · 13 June 2017 at 2:30PM

hi all,

apologies if this is such a simple question but i'm a first time driver so i don't really know much about this!

on friday my neighbour scuffed my bumper while i was in bed - i was not in the car as it was late at night. i wasn't blocking any drive or the main road, she said that she rolled backwards off her drive and hit it a little. she's accepted fault for this. i didn't immediately see any damage as i was at work when i called and appreciated the note she left, but my partner has since pointed out some minor scuffs on my bumper. neighbour seems to be fine with paying for this (maybe a touch annoyed i didn't see right away) although i do feel bad as the cheapest quote i've had for this is £156 (inc VAT) for only a few little scuffs!

my question is, as she seems to want to go through her insurance, will this affect my premium when i renew? she's accepted fault and is willing to pay but i just do not want this to affect my payments next year. i already pay quite a hefty amount for being a new driver and was looking forward to collecting one year of NC. is it worth claiming from her if this will affect my payments? i know it's only minor damage but i'm so proud of my first car

Quentin · 13 June 2017 at 2:48PM

She doesn't look to want to pay you directly which is why she wants you to claim off her insurers

You can find out what difference it makes to your premium by doing dummy quotes online with and without this claim in your history.

If she has reported this incident or intends to do so then you need to also, and will have to disclose it to future insurers irrespective of whether or not you do claim

This incident won't affect your No Claims Discount (if that's what you mean by "NC"), though you would have a claim (no fault) on your record

Guest101 · 13 June 2017 at 3:54PM

Just claim from her insurer direct and it should affect you. (though you should've reported this for information to your insurer)

leslieknope · 13 June 2017 at 4:04PM

i didn't realise i had to report it as i wasn't even in the car so didn't think this classed as an accident i had. but i will do so. just hope it doesn't make my insurance go up...

warehouse · 13 June 2017 at 4:09PM

Personally I'd let it go. Such a small amount of damage is live-able with, and I can almost guarantee your insurance quotes will suffer. Then for the next 5 years you've got to remember to fill that in when quoting.

Try a repair place and tell them it's a cash job, not insurance. You might be able to get it done for £50, and the neighbour might be OK to stump up the cash.

Guest101 · 13 June 2017 at 4:09PM

leslieknope wrote: »

i didn't realise i had to report it as i wasn't even in the car so didn't think this classed as an accident i had. but i will do so. just hope it doesn't make my insurance go up...

It's an accident your vehicle was involved in. The T&Cs require you to report it, even if not claiming. You can ignore me if you want to ofcourse, im not going to tell them.

- your premium may increase. Someone broke off my wing mirror, I reported it and my premium went up about £50

Guest101 · 13 June 2017 at 4:10PM

warehouse wrote: »

Personally I'd let it go. Such a small amount of damage is live-able with, and I can almost guarantee your insurance quotes will suffer. Then for the next 5 years you've got to remember to fill that in when quoting. - usually only if you claimed. Most forms ask for claims, not for every little thing.

Try a repair place and tell them it's a cash job, not insurance. You might be able to get it done for £50, and the neighbour might be OK to stump up the cash.

Buy a bumper from the scrap yard for £40 and replace yourself (model/make depending ofcourse)

Quentin · 13 June 2017 at 4:11PM

leslieknope wrote: »

....... just hope it doesn't make my insurance go up...

You can get a good idea what difference this will make to your future premium now by doing dummy quotes online with and without this in your history

leslieknope · 13 June 2017 at 4:21PM

just did a dummy quote and looks like it will make my premiums go up. so i suppose i will have to let it go. but i'm really annoyed i'm going to have to live with this and get it fixed myself through her negligence.

if i report this to my insurance but make no claim, will i need to put this on quotes and will this affect my premiums?

macman · 13 June 2017 at 4:21PM

If it's only scuffed, have you tried polishing it out with T-Cut?

leslieknope · 13 June 2017 at 4:29PM

i have yes but the bumper is made of some kind of plastic and it has not polished out.

neighbour scuffed my bumper

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