Car hit and run

liftec

Hi guys, today i went on a trip to my local town leaving my 57 plate hyundai in a 3 story car park. I returned to my car to find a note attached to the car saying, a vauxhall corsa silver reg***** hit your car and please come to office for info. So after inspecting my vehicle which has several scratches to the front passenger wing, i noticed the perpitrators car parked next to mine with the front bumper hanging down. I left the car park unable to find the office. I rang them when i got home, and they said that a passer by reported the incident to the car park office. Now the problem i am faced with is my car has been valued and is being part ex on monday for a new car and obviously there is damage to my car that was not there on valuation and also i dont have enough time to sort the damage myself. I phoned the police who just told me to tell the insurance, but I explained that i have a witness and also it is an offence to hit a car and not supply insurance details, but she literally couldnt care less, What do i do? I feel i should tell the salesman of the new car as i would be just as bad as the idiot who hit my car?

Lum

Unfortunately, in this situation you're pretty much screwed and are going to lose out one way or the other. I hope your insurance is fully comp.

You will need to involve your insurance in this one as they will hopefully be able to track down the person who hit you, and you will also need to tell the dealership you're part exchanging with since this is going to cause a few delays to the process.

Bear in mind that you do have the right to choose who repairs your car, so if the dealership has the facility to do this then you could suggest that you will have the insurance send the car to them for the repair, then they would still get the car in their possession and would be able to charge overinflated "insurance rates" for the repair work.

The next best option would be to ask if the dealership will hold onto your new car for a little bit longer, i.e. until the repair is complete, drive around in the insurance provided hire car for a bit and then make the part ex as originally planned.

If the dealership pulls out of the part ex altogether then there is not much you can do about this. Ask them to confirm in writing that they are no longer interested in part exing as a result of this accident. Be sure to keep records and receipts of all the mileage and expenses you incur in finding somewhere else to part ex your car. This would be 45p per mile driven, any eating out you do while travelling to see a new car, and the cost of a days wages if you take a day off work to do this.

If you still have a written quotation for how much they valued your car at, and you end up taking a lower value as a result of this, be sure to keep the paperwork for both and add it to your claim.

Of course, you'll only get most of this back quickly if they actually track down the other person and get them to pay, otherwise you'll have to claim from the MIB which takes ages.


Final option, if the damage is fairly cheap and quick to repair. Get it done on the quiet, say nothing, do not report it, part ex it as originally planned.


Did you get photographs of the two cars?

forgotmyname

I had a similar issue many years back, I had not used my car for a few days, Went out one day & noticed a black mark and a crease in the door.

Builders next door shouted down from the roof they took the number of the car that hit it.

Went to report it, They said i was in the wrong and had broken the law for not reporting it within 24 hours. Am i sure i wanted to report it. I think they were trying to put me off.

I insisted and eventually i got a letter saying they had prosecuted the driver and gave me his details.
Naughty boy had failed to notify his insurance of his conviction/points and accident.