Car scraped in car park

kerri_gt

Hi Guys, I have read a few other threads about such incidents but would like some advsie on this...

...tonight I came back to my car parked in a Te$co car park to find some 'lovely' lady had scraped my rear bumper and driven off :mad: Its not dented but the paint has been stripped down to the plastic underneath. She didn't leave any details but a kind samaritan came over and told me he'd seen the incident (apparently she drove straight into my car, got out, had a look and drove off) and he had taken down her number plate.

I took a few photos of the damage in situ, but don't have any more details than her license plate.

My car is 8 yrs old and 'only' a standard super mini, but that's not the point. It was 2yrs old when I purchased it from a friend and I've always looked after it - I don't want some whopping great scuff across my rear bumper, particually if I come to sell it.

What is the best course of action? Should I call my insurance company and look to claim through hers? Can they find her with just the license plate number and is she likely just to deny the incident, or should I just cut my losses and claim through my own company?

Does anyone have any idea how much it might cost for a mobile repair company to do such a paint repair job?

TIA

captainawsome

Have you asked in tesco for any CCTV they might have, if you get that call the police.

daveyjp

A decent bodyshop will have it looking brand new for less than £200. You have to weigh this against having insurance companies involved and risking increased premiums for having a non fault claim on your file.

Quentin

The easiest way to deal with this (assuming you have comprehensive cover) is to pass this on to your insurer by making a claim.

But this could be expensive (unless your insurer gets fully reimbursed, you will lose 2 years NCD (unless you have it protected), you will have to pay your excess (then reclaim it from the third party).

Maybe first find out the cost of the damage. Then trace the vehicle's insurer via ASKMID, and contact them and see if they will help an innocent third party to claim directly from them.

Having an independent witness should help!

The driver committed an offence by driving off, so report all details to the police ASAP.

squack

yes sadly nobody wants to call the cops on this lovely lady but she drove away without leaving details

chances are there are marks/residue on her vehicle corresponding to the damage on yours, which can be used as evidence in the unlikely event that she denies it when the cops thrash on her door

TrickyWicky

IF it were me I'd call the cops bearing in mind you have an independant witness who gave you the reg - she'll get busted. Serves her right too.

Strider590

The Police will tell you it's "a civil matter" and point you toward your insurance company.....
With a witness to the incident, she won't have a leg to stand on.


How can I be so sure? Went through exactly the same thing (it was even on a Tesco car park) back in 2010.

peter_the_piper

Not sure I would agree about the police calling it a civil matter. A car park is surely classed as a public road, for these purposes, and you should report these knocks, insurance companies often ask for crime number etc.

Quentin

Strider590 wrote: »

The Police will tell you it's "a civil matter" and point you toward your insurance company.....

If they do tell you that, then ask to speak to someone higher, as you are not reporting a civil matter, but an offence (driving off without stopping after causing property damage is a criminal offence, not a "civil matter")

fivetide

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Not sure I would agree about the police calling it a civil matter. A car park is surely classed as a public road, for these purposes, and you should report these knocks, insurance companies often ask for crime number etc.

When it happened to me the Police treated it as an RTA and investigated whether the other driver had insurance etc.

The civil matter part only comes in when it comes to reclaiming the cash I think. As the car park is public access then it is classed as part of the highway (that's what I was told and the police couldn't have been more helpful).

Chap coughed up the cash for a repair immediately.

5t.

AFiancee

Have you tried actually rubbing the bumper as these scuffs can come off sometimes?

If there was a way you could get the details to contact the person directly, then I would do it, however going through the insurance is just going to put your premium up (even though its no fault) so not really worth it.