Some *** in a pathfinder tried parallel parking behind my lex yesterday, he hit my back bumper and striped off the paint , the damage is about the size of a silver dollar, the messed up thing is i saw him do it and by the time i got down there he was gone. My question is is there anything i can do about this? I left him a note on his stinkmobile saying i will pursue legal actions if he doesnt get in contact with me i took a couple of pics of his car and my car now is there anyway i can prosecute him if he doesnt cooperate? please any advice will be usefull.

 

All you have to do is contact your insurance company and give them his plate numbers

 

wont they ask for evidence? last time a van hit my legend coupeand left the scene of the accident when it was parked, i had witnesses but the insurance company preety much told me to go F myself, so i ended paying the damage with my own money. and how much is this damage worth anyway do i need to repaint my whole bumper? or just fix it with some fix-up paint?

 

Lexo,

If the paint is missing, you can try Langka but most likely you will need to find a good body shop to prep and repaint the bumper.

MW

 

Was there evidence of your paint on his bumper?

If so I'm sure you took pics of it. Call the police and fill out a report. Take that report to your insurance co. You will have to pay your deductable, but then you can then pursue reimbursement from their insurance co.

Insurance co's take minor accidents more seriously once the police are involved- why? Because the HAVE TO!

 

I hate when this happens. Somebody hit my rear bumper while i was in class and I have no idea who did it so I pretty much screwed. There was light damage and it chipped my paint (passager side). Also somebody put a big sticker on my car and I was able to remove most of it but you can still noticed it.

All I can say is why must ppl hate cuz we have this car.

 

Some kid did the same thing to me, took off my passanger side mirror. Luckly I got a new one cheap, but still, most people are like "wow, nice car." But of coarse, there's always though that want what's yours, and if they can't have it (stealing) they ruin it for you. Bastards... well anyway, I try and only park my baby-gurl where either me or a camera can watch it, just to be safe

 

he called back and said he will pay for the damage im thinking of taking 150$ amd buying 30$ bumper protectors what you guys think? That 150 is the lowest estimate i got for the bumper. my car is black

 

I would do the deal @$200 bc of all the stress you got.

 

You could always got to a few more shops and collect estimates. Then give him the 3 you choose , and tell him to pay the lowest one.

 

Lexo,

If someone offered to repaint my rear bumper for $150, I would go somewhere else. Not that I am avoiding a good deal, but that is just too cheap for a prep and repaint.

I would want my car back to the way it was before the person hit it.

MW

 

He didn't exactly bust a hit and run. He still parked there. If he called you and is willing to settle it. Then go for it. Try to find a place that will do a good job. There is no use getting the cops and your insurance involved if he is willing to fork out the money.

 

This is why it is good to have "the ins" with a paint and body guys. Anything ever happens, go there and tell them how much you want the estimate to be

Tim

 

I don't quite understand the perjury and ins. fraud part here? First off, this isn't in court, second, no insurance co's are involved yet.

Take the car to 3 reputable repair shops, get written estimates, and supply them to the responsible party. You can take it to 5, then supply the 3 highest if you want; thats perfectly legal too. If not, file an insurance claim against him and keep a copy of those estimates, as the insurance companies will screw you. Or just take the guys money and go buy some beer and pick up some touch up paint. Remember the money supplied by the repsonsible party or the insurance company is for the loss of value to your car, not necessarily to repair the car, so you can then go back to the cheaper repair shop and pocket the change- legally.

 

Keith,

Bladez post was not on the same lines as yours. He offered information that he confirms with his prosecutor parents to call in a hit and run as a lie, and then tell the insurance company to go after someone for that fraudalent claim. Bad advice, and illegal. Hence I edited his comments for public display

I agree with your method, I would get at least 3 quotes from shops that I INDEED would let touch my car. Not just 3 shops on the corner.

MW