[Closed] bike accident - damage to car

no he has to pay by law & i can believe the ccost is genuine aswell.

home insurance may cover it. Employers insurance may cover it (although might be cheeky to try and claim).

ask for 3 quotes.

yes i can understand the cost from a main dealer. the scratch is 10mm long.

I suppose it's best to pay the garage direct? personally I wouldn't want to pay the person direct.

Might be worth looking into home insurance etc. but I'd be suprised if he was covered.
I would definitely pay the garage direct, rather than the person involved as they may well get a 'chips away' job done once they have the cash.
Also get a written quote in advance, so he doesn't get a suprise bill for more than originally expected.

If the scratch is 10mm long most of us would get a mobile car scratch repair company to sort it. Unfortunately the mini owner is under no obligation to get the cheapest quote - I think quite justifiably they want a main dealer to do it. Put yourself in their shoes.

I think that the 3 quotes request is probably the best way forward, although you are probably testing the patience of the Mini owner.

Main dealer aren't called "stealers" for nothing! You have to pay for those flash Mini/BMW dealerships somehow.

If the scratch is 10mm long most of us would get a mobile car scratch repair company to sort it. Unfortunately the mini owner is under no obligation to get the cheapest quote - I think quite justifiably they want a main dealer to do it. Put yourself in their shoes.

I think that the 3 quotes request is probably the best way forward, although you are probably testing the patience of the Mini owner.

Main dealer aren't called "stealers" for nothing! You have to pay for those flash Mini/BMW dealerships somehow.

£600 to spray a bootlid is an insane price....I'm guessing that's a screen out job, which is probably bonded and needs breaking to get out?

Chips away sorted my keyed car.
Great job.

Check contents insurance for liability?

(I now glad I paid my CTC membership for 3rd party insurance.)

I hope you're pal does have some insurance. Keep the post updated!

yeah a just got a quote for my car after a similar accident and it was on a corsa and this things 10 years old and from vauxhall themselfs it was like £500 for the boot because they hade to take off the boot door and strip it down spray it a few times rebuild it and then fit it again WTF go to a car shop buy a can of spray paint and do it much easier

The rear screen can stay in place because they have a chrome trim at the bottom of the screen.
I would say £250 -£300 is a more realistic price.

Just say "sorry mate i didn't see you" and walk away. They seem to get away with it enough

If it goes back to BMW/Mini then they're likely to strip the panel back and paint from scratch - hence the cost of £600 sounds perfectly reasonable (albeit expensive when seen from your friend's perspective).

I'm sure he can ask for three quotes, but the owner has the right to choose.

get 3 quotes, as the owner dosnt have to get the cheapest , you as the paying person dont need to pay the most expensive, accidents happen we all know that.

I was quoted £600 to de-rust and respray both cabin doors, one sliding door and the body round the fuel cap on my van. £600 for one scratch is silly money.

Thing is, the owner has the right to expect the car to be restored exactly as it was, and a lot of damage repairs will still be visible- you accept that as a cheap chip repair but they probably won't.

How old is the MINI and does the MINI dealer chosen have their own bodyshop, or do they sub it out ?
In fact, which dealer is it?

Somebody hit the rear door on my van twice with a sharp object 2 small dents, thae following week MBUK, had free stickers,so just stuck them over the dents.

Easy. and you get a free mag to read.

Sorry for your mate's bother, I'd think that unless the car is fairly new then a chips away type repair (a blow in) is fine. Stuff happens.

Now my rant, people seem to treat cars like they're frickin concours object d'art, and need to be cossetted like a museum piece.
If they were so worried about the thing picking up a scratch why wasn't it helitaped? We all engage in this fantasy of possessing 2ton metal boxes with perfect paint finishes, that we throw around the countryside at 70mph, abandon in supermarket carparks or on the side of the road in all weathers, then we cry because we get a stone chip, or some hapless cyclist puts a 10mm scratch in the boot lid FFS.
WAKE UP to reality people.... it's just a car, in five years you'll be scrapping it, or selling it for 5% of what you paid. It's paint. Paint gets scratched. End of.

Most people will not be able to spot a decent mobile paint repair. Sure if you really know what you are looking at you can see it.

For her it is the simplest option, they will come to your car park at work and fix it, so no need to go the stealer and have to have a courtesy car for the day.

The trade price for a simple repaint is ~£100 a panel (assuming the dealer will sub it out), you are paying for the courtesy car and for the flashy dealership.

Don't forget they will probably need to get new mini badges which I bet aren't cheap, they'll want to strip and refit the number plate, plynth and rear screen trim. So when you add up the labour, parts and paint and materials that quote isn't that bad.

Bodyshops operate with tiny margins. Most are struggling to make anything at the mo.

Get pictures of it, Has he damaged it in any way or just scratched it & whereabouts on the bootlid is the scratch?

I'd be pissed if someone scratched mine TBH but i wouldnt have gone to main dealer bodyshop and if they contributed/ paid out for it i wouldn't mind.

Is your friend actually under any legal obligation to pay for the damage done? It may be cheaper for the mini owner to claim from her own insurance and him perhaps pay the excess as a goodwill gesture.

I have never had anyone who puts a supermarket ding in my car actually apologise for doing it, let alone pay for it! The best yet was when my wife and i were in the car and the person just swung their door into mine. they were not bothered.

In the last 6 months we've had 3 buses drive into our car - 2 dented wings (both sides) and a rolling scrape all along the offside from tail to front. Its annoying, however as none of them stopped or left details there's absolutely nothing we can do about it, and to be honest no point in getting worked up about it.
I'm just waiting for a bus to do the job properly and then we'll take them to the cleaners.

Just deny it &/or ask for proof the damage was done by him and wasn't there already.....

My home contants insurance coughed up when I rode into the back of a parked car and smashed the windscreen and spoiler. Cost £100 excess.

AP - Just report them for failing to stop after an accident if you are certain. The police should have to investigate, long shot them doing anything, but might scare the bus company into doing something. Usually a ban for failing to stop if theycan convict so the bus people may take it seriously. Any CCTV round your way? Check the front of buses for matching damage.

100 quid from chips away or your mate should see them in court. 600 FFS.

BMW minis must have bodywork/paint repaired at an approved bodyshop to ensure the anti corrosion warranty is intact. I know as i had mine repaired.

chopperT, how about someone damages your pride and joy that you work hard to pay for/afford and doesn't give a toss that your upset about it, or that you have to pay to fix it?

Regarding the damage, find out who the bodyshop is and talk to them direct. It can save you quite a few quid going direct.

ap you should claim my old discovery new at the time was hit by a bus in London it ****ed off down the bus lane so I could follow, took details got a quote from Landrover for a wing repair/part bumper £580 quid and a few days later the bus company set a cheque through.....it cheaper for them than contesting it. Also it was on CCTV

I was covered by home insurance (many years ago) when I managed to write a car off riding a push bike into it. Knocked out most of my teeth too!

matthewlhome did you really say this? "Is your friend actually under any legal obligation to pay for the damage done?" Of course they are. "It may be cheaper for the mini owner to claim from her own insurance and him perhaps pay the excess as a goodwill gesture" it may be cheaper for the person doing the damage but not when the mini owner loses their excess and sees their premium go up. Put yourself in the Mini owners position. It's not their fault they should not be out of pocket. It's very fair for the bike rider to own up and crap that lots of people don't but the situation here is very clear.

Call chips away when the car is on the car park

then get it fixed and say "what damage?" or give the owner a couple of hundred quid cash to keep them happy!!

Cheers for the comments.. Found out he hasn't got contents insurance so it's a no go there.

I think she'll go mad if he suggests Chips away. It happened in a the car park and ppl were outside having a fag and saw it all (and know the woman)

Didn't know about the approved bodyshop. Well i'll tell him to see the written quote from the garage (or phone them up)

tonyg2003 - sorry, I wasn't trying to suggest that was the right thing to do, just that the comments made by others seemed very definite, with the first response suggests that he has to pay by law. I was simply contrasting this with the experience that thousands of people have when someone dings or scratches their car and just wanders off.

The OP doesn't mention how the damage was done either.

It does bring up an interesting and serious point about what any of us would be liable for if we had an accident. i.e. slipped on the icy roads and put a nice lock-on clamp scratch down the side of a car. How would any of u stand in that situation?

I think that it is right that the rider has owned up, but that the cost incurred / agreed should be as any insurance job would, 3 quotes and they go with the cheapest. Especially as it sounds as though the guy does not have the money to pay for the work.

The dealer will use chips away or the like, they certainly would not completely repaint a panel for a little scratch on a car they were selling - including new cars. It happens a lot more often than you would think especially repairs before they leave the factory.
All the second hand cars on the forecourt would have had small repairs like this.

1. As already suggested, get chipsaway round while she's parked up and fix it. hide behind the car when she leaves work and jump out shouting "supprise!!!".

2. buy a crappy 2nd hand car, drive into the back of her and bugger off.

for legal reasons my solicitor said I should point out that these are joke suggestions 🙂

WAKE UP to reality people.... it's just a car, in five years you'll be scrapping it, or selling it for 5% of what you paid. It's paint. Paint gets scratched. End of.

I won't bite fully, only nibble, but I can't even begin to understand how anyone can be quite so selfish and stupid.

Not everyone scraps cars after 5 years.
Not every car that's not just rolled off the showroom is an old heap not worth looking after, some people enjoy ownership of older cars too, more so than new ones (I certainly do) - who are you to judge what's worth looking after and what can be dented? Are you THAT self-absorbed?
Not everyone sells cars, especially not for 5% of value, but because some people have sod all respect for others property it often depreciates that fast due to the knocks and bangs it gets due to careless people in carparks.
Never thought I'd see an adult arguing for people paying *less* respect to others propery - sounds like it's coming right out of the mouth of a 14 year old TBH.

I'm all for accepting accidents happen, but it is only fair and right to expect to repair it to the condition it was before the accident. People need to accept responsibility for their actions, fortunately it seems the OP (his friend) is a decent human, not a idiot. I'm tired of repairing damage to my car because the stupid woman at the supermarket decided to park next to me despite the fact that I parked as far from the supermarket as possible to AVOID contact, then slammed her door into my car causing hundreds worth of damage and says "ooh, sorry" and drives off.

****less morons with no respect. This lack of respect is persistant throughout all levels of our modern society, and it's a damning trait.
In this case I'd get a few quotes but ultimately it's the owners choice.

Well. he's had a quote back from the approved dealer

[img] [/img]

1st day back into work for him. Think he's a bit shocked

That is utter revolting. Chips away is only guaranteed for 6months however a grand is ridiculous. Could you post this on pistonheads? Whats the link to the invoice image?

There has to be a better solution- 1k for a 10mm scratch on a noddy car?!

duplicated post

2nd part of quote
[img] [/img]

I'll see if i can get him to get a picture of it today

Right, Im going to repost this on Pistonheads. Its ridiculous.

Started: http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=792462&mid=70159&nmt=10mm%20paint%20scratch%20on%20Mini%20by%20third%20party-%20%A31,000%20please.

There are traders/sometimes legal bods on there who may have experienced before etc.

Cheers hora. Will try and get a picture today (if the owner is in) like i say the damage was done at about 2mph and isn't bad (well doesn;t look bad to me)

£1000....thats a spicy meatball.

How come they're quoting repairs to tailgate AND left rear panel?
Was there existing damage that's been added on to this quote?
(I guess the position of the 10mm scratch COULD cover both but that'd be really unlucky... Or maybe I am just being suspicious?)

wow, I can't believe how unlucky this guy is. Some chap cycled into the back passenger side of my car a few years back leaving a small dent/scrape with his barend. I didn't even think I could get him to cough up for the repair. We just exchange a few choice phrases.

Not one single person has ever left details for the supermarket dings the cars got. It's got to the stage now where I don't care...

Anyway, presume this chap isn't loaded to be able to pay a grand. Maybe he suggests he simply cannot afford that price and therefore the owner has the choice of small claims court, chips away or he agrees to a monthly payment to her?

How come they're quoting repairs to tailgate AND left rear panel?
Was there existing damage that's been added on to this quote?
(I guess the position of the 10mm scratch COULD cover both but that'd be really unlucky... Or maybe I am just being suspicious?)

Agree. Look forward to the pic.

I used to own a jet black Honda FRV. I had my bike upside down at the rear with the wheels off. The bars moved and the bike fell against the rear quarter of the bumper causing 3 zig-zagged deep gouges down the bumper- about 6inches long.

Chips Away filled and then resprayed for £150. Mind you- it was my car and my fault.

that's insane.... and yes it does appear to before for work on two panels, and includes a new rear lamp... I'd be very suspicious

I'd see them in court if I were your mate. That's a pisstake.

J

I would give him £15 to get scratch repair pen from Halfords.
if he dose not like it tough, best of luck to him trying to get it too
court.
The courts would laugh at a quote like that.

If she's communicating these quotes to the guy then surely there's a certain amount of amicability between the 2 parties, can't they just discuss the options and try to get across that the price for the repair is unreasonable?

I would imagine that the quote from the repairers is a based on their assumption that this is an insurance job and that everything possible can (whether rightly or wrongly) be claimed for - they do tend to be very thorough

System Reset - £100

As mentioned above the piss is being extracted here. Small claims court or whistle would be my revised quote for them.

It is just a shame your friend has tried to to the right thing and is getting shafted as a result.

Jamie - Member

As mentioned above the piss is being extracted here. Small claims court or whistle would be my revised quote for them.

Or chips away?

that's insane.... and yes it does appear to before for work on two panels, and includes a new rear lamp... I'd be very suspicious

I missed the new rear lamp. I think your friend should contact BMW Customer services. No, they wont/cant offer a contribution. More from the angle that the dealership is potentially trying to rip your friend off. Complain about them.

In addition to the picture of the damage Iwould also ask that the owner takes the car for a second quote at a different BMW Mini dealership in a different group (not under the same dealer ownership).

A different situation but when my bosses roof failed on her mini convertible- the dealership wanted £1,300 to replace the small control box at the top of the roof. I 😯 and complained to BMW Customer services as I felt miffed- The cost was reduced to £300.

I would agree with a previous poster, talk with the owner and make an offer. Say they just can't afford the dealer price, and will pay for the chipsaway plus £200 in cash - otherwise small claims court.

But also check on liability in car park..., its private land?

Now that is the biggest piss take i have ever seen!!

i had a renault laguna once and someone drove down the side of it, the whole one side was marked ,dented etc.

it needed paint on all panels and a few bits of trim.

total cost including prepwork etc............ £800

so a grand for a 10mm mark.... has your mate put his trousers on backwards or something as he has just been shafted.!!

Rediculous cost for a 10mm scratch.

Looking at the quote it also includes amounts to get the car back to 100% condition, not the condition it was in before the accident happened.

Theres a lot more damage on that quote than the damage which may have been caused by him hitting it with this bike.

£275 for the stripdown and spray, £150 for the paint, £40 for stickers (taking the p***), £100 for a specalist ??? +Vat
£664

Its difficult if its someone you know rather than a stranger in a carpark.
Dont pay any money until the work has been done and the bills been paid.

She'll think twice about having to pay the difference herself, and maybe wont get the work done anyway.

On the other hand get her to claim it on her insurance. Thats what its there for. She probably wont, as her premiums will go up and its not worth it for a 10mm scratch. I'm sure the insurance company wont be interested in claiming the amount back from your friend due to the hassle.

Also while it may be difficult at work, once everybody sees the quotation - they'll at least have moral support - as everybody except the owner will think that the piss is been taken.

sorry but soovy who said

Cyclist doesn't have insurance. Cyclist should have bought insurance.

You did the damage. Now pay the bill.

on PH is dead right.

I wouldn't pay a bean until I had 3 independent quotes. 1k for a 10mm scratch is an unreasonable cost, and I suspect every court in the land would agree with that.

thomthumb i dont think paying the bill is the problem!!

its the cost of the bill that is the problem!!

£1000 for a 10mm scratch ffs.

steve-austin +1

renton +1

There is a legal term for this. Unjust Enrichment
"Unjust enrichment is a legal term denoting a particular type of causative event in which one party is unjustly enriched at the expense of another, and an obligation to make restitution arises, regardless of liability for wrongdoing."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unjust_enrichment

Of course the claimant hasn't been paid, but to charge 1k for 10mm spray job is a false charge and of course she hasn't yet had the work done.
Your friend should demand 3 independent quotes and only then start talking about costs and how much if any he will pay.
Joining British Cycling and CTC would be an idea as you get free legal advice and Several million 3rd party insurance cover for events such as this, and you also help finance Victoria Pendleton if you join British Cycling..

As said previously if the Car is still within it’s warranty/anti corrosion guarantee period the not so fine print on the documentation is likely to state any and all repairs have to be carried out by “An approved Specialist” or similar such wording, effectively the main dealer or their Sub-contractor or the vehicle is by default no longer fully covered, leaving the owner potentially liable for any major repairs which would have otherwise been covered…

All of this is theoretical, and relies on the dealership finding out a repair was carried out by a non approved business, but getting a chips away job done does leave BMW free to try and weasel out of future warranty/corrosion costs…

The owner is well within their rights to ask for a Main dealer/BMW approved repair as anything other could loose them the Warranty and/or Corrosion guarantee, and therefore even more money…

Next time hit an older hair dressers car.

The owner is well within their rights to ask for a Main dealer/BMW approved repair as anything other could loose them the Warranty and/or Corrosion guarantee, and therefore even more money…

You can still ask for two other quotes from BMW Mini -unconnected garages though.

If you have a picture of the scratch would it be so difficult to phone a Mini dealership with a bodyshop for an 'alternative' quote.

Dont go into details, just email a picture with the reg number blanked (In case they log repair quotes) and ask for a genuine price. Wouldnt hurt for you to also send it to a few bodyshops for a price as well.

Just for the record, anti perforation warranties are for rust coming from underneath the paint. Not stonechips etc causing rust (Self explanetory). Well to maintain them i guarentee you that there is an anual PAID FOR inspection required at the dealership. If they are worried about negating their anti perforation warranty then i would ask for a copy of the service book or the bills to show that they actually qualify for this. You may find that by repairing the panel and so getting 12mths warranty on the repair the woner is better off than before.

PS havent looked at how old/new the car is.

VAT has now gone back to 17.5% the quote uses 15% VAT.

So a bit more on the bill,seems as if someone is trying to make some money on this.

This is absolutely crazy. A cyclist smashed into the boot of my car when I stopped my car at a junction last year. Three dents, loads of scratches and all repaired for £180.

Your mate needs to tell her to piss off. Completely unreasonable. After looking at that [s]joke[/s] quote again i cannot believe that your mate would even entertain this.

If he pays this he is a fool, you should give me his address and i will slap some sence into him for free.

Go and get three written quotes from reputable places e.g. Chipsaway, hand them to her and give her a cheque for the most expensive quote. She disserves no more.

obvously take copies for yourself. do not give her cash!

+1 for what Johnbot just said, would be totally fair in my eyes

If he pays this he is a fool, you should give me his address and i will slap some sence into him for free.

Using a dictionary hopefully 😉

OP- Good point from a PH'er:

I dont think we are getting the whole story here, the repair quote is for a new rear light unit and is for repainting the boot and rear quarter.

Either there was other damage that is being repaired as well or the dealer is making things up. That quote is not simply to repair a 10mm scratch on a bootlid.

Thats way over the top for a bootlid repair. Assuming the damage is confined to the bootlid, surely its just a strip down of the boot, treating and finishing the scratch and a couple of coats of paint. WTF are they doing removing the filler neck, indicators etc etc?
3 Quotes (I know which one i'd be putting in the fire!)

post on PH;

Well it's a small world isn't it!

I work with the lady in question, and whilst I didn't see the impact, I was just around the corner in the car park, and I did hear it. I looked around the corner to see what the noise was, to see the bike in question leaning against the car (which was parked) having cartwheeled into it,and the rider picking himself up off the floor. It seems the rider couldn't be bothered to get off his bike to get up onto the kerb and decided to try and jump it. He presumably caught the kerb with his front wheel, which caused the back of the bike to flip over into my collegues car

For the record, it isn't a 10mm scratch; the boot has a 10cm scratch and a nice dent, the left rear light cluster has been cracked, and there is a 10mm scratch on the n/s rear wing.

The car is two years old and still under warranty, the lady paid a premium to buy the car from a BMW Mini dealer, she plans to keep the car, and consequently is not keen on a quick smart repair that will not last the test of time.

She was as surprised as anyone when she received the written estimate, having been told verbally by the local mini dealer that it would cost roughly £600. She has considered claiming on her insurance but she would lose her no claims bonus, and has an excess of £350, and at the end of the day why should she claim on her insurance for something which was totally the bike riders fault.

I am not going to point the lady in the direction of this thread, she already feels very sorry for the rider, and it is certainly not her fault that the rider who hit a parked car didn't have the forsight to take out insurance to cover him. To the riders credit he did "own up" (he didn't have much choice as there were two witnesses), but I did get the impression that he would have sought out the owner anyway.

I don't have time to post pictures; it seems the rider has a friend on here, if he wants to get photo's from them, and post them then please feel free to do so, however please ensure that the registration number is not visable.

Apologies for any speeeeling errors, I'm in a rush as I have to be in a meeting now.

a bit more than a 10mm scratch!

Interesting indeed! gonig to try and get him to register on PH.. although doubt he'll want to.

Just to iterate. He doesn't want her to claim on his insurance. It's his fault and he admits that.

All he (and most other ppl) are questioning the amount the garage has come back with. Why does everyone jump on this and start saying well he has to pay.. That is not the discussion.

he felt extremely guilty when he did i.

I didn't see the damage to the rear wing only the back of the car. I'll see if i can get a pic (perhaps my 10mm statement was underestimated 😳

As Steve-Austin said, your mate should think about joining CTC - providing they cover legal expenses arising from a previous accident.

If he's looking down the barrel of a court action, bear in mind that the car owner has a duty to mitigate her loss, i.e. keep it as minimal as possible. It's not a blank cheque for her. "Approved dealer" doesn't mean a mini/BMW dealer either, it can be an independent garage certificated to carry out repairs.

ahh the other side to the story!!

bit more than a 10mm scratch then

I would follow the advice of the TheLittlestHobo above and check that the car owner has had her car serviced inline with a BMW recommendations at one of their approved garages. If she hasn't then the car's anti-perforation warranty may be invalid and it's not worth taking it back to the dealer for repair.