[Closed] Kids 'accidently' scratched the length of the car - what to do

if my car was written off by another driver i would expect them (their insurance) to pay.

what some of you are saying is that you wouyld shut up and swallow the cost if you thought they did it accidentely?

did they not just do a runner, Sancho?

"you break it, you pay for it" seems reasonable in a shop...

She wouldnt accept that the kid had even touched the bike, and told me to claim on my insurance, but there were three people in the shop who saw the kid try climb on it while his mum was messing about with a bmx.
so I have her number plate at the moment.

Hmm, sorry to disappoint, Sancho, but I'd say you're on a loser, there. If the kid is under the age of criminal responsibility, then you coon't even do owt about deliberate damage, let alone accidental. Shit happens. Just claim of yer insurance. That's what it's there for.

WCA; where's my compo?

if my car was written off by another driver i would expect them (their insurance) to pay.

what some of you are saying is that you wouyld shut up and swallow the cost if you thought they did it accidentely?

Eh?

Its a completely different set of circumstances.

[i]If the kid is under the age of criminal responsibility[/i]

This is a red herring. A child may be sued or sue in the civil courts, but unless the court orders otherwise they have to be represented by a grown-up.

*hijack*

Sancho - How much for the Froggy 518 with the dented top tube? 😉

Sancho- I think in your case its tricky. It could be seen as a 'display' item? That is meant to be touched and the inherent risks of inviting customers to touch? If you had a sign on saying 'please do not touch'. That would be different.

No legal knowledge here, but in Sancho's case, as a parent I'd think I'd have some responsibility for the actions of my kid in a shop whilst I'm present, so I'd probably be more receptive to the concept of having to shell out. It just seems the right thing to do.

Not sure whether pursuing this through small claims would end up costing you more in time, effort, and stress than claiming it against your insurance though?

I don't think you can use T-Cut on metallic paint.

Given WCA has just got a nice new job, me thinks he should either pay for it or claim on his insurance. It would be worth telling the neighbour what you had to pay to get it fixed, but accidents do happen and children are highly prone to these.

I try and park my car away from where kids play (on my drive). Strangely though, despite a hedge dividing our gardens, my vehicle has been damaged twice by the next door neighbour. Once by the mother opening her 4wd door an denting mine (she and her Chelsea Tractor driving girlfriends use my driveway univited when we go away - women and their appalling spatial awareness eh!! - that ain't sexist, it's a scientifically proven fact!) and the other was the 4 yr old's brake lever scraping the wing. I didn't mention either of these incidents because I didn't see them happen. I'd noticed the damage had appeared despite the car not being used and then I discovered paint from my car at the exact corresponding heights on their car door and the girls bike's brake lever.

The only way to ensure your car is safe is to park it in a locked garage. I appreciate your exasperation WCA.

don't you people insure kids? Is it not mandatory?

T-Cut on metallic paint? You'll get 'Ghosting' so will need to use plenty of wax to get rid of Nadia Popov

[img] [/img]

Rentaghost, I was in the pub with 'Dobbin' last night, actually he said he'd pick some broad beans from his allotment for me.

I once closed my eyes to see how far I could ride my racer along the road

Is this something that everybody does as a kid? Glad to see someone else did this too...

deadlydarcy - Member

I once closed my eyes to see how far I could ride my racer along the road

Is this something that everybody does as a kid? Glad to see someone else did this too...

Don't remember doing that, but I have tested how long I could turn my car lights off for when driving along a dark country road when I was younger. 🙄 😐

juan - Member

well get it respray and have the parent insurance pay for it simple...

FFS, have a bit of perspective. What if the parents deny it? Then, you're looking at a possible lengthy and costly court case, which you might not win. WCA has no 'evidence' that the kids did it, so bugger all to base any claim on. And the probability of hostility from the parents, and possibly others, to follow. Just not worth it. Try seeing this in the 'real world', Juan. It's just a [i]scratch[/i].

samuri - Member

shitting hell.

That is a proper quality exclamation, and one which I use on a regular basis.

FFS, have a bit of perspective. It's his [i]car[/i]! That's what's really important here. Try seeing this in the 'real world', Rudeboy. It's a scratch. On a car. Some people kill for less. 😉

(although, this being a WCA thread there is probably in fact no car, no children, no branch, and therefore no scratch to worry about) 🙂

Rule of thumb, If you can't feel the scratch by dragging a fingernail across it, it will polish out, if you can feel it you will struggle.

don't you people insure kids? Is it not mandatory?

Christ on a bike; what's this genius going to come up with next? Insure a lampshade, in case a visitor is offended by it's style, or something? Insure yer letterbox, in case a postman hurts a finger in it? 🙄

Can't stop; I've got to find out about insurance for my wallpaper...

T-Cut on metallic paint? You'll get 'Ghosting' so will need to use plenty of wax to get rid of Nadia Popov

T-cut'd several metallic cars, never an issue?

I don't get all the people who say "it's only a car" - they must be trolling. I mean, sure it's only a car when in a life/death situation "christ, I dropped 50ft and wrote my car off, but I'm alive - its only a car" - fair enough, but its also a very expensive item that retains value for resale and is something that people like to own and like to keep looking and working well, as part of the appeal to the majority of people is its looks.
We arent monks (i dont think!?), we are allowed to enjoy ownership of possessions and hope to keep them in good condition, and expect a to be able to sell a car on at the end of our ownership of it - why should we just accept that cars get damaged by other people who are careless/thoughtless? Just because it's only visual damage? If you follow some peoples argument on here we'd happily smile and nod at people flinging paint on buildings, graffiti-ing things etc, as it's all only visual - your house still keeps you dry even if the stupid teenager with the spray cans has scrawled their tag over your front door.

I mean really, talk about taking apathy to it's limits.

In this case I'd simply mention it to the parents and consider myself silly for having parked a shiny new respray on a public road when I have drive space. This is one of the reasons I bought a second car, to keep the nice one off the road when parking in my new place that has no off-road parking, the other stays in storage 🙁

Coffee king - you bought a crap car as a decoy, distracting the kids from the proper car? Genius!

Iiiiithankyou 😀

Stupid thing is the decoy car actually cost more than the one it's protecting, fortunately its saving grace is the fact that it does stupidly high mpg which is good when you do 22-25k a year.

Put it to the parents if they pay or at least offer they're decent people, if they don't they're just some more f3cking 21st century parents who won't take responsibility for their spawn.
What goes around............ 😈

I do not have a car, but I would like to hope that if I owned something so enormously expensive I would either not leave it in the road in everyone's way, or have the good grace not to whine like a li'l baby bitch when, after I'd left it in everyone's way all day, it got a bit scuffed. 🙂

Only relevant in a denting cars way, but today I was sitting in my car in Tesco car park eating a bun when an old duffer tried to park in the space next to me. It took him four goes to get in and then he carried on, obviously wanting to go into the opposite space so he didn't have to reverse out (a good idea given his ability at going forwards). When he eventually saw the trolley sat in that space he stopped, clearly wondering what to do. Instead of getting out and moving it he just crept forward until his bumper was touching the trolley, then just pushed it out of the way, sending it careering across the car park. Fortunately, a lady managed to catch it just before it crashed into the side of some poor sod's car. Then he just got out, looked around sheepishly, and wandered off to do his shopping.

BD - in the way? Small roads round your way? Shurrup! 😀

thegreatape - I have nudged a trolley once, sending it careering across the slightly sloping car park too (very foolish move) - I've never run so fast in my life to catch it!

Yes, not a tactic I will be attempting in the future.

if it's a merc, and a fairly new one at that (presuming so because they paid for a respray after the rust bubble) then I am led to believe that their paint contains some ceramics - making it very durable and a 'hard' paint.... something like menzerna 106ff & a cutting pad should buff it out if it isn't too bad.

if you're near sheffield anytime soon, call round and i'll gladly look at it for you! (I don't do this full time, just as a bit of a hobby)

lol at the 'its just a car' and the 'pride and joy' comments above.

from people who elevate bikes to the same level as the OP does for his car.

""but its not your problem, its theirs."" (a Hora quote)

I beg to differ - it isn't their car that's been scratched - if someone came round to tell me that one of my kids had scratched their car that was left on a public road - i'd thank them for telling me and so i could deal with them, but in no way would i give them any cash - part and parcel of owning a car i'm afraid, and if kids are involved and it was nonintentional you'll just have to suck it up - if on the other hand a fat d1ckhead opens their door into your door and dings it in Tesco car park beat them to the ground with a can of soup and remove their kidneys with your car keys and sell it on Ebay to compensate for the damage.

lol at the 'its just a car' and the 'pride and joy' comments above.

from people who elevate bikes to the same level as the OP does for his car.

Exactly. People who says its only a car either dont own the car they drive (company car), never passed a driving test and live with their Mum or can't afford a car that costs thousands. Sorry, its true.

If 'its only a car' people actually spent say 15k on a car with their own money then hands up- you win, I'm wrong.
Its a depreciating item but once a car starts showing scratches...its like a scratch-magnet- everyone assumes you've given up on it and adds liberally more ontop.

Exactly. People who says its only a car either dont own the car they drive (company car), never passed a driving test and live with their Mum or can't afford a car that costs thousands. Sorry, its true.

No it's not

I own a £25k car, passed my test 20 years ago, & haven't lived with my mam for 30 years
I don't consider it an asset & don't give a fig what it's resale value is, I bought it as a tool not some piece of investment jewellery.

come to think of it - I don't know the value of anything I own or care about selling them, I don't think I've ever bought anything for an investment.

I would be a little peed off if my car got scratched but a 10 minute sulk would be about the limit of it.

Ok, but you understand that a £300 car could be someones pride and joy just as a £100,000 race horse could be someones pride and joy?

Its relative.

No sorry - I don't understand anything like that being anyone's pride & joy [bike, car, house etc.]

Now I have 3 kids that definitely are my pride & joy

Its a concept. To a watercolour painting they worked on for a week, a freshly planted garden, an allotment, etc etc. Its all relative. Its understanding that not everyone has the same standards as yourself, that not everyone will live their life they way you live yours. Its understanding this-you cant expect others to live by your standards and to understand theirs no?

I was born into money but then grew up without money so anything I buy is treasured to an extent.

Sorry I haven't replied on here for a while but I have been off having a life. A couple of points to clear up:

1 - It was parked on the public road because my other car and some friends cars were on the drive so there wasn't room
2 - It is not my pride and joy it is a business tool like a suit. My work (when I start again) demands a smart suit and a car without scratches down the side
3 - I am hopeful the scratch will buff out
4 - My original plan was to have a quiet word with the parents and ask their kids to take care, I just wondered if that would come across as being a moaning neighbour

Other than that, feel free to keep the thread going.

Hora - you were the one who couldn't understand other peoples standards, by not understanding the 'it's only a car' theory - I perfectly do, I was giving you an insight into my way of thinking.

Feel free to take pride in anything you want - I know I do

When my sister was little she knocked a door mirror of a car and the owner claimed for it from my parents. They used the house insurance which on some policies covers for this kind of accident.

I wouldn't bother speaking to the neighbours, things like this happen. It is annoying though.

[i]It is not my pride and joy it is a business tool like a suit. My work (when I start again) demands a smart suit and a car without scratches down the side[/i]

Are you a chauffeur?

uplink- agree. Everyones different. I do worry that as I get older I will stop understanding that people do think differently to me and its right to think differently. The day I think everyone is wrong for not sharing my opinion will be a Victor Mildew day 🙁

Give big al a call innit...or the bloke from the yellow pages advert from the early 90s. I hear he's branched out from touching up coffee tables.