[Closed] Think a neighbour scraped my wife's car - what to do?

Plod won't be interested - try popping a note on the offending car politely asking whether they are aware their car may have clipped your wife's.

It might have been your wife that did it and she daren't admit it though 😉

I do see loads of cars with reverse sensors on them with dings though - I think people rely on them way too much. My brother in law just clipped his one week ond 5 Series BMW in such circumstances. Ouch.

Drink a pint of water

Wait a while.

Locate neighbours shoes.

Do what comes naturally

To be honest, if they weren't decent enough to leave a note you're probably onto a loser. I've lost a couple of powered wing mirrors because somebody couldn't be bothered to slow to a sensible pace on the narrow roads round here, never got any joy. 🙁

Forget it and move on, it will be impossible to prove anything.

Not even playing devils advocate, or insinuating anything at all, But genuinely interested:

There are scrapes on both cars, is there any way of telling which one was moving when they came together?

Forget it and move on, it will be impossible to prove anything.

sadly i th ink this is your best option as frustrating as it is

It might have been your wife that did it and she daren't admit it though

Considered that, but she's an honest sort and would be mortified if she (knowingly) hit another car. Especially in her own street.

if they weren't decent enough to leave a note you're probably onto a loser

I suspect they may just not have noticed. There are quite a few elderlies in our street who probably wouldn't have heard it if they did it.

I thought parking sensors were just back and front, not on the side aswell.

You could glare piercingly at all potential suspects you encounter in the street.

The person who ducks your gaze is your culprit. [i]That's[/i] when you wee in their shoes.

Or sigh, shake your fist at the way Britain has become a 'broken society' and move on.

There are scrapes on both cars, is there any way of telling which one was moving when they came together?

I'm sure there is forensically, but I doubt any insurance company would give that much of a crap.

If he or she hadn't been decent enough to admit to it in the first place, then how likely is it now? Annoying as it is, you might just have to let it go. 😐

I thought parking sensors were just back and front, not on the side aswell.

Actually having thought about it for a moment, you probably could. some will probably be dead easy, but some probably less so eg 2 wheel arches on one car equally scraped, and a full length scratch on the other.

Forget it and move on,

Like he says^

You could let a couple of tires down though.

Last year the old bloke over the road reversed into my mum's car when she was visiting then buggered off despite his wife standing in the road and waving him out. We though it looked a bit close from our front room but found a scrape later in the day and there was a corresponding ding in his car.

The week after a combined harvester was struggling to get up the lane passed a parked car and took out about 8' of the guy's hedge with its rear wheels. It didn't stop.

Karma in action.

I thought parking sensors were just back and front, not on the side aswell.

True, but they do cover a fair area to the rear corner.

Yep, unless you have a witness who comes forward or the owner of the car happens to be a reasonable person you're onto a loser. Sorry. Its not right or proper, but I've had the same and it really ****s me off. Found 2 new scratches on the car that must have been done by someone walking past it. Boils my piss, it really does.

I suspect they may just not have noticed. There are quite a few elderlies in our street who probably wouldn't have heard it if they did it.

I think you're being a little too charitable 🙂
If they didn't notice a scraping sound they probably shouldn't be driving. Maybe they had some bangin' choons on though 🙂

I'm sure there is forensically, but I doubt any insurance company would give that much of a crap.

I had my lotus scratched all the way down one side whilst it was parked in a shop car park. The #@£$% involved got out, looked at it. laughed and drove off. Luckily someone else saw it, wrote me a note and left their address to act as a witness.

The insurance company still wanted to call it 50/50 😯
I took umbrage, and applied what pressure I could.. in the end they discovered the other driver was also covered by them! 8 months later they coughed for the repair and respray, and re instated my NCD.

All this demonstrates is that insurance companies will try anything, inclusing hoping you die of boredom, to avoid paying out. That's your next unpleasant choice, whether to bother or not 🙁

It's not exactly major damage:
[img] [/img]

I doubt it'd even be worth getting insurance involved in it.

Note: you can see the black paint from the offending car. The "unusual" colour of the missus car. And the proximity to her rear parking sensor.

Most of that looks like it will polish out.

Most of that looks like it will polish out.

Yeah it's really not too bad, which is why we don't want to make a major fuss.

Nice colour. 😡

She likes it. I refuse to drive it in case anyone sees me. 😆

Personally I'd knock on doors until I found out whose car it was then ask them to come over/show them the damage and ask them pointblank about it.

If you don't fancy that there is nitromores.

I most certainly wouldn't leave it. To put that right will cost you circa £100-£300. If/When you eventually PX or sell it you'll lose circa the same amount. Why do people see it as a soft-crime or 'one of those things'?! Mind boggles.

Most of that looks like it will polish out.

The black marks won't polish out, that's where the paint has been taken off and it's down to the plastic underneath.

It might have done some damage under the bumper as there looks to be a piece of balck plastic (wheel arch liner?) showing where the bumper meets the rear arch.

Chipsaway would sort that out. I had similar when an RSJ jumped out and hit my car. Cost me £100.

The question is- the wheel arch liner was dislodged as well which means someone was parallel parking and they'd have definitely heard a crunch (unless they had really loud music on) but then if they didn't hear it they'd have carried on with the move and caused even more damage- probably pulled the clips off the corner of the bumper/causing the bumper to sag etc.

Guessing alot here - but possibly either the driver is OLD, doesn't care a jot or was pissed when they came home.

The other car:
[img] [/img]

Not obvious on the photo, but that paint transfer is exactly the same green.

Peugeot 206? Its brazen. Why park your car back there with evidence on. Pissed driver or someone who thinks **** you.

At least you'd get your car repaired or try and t-cut out the paint wouldn't you?!!!

Personally I'd knock on doors until I found out whose car it was then ask them to come over/show them the damage and ask them pointblank about it.

I would do this. Even if they point blank deny it at least they'll know that you know it was them. Card marked and all that.

Also knocking on other neighbours doors brings it to their attention as well. Shame them into it or at least let your neighbours know what a plonker they are.

My money's on it being a young driver to scared or stupid to do something about it. You might find yourself knocking on his mum's door who will do the right thing.

Nothing ventured and all that...

Look at the number of scrapes on that car. Clearly they're either a cr@p driver or simply don't care.
Stick a note on the windscreen and appeal to their better nature, but I suspect you'll be ignored!

You are angry..

Seek revenge...

[img] [/img]

Insert in their exhaust pipe - get a brew and a hobnob and wait...

I was going to say "take photos" but you've already done that. Hm. Take better ones.

I strongly suspect that the other driver is either innocent or oblivious. If they knew and didn't want to 'fess up, they'd hide the car somewhere until they got it fixed (or, at least, face it away from you so you're less likely to notice.)

It is feasible that they just didn't realise. Years ago now, I once got a letter saying a claim was being made against me due to me clipping another car. Allegedly I was reversing out of a parking space in a car park and they claimed I'd caught their door as the nose swung out. I thought "yeah, right," but then went to look at my car and sure enough there was a scuff on my bumper that tallied with the photos of their damage. The solid bumper and relatively soft door skin meant that I simply couldn't feel it.

Its impossible to be oblivious though. You'd feel resistance and/or noise.

In any case do it sooner rather than later. Show someone the evidence asap and ask them to refuite it.

After all, whats to stop the owner of the 206 thinking 'its a nice day I might take my car for a £5 valet'. Then you'll never know if its buffed out.

You never know the persons Mum etc may say 'oh again FFS'. They may say 'no' or they may say 'how much'.

Leaving it may result in you feeling injustice and abit of stress.

Forget it and move on, it will be impossible to prove anything.

you have clearly not whathed CSI miami.

Its impossible to be oblivious though. You'd feel resistance and/or noise.

See my previous post. I didn't feel anything presumably due to the lack of resistance offered by the tinfoil door, nor did I feel the noise despite the recommendations from Slade.

Trust me. I can't park for toffee 😆

If that sort of damage is concerning you, never ever move to London you will be a nervous wreck.

Right, the missus has called the local plod for some advice.
They are sending a dibble round today to have a look and take a statement 😯

Girlfriends brother was their nextdoor neighbours reverse into my car a few years ago. Girlfriend was best friend with their daughter, all on good terms, invited to parties together etc. etc. - think we was reversing it back to get some space to swing it into the drive before slinking back into the house.

He completely and flatly denied putting a fist sized dent into the rear panel with the towing bar of his car. Couldn't have been him, never felt a thing, blah blah blah.

In the end we made him get his car out and lo and behold putting the cars back to back the damaged matched perfectly with the tow bar. he sheepishly agreed it must have been him and coughed up for the repair.

Have a quick word. if nothing else maybe you;ll know whos car it is. Like people say, maybe the son or daughter borrowed it that day.

Worth having a quick word, but when the same thing happened to my car the closest I got to an apology was '**** OFF' despite clear evidence she'd done it (mark on her car which matched the damage on mine exactly).

Then the next course of action is wait a month or so and nitromores at night.

Not a good idea hora, really. Esp if plod are aware of the situation. You'd find yourself up on criminal damage claim.

You need to acquire some bombers.

Worth having a quick word

Trouble is we don't know who to have a word with. It's not our immediate neighbours as we know all of them.

Anyways plod are involved now so we'll see what happens...

Trouble is we don't know who to have a word with. It's not our immediate neighbours as we know all of them

Block their car in. You'll find out soon enough. 🙂

GrahamS - where do you live fella? I'm amazed that the police are actually coming to look into the problem. Unless - a few years ago we did have a couple of PCs visit each house for a couple of streets round where I live as there had been multiple incidents and they were seeing is there were other minor ones that had not been reported or if anyone knew anything.

Both times I have had bikes stolen I have had to go in to the police station to report the thefts as there was no interest in coming out to see the crime scene.

Just another indication of the car-centric society we live in. No offense Graham but I suspect that the value of my bikes was at least as much as if not simply more than, what it is likely to get your wifes cars damage fixed, even at a main dealers.

Hora - yeah nitromores the suspect car cos that won't lead to escalation will it. I'm not saying the culprit should get away with it but do you really think anyone of the mentality that you are alluding to is likely to just accept it as a fair cop? yeah, right.

Right, Dibble has attended (must have been a very quiet day!). He confirmed that it looks like the same paint, at the same height, and looks very much like the other car struck us.

But because we first noticed the damage on our car at them end of September it happened too long ago to be worth pursuing.

Apparently we should have contacted them as soon as we noticed the damage on our car. 😯

Ah well. Back to Plan A. Note on the windscreen.

Should I write in blood, faeces or words cut out of newspapers?

Any suggestions for the wording? 😀

Attach a politely written note to the handle of the pick axe thats embedded in the cars bonnet. 😈

handle of the pick axe thats embedded in the cars bonnet.

[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/02/metropolitan-police-smashed-up-car ]according to the Met[/url] nothing wrong with that either

Hora - yeah nitromores the suspect car cos that won't lead to escalation will it. I'm not saying the culprit should get away with it but do you really think anyone of the mentality that you are alluding to is likely to just accept it as a fair cop? yeah, right.

So you are suggesting the person will automatically think 'its that ****er across the street whose car I scratched'?

Walks across road and bangs on OP's door 'I know it was you as I was the one who drove into your car and kept quiet about it'.

😆

To be fair the Police response that its too long is obvious. You should have reported the 'crime' sooner.

Personally I'd have done it the other way round. Asked the neighbours first, called the Police second. That would have saved the Police a lot of time, effort and money.

Geez

Regardless of Plod being powerless (its a civil matter, no crime can be proven) he is I believe bound to give you the registered keeper deatils of the other vehicle, you can also ask the DVLA this yourself as you have a genuine reason, or your insurance will tell you if you report it.

Plod has confirmed the paint from your car on their car, so you are home dry on that and I think anyone looking at those photos would surely agree they are much more likely to have been reversing into you than the other way round - civil proof being balance of probability = you win.

Keep at it gently but firmly and you should get enough repair money without having to shoot anyone (or evacuate your bladder in their galoshes)

You should have reported the 'crime' sooner.

Never occurred to us to report it when we first noticed it, as we had no idea when it had happened or who did it - so it seemed pointless.

But the officer maintained we should have as they could have checked for witness statements and CCTV footage 😯 (which seems like a hypothetically thorough investigation for a scratch).

That would have saved the Police a lot of time, effort and money.

The missus only called them for a bit of advice about what to do. They insisted on sending someone round. She explicitly said to them [i]"Isn't that a waste of police time and money?"[/i] and they said [i]"Oh no madam, I crime has been committed"[/i].

yeah nitromores the suspect car

Nitro Mors is old skool. Gallium is where it is at (assuming Pugs are made from aluminium):

I'd be 50:50 on confronting them, the downside would be if they counter-accused you of doing the damage to their car, could end up as an insurance mess. Given there are no witnesses you would just be relying on their goodwill to fess up if you did confront them, seems unlikely in this day and age... Ofc without giving them the chance to fess up/compensate then you can't really retaliate either so you're stuck either way :p

he is I believe bound to give you the registered keeper deatils of the other vehicle

He said he could confirm it was "registered locally" but couldn't tell us where.

The vast majority of cars on the road are made from steel, so a gallium attack may not be your best option either.

[b]Update:[/b] well in an interesting turn of events, enquiries made to our other neighbours suggest the car belongs to a guy in another street, who may be a consultant at the hospital where the missus works.

Ahhh...

can of spray paint in "bilious vomit green" & stencil "oops" on the panel above their wheelarch ?

Edit following update: just key it instead

(I used to work at a hospital where one of the senior nurses' cars was keyed in the carpark. CCTV showed a consultant doing it 😆 )

I never really understood why people key / scratch / intentionally damage someone's car for no reason at all. Tit for tat I can sort of justify, but mindless damage just doesn't make sense to me.