Scratched some guy's car, need advice!

[jnfr]

Okay, so on Sunday, my boyfriend was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We went to a plaza in Scarborough to eat and my boyfriend wasn't paying attention to his parking and scratched the car that was parked next to the parking spot we had our eye on. After he parked properly, he surveyed the damage on his own car and it was NOTHING, it was basically just like, dust from the other guy's car.

Then, we looked at the other guy's car (it was a Pontiac) and there was a visible scratch on it. We took pictures and left a note (it was the right thing to do) telling him to call us and we'll pay a reasonable amount for repair.

Here are the pictures of the scratches I took on my cell phone:







So then later, he calls my boyfriend and says that he basically couldn't find any scratches on his car (even though we told him, above the back right wheel), and then he asks us to send him pictures. He even suggested we made a totally irrelevant scratch on the other side of his car!!

We sent him the pictures from above.

He sends us back an e-mail saying he washed his car and he attached a picture of the scratch he suddenly notices.




He tells us he's going to bring it into the body shop tomorrow (today- Monday) and get an estimate. Okay fine, we're thinking it's just going to be a paint job.

TODAY, he e-mails us back and says:

Here is the quote for repairing the damaged part near the passenger side's rear wheel.
Preliminary estimate Material + Labour (tax included) = $468.95.

It will take 2 days to repair.

Rental car for 2 days during repair costs about $95 (tax included).

The total compensation to cover this incident is $563.95. Please let me know today if this is what you may consider to compensate the damage. Also, how soon can you deliver the compensation? I need to book an appointment soon.

The Body shop is Thornhill Precision Automotive, Unit 5 - 60 Green Lane, Thornhill, Ontario L3T 7P5. The phone number is ### ### ####. You may ask for [withheld]. He appraised the damage.

Please let me know today.

As if that amount wasn't shocking enough, he follows up with another e-mail a few minutes later:

Just to let you know that this quote is preliminary and based on the best estimate that they can do without taking the bumper off for inspection. If they do, they will have to charge a fee $85.

They told me from their experience and visual inspection that there should be only the paint job needed to be done. If there are more problems, they will leave it open, during re-painting, for you and me to see and verify because they will do any additional work. In that scenario, the compensation will go up. But they are quite confident, this possibility is very low.

I hope this is clear.

WHAT! I mean, was the damage even ON the bumper?
Okay first of all, is this guy milking us for all we've got? Are those prices reasonable?

What should I do?!

UPDATE

We just replied the guy with the following:

Hi *,

Surely you must not have expected the estimates for this damage to be so high, which is why I am very taken aback by these numbers. Unfortunately, at this point (I am a University student paying my own tuition), I feel like upwards of $600 is far too much to pay for such a scratch. I know some people who are studying auto mechanics who have given me significantly lower estimates, and even ballparked the repair to take less than 4 hours. It does not seem reasonable for me to pay extra for a rental car while yours is in the shop.

What I am trying to say is that I am not willing to go through with the quoted compensation for repairs on your car at that body shop in Thornhill. I have two proposals. One, is that I find one or two other reputable body shops and get more estimates, or two, is that I pay you $300 flat, right away. My condition for the first suggestion is that I be present, since you thought I had initially caused another scratch on your car, I would like to be there to ensure the estimates only embody the damage I have caused. You mentioned when you first called that you thought the damage incurred was on the rear bumper of your car, and could not even locate the scratch until I sent you pictures detailing the incident, which suggests that the state of your vehicle was not in pristine condition to begin with. I do not mean to accuse you or anything, but you must understand that the amount you are asking for is far too high.

I know we agreed to get this sorted out as soon as possible but I will only feel comfortable paying up if I am confident it is the right amount.

I hope you understand things on my end,
*

[robbiedigital]

Although this is a bit late, you shouldn't have reported anything.

Anyway, what I would do now is simply write back to him and say that you did not expect the damage to cost so much and you cannot afford to pay. Tell him (bluff?) that you'll have to go through insurance.

Parking lot accidents are considered 50-50 by insurance, and therefore he probably won't bother getting it fixed.

Same thing happened to me, though I was on the receiving end of this very story.

[fastlayne]

That body panel on the vehicle is the rear bumper skin/cover and starts immediately behind the rear wheels (as your pictures show).

Painting the whole bumper skin is certainly $400+. (And if it was my car, I would ensure that the skin was removed for painting to avoid tape lines, which would add to the cost.)

[jnfr]

This might guy also be trying to get as much repaired on his car as he can by having us pay for it. That's what I'm scared of.

[booblehead]

Request two more quotes and go from there.

[Tomy]

the quote seems legit, however, there are many different ways in painting this bumper..

in this case, they chose the most expensive way, probably new paint on the bumper+ labour at ~65$

u can always take those pictures, go to a well respected garage and get them to give u a ballpark estimate.

or go to malibu forums and pray that someone is selling or willing to sell their rear bumper at a cheaper price.

and work out a deal with them.. u did a goodwill, i guess they are willing to forgo to rental of 100$ to save u a few bucks.

[Mayoo]

Yes I think he is milking .. I had a similar but small scratch and it took 4hours for the paint job done by jacking up the car.. You don’t need to remove the bumper for this .. it costed me $200 all in .. its not a low end paint job ..

[ullyeus]

This might guy also be trying to get as much repaired on his car as he can by having us pay for it. That's what I'm scared of.

It seems like a very reasonable quote for me...what were you expecting?

I don't imagine just about anything on a car costing less than $500, even cosmetic.

[Whitedart]

WHAT! I mean, was the damage even ON the bumper?
Okay first of all, is this guy milking us for all we've got? Are those prices reasonable?

That scratch is on the bumper cover, that runs from that passenger side wheel, around the back of the car to the driver side wheel. Given the prep work involved, paint setup at $100 an hour at a shop, quart of auto paint and colour matching, etc. it would seem reasonable.

What should I do?!

Pay for the repair. It was not the other driver's fault.
But consider what would you do if it was your car that was scratched. Would you not want it repaired?

[robbiedigital]

Trust me, don't pay.

I'm 99% sure parking lot accidents are 50/50 liability, meaning that his company will pay for his damage and your bfs will pay for damage to his (none).

I know it's not the right thing to do, but do your research (confirm what I'm saying) and tell him you can't pay. He will have to take his car to a collision centre to have it reported. Does he have your names, addresses, license plates, insurance info, etc. (in other words, all the things you are supposed to exchange during an accident)?

I'm guessing not, in which case, I think you can just walk away from this altogether.

[jnfr]

Trust me, don't pay.

I'm 99% sure parking lot accidents are 50/50 liability, meaning that his company will pay for his damage and your bfs will pay for damage to his (none).

I know it's not the right thing to do, but do your research (confirm what I'm saying) and tell him you can't pay. He will have to take his car to a collision centre to have it reported. Does he have your names, addresses, license plates, insurance info, etc. (in other words, all the things you are supposed to exchange during an accident)?

I'm guessing not, in which case, I think you can just walk away from this altogether.

I'll look into the insurance thing. So the guy can claim the repairs through his insurance company as if we never contacted him before?

All he has is my boyfriend's e-mail address, cell number (which is going to change in January when we go back to school) and first & last name which show up on his e-mails.

[Shaner]

I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt it's 50/50 when the other person wasn't even in the car. You hit a parked car, I would be shocked if it's not 100% your fault. Parking lot accidents are almost always 50/50 when both drivers are in the vehicle, but things change when you hit a parked car.

But listen to that guys advice and try and run and hide. The guy will probably report it to the police as a hit and run and your boyfriend could get in some serious trouble. He has your boyfriends name and a cell phone number, the police will be able to track him down based on that information.

Also, if he does go through his own insurance, your insurance will be notified and your rates could possibly go up.

Anything under $500 for car repairs is more than reasonable. My neighbour once hit my car causing a very small dent and a small scratch. My car was a Pontiac Sunfire, so nothing special. It cost $800 to get it fixed.

You hit the guys parked car. That is entirely your fault, regardless of insurance policies. How would you feel if someone hit your car? Do the right thing and pay for the damage.

Also, isn't that a Chevy and not a Pontiac?

[robbiedigital]

I'll look into the insurance thing. So the guy can claim the repairs through his insurance company as if we never contacted him before?

All he has is my boyfriend's e-mail address, cell number (which is going to change in January when we go back to school) and first & last name which show up on his e-mails.

I honestly don't know...this is getting into territory which is a bit shady. I'm sure there are people who know the intricacies of all of this more than I do, but you are certainly NOT obligated to pay him just because you offered. As far as the government/police/insurance is concerned, at the moment, there was no accident between you two. That's all I'm saying.

If you refuse, his next step should probably be to take his car to a Collision Centre to report the accident. I don't know what info the ask for "the other guy" when you get there. Is a name sufficient to identify your bf as the other party, I don't know.

Hope that helps.

[nsr250]

I'm pretty sure its an Impala

[Shaner]

I'm pretty sure its an Impala

that's what I thought based on the pics. It looks like an Impala, not a Malibu. Also, unless I'm mistaken, Impala's are strictly Chevy and were never labeled with the Pontiac badge. Not that it matters, I'm just curious.