Car Ding on Brand New Car from Car Parked Next to Me

Hugh G Rection on 29/06/2024 - 20:49
Last edited 01/07/2024 - 18:44 by 1 other user

I was at Westfield and got a car ding from the backdoor of the maroon car next to me. I can even see a bit of maroon paint on my door and it is fresh as my car is dirty for not washing it for a week. And that ding really shows well from the uniform film of dirt on my car. Also if I would follow the door travel of the back door to my car, it lines up perfectly. So I know it is the car that parked next to me. probably their kid just swung the door open and jumped out. No one was around and I had to leave as my parking time is about to run out.

What do I do in this situation? I got their licence plate, make and model and took pictures. Is this just an insurance claim, or don't bother and just get a touch up?

I wouldn't mind really if I had an old used car, but my new car I only had a few months and purchased brand new. So it hurts paying so much for something nice only to have a crappy car next to me hit it. I can tell they are a bad driver, it has scratches on wheels from curbing it from parallel parking, scratches on all four corners of the car from cutting to early or too late around bends or other cars, etc… they definitely don't care about their car.

Automotive

Comments

  • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 20:51
    +59

    make their cost of living harder and file that insurance claim

    • TrumpisKing on 30/06/2024 - 11:02
      +29

      OP is supposed to care about their situation when they clearly don't care about their own? What a dumb comment.

      • askbargain on 30/06/2024 - 21:03
        +9

        what are you even trying to say and how does that relate to my comment?

      • MrFrugalSpend on 01/07/2024 - 12:51
        +4

        You are assuming askbargain was being sarcastic? I took it as sincere / vengeful

      • ripesashimi on 01/07/2024 - 13:21
        -1

        Did you just assume their gender intention?

        Who said anything about anyone caring for anything

      • Haulien on 30/06/2024 - 15:58
        +54

        Do you own the maroon car?

          • shreav on 02/07/2024 - 12:02
            +7

            @HeWhoKnows: Yeah because telling the OP to suck eggs was reaaaally helpful. :/

      • banana365 on 30/06/2024 - 18:09
        +3

        So you're saying that OP needs to look no further than @HeWhoKnows for the guilty party?

          • Velocita on 02/07/2024 - 09:51
            +5

            @HeWhoKnows: Did you just refer to yourself in the third person? Forget to switch accounts to back yourself up? LOL.

            • lgacb08 on 09/07/2024 - 15:50
              -3

              @Velocita: Mate, you must be very bad at English at school, people refer themselves as a third person for a purpose, doesn't mean he got 2 accounts.

              • Velocita on 21/07/2024 - 14:37
                -1

                @lgacb08: You think my command of the English language is bad? Pot calling the kettle black much? Your sentence structure is all over the place.

      • smartazz104 on 30/06/2024 - 22:10
        +7

        This is very common in car parks so just put up with it or dont park in car parks

        Confirmation bias.

        • HeWhoKnows on 01/07/2024 - 20:52

          Shows a lack of real life experience on your part.

          You obviously dont drive a car and hence dont park in shopping centre car parks

      • sildosaggins on 01/07/2024 - 09:46
        +6

        You got negged but it's true. Unless you got a Tesla or something that recorded the event from the side of the car, it's over.

        • HeWhoKnows on 01/07/2024 - 20:47
          -1

          Yes, correct
          Lots of "immature" people here with no real-life experience making ridiculous and impractical suggestions.
          They reject the hard facts and reality of life simply because they dont like it.

          Then the poor OP gets the wrong advice and either gets in trouble or wastes an incredible amount of time getting nowhere

      • donman92 on 02/07/2024 - 10:33
        +3

        Dang it, I've run of negative votes. I'll set a reminder to come back.

      • beltdrive on 02/07/2024 - 17:12
        +2

        tldr

        negged

  • PissLUR on 29/06/2024 - 21:00

    claim on your insurance and pay the excess.

    • Murkymerv on 29/06/2024 - 22:33
      +16

      The excess may cost more than the repair

        • MS Paint on 30/06/2024 - 13:38
          +6

          He just needs the photo's and the license plate of the offending vehicle, insurance will follow up the rest.

          I don't think that's the way it works but I've been proven wrong plenty of times in the past.

        • umoddbro on 30/06/2024 - 13:57
          +20

          Thats not how it works if thats the case then everyone will just go to a shopping centre carpark snap some pics of the most beat up car and file an insurance claim saying they dinged you…

        • Archi on 01/07/2024 - 08:22
          +2

          Hmmm… let me see, I have a big scratch on my door, I think I'll go park next to a car of similar colour of the scratch and take a couple of photos and hey presto I can get my car fixed or free…

          don't think that is how insurance works my friend,

          likely scenario… if the OP claims on insurance. they will need to pay the excess first and then if and that is a big 'IF' your insurance company can recover the excess from the other person, then they will refund you.

      • Drakesy on 02/07/2024 - 10:39
        +1

        The excess may will cost more than the repair

    • HeWhoKnows on 30/06/2024 - 15:04
      +4

      Thats what it amounts to.
      basically its OPs cost

      And they will tarnish thier insurnace record at the same time
      Then watch the premium go up the following year.

      Unfortunately such dints are just a fact of life when it comes to parking in shopping centre car parks

      By the way OP…
      In case you havent noticed….
      brand new cars attract other cars to them all the time (like magnets)
      Dont be surprised when you are involved in a traffic accident next

    • HeWhoKnows on 01/07/2024 - 20:56

      OPs options are as they presented them:
      "is this just an insurance claim, or don't bother and just get a touch up"

      OP can bear the cost (excess) of the insurnace claim and OPs premium will increase next renewal
      OP can bear the cost if they dont bother - just put up with looking at the ding each time - can OP handle that?
      OP can bear the cost of a touch up.- either professionally or just use a can of touch up paint?

      What Op cant do is blame someone else without any witness or videocam evidence.
      Even if OP was present the other party can simply deny everything.
      Hence its doubtful that any claim would be succesful

  • Nugs on 29/06/2024 - 21:00
    +29

    NEVER park a 'new' car in a pokey car park
    .

    • Hugh G Rection on 29/06/2024 - 21:16
      +4

      i always park far away, but the westfields was super packed, so i couldn't avoid anyone.

      • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:20
        +1

        valet that baby

      • Murkymerv on 29/06/2024 - 22:31
        +24

        Ever notice when you do this , you'll always end up with someone beside you !

        • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 11:55
          +3

          Exactly, I try to park far away with plenty of free car spaces then when I get back it's always got a car right next to me and like 30 empty car spaces around that they could have parked at where they wouldn't have had any cars near them.

        • LFO on 30/06/2024 - 13:20
          +2

          you'll always end up with someone beside you !

          Spot on!
          Herd mentality at its best.

          How about driving well further away to park "alone" and then someone will also "drive well further away" to park just next to you !

          Happens at Ikea once. Patiently drove away to the next empty row of desolated, empty, parking bays (so I can freely and fully open all doors) and she told me: "what is wrong with parking next to you?"

          I guess some drivers need extra assurance that is OK to park "here".
          Herd mentality indeed.

          • Murkymerv on 30/06/2024 - 16:04
            +4

            @LFO: Shit , why stop there . Just leave the bloody car in the garage !

        • joka on 30/06/2024 - 14:20
          +3

          I do that on purpose sometimes for a laugh when I see a car parked afar.

          • LFO on 01/07/2024 - 10:10

            @joka: Gotcha!

            Now I know why it happens …

        • sildosaggins on 01/07/2024 - 09:50
          +4

          I reckon some people want to park far away as well, but at the same time are horrible at parking so they need a reference vehicle next to them to help them park to see if they're lined up. You see it all the time, a lot of people need reference cars because they're hopeless at using the lines.

        • Tleyx on 02/07/2024 - 15:29
          +1

          People who park far away are more careful so it makes sense to park next to them is my thought process

      • 2esc on 30/06/2024 - 08:33
        +4

        Even though i bought one of our car with dents and scratches we still park well away away from people there always people that will park near you.

        I joke to my kids that cars get lonely and their owners like to park them near others even ifbthere isva 100 vacant spaces.

      • Antikythera on 30/06/2024 - 15:21
        -3

        park in the middle of two spots. its the only way. let the poor people with old cars park one to a spot.

    • Lastchancetosee on 30/06/2024 - 18:47
      +9

      We always try to park between two vehicles that cost twice our car., on the principle that they'd be unwilling to scrape their doors. So far so good.

      • BobLim on 01/07/2024 - 01:58
        +3

        I prefer slightly older but excellent condition vehicles.

        Brand new cars are quite possibly very recently purchased, or a lease, and currently operated by someone who takes very little care but it hasn't had time to show yet.

        • thanatos350 on 01/07/2024 - 20:23
          +7

          Nah man, just check for rim rash. It gives you an idea about their visuospatial skills, driving ability, and general regard for car condition.

          • BobLim on 01/07/2024 - 20:40

            @thanatos350: Good tip!

            • Lastchancetosee on 02/07/2024 - 21:56

              @BobLim: Yep. If one of the new cars has a dent, i go elsewhere. Don't wantbto find myself saddled with their repairs

      • Archi on 02/07/2024 - 08:36

        i prefer vans and people movers

    • skidexa on 01/07/2024 - 07:40
      +1

      Victim blaming

    • beltdrive on 02/07/2024 - 17:14

      what's the alternative? leave it at home? dings and scratches are a fact of life. wabi sabi. just live with it.

  • boomramada on 29/06/2024 - 21:03
    +20

    what do i do in this situation?

    Just drive it for few more years till good set of dings, then fix it if needed.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 29/06/2024 - 21:05
    +1

    Make the claim, pay excess, move on

    And if you have to park in a car park at a shopping center park in a spot that's in a corner next to a pillar.

    No car is new forever. You can get a scratch or ding driving it off the lot.

    If it means that much to you and it's expensive, get it PPF wrapped.

    But the fact that you said it was dirty means you don't really care that much.

    • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:08
      -4

      No car is new forever. You can get a scratch or ding driving it off the lot.

      so my car is now a punching bag?

      get it PPF wrapped.

      PPF is a scam in Australia with high labour costs

      But the fact that you said it was dirty means you don't really care that much.

      because it doesn't rain

      • coffeeinmyveins on 29/06/2024 - 21:27
        +2

        PPF is a scam in Australia with high labour costs

        Don't think you know what a scam is

        so my car is now a punching bag

        Forget to change accounts?

        • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:48
          -3

          Don't think you know what a scam is

          it's a ripoff, a scam, whatever you want to say

          Forget to change accounts?

          nah im just taking this personally. does it look like we are the same person.

      • LFO on 30/06/2024 - 13:23
        +1

        so my car is now a punching bag?

        Gee!!! is that soft and ugly????

        • garage sale on 30/06/2024 - 22:27
          +3

          birds poop on it, and it’s gets rained on, need to accept that doors will tap your car, maybe even shopping trollies, unfortunately you can’t get a cigarette lighter powered shield to protect your car … car parking sports are usually too small to protect from other cars opening doors fully.

      • Devastator0 on 30/06/2024 - 14:20
        +1

        Getting a full car PPF done properly is going to be expensive anywhere, not just in Australia.

    • Hugh G Rection on 29/06/2024 - 21:15
      +2

      i do care, but its suppose to rain tomorrow, so its scheduled to get detailed tomorrow afternoon so its fresh for the week.

      • coffeeinmyveins on 29/06/2024 - 21:29
        -1

        Right.

        What car do you have?

        Learn to detail it yourself, you'll save a lot of money.

        Hope you aren't using a car wash detailer

        • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:51
          +9

          $2k merc b180

          oops forgot to change accounts

      • Antikythera on 30/06/2024 - 15:19
        +2

        skip a week or two detailing and use the money saved to pay for the scratch to be fixed.

  • MS Paint on 29/06/2024 - 21:14
    +6

    Can I buy a capital letter please John?

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 29/06/2024 - 21:48
      +4

      Here are a few: FFS OP

      • MS Paint on 29/06/2024 - 22:05
        +5

        Capitals make sentences. Cheers.

  • JIMB0 on 29/06/2024 - 21:15
    +12

    Now it's not a brand new car. Keep it in the garage and don't drive it if you want to keep it brand new. There's the old saying "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for".

    • Draycen on 30/06/2024 - 09:14
      +1

      They parked their ship in Westfields? Wow..

      😜

      • nikey2k27 on 03/07/2024 - 17:19

        my local shopping center has boat parking you poor land lock people.

    • DoctorCalculon on 30/06/2024 - 21:04

      OP saying their car is brand new is an oxymoron.
      It ceased to be as soon they drove it out of the dealership.

      Their dilemma should just be framed as: "My car was dinged at a parking lot by a careless driver, and I don't have complete dashcam footage, just a hunch."

      • boredofficeworker on 02/07/2024 - 18:24
        -1

        An oxymoron isn’t what you think it is.

  • OMGJL on 29/06/2024 - 21:16

    I am a novice at this and will leave it to the experts:

    say if you do file a insurance claim, and you have details from the other car Will they waive the excess fee because you are not at fault and have details from the driver at fault?

    if they did waive the excess: is your insurance premium gonna increase next year?

    if they won't waive the excess—- why won't they, would someone mind to explain me what make they don't?

    what make the situation harder is the fact the car is not in motion, so only thing to proof it is CCTV in the mall? Would be simpler if both car is in motion?

    • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:20
      +1

      they waive excess if you can prove the other person did it and you have the name and address of the offender

      • OMGJL on 29/06/2024 - 21:20
        +1

        say if OP did find the proof (CCTV or what not)

        would insurance gone up next year?

        • askbargain on 29/06/2024 - 21:49

          it shouldn't. but if you have too many not at fault claims that's another issue.

        • superuser on 30/06/2024 - 10:24
          +1

          The insurance will go up no matter what!

          • OMGJL on 30/06/2024 - 10:48

            @superuser: I should add "compare to if there's no claim"

            • SlickMick on 30/06/2024 - 14:51

              @OMGJL: Same answer. Insurance doesn't necessarily go up because you have an accident, but the cost of paying claims is a big part of premiums, so everyone's premium goes up a little in that sense.

          • TilacVIP on 09/07/2024 - 10:46

            @superuser: It will go up a helluva lot more once you make a claim.

        • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 12:13
          +1

          No it won't, if you are not at fault of an accident your insurance premiums do not not increase because of it and you don't pay excess.

          Also you don't need a persons name and address, you only need the vehicles license plate. The insurance company can get the other info it needs from the car registration.

          If you have CCTV evidence it would make the proof more concrete but even with photo evidence it's not as difficult as people on this post make it out to be to prove fault.

          • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2024 - 12:41

            @Dejy: How? The person in the car next to their’s just claims it wasn’t them. That there might’ve been a different car parked there prior to their arrival. You think they are going to do paint tests to confirm who did it?

            We had our new car dinged and we just wrote it off to experience. We weren’t looking to find those responsible. You park in car parks there isn’t enough room to open doors. This happens.

              • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2024 - 13:40
                -1

                @Dejy: Just saying the other person is likely to deny it so where does that leave the OP? They could claim he got the mark elsewhere and decided to park near a car of the same colour to claim it was them. The odds on the shopping centre have clear footage of a door ding is probably fairly low too. Just waiting for the follow up that the insurance company pinged them for the excess because the other driver denied liability and there was no video evidence to back up the claim.

                If he goes through the insurance company for this, then decides to change insurers in the future, he will have to answer “yes” on the have you claimed on your insurance before. That will increase premiums.

                • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 15:59
                  +2

                  @try2bhelpful: The other person can deny it if they like and that could be their argument but various factors are pointing towards them and you just need circumstantial evidence. Your insurance company and their insurance company will decide who is at fault if the other party denies the claim, you just provide the evidence which can include photo's, independent eyewitness accounts, physical proof, police reports, etc.

                  This is why you pay insurance, the insurance company deals with it in the backend.

                  Incorrect about the premiums increase, you don't pay extra premiums if you have had no-fault claims only at-fault claims. They typically call these no-claim discounts (NCD) but they are specifically for at-fault claims.

                  I have dealt with a similar situation as OP in the past, I also used to work with a auto repairs shop and dealt with insurers and insurance claims frequently but feel free to tell me your expert advise based on that one time you didn't make a claim cause you thought it would go nowhere.

                  • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2024 - 16:12

                    @Dejy: Let the OP make the claim and I would be interested to see the outcome. Just pointing out all the issues. Will be interested to hear what the outcome is and if the OP doesn’t end up with a penalty in the future from the claim. He will still have to say he made a claim if he applies for insurance in the future even if it was no fault found.

                    • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 16:23
                      +1

                      @try2bhelpful: You should try go through the quote process and check the premiums based on selecting this option to check for yourself. If they have a option "have you made a claim in the last 5 years" (for example) they would typically have a follow up asking if you were at fault or the question would initially be "have you made an at fault claim in the last 5 years" (for example).

                      Yes the OP should make the claim, they have nothing to lose and even if the insurance company comes back and says they aren't able to lay blame on the offending vehicles owners then he can cancel the claim and he is back to where he is now with a brand new damaged car that he will need to get repaired out of his own pocket. Or he could continue the claim which would be marked as an at-fault claim, pay the excess and have his premiums increased but it likely wouldn't be worth it.

                • cloudy on 30/06/2024 - 17:09
                  -1

                  @try2bhelpful:

                  The odds on the shopping centre have clear footage of a door ding is probably fairly low too.

                  this i think is true, most car parks are so narrow most doors only open partially, so i would stop the door just before hitting others, it'll be so close you wouldn't see a gap unless you stand in the exact spot. Otherwise it'll look like it might have hit but in reality its got a 2-3cm gap. So I'd love to see anyone with conclusive video of car door dings, especially from shopping centre CCTV.

          • trapper on 01/07/2024 - 21:57

            @Dejy:

            Also you don't need a persons name and address, you only need the vehicles license plate.

            Not in this case as the other driver wasn't actually involved. Was almost certainly a passenger who opened that rear door.

        • greatlamp on 03/07/2024 - 10:40

          You won't have the details of the driver. Even a private carpark is unable to enforce a parking fine with only a number plate. That's why Wilsons etc. encourage you to make an account and pre-book parking.

    • tkboi on 01/07/2024 - 20:05

      I have been in this situation and also went all the way and made a police report.

      Police pretty much said impossible to prove unless you have CCTV footage of incident happening (i have audio recording of me arguing with the person that dented my car before they drove off and police said they cant use that audio cos its illegal to record audio without permission) but at the same time for insurance you need to have there details.

      So you need 2 things which is nearly impossible to get (my dude was a (profanity) and obviously knew the rules and drove off without giving me his details as well)

      So you can use your insurance but you would have to pay the excess unless you have the details i stated above.

      • OMGJL on 01/07/2024 - 21:33

        damn, I am sorry for what you have went through.

        now looking back is there anything you would have done better if similar thing happens? Or you reckon that's just luck of the draw (if the other dude didn't know better, happen to have video footage etc)

        (gotta admit that 360 guard camera in Tesla is definitely nice to have…

        • tkboi on 01/07/2024 - 21:39
          +1

          hrm to be honest nothing much, sometimes you have to take the lost.

          Wasnt worth my life and time, i reckon the dude would of reversed over me (thats how much of a prick he was) with his wife and newborn in the car as well

          • OMGJL on 01/07/2024 - 21:40
            +1

            @tkboi: such a prick..

            I am sure he will face consequence one day if he kept doing enough of this

  • GordonR on 29/06/2024 - 21:26
    +1

    Call your insurer.

    Most likely the best thing is to just pay yourself, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

  • TEER3X on 29/06/2024 - 21:31
    +10

    Even with all the evidence you have, none of it is actually usable evidence

    • try2bhelpful on 29/06/2024 - 21:36

      Agree. Unless there is Video footage there is no proof it was done by that car.

        • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2024 - 14:01
          -1

          When the roof blows off your house you don’t sue God. Somebody tried that it didn’t work. There is nothing to stop the person making the claim. The point is it is unlikely, in this scenario, they can pin it on the other person parked next to them. They will, probably, have to cough up the excess and have to admit to a claim when they look at different insurers.

            • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2024 - 14:46

              @xwx: No probs. Just pointing out likely outcomes. Not worth it for a ding.

              We had a car run into ours at an intersection and drive off. We had the number plate details. The cops talked to the owners and the owners said the car had been stolen that morning. A few days later the owners found the car around the corner from them. There was nothing the cops could do because they couldn’t prove anything.

              BTW the cat is Esmeralda Weatherwax. Terry Pratchett character who is a witch. We have two of them, the other is Marie Curie. Our first cat was Schrödinger and one of our others was Heisenberg. Got my female physicist.

              • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 16:55
                +2

                @try2bhelpful: Hmm, you seem to get into a few incidents which should have resulted in insurance claims but never do. In the other thread you got a car ding in a car park and you didn't pursue it because "their isn't enough room to open doors in car spaces" according to your comments and here your car got hit at an intersection and they drove off but you had their plates. That car was later reported stolen, so this would have been an easy no-fault claim.

                The insurance company would have went off your reports, police reports and photo's you sent of the damage on your car and compared it against the damage of the stolen car that was found.

                Seriously are you making these up or did these actually happen and you never reached out to your insurance company on how to proceed with them?

        • cloudy on 30/06/2024 - 20:04
          -1

          Also how do you think insurance and courts operated at all prior to video?

          Are you suggesting that prior to video all you had to do was claim someone else did it and your insurance will say yeah sure we will fix the damage with no excess any time?

          Whilst what you write is all good, if you’re gonna accuse someone of doing something you surely need evidence, what evidence was use prior to video, can you please share coz I honestly have no idea…

    • DoctorCalculon on 30/06/2024 - 21:07
      +1

      Just circumstantial evidence. No CCTV / dashcam footage + complete details of the offending owner / operator of the vehicle.

  • Dollar General on 29/06/2024 - 22:22
    +3

    May be cheaper just to get the ding pulled out and move on

    • MS Paint on 29/06/2024 - 22:32
      +15

      When I enquired about having my ding pulled out it was $200 for 15 minutes. I told her to move on.

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