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

      • JIMB0 on 29/06/2024 - 22:45

        I was quoted $20 for it to be done by hand with other services. I politely declined, looks like I missed out on a bargain.

      • pegaxs on 29/06/2024 - 22:56
        +3

        Ding pulling pays rent, cheers.

      • Minimum chips on 30/06/2024 - 01:21
        +3

        $200? I have a mate who'll do it way more cheap. Full service,works out of his garage, further discount if you supply your own oil.

        • Eeples on 30/06/2024 - 05:47
          +7

          You’re still talking about the car repair, right?

        • Archi on 02/07/2024 - 08:41

          are you sure you are talking about the same type of pulling.

      • Dollar General on 30/06/2024 - 07:48
        +3

        Was the issue the $200 or 15 minutes being too much time?

        • boomramada on 30/06/2024 - 14:41
          +1

          Probably looking for one hr service? 😉

  • bobbified on 29/06/2024 - 23:15
    +7

    Unfortunately, this shit happens in car parks. Some people are just inconsiderate, dont care or just jealous. I try park my car away from others and I've been lucky so far.

    If you're planning on making a claim, it might be helpful to try and get surveillance footage from Westfield. This will probably be a process in itself since it may not even capture something so small (but it could show them standing around looking and pointing at what they or their kids have done) and they might cite privacy, etc and only supply it to the police.

  • wallaby12 on 29/06/2024 - 23:16
    +4

    Next time instal dash cam front and rear with good parking mode. In case like that you're increasing your chance to have the excess waived (insurance claim) or you file for 'hit and run' or you do both - report for hit and run and you trigger insurance claim at the same time.

  • mrkorrupt on 30/06/2024 - 00:01
    +2

    ummm, did you actually see them do it? or have footage of them?

  • abear on 30/06/2024 - 09:27
    +1

    The PDR (paintless dent removal ) guys do a virtually undetectable repair provided there is no paint missing.
    Worth doing as the car is new .
    As the car gets older, there will be more dents and stone chips which wont matter as much by then

  • JimmyF on 30/06/2024 - 09:48
    +2

    no one was around
    what do i do in this situation? i got their license plate, make and model and took pictures.

    You can't do anything against the other driver, as it is a hearsay argument. You didn't see them, you can't 100% prove it was them, they can say it wasn't them and honestly its a you vs them in this case. You could even have the wrong car, even if things look to line up.

    is this just an insurance claim, or don't bother and just get a touch up?

    It is an at fault insurance claim.

    Was any paint taken off? If not, drop into a paint less dent repairs and get a quote.

  • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 12:42
    +8

    I had a similar thing happen to me but I was sitting in my car parked at a shopping centre carpark when a work ute parked beside me and they swung their door open and banged into my passenger door. It was so hard I could feel the car move and they seemed unfazed but I jumped out and saw the damage and got their details (car rego, phone number and photo of their license). They admitted fault and I let them know I would be going through insurance to get it repaired.

    I made a claim through insurance and told them what occurred and gave the details of the offending car, I called the driver of the other vehicle to let them know the details were submitted so my insurance company will reach out to them soon but then they changed their stance and disputed the claim saying they were not at fault and that the dent must've been from another time.

    I told them they were free to tell the insurance company whatever they like but I would be happy to submit the video from my car (which auto records when it thinks its been in an incident for 30 sec before and after) and also the shopping centre video showing them causing the damage so if they wanted to add the possibility of fraud charges with it then they are welcome to.

    Insurance went through without an issue and they didn't dispute it. I didn't pay anything and damage was repaired.

    • cloudy on 30/06/2024 - 13:59

      Did you actually get the video from the shopping centre? or just said you did?

      • MS Paint on 30/06/2024 - 14:05
        -2

        Im guessing it was just intimidation, Mick Gatto style.

      • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 15:34
        +1

        I went back to try get it, just in case they did dispute it and I needed evidence but none of the shopping centre camera's ended up being pointed that way.

        • MS Paint on 30/06/2024 - 16:06

          So confirmed. It was intimidation. FFS.

          • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 16:12
            +3

            @MS Paint: No, not intimidation. How are trying to spin this to where I am the bad guy when someone damaged my car then tried to lie his way out if it?

            I still have the video of the incident on my PC from my cars recorder, the shopping centre just didn't have a video of it because they didn't have a camera recording that specific location.

            • MS Paint on 30/06/2024 - 16:25
              -4

              @Dejy: Is bullshitting a better term?

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

                @MS Paint: No, at the time I believed the shopping centre would have had video of it because I assumed they would cover most of their parking areas. But this is not the case, especially if you are further away from the shopping centre entrances it seemed.

            • cloudy on 30/06/2024 - 17:02

              @Dejy:

              I still have the video of the incident on my PC from my cars recorder

              I'm intrigued now, share?

              • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 17:28
                +4

                @cloudy: DM me your email and I'll try send you a copy. Based on the comments here I'm a bit cautious cause it seems to have a lot of derro people who would happily damage your car and not expect you to chase them up for repairs. But if I can confidently remove any identifying geolocation or other identifying info from the video files and cut it down to the incident will email it through.

          • tessel on 01/07/2024 - 15:33
            +4

            @MS Paint: Assuming Dejy isn't telling porkies and I know my fellow Ozbargainers DO NOT do such heinous crimes, are you saying the owner of the ute is doing the right thing by lying?

            • MS Paint on 01/07/2024 - 16:02
              -1

              @tessel: No the ute owner is not doing the right thing by denying any responsibility but why lower yourself to their level by fabricating and threatening to use evidence that doesn't exist?

    • tkboi on 01/07/2024 - 20:08
      -1

      your lucky and i guess your intimidation helped.

      But if the guy was a smart a** he could of kept denying and you would of been screwed if you didnt have the proper evidence

  • cloudy on 30/06/2024 - 14:06
    +5

    I just accept shit happens in life and not worry myself with small things like this, I mean after 5 or 10 years its a meaningless ding anyway, it'll be 1 of 10 or 20 dings, so what's the difference?

    I remember a time I dropped my old ipad, left a big dent, but still worked fine. I thought to myself if this happened 5 days after I bought it I'd be sad, but because its 5 years now I'm not sad, but what difference does it make? none, it still worked fine and back in the case I don't even care. Remembering this, I don't care if my new car has a scratch of dent (which is does, I didn't check properly when I took it from the dealer, but matters little to me)

    • Smol Cat on 30/06/2024 - 21:16
      +4

      Yeah this is the way to live life. Care about the stuff that matters and be as happy as you can. Don’t sweat so much the unlucky stuff

    • kiLbiL on 03/07/2024 - 23:50

      There are plenty way older cars with zero dings!

      If you have a clean looking car that you love and not at fault, simply not as easy to move on just like that.

      • cloudy on 04/07/2024 - 15:05
        +1

        my car is 6 weeks old, i can move on, not hard, all in the mind.

        • kerfuffle on 04/07/2024 - 15:09

          Yeah. Got my first stone chip on my new car at six weeks …

        • kiLbiL on 04/07/2024 - 17:05

          Good on ya

  • AddNinja on 30/06/2024 - 14:28

    I'm not sure (as in I have no idea) whether you have any case at all. Unless you could show it was done deliberately, or was unusually severe - wouldn't a ding like that be called "wear and tear"? It is annoying, but cars in public places are subject to minor, non-functional, damage. Again, I have no idea, but I'd imagine given how easy it is to cause minor damage to a car, vs how expensive it is to fix, I would guess that if push came to shove, a judge may not side with you if you tried sue to get it fixed.

    • Dejy on 30/06/2024 - 16:03

      It doesn't need to be deliberate, any damage you cause to another person's property you are liable for. In most cases insurance claims are due to accidental damage and not deliberate.

      • AddNinja on 30/06/2024 - 19:52

        Yeah - I wasn’t thinking accidental, more about minor damage being considered wear and tear. After reading your comment I looked at my car insurance and they say nothing about minor damage. Then I looked the costs to fix minor scratches and they were $150-$600, and $1000+ to have a panel resprayed for proper damage. So I guess if you have no excess, evidence for who caused the damage, you may want to make a claim. I’d expect that most people would refuse to pay, so in the end, you’d pay excess and your own insurer would pay. I doubt anyone will be going to court for what is likely to <-$400 accidental damage - but honestly I have no idea.

  • CheapskateQueen on 30/06/2024 - 14:31
    +5

    9/10 scratches and dings on my car are from other ppl, not me.

    a day after i got my car, somebody the back right side as they were trying to get out from behind me.

    new hits from them opening their door

    hits on my front as they reverse into me

    it's really upsetting but I'm not going to fix my car just for someone to hit it again

  • junet on 30/06/2024 - 15:35
    +1

    It's super annoying. I always try to park far away and it still happens. Waiting for my doctor colorchip set to arrive so i can fix them and not worry so much about it.

  • nubzy on 30/06/2024 - 16:12
    +3

    New car with no front + rear dashcam with parking mode?? This + defensive parking will go a long way in keeping your car dent/scratch free. Minor dings and scratches will still occur but you can usually fix them quite easily/cheaply.

  • wd41 on 30/06/2024 - 16:35

    Has the damage from the other car broken through your paint or just caused a dent? If it hasn't scratched through the top coat get a Paintless dent removal done, there are lots of people around who will do it on site. Generally repairs are around $200 if not too large. Pay for the this, then forget about it.

  • lachhelix on 30/06/2024 - 16:37
    -1

    Westfield*

  • jaguor on 30/06/2024 - 17:33
    +2

    Do you have a dashcam? If not, might be tough to get the police to cooperate and give you the other driver's details since you didn't get them all yourself. You'll need their name, address and contact number to get your excess waived if you make an insurance claim. You can always make an insurance claim and pay the excess first while awaiting the other party's details and then be refunded later when you can provide them to your insurance.

    I had a similar situation with a car smashing it's door into mine so hard that it triggered my dashcam (in parking mode) to save the event. Left an obvious long dent on my door. The other party denied fault but the police and insurance were easily convinced from the loud sound of the impact in the dashcam recording. The cost of the repair + hire car for the time was easily more than my $900 excess at the time so it was worth it for me to make a claim. Being not-at-fault, I was refunded any costs and it didn't affect my insurance costs afterwards (tested across multiple different insurers).

    • andylch on 01/07/2024 - 01:01

      Did police helped you to obtain the contact info of the other party?

      • jaguor on 01/07/2024 - 20:28
        +3

        Yep. After showing them the videos and telling them that the other driver refused to give me his details, they chased him up. He still didn't co-operate so they actually had to turn up to his house and bring him in for questioning. I imagine that intimidated him enough to set him straight because he co-operated after that

    • tkboi on 01/07/2024 - 20:10
      +2

      you are pretty lucky insurance and police were on your side.

      thats pretty half a** evidence honestly lol

      • jaguor on 01/07/2024 - 20:25
        +2

        Police and insurance were actually very convinced about it. The recordings showed the other driver parking quite close, and then the audio is quite clear that they opened their door -> hit mine hard enough to shake the car -> closed their door and they walked off into the view of the camera right after. Since then I've added an interior facing camera to capture the side windows in case it happens again.

        • tkboi on 01/07/2024 - 21:41
          +1

          yep mine was exactly the same and the police said even with all that proof they can still turn around and say it was the "wind" and they didnt do it. UNLESS you had footage of them physically swinging the door into your car (CCTV of carparks, other car dash cams etc)

          so its one of those YMMV situations IMO

          • andylch on 02/07/2024 - 00:12

            @tkboi: Your police was exceptionally kind, can you introduce him/her to me?

  • Ghost47 on 30/06/2024 - 17:51
    +1

    It sucks but you’ll get over it.

  • Roney on 30/06/2024 - 18:57
    +2

    I suppose you went back with an old key to look for the maroon car?

  • Ryk on 30/06/2024 - 19:19
    +1

    A car is not new once driven from the dealer. It's a used car.

  • chasingstoke on 30/06/2024 - 19:21

    Username checks out

  • TightAl on 30/06/2024 - 22:13
    +2

    Sometimes you wish you bought a Tesla, this is probably one of them

    • zombie hunter on 03/07/2024 - 09:00
      -1

      You will be safe as no one will park next to you in case it catches fire.

  • spacemannn on 01/07/2024 - 02:30
    +1

    Unfortunately this is a part of owning a new car. Every car gets its fair share of parking related dings and scratches, just a matter of time before it happened, that time happened to be now for your car. Sorry to hear OP, I know it sucks, but not the worst thing in the world.

  • Archi on 01/07/2024 - 08:28
    +1

    not that it matters, what car is it,.

  • Boioioioi on 01/07/2024 - 09:47
    +3

    You can try make a claim. Happened to my mate, we were returning to the carpark and family next to us were getting into the car, caught them hitting the door and leaving a maybe 10c piece ding.

    Got their info and made an insurance claim. They tried to fight it but it got fixed at their expense.

    People should be careful, if they damage your property I see no harm in making a claim.

    • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 12:23

      it's always families/children and seniors.

  • dingleberries on 01/07/2024 - 09:57
    -4

    Just park next to nice cars then yours and hit your door into their car as revenge

  • zathras on 01/07/2024 - 10:27
    +2

    I must be really lucky. I have been driving for decades, often parking my faded second-hand car next to nice new cars in parking lots. No-one has ever dented my car when opening their doors!

  • imurgod on 01/07/2024 - 11:00
    +1

    Make a claim. You shouldn't need to pay an excess if you have all the details required (you can find them in your PDS) but you will if you don't.

    Depending on the dent, you might just want to get someone who does PDR to remove it for $100 and move on.

  • JimB on 01/07/2024 - 12:04
    +1

    Call insurance but I doubt you can claim without paying an excess if there's no video evidence.

    You should be able to buff out the red paint.

    Dents should also be able to popped back to a point you can see if even if you knew it was there previously (unless it was dented on a crease of the panel).

    Unfortunately people are jealous and/or don't give a shit.

  • Cave Fire on 01/07/2024 - 12:35

    Guessing they are going to do PDR anyway. Would be a waste to respray and refinish the panel. So $600 PDR through insurance or organise it yourself for $100 - $200.

  • whitepuma on 01/07/2024 - 14:34
    1. Try to reach out to the owner of the other car; maybe reach out to police station or ask the westfield (it's unlikely that either police or westfield will give you their details, but police can potentially reach out them). If no response, move onto next steps.
    2. Get a couple of quotes for the repair via panel beaters
    3. Find out how much it would cost to do through insurance
    4. Do it either via insurer OR direct from panel beaters based on price.
  • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2024 - 15:58
    1. get another car
    2. Park the car only in your driveway
    3. Bubble wrap the car

    Just a car, dings are bound to happen.

  • trevor99 on 01/07/2024 - 16:22
    +2

    1) Go to the police, give them the parking bay and the exact time. Don't wait.
    2) They will request Video from Westfield that should prove it. They have cameras everywhere - this is common.
    3) Claim on insurance and you should get your excess back in a couple of months.
    Worked for us.

    • andylch on 01/07/2024 - 19:24

      Even I gave the video footage (both the side and front cameras which clearly showed the rego and the face of the offender) to the NSW police but they still said:

      Police confirmed they have not been able to locate the owner or driver of the other party vehicle, we are therefore unable to waiver your excess we require the other drivers full name and address at a minimum.

      As police have confirmed they arent able to obtain the details if you wish to proceed with your repairs your excess of $xxxx will be applicable.

      Thank you NSW police!!!

      • Yeezy on 01/07/2024 - 20:27

        Thats weird dude, they should have full name and address from the rego.

        • andylch on 02/07/2024 - 00:07

          Yes, I think so, although the rego is from VIC. Should I contact VIC police instead??

  • stedmaster on 01/07/2024 - 16:48
    +1

    You might find if you get some WD40 and give it some elbow grease it might clear it up, sometimes the 'scratch' is moreso a deposit from the other car. Unless of course the panel is dented or the paint has scratched through, but even if there is abrasion to the paint, you can have a go with something like this on the specific area with a micro fibre cloth or a semi firm sponge, but again, elbow grease, depending on severity you can go over it a few times over.

    I'd investigate that before doing anything with your insurance and premiums, as a small correction likely isn't worth it, even if it needs a professional or contour correction, see what the cash value is first. Insurance is for big jobs otherwise you can increase your premium and liability assessment unnecessarily, it's a case of opportunity costs.

  • hopper on 01/07/2024 - 18:20

    Dings on car are like pimples on face, initially they look ugly, slowly they become your beauty spots

  • Technics on 01/07/2024 - 18:45

    If you're ever planning to take the car out of the garage again then don't worry about it. It sucks, shouldn't have happened and it's not your fault but still don't worry about it. I remember when I got a new (now tenish year old) car, took it out to visit some family out west and had a couple of cattle dogs drag their dirty paws down the passenger door. Scratched it up nicely. I wasn't thrilled at the time but the scratches are still there along with all of the stone chips and car park dings it has accumulated since.

  • thanatos350 on 01/07/2024 - 20:16
    +5

    Sorry to hear, OP.

    It hurts to have something you like damaged by carelessness and disrespect. It is the equivalent of someone coming over, kicking you in the shin, and taking a few hundred dollars out of your wallet. It shouldn't be acceptable, it isn't that hard to open a (profanity) car door properly.

    I park as far away as I can, to the anguish of my partner… Which is why mine looks nice and her's like a golf ball.

    • Kamsi on 03/07/2024 - 12:20

      Likewise, park further do a bit of walking ain't bad for your car and health :)

  • Millikano on 01/07/2024 - 20:31

    Had the exact same thing happen with my first new car when it was a week old, in a shopping centre carpark. Old man just didn't care, and as infuriating as it is, there's not much worth doing for the hassle of dealing with insurance, the impact on your claims record, the potential payment of an excess (which is likely higher than the cost of a repair), and the general stress. Like you said, might've been a kid who unknowingly made a mistake and probably didn't tell their parent, and it would likely be a difficult discussion even though you're in the right and they're responsible for damaging your car. I like to believe that most people do care and wouldn't want to cause grief, and that sometimes mistakes happen.

    These days a repair might cost $500 or so for one small dent, provided that there is no paint required. You might even be able to wipe it clean yourself with a very light polish.

    In my case, I have just lived with it for the last six years, and it's been a decent reminder not to be too attached to a car or any other material stuff.

  • Lockieasy on 01/07/2024 - 20:33

    It might just be a paint transfer. Scrub it off with some WD40 and see how it looks maybe.

  • achew on 01/07/2024 - 23:17

    To pull ownership details from rego, you'll need to file a police report. Though to be fair, there are likely other avenues to get that information.

  • congo on 02/07/2024 - 00:20

    Car manufacturers should include a small rubber strip (or ball) on each door edge, to prevent small dents like this, when opening.
    I don't know why they don't do it.

    • Laserface on 02/07/2024 - 14:07

      because its ugly? they already put clear plastic stickers on the door corners and high wear/risk areas on many new cars.

  • Trumped on 02/07/2024 - 07:57

    It's not a new vehicle now and you've learned a valuable lesson. Repeat after me, "People are shite, I must park away from others at every opportunity.".

    Unless you have video proof, you don't know who did it. That's how the courts will see it.

    • Hugh G Rection on 02/07/2024 - 18:59
      +1

      i did park far away, but it was very busy. so i was by myself far away when i started, but inevitable all spots got taken.

  • Laserface on 02/07/2024 - 14:07

    Cars will be damaged by others no matter how delicate and careful you may be as a driver/owner.

    it is best to learn to live with small blemishes that dont expose the metal to the elements as its quite likely that the same panel will get another ding in the future. then you can just do the whole panel.

  • PrettyBrokeTBH on 02/07/2024 - 16:11

    It's good that the first one is out of the way, now you won't care for the second inevitable one. People are jerks, and usually you won't have the chance to prove they did it - just move on.

    • Hugh G Rection on 02/07/2024 - 18:58

      true, just hurts getting the 1st one so soon. i was hoping for at least a year before i get it. oh well.

  • beltdrive on 02/07/2024 - 17:15
    +1

    my car is dirty for not washing it for a week

    wow, a whole week? how often do you normally wash it?

    • Hugh G Rection on 02/07/2024 - 18:56
      +1

      lol, every week. maybe after a year or two i would do it less frequently.

  • figarow on 03/07/2024 - 08:13

    I wouldn't mind really if I had an old used car

    I tell everyone don't buy a new car, the stress and money lost is not worth it.

  • zombie hunter on 03/07/2024 - 08:58

    It is sad, I am glad I don’t have a new car. My cars has more dings than a Chinese phone book.

  • Bignudge on 03/07/2024 - 13:04
    +6

    There are some real dogs at shopping center carparks.

    The amount of people leaving their trolleys on the side of their vehicles and driving off is too damn high.

    And people who rest their open door onto the next car (especially the unfit ones that can barely get in and out of the driver's seat).

    We need a wall of shame for these animals.

  • lpn on 14/07/2024 - 02:14
    +1

    It is not worth claiming insurance for a small dent. The first scratch/ding always feel painful on a new car but then you get over it. People are inconsiderate!

  • noideaa on 23/07/2024 - 11:15
    +1

    If you value your car then you wouldn’t park in the middle of the busy area especially next to mummy tanks.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join