I’d definitely go to the police and see if there’s anything they can do.
It’s a joke that people do this and as @Durzel mentioned, it’s not hard to use your hand as a shield if you can’t avoid getting close.
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Car door dented, caught on Sentry - help!
- Thread starter DanTW_GB
- Start date
It’s a joke that people do this and as @Durzel mentioned, it’s not hard to use your hand as a shield if you can’t avoid getting close.
DVLA will give you their name and address for £2.50. I’ve done that before. Write to them with a link to the vid and ask them to pay for it.
Request information about a vehicle or its registered keeper from DVLA
Request information about a vehicle or its registered keeper from DVLA
Didn’t realise this was possible but that’s really helpful - I’ve made a note just I ever need it.
This looks great, thanks for the tip - wondering about the part you have to fully disclose the car has been in an incident and give all those details the DVLA... any chance of that coming back to bite me in the proverbial anytime in the future?
Rooster6655
Active Member
Yes perhaps just an m sport rather than an M1 and probably just put M1 on the DVLA info
MrBadger
Badger out
I think the problem that you have is that there is no 100% proof that it was this incident that caused the dent. Short of you being there at that point in time, or the car moving due to the impact, or a big band (even then not conclusive), the video is inconclusive that it was that specific incident - they could argue that it was an old dent and that these things happening are an every day occurrence. I would be almost certain that would be what the insurers will do even if the poor quality video could be proven to be the correct car - its not unusual for identical cars to be registered with sequential or similar registration plates - you only need to be one digit of uncertainty and it not be 100% conclusive for a reasonable cost.
Just playing devils advocate, looking at it from the reverse scenario, you park next to a car with an existing dent in the door. You open the door and slightly touch their door - not enough of an event for you to even remember as it didn't cause any damage at the time. They had a video camera that briefly caught your number plate and that you had a close shave with the car. Then out of the blue, months later, you get a bill from someone wanting you to pay for a dent on their car to be fixed.
I'm a person who works on principle too, but without being 100% certain, or being physically there at the moment of impact, I would just put it down to one of those things. On our last car, within a few weeks we found a dent on the bonnet (we think someone must have lifted a buggy over the bonnet between cars) - we lived with it for 12 or so years, albeit with a touch up to avoid rust. On Tesla, I would consider get a chips away type company to look at it and take the financial hit. Short of never parking in a public place, it won't be the last dink on the car in its lifetime, thankfully most will 'polish out'.
just my 2p, but you did ask!
I've used the phrase 'the joys of motoring' many times on here; and this is another good example of it. Cars will get dinged, it's part of ownership. Unless it looked like deliberate and malicious damage it's unlikely I'd care enough to chase the other party for payment.
Any claim, regardless or fault or otherwise WILL affect your future insurance costs. You will be asked have you made a claim at your renewal time - you say yes, then select "no fault" etc - It's still noted as a claim.
You might not pay your excess or affect your NCB but it will 100% affect your future insurance costs.
If it was me - get a quote from a local place/chipsaway etc and weight that up against the time, effort, potential future costs of insurance rise (try a quote for next year with a no fault claim input) as to whether to go ahead with police reports/insurance claims etc.
I'm not saying these people should get away with damaging your car, however, look at all your options before deciding what to do.
You might not pay your excess or affect your NCB but it will 100% affect your future insurance costs.
If it was me - get a quote from a local place/chipsaway etc and weight that up against the time, effort, potential future costs of insurance rise (try a quote for next year with a no fault claim input) as to whether to go ahead with police reports/insurance claims etc.
I'm not saying these people should get away with damaging your car, however, look at all your options before deciding what to do.
As I see it you have only one option that doesn't involve insurance.
You can apply to the DVLA for their details - which you can do with this form, and write to them pointing out that you have video evidence of them damaging your car, and that it is an offence not to leave the scene of an accident / not report to Police within 24 hours, and leave your mobile number to see if they will contact you and discuss payment outside insurance.
I have used this form myself as part of a legal case and I did not get a reply very quickly, though. With what's going on I imagine that it could be even slower.
Technically speaking you're supposed to declare if you've had an accident even if you haven't made a claim, at least that's the wording with a lot of policy applications. If you involve the Police proactively there will be a crime number, potentially a prosecution and at that point I would imagine a record of the incident - though not sure if the insurance company would find out about it. It is possible the Police would take no further action so long as she provided her insurance details, at which point you've lost the cash option.
If it were me, because stuff like this is totally avoidable and it annoys me, I would totally report her to the Police. People like this need to learn a lesson.
You can apply to the DVLA for their details - which you can do with this form, and write to them pointing out that you have video evidence of them damaging your car, and that it is an offence not to leave the scene of an accident / not report to Police within 24 hours, and leave your mobile number to see if they will contact you and discuss payment outside insurance.
I have used this form myself as part of a legal case and I did not get a reply very quickly, though. With what's going on I imagine that it could be even slower.
Technically speaking you're supposed to declare if you've had an accident even if you haven't made a claim, at least that's the wording with a lot of policy applications. If you involve the Police proactively there will be a crime number, potentially a prosecution and at that point I would imagine a record of the incident - though not sure if the insurance company would find out about it. It is possible the Police would take no further action so long as she provided her insurance details, at which point you've lost the cash option.
If it were me, because stuff like this is totally avoidable and it annoys me, I would totally report her to the Police. People like this need to learn a lesson.
Jason71
Well-Known Member
I don't disagree that you are supposed to inform the insurance company if " you have been involved in an accident" whether you claim or not does a car you own getting damaged while parked, when you are not even present, and not even by another moving vehicle, count as "being in an accident".
I mean if the person had hit it with a shopping trolley or kicked it that would not be an accident would it? surely this is more like that?
I mean its probably in the small print that you are supposed to tell them that but when I fill out an application and it says have you been in any accidents would not have occured to me to say yes for something like that?
On related note do you think curbing alloys counts as an accident? if so my wife has had at least 4 accidents in her Skoda she has not reported!
At least there was a recording from Sentry mode. All I get at the moment is a warning but just a greyed out video clip that cannot be accessed, so not much use should an incident like this happen. Anyone else having the same problem. The 'dashcams' work well.
I mean its probably in the small print that you are supposed to tell them that but when I fill out an application and it says have you been in any accidents would not have occured to me to say yes for something like that?
On related note do you think curbing alloys counts as an accident? if so my wife has had at least 4 accidents in her Skoda she has not reported!
As a rough guide, if it is something that would be covered by insurance if you reported it then they want to know about it.
Doesn’t matter if you were parked and entirely blameless, they just see it as evidence that you park near careless people so you are a higher risk, and we all know what higher risk means...
That’s definitely not a 1M car. BMW only made the 1M in a coupé. It’s just a standard 116 sport by the looks of the wheels.
The door has a number of dents on it. On the lower part of the door where her bumper hit the line that forms a ridge Is dented and the door skint bulges above and below. Mid way between the line and the glass there’s a further vertical line which I think was her rear wing. I estimate she hit the car at around 5 mph. The door couldn’t be panel beaten and a good finish achieved so it’s a new door. Tesla’s slightly wonky parts supply and Covid have conspired to force me to wait since the first week in February.
I have had 2 expensive motorcycles struck while parked in the past 10 years. The first, the person left me a note with his number. I called and he effectively gave me the run around. On day 4 I went to the police and they laughed me out of the door because I didn’t report it. The second incident I was lucky someon in an office spotted it, ran down to the street and took pictures of the car and its owner. The owner didn’t like the bill and held out until the very last minute just before court to pay up. Both times were major inconvenience and along with another no fault claim on my wife’s parked Volvo which we actually witnessed, I’ve long since learned that people and their insurance companies will use every excuse to wriggle out of their responsibilities. I am grateful to Sentry Mode for nullifying the arguments In this case.
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When i looked at the video my first thought was that the offending door didn't hit yours very hard at all - so either poor quality Tesla skin or not the incident. Certainly annoying to have any dent/scratch but insurance admissions nearly always lead to more costs that a minor fix would.
It also makes ya wonder why cars arent fitted with soft door edge and handle protectors routinely since tight spaces are a fact of life UK
It also makes ya wonder why cars arent fitted with soft door edge and handle protectors routinely since tight spaces are a fact of life UK
It wasn't an accident, that was her standard mode of operation getting out of the car, and its clear to see her door hit your car so plenty of evidence.
I'd get a quote and decide what to do. If its only a few beans from a dentless repair person then you don't really want to go through the insurance either way so get her address and write to her threatening insurance. She's more likely to want to pay if its cheaper than her excess. Or just go straight to the insurance company if its a lot.
I'd skip the police as they may well say the lack of her inspecting your car gives her the excuse she was unaware of doing it. While still liable for the damage, she didn't knowingly leave the scene.
I'd get a quote and decide what to do. If its only a few beans from a dentless repair person then you don't really want to go through the insurance either way so get her address and write to her threatening insurance. She's more likely to want to pay if its cheaper than her excess. Or just go straight to the insurance company if its a lot.
I'd skip the police as they may well say the lack of her inspecting your car gives her the excuse she was unaware of doing it. While still liable for the damage, she didn't knowingly leave the scene.
Not sure if you're replying to me or the OP. I haven’t posted my video because I don’t have editing software and can’t get rid of the number so won’t post in a public place. The damage is as I stated. In my opinion she used my car door as a brake and it is/was a police matter since she was prepared to leave me with the cost. Instead she faces 9 points or maybe 10 on her licence as well as a fine and increased insurance costs in the future for some time. I’m not prepared to waste time getting it panel beaten particularly since there is a bulge around the ‘crease’ line at the bottom of the door. I’m prepared to take the insurance hit To get the car repaired to its original standard given that it was less than 3 months old at the time of incident.
as a reminder, you have 24 hours to report an accident. If you don’t discover damage for a few days then you should still report it otherwise you have no comeback on your insurance company, or the person that did the damage without a court battle or additional costs. The police gave the person 4 days to report it. I have absolutely no sympathy. It’s the 3rd time it’s happened to me and the second time to my wife. I don’t see why I should pay. My insurance company have waived my excess and have a copy of the video. If anyone has a recommendation for a free video editing software I’m happy to try to post here once I have removed the number.
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I had a driver hit my car on the motorway. He raced away and didn't stop. I got his registration and an independent witness stopped to pass details. His insurance paid up.
The police are pursuing the driver for failure to stop, failure to report and careless driving. It goes to court soonish
The police are pursuing the driver for failure to stop, failure to report and careless driving. It goes to court soonish
Possible hit and run? Depending on the value of the damage might escalate to the next level. With the plate and car details you can get the personal details, at least in a lot of states. You prob have enough to hand over to insurance.
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