Carpark tip (my car) caught on dashcam - what to do?

RasTa

tk123 wrote: »

I thought they just needed to put the other guys reg into a computer and get the insurance details - click click and done

This video you have proves nothing btw. How does one know that damage wasn't there already?

tk123

RasTa wrote: »

This video you have proves nothing btw. How does one know that damage wasn't there already?

Thanks for your very helpful and informative posts. I'd love to come and damage your car since you're perfectly ok with it.

Galadriel

RasTa wrote: »

This video you have proves nothing btw. How does one know that damage wasn't there already?

Eh, how does it prove nothing? he sees AND hears the car banging into his

tk123

Galadriel wrote: »

Eh, how does it prove nothing? he sees AND hears the car banging into his

Eh that's she

RasTa

tk123 wrote: »

Thanks for your very helpful and informative posts. I'd love to come and damage your car since you're perfectly ok with it.

Just playing Devil's advocate and what the Gardai are thinking.

Galadriel wrote: »

Eh, how does it prove nothing? he sees AND hears the car banging into his

Does it pinpoint the damage that the defendant is claiming? Nope, case thrown out and you can pay the court fees thank you very much.

tk123

RasTa wrote: »

Just playing Devil's advocate and what the Gardai are thinking.



Does it pinpoint the damage that the defendant is claiming? Nope, case thrown out and you can pay the court fees thank you very much.

Thank you Judge Judy :rolleyes: Why would it be going to court lol?!

JohnBoy26

Did you get the car repaired?

Galadriel

tk123 wrote: »

Eh that's she

Oooops!

tk123

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Did you get the car repaired?

No I held off hoping I might get the other guy's details and he could pay for it

Galadriel

tk123 wrote: »

No I held off hoping I might get the other guy's details and he could pay for it

Just keep at it, I wouldn't give up especially with proof, but that's just me.

JohnBoy26

tk123 wrote: »

No I held off hoping I might get the other guy's details and he could pay for it

Tbh if the damage is as slight as it looks in those pics id just get it repaired and move on. At this stage I think it will only be a waste of energy trying to chase it up.

RasTa

tk123 wrote: »

Thank you Judge Judy :rolleyes: Why would it be going to court lol?!

Considering the owner drove away I doubt he will be admitting liability on this one

cefh17

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Tbh if the damage is as slight as it looks in those pics id just get it repaired and move on. At this stage I think it will only be a waste of energy trying to chase it up.

Slight or not I'd be pissed, if someone left details I'd maybe consider their honesty not worth chasing up if it was only a small bill to pay. But knowing I'd gotten them to pay after them sneaking off would be worth the effort, maybe that's just me though

FAILSAFE 00

I wonder is it a guards car that maybe did the damage.

They seem to be going to the extreme to do absolutely nothing for something that takes 5 minutes.

tk123

cefh17 wrote: »

Slight or not I'd be pissed, if someone left details I'd maybe consider their honesty not worth chasing up if it was only a small bill to pay. But knowing I'd gotten them to pay after them sneaking off would be worth the effort, maybe that's just me though

This is exactly it. I have details for once for yet another scrape on my car from that car park. He had 20 mins to go in and buy a pen and paper and leave and note before I came back but he drove on through the space and legged it.
I've put minimal effort into chasing it up because I was away, then the place was gone mad with roadworks and Christmas shopping traffic so I left it until now. Not ready to give up on it yet.

Cape Clear

tk123 wrote: »

This is exactly it. I have details for once for yet another scrape on my car from that car park. He had 20 mins to go in and buy a pen and paper and leave and note before I came back but he drove on through the space and legged it.
I've put minimal effort into chasing it up because I was away, then the place was gone mad with roadworks and Christmas shopping traffic so I left it until now. Not ready to give up on it yet.

I thought it was a she?

livedadream

Yes defo report it I'm sure the gardai have nothing nether to do than chase up a minor scratch on a vehicle on private property with no proof of what it was like before if how your car was parked.
'It's the principle' is actually a tick box on the complaint form.

Part and parcel or car ownership mate... dings happen...

JohnBoy26

cefh17 wrote: »

Slight or not I'd be pissed, if someone left details I'd maybe consider their honesty not worth chasing up if it was only a small bill to pay. But knowing I'd gotten them to pay after them sneaking off would be worth the effort, maybe that's just me though

I see where you are coming from and I do agree with what you are saying but I don't really think it is worth the effort at this stage but that is just my opinion.

From the look of the pic most of the damage will wipe off with a microfiber cloth and petrol or tar remover. It looks like it's mostly just plastic residue off the other car's bumper.

siobhan08

TBH I can see why the guards don't seem that bothered. Cars get tipped in car parks all over the country whether it is other cars or shopping trolleys. I know it has happened to me a few times and I never bothered to make any fuss just got on with things.

The guards have bigger crimes to investigate as opposed to car get slightly scuffed in a private car park. Now if there was a good but of damage I could see the point of going through the effort of tracking down the other driver but from the picture you posted it looks very minor and not worth the hassle. Most of marks in the picture look like it could taken off with a bit of elbow grease

Galadriel

Cape Clear wrote: »

I thought it was a she?

The OP was referring to herself as a she, the person that hit her car was a he.

honda boi

I had caught a car scrape by another car as they were parking on my dashcam not too long ago.
Told the owner of the car that was scraped and showed her the footage.
She went to the gards and had it sorted in like a week or 2. So I don't know why its taking them so long

tk123

honda boi wrote: »

I had caught a car scrape by another car as they were parking on my dashcam not too long ago.
Told the owner of the car that was scraped and showed her the footage.
She went to the gards and had it sorted in like a week or 2. So I don't know why its taking them so long

I called when it happened and the person I spoke to told me I could just report it at my local station which actually delayed everything because they had to post the usb key over to them etc etc The guy who it's assigned to seems to be out in a car all day too so possibly is never at his desk!

The photos are crap because it was a dull day. I can't fill scratches and chips of plastic in with elbow grease but thanks to those who suggested - oh and wiping it too - that never crossed my mind!

The Muppet

FWIW im in the dings happen camp particularly in car parks, I think the guards know this is going nowhere so are not interested in wasting time on it.

I'd buy a bottle of tcut and move on.

siobhan08

tk123 wrote: »

The photos are crap because it was a dull day. I can't fill scratches and chips of plastic in with elbow grease but thanks to those who suggested - oh and wiping it too - that never crossed my mind!

have you tried T-Cut Scratch Remover?
Worked a treat when it happened to me and it's about €8 in halfords.

TBH If it was my car I wouldn't bother with the amount of fuss. It's the corner on the bumper over the wheel. People wont notice unless it pointed out to them or they actually go looking for it.

I had my wing mirrow taken clear off by a tractor who was over too far and going too fast on a narrow road. Did I go annoying the guards over something so minor.. eh no I accepted the dings and stratches were apart of owning a car, got it repaired and moved on.

80sDiesel

.

JohnBoy26

tk123 wrote: »

I called when it happened and the person I spoke to told me I could just report it at my local station which actually delayed everything because they had to post the usb key over to them etc etc The guy who it's assigned to seems to be out in a car all day too so possibly is never at his desk!

The photos are crap because it was a dull day. I can't fill scratches and chips of plastic in with elbow grease but thanks to those who suggested - oh and wiping it too - that never crossed my mind!

With a smart attitude like that you won't get far on here. Posters are only trying to help you out. From those photo I can't see any chips of paint, or plastic, or scratches for that matter. If there is scrathes there they must not be very deep.

eringobragh

Stick with it lad I got over the line with just a mere hunch... you've concrete proof

If someone leaves a note Id do my best to not screw them, after that goodwill out the window

My Saga:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057328511

Truckermal

T Cut me fcuking arse! Keep hounding them op and they will have to give, your car was damaged and they fooked off I hate that sh1t.

tk123

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

With a smart attitude like that you won't get far on here. Posters are only trying to help you out. From those photo I can't see any chips of paint, or plastic, or scratches for that matter. If there is scrathes there they must not be very deep.

Yeah it's not being helpful though. I've already reported it so telling me not to bother isn't helping. And I wouldn't have posted in the first place if i thought it was something I could sort myself.


A few posters asked me to post updates and how I got on with it but I wish I hadn't bothered now tbh.

9935452

siobhan08 wrote: »

have you tried T-Cut Scratch Remover?
Worked a treat when it happened to me and it's about €8 in halfords.

TBH If it was my car I wouldn't bother with the amount of fuss. It's the corner on the bumper over the wheel. People wont notice unless it pointed out to them or they actually go looking for it.

I had my wing mirrow taken clear off by a tractor who was over too far and going too fast on a narrow road. Did I go annoying the guards over something so minor.. eh no I accepted the dings and stratches were apart of owning a car, got it repaired and moved on.

So do you think its ok for people to hit other cars and drive away or to damage them with trolleys or ding them when opening doors and not take responsibility for their actions. ?
To me its not , If i tip off another car or cause damage to another car i will stop and leave a note and in the long term fix the damage i caused . its common decency.

When it happened to you did you have footage eithre dashcam or cctv of the other car ?
The op does . So should be able to trace the other car down.
Its the principal of the thing in my mind , If someone had done the same to me i would track them down and get them to pay for the damage.

BTW our incident with the tractor . Most likely if that was to go to insurance they would deem it 50/50. most tips on side roads end up 50/50

siobhan08

9935452 wrote: »

So do you think its ok for people to hit other cars and drive away or to damage them with trolleys or ding them when opening doors and not take responsibility for their actions. ?
To me its not , If i tip off another car or cause damage to another car i will stop and leave a note and in the long term fix the damage i caused . its common decency.

No I don't but s**t happens. If there was a considerable amount of damage then I would be kicking up a fuss but for a few scuffs as is what it looks in the picture the OP posted I wouldn't hassle the Guards over something so minor. I would fix it or get used to it being there and move on.

9935452 wrote: »

When it happened to you did you have footage eithre dashcam or cctv of the other car ?
The op does . So should be able to trace the other car down.
Its the principal of the thing in my mind , If someone had done the same to me i would track them down and get them to pay for the damage.

I didn't have dashcam footage but it was in a car park that was well covered by CCTV so If I wanted to track down the other driver it wouldn't not have been too hard. I know it would have been caught, as there was a camera pointing in the direction of where I was parked. So could have gotten then police involved but didn’t as it was only a tip that caused some scuffs to the paint work and they have more important crimes to be dealing with. (Incident happened when I was in the UK)

9935452 wrote: »

BTW our incident with the tractor. Most likely if that was to go to insurance they would deem it 50/50. most tips on side roads end up 50/50

It wasn't a side road it was narrow section of a national road with no hard shoulder and the tractor slightly cross the central line so more of the blame goes to him. Remembered the reg plate but for the sake a little over €100. I decided there was no point in annoying the guards over something so small. I have friends in the guards and know they are stretched with cut back etc and it wouldn't be a priority.

More important things in life to be concerned with than a few scuffs on your car.

The Muppet

9935452 wrote: »

When it happened to you did you have footage eithre dashcam or cctv of the other car ?
The op does . So should be able to trace the other car down.
Its the principal of the thing in my mind , If someone had done the same to me i would track them down and get them to pay for the damage.

I've been rear ended while stopped at traffic lights and not pursued it , and i do have a dash came front and rear. It was young lad and I gave him a break .

At the end of the day if every little ding is going down the insurance route the only winners will be the insurance companies and you know who pays for that. Little point in us moaning about annual premium increases if we are all to claim for "damage" like we see here.

To me cars are like everything else I buy they suffer wear and tear and getting dinged in car parks etc is part of that. That said if it were badly dented which is not the case here I would pursue it.

goz83

siobhan08 wrote: »

have you tried T-Cut Scratch Remover?
Worked a treat when it happened to me and it's about €8 in halfords.

TBH If it was my car I wouldn't bother with the amount of fuss. It's the corner on the bumper over the wheel. People wont notice unless it pointed out to them or they actually go looking for it.

I had my wing mirrow taken clear off by a tractor who was over too far and going too fast on a narrow road. Did I go annoying the guards over something so minor.. eh no I accepted the dings and stratches were apart of owning a car, got it repaired and moved on.

Some people really like their cars though. It's not just an A to B run around...it's their pride and joy. They may have spent a few hundred euro buying it...or more likely a few thousand, so it's a bit dismissive to suggest that the OP suffer the financial cost, or suck it up and get used to it tbh. If some @rsehole thinks they can damage a car to any extent and just drive away, then I would chase them to the ends of the earth. It's a scummy thing to do and I have had my pockets emptied from such @rseholes who have damaged my cars over the years.

A few weeks ago, I witnessed a older man reversing out of a small car park in Raheny and into the back of an old Honda Civic. After he crashed into the civic, he stopped and then reversed again...I could see the bumper of the civic getting misaligned and scuffed. The man saw me looking and then drove forward and parked on the side of the road. I could see the damage he had caused was a few hundred quids worth. I drove out of the car park and past his car slowly. He was pulling out after me, thinking I was ignoring the situation. I pulled in. Got out. Took a snap of his car and then one of the civic. He asked me why I took a picture of his car. "To report a hit and run to the Gardai" I told him. He wasn't impressed. Said he didn't have pen and paper. I pointed to the row of shops he could have borrowed from. I managed to slip a note with my contact number into the civics window. The man was still there when I was leaving. I never got a call and didn't report it myself, but maybe the old fart realised he was not likely to get away with it and left his own note. It's way to common with people getting away with this stuff.

siobhan08

goz83 wrote: »

Some people really like their cars though. It's not just an A to B run around...it's their pride and joy. They may have spent a few hundred euro buying it...or more likely a few thousand, so it's a bit dismissive to suggest that the OP suffer the financial cost, or suck it up and get used to it tbh. If some @rsehole thinks they can damage a car to any extent and just drive away, then I would chase them to the ends of the earth. It's a scummy thing to do and I have had my pockets emptied from such @rseholes who have damaged my cars over the years. .

Fair enough consider your car your pride and joy for a while after you first get it. Honestly if anybody told me they considered their everyday normal car they have had for a number of years to still be their pride and joy.
I would be like are you serious ??

As somebody else has already said in the tread, It is possible the other driver doesn’t realise he caused any damage (not that there is much)

If a friend of mine was in the OP’s situation and was making a fuss over such minor damage and ringing the guards a couple times over it. I would be telling them straight up to get a grip.
There are more important things in life than worrying about your car having a few scuffs/scratches/dings on the bumper. If you are not prepared to have you care suffer wear and tear well then either don’t get one or leave it at home. The lose a big portion of their value as soon as they drive out of the garage new anyway. Cars getting scuffed up, scratched or dinged is a big car park such as Blanch is part of wear and tear IMO. I've lost money due to this before but excepted it was part of owning a car as there was never much damage done. I would lose a lot more if i got every scuff/scratch/ding on my car repaired

If everybody who suffered this kind of damage claimed through insurance than then other drivers in the country suffer as premiums increase for everybody.

More claims recorded by the insurance industry = higher annual premiums for everybody. As was mentioned in a number of articles I have read last year relating to the rise in premiums recently.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

siobhan08 wrote: »

Fair enough consider your car your pride and joy for a while after you first get it. Honestly if anybody told me they considered their everyday normal car they have had for a number of years to still be their pride and joy.
I would be like are you serious ??

I think you might be posting in the wrong forum so!

I have my car over 5 years and it's still my pride and joy.And I would say it's the same for a lot of posters in here.

Call me Al

OP while I don't blame you for being angry at the person who was blasè about damaging your property, I think at this stage I'd be drawing a line under it and moving on.
It's two months later by now I think?
Fwiw my last car was 12 years old and was my pride and joy. I remember being very annoyed when I found a big scratch along the side over the bumper but I had no way of knowing who the f $#ker was unfortunately.

siobhan08

BDJW wrote: »

I think you might be posting in the wrong forum so!

I have my car over 5 years and it's still my pride and joy.And I would say it's the same for a lot of posters in here.

I’m talking about everyday Nissans, Toyotas, Renaults etc that are 5,6,7 or more years old. Cars lose a load from their value as soon as the first owner drives them out of the garage.

Now if it was a higher end car, a car that you have done up yourself or a classic car. A Car that the owner has put a lot of time and effort into maintaining.Then I would be fair enough it’s a sweet car can see why it’s still you pride and joy when you have had it for years.

Call me Al

siobhan08 wrote: »

I’m talking about everyday Nissans, Toyotas, Renaults etc that are 5,6,7 or more years old. Cars lose a load from their value as soon as the first owner drives them out of the garage.

Now if it was a higher end car, a car that you have done up yourself or a classic car. A Car the the owner put a lot of effort into maintaining.Then I would be fair enough it’s a sweet car can see why it’s still you pride and joy when you have had it for years.

Value is beside the point though. If you have saved and saved to buy it and take care of your car and treat it well then why cant it be your pride and joy! It doesnt give other people the righ to nonchalantly damage it and dismiss what they've done simply because in their eyes it's not valuable enough to care about.

goz83

siobhan08 wrote: »

Fair enough consider your car your pride and joy for a while after you first get it. Honestly if anybody told me they considered their everyday normal car they have had for a number of years to still be their pride and joy.
I would be like are you serious ??

Why should there be some sort of time limit tacked onto whether something is someones P&J or not? In 2011, I bought a 1997 sports car for under €1600. It was my P&J until someone rear ended it in 2014. It was written off. I repaired it and only because of a back injury suffered in that accident, I sold the car a few months ago. During my ownership, other people (perhaps with the same mentality as yourself) bumped into it when it was parked, causing scuffs and other damage. Maybe they just figured it's all part of owning a car to have someone else wreck it and drive off.

siobhan08 wrote: »

As somebody else has already said in the tread, It is possible the other driver doesn’t realise he caused any damage (not that there is much)

If someone is that unaware of their driving and position relative to objects around them in their 1-2 tonne machine, then we all need to say more prayers, because those people should NOT be driving.

siobhan08 wrote: »

If a friend of mine was in the OP’s situation and was making a fuss over such minor damage and ringing the guards a couple times over it. I would be telling them straight up to get a grip.

Then you wouldn't be what I consider to be a good friend in such a scenario. If a friend of mine is upset about something, I give them comfort, even if I think their complaint is trivial.

siobhan08 wrote: »

There are more important things in life than worrying about your car having a few scuffs/scratches/dings on the bumper. If you are not prepared to have you care suffer wear and tear well then either don’t get one or leave it at home.

Yes there are. But it doesn't excuse damaging someones property and driving off. Wear and tear does not include damage caused by someone else. I think you're a bit confused about what wear and tear means. Just to clear it up...wear and tear happens during the normal use of an item. Paint fading over time is wear and tear. Someone crashing into the car and removing the paint in not.

siobhan08 wrote: »

The lose a big portion of their value as soon as they drive out of the garage new anyway.

They lose a lot more value when someone smashes into them in car parks.

siobhan08 wrote: »

Cars getting scuffed up, scratched or dinged is a big car park such as Blanch is part of wear and tear IMO.

Covered above. Not wear and tear. Your opinion is misguided.

siobhan08 wrote: »

I've lost money due to this before but excepted it was part of owning a car as there was never much damage done. I would lose a lot more if i got every scuff/scratch/ding on my car repaired

You would lose a lot less if more people were tracked down and made pay for damage done to cars. People only learn when it hits their pockets. If you don't care about your car, that's fine. But the people who damaged your car over the years have very likely gone on to be just as careless, because no lesson was learnt.

siobhan08 wrote: »

If everybody who suffered this kind of damage claimed through insurance than then other drivers in the country suffer as premiums increase for everybody.

True. But it doesn't always need to go through insurance. In fact, many people would just forget about very minor damage and move on if only the person who caused the damage would own up rather than drive off.

siobhan08 wrote: »

More claims recorded by the insurance industry = higher annual premiums for everybody. As was mentioned in a number of articles I have read last year relating to the rise in premiums recently.

Insurance companies use every excuse for higher premiums. A big part of the truth they ignore is the fact that they pay out on suspected fraudulent claims, just because it's cheaper....in the short term. A few dings to a few cars is hardly why we are seeing huge increases in policies.

inforfun

siobhan08 wrote: »

I’m talking about everyday Nissans, Toyotas, Renaults etc that are 5,6,7 or more years old. Cars lose a load from their value as soon as the first owner drives them out of the garage.

Now if it was a higher end car, a car that you have done up yourself or a classic car. A Car that the owner has put a lot of time and effort into maintaining.Then I would be fair enough it’s a sweet car can see why it’s still you pride and joy when you have had it for years.

I drive a '03 Renault. Probably not 1 panel undamaged anymore by ***** smashing doors against it in parking lots. Scratches like the op.
I promise you, even on that car if i see someone hit it and drive off, even if it is the last thing i ever do, i ll get the mother****er.

It is not just the damage.

siobhan08

goz83 wrote: »

Why should there be some sort of time limit tacked onto whether something is someones P&J or not? In 2011, I bought a 1997 sports car for under €1600. It was my P&J until someone rear ended it in 2014. It was written off. I repaired it and only because of a back injury suffered in that accident, I sold the car a few months ago. During my ownership, other people (perhaps with the same mentality as yourself) bumped into it when it was parked, causing scuffs and other damage. Maybe they just figured it's all part of owning a car to have someone else wreck it and drive off.

You don't know me so don't judge my mentality!!! If I was in the position that I hit another car of course I would leave my details but I accept not everybody is the same so I just get on with things instead of getting the guards or insurance company involved for minor damage.

goz83 wrote: »

Then you wouldn't be what I consider to be a good friend in such a scenario. If a friend of mine is upset about something, I give them comfort, even if I think their complaint is trivial.

In the beginning I would be sympatric. But If I'm still hearing about weeks later. They would be told to get a grip.

goz83 wrote: »

Yes there are. But it doesn't excuse damaging someones property and driving off. Wear and tear does not include damage caused by someone else. I think you're a bit confused about what wear and tear means. Just to clear it up...wear and tear happens during the normal use of an item. Paint fading over time is wear and tear. Someone crashing into the car and removing the paint in not.

I know well that wear and tear happens through normal use of an item. Normal use of a car means a car is about and about within society. Scratches and scuffs happen when a car is out and about in society. I can accept that and move on if I see a scratch/scuff on my car that’s not very noticeable. Now if there were a good bit of damage done then yes I would look to track down the driver. If it minimal damage I just repair it myself as opposed to the hassle of tracking down someone for the sake of small ding or scratch.

goz83 wrote: »

You would lose a lot less if more people were tracked down and made pay for damage done to cars. People only learn when it hits their pockets. If you don't care about your car, that's fine. But the people who damaged your car over the years have very likely gone on to be just as careless, because no lesson was learnt.

True. But it doesn't always need to go through insurance. In fact, many people would just forget about very minor damage and move on if only the person who caused the damage would own up rather than drive off.

True. But it doesn't always need to go through insurance. In fact, many people would just forget about very minor damage and move on if only the person who caused the damage would own up rather than drive off.

If a person drives off. Do you really thing they will own up if tracked down?
I do care about my car. I worked from the age of 13 to save up to be able to buy my first car after passing my test. However I realise there are much more important things in life to be concerned with then a few digs or scuffs on my car bumper.

goz83 wrote: »

Insurance companies use every excuse for higher premiums. A big part of the truth they ignore is the fact that they pay out on suspected fraudulent claims, just because it's cheaper....in the short term. A few dings to a few cars is hardly why we are seeing huge increases in policies.

No but if everybody who gets a ding or a scratch on their car claims via insurance then the number of claims as a whole increases and premiums are partially based on the number of claims occurring.

jackofalltrades

siobhan08 wrote: »

If everybody who suffered this kind of damage claimed through insurance than then other drivers in the country suffer as premiums increase for everybody.

More claims recorded by the insurance industry = higher annual premiums for everybody. As was mentioned in a number of articles I have read last year relating to the rise in premiums recently.

Good advice, can everyone just stop making claims if their car is damaged or they are injured, you're putting up the cost of my premiums. :rolleyes:

People claiming for small damage like this will have little effect on overall premiums.
It's usually only a few hundred quid and the costs would be claimed back from the people causing the damage through increased premiums.
That's even if claims increased, a lot of people would sort it out themselves so as not to lose their NCB.

I know the damage isn't significant in the grand scale of things.
But it's down to the principle of the thing at this stage.

corcaigh07

Let us know how you get on, OP.

Still interested in hearing what happens next.

goz83

siobhan08 wrote: »

You don't know me so don't judge my mentality!!! If I was in the position that I hit another car of course I would leave my details but I accept not everybody is the same so I just get on with things instead of getting the guards or insurance company involved for minor damage.

No, I don't know you and I am not judging you, but I can read what you are posting right here. The word "perhaps" was the obvious sign that I wasn't judging you. That said, you have made it clear enough that you would think less about damage to someones car as the average poster here in the motors forum. Most of us love our cars, whether it's a 20 year old rusting Nissan Micra, or a brand new 5 series BMW. If we ignored every extra ding caused by others, this epidemic of ignorance and selfishness would be even worse than it already is. Respect is gone out the window for so many people. How often is it we see people whacking their doors off the car next to them and not saying sorry, even when the owner of the other car is sitting in it!

I have to be honest and say that I don't believe you would leave your details if you caused damage similar to that in the OP. I say so, because you consider it wear and tear.

siobhan08 wrote: »

In the beginning I would be sympatric. But If I'm still hearing about weeks later. They would be told to get a grip.

That's a climb down from "I would tell them straight up to get a grip". Additionally, people may become more frustrated if something isn't sorted out as quickly as they consider a reasonable time. I would only get annoyed with a friend who wasn't taking good advice as to how to resolve the issue and who was still going on about it.

siobhan08 wrote: »

I know well that wear and tear happens through normal use of an item. Normal use of a car means a car is about and about within society. Scratches and scuffs happen when a car is out and about in society. I can accept that and move on if I see a scratch/scuff on my car that’s not very noticeable. Now if there were a good bit of damage done then yes I would look to track down the driver. If it minimal damage I just repair it myself as opposed to the hassle of tracking down someone for the sake of small ding or scratch.

I disagree that it is normal wear and tear for cars to be scuffed. The car being out in society is a rubbish argument. My garden wall is exposed to society. If some pleb backs their car into it and leaves a mark on the clean white paint without at least apologising, they will pay for it.

siobhan08 wrote: »

If a person drives off. Do you really thing they will own up if tracked down?

Witnesses. CCTV. if neither of the above....then it's just tough luck. Happens all the time.

siobhan08 wrote: »

I do care about my car. I worked from the age of 13 to save up to be able to buy my first car after passing my test. However I realise there are much more important things in life to be concerned with then a few digs or scuffs on my car bumper.

Consider all that time you spent saving for your car. Anyone damaging that car has stolen your valuable time.

siobhan08 wrote: »

No but if everybody who gets a ding or a scratch on their car claims via insurance then the number of claims as a whole increases and premiums are partially based on the number of claims occurring.

No. The person who caused the minor damage will be penalised and they pay for it through their premium going up. It has almost zero impact other motorists policies.