WokaImp

Just spent a great weekend in the Lake District.
On sat I had a conversation with the girlfriend how I hate parking in public car parks because people dink you with their doors.


Parked up last night in rammed hotel car park.
The car near mine was in a tight spot....but easily got out of...easy for anyone who's not a spanner!
Came back from the pub at 1.30am and there were loads of spaces...but I'd had a few and it would have been silly for me to move my car.
Went to take a photo of this little red Citroens no plate...just...in...case...and my phone died...typical! (My spidey senses were tingling)


So up I got at 7.30am to move my car to avoid Citroen driver being a clown and hitting me. As I walked down the car park I noticed there was no red Citroen...BUGGER!
Then worst nightmare...inspected the rear of my car...%£$*&!!!!!!
Total retard cut across the rear bumper. Bumper maybe 3-5mm out of place and rear drivers side has had all the pain taken off and left their Citroen red paint in it's place.
The total %$£&%$ drove off without leaving their details.
Thankfully the hotel took their reg.


The only ppl to check out of the hotel, 200 rooms, before 7.30am was the Citroen owner!!!


So, I have a No plate of the Citroen...what's the next steps? Phone the DVLA and pay to get their address and drive to where they live and photograph their car...there must be a right mark on the drivers side of their car!!!


What's the best course of action?


Woka

silver-sub

Was there no CCTV?

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Report to the police who will then track the car down to its address and check for damage. Only way to do it I believe!

WokaImp

No Their car will have very noticeable damage to the side...I suspect rear wheel arch area. The marks on my bumper are both on the side...and top! So they clearly came over the top of my bumper, which is why I suspect rear wheel arch as it looks like they cut across the back end of my car and had 0 spacial awareness.
Hotel confirmed that the car and owners were the only one who left. We were right at the end of the car park. Couldn't have been anyone else due to the shape of the car park.
Hotel phoned the local police and passed them over to me. Got a call back saying that since it was on a private hotel car park it was outside of their jurisdiction and they recommended I phoned the DVLA and for a mere £5 the DVLA would give me their address so I can contact them.
Their red paint is on my car and I'm sure there will be a lot of my blue paint on their car.


So I have 3 options as far as I can see.

1. Nothing. I take it on the chin and pay to get it fixed while muttering in the pub to my friends about how much of a $%&^&$ the driver was
2. Contact DVLA, pay £5 and get their details and drive to their address and photograph their car then either speak to them face to face or write them a letter. (and yes, if they live in Cornwall I will drive to the other end of the country). Already dug the old dictaphone out my GF used for journalism. Hotel refused to hand over their address due to data protection.
3. Go via insurance company. The only time I have ever used an insurance company was when someone rear ended me at 30mph when I was stationary at red lights and wrote my really expensive £300 car off.

Worst case scenario is I'm out of pocket by a rear bumper re-spray and work to move it a few mm.


Regardless of how I go forward I am absolutely pissed that someone would do that much damage (more than a very minor dink) and then leg it!


EDIT: One thing that I am now going to invest in are two car dash cams. Front and rear facing. Been thinking about it since I got the car 16 months ago. Wish I had them already.

WokaImp

After this comment I phoned West Yorkshire Police. They seemed much more interested in it and have logged it. Looks like they may take it from here. Got to pop into the police station tmrw morning and have a chat with them.

Lunchmoney

Report to your insurer. They can trace the other driver's insurer and initiate a claim against them.
Of course the other guy could deny all knowledge and without proof that the Citroen driver did the damage you dont have a chance.

jaygsi

iTrader: (46)

Had a car hit my wing mirror some years ago in old car. Chased after them got his reg, phone police, they rang him told him do the right thing and he never did. Contact insurance, and give them reg of car who hit you. See if you can get footage from hotel.

Barry C

Do the DVLA V888 it's £2.50 provide as much information as possible. Including repair bill/invoice, photos of damage and location.

Police (met) - don't care "not in the public interest to pursue" was the reply after filling in the hit & run form.

Insurance - unless you got hard evidence it's a claim on your insurance - I had witness but no CCTV of collision.

When it happened to me it took about a month to get the owners details and I settled it on their doorstep They was honest about it and paid up.

Good luck

WokaImp

Thanks for the advice.
Phoned insurance company to record it as information, not a claim.
Can't be more than a few hundred in damage, maybe even less...it's not the cost that bothers me, it's the fact the numpty just drove off thinking they got away with it.


Also phoned DVLA...2-4 weeks for them to send me the information...plus I have to pay by cheque...cheque?! Who uses them in this day and age?!
I really wanted the drivers details today so I could drive and photograph their car with my paint all over it...looks like that's out the window.


Off to the police station now to fill out a collision form. I hope they will hunt the driver down and slap them with some points or a fine...but judging from what people have said this may not happen.


When talking to the insurance company the phrase "classed as salvage" was used... £200 damage = my car written off?! Was not happy at that comment. It's purely a bumper, or partial bumper, re-spray that's required and the brackets lightly tapped with a hammer. No dents, no body work panels touched. Maybe I need to wrap the car in cotton wool and put it in storage :s

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

I know it's no real excuse for damaging your car, but you put a fair bit of emphasis in the story about the gap the Citroen had to get out of. How tight was it? Sounds like you've rubbed them up the wrong way, they've obviously seen it that you've blocked them in. Enraged driver plus old ****ter = kamikaze action to rectify the situation. I'd say you've partially got yourself to blame putting the car in that situation. They are still dicks, but you've got to account for other people's lack of moral fibre!

Hope the police get it sorted for you. But they may well have a 'story' ready for the old bill.

domino46

Wouldn't the hotel have there details as they know who left before 7:30 ?

WokaImp

Disagree...it's was a tiny Citroen C3. If it were a much large car I would have to agree.
They had ample room to get out. They reversed straight backwards, then drove forwards and turned right, clipping the rear of my car.
If they had driven backwards at a 10 degree angle then it would have been cake to get out of. Easily 1.5 to 2 feet either side. The "tight" gap was between my car and the white 4x4 in front of me. The red Citroen was parked next to the white 4x4. 1.5-2 feet is not a tight gap in my eyes...but for people who cannot drive it's a different matter.
There was an empty space between myself and the grass to reverse into...I wasn't behind them. This space was a good 1.5 times the width of a large car, enough to open your doors fully.
Almost every supermarket parking space is tighter.


Also....the hotel record all car no plates...so if a car needs to be moved they can wake the guest up. So even if I had fully blocked them in by parking right up their bum then it still would not be an excuse to ram their way out.
Yup. They were the only guest to leave before 7am and before I got up to move my car.
They have their address...but the data protection act kicks in.
I don't trust very small car drivers. Almost all the people I personal know who own very small city cars are simply not good drivers and are constantly hitting things in car parks. They admit they can't drive and find it's quite amusing...a few of which I won't even get in a car with.
I don't understand how people can find it amusing they can't drive while driving and hitting things.
How can not being in control of a 1 tonne killing machine be funny?!
That's why my spidey senses were tingling.

nikon-man

iTrader: (3)

don't take this the wrong way but if the hotel had no CCTV then is it your word against the Citroen driver if you find him as you say it had NO plate or was that just NO plate on the back

and what does When talking to the insurance company the phrase "classed as salvage" was used... £200 damage = my car written off?! are you saying they are thinking of writing you car off for that amount of damage ?

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

I think he means number plate and just abbreviated it to no plate

Tidgy

had this on the isle of man, made my **** boil but for the hassel just take it on the chin and get it fixed.

G4rfo

iTrader: (1)

this or i would of payed some cash to hotel staff for addy