Scratched Car w/ Bike
Posted by Anonynonyonymous@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 76 comments
My nephew scratched someone’s car with a bicycle, and now the owner is demanding $1000. Not disputing the need for compensation, although it is a bit high for one part. Initially, he claimed he wouldn’t file with his insurance, and for my nephew to pay. Now he says that that amount is his deductible. My nephew will need time, and then a payment plan, as he doesn’t even have a job right now. I’m thinking he should just file, and my nephew will pay the insurance back little by little.
Any suggestions on how to navigate?
tumourtits@reddit
I’d be pretty surprised if this doesn’t total the car. Looks older and that’s a lot of work to swap a fender
adrian_elliot@reddit
$1000 is cheap. I’d think $2500 or more. Needs a new fender, paint, and blend.
woowoo293@reddit
I would probably get them to sign something to acknowledge that the payment is in full and final settlement of the matter. Even better would be to get their insurance company to sign too, so they also can't come after your nephew.
Conspicuous_Ruse@reddit
I juuust got my car repaired for minor damage to the quarter panel like that.
They had to replace and repaint the quarter panel
Final cost was $3,742
And that's on a 13 year old Hyundai.
There is going to be some big regret not taking the $1,000 option once you get the actual bill from the insurance.
Also, that's the most extreme damage I've ever seen from bicycle handle bars. I've seen that exact scratch many times, but never have I seen such a deep dent along with it. I am impressed.
SnooLemons9175@reddit
That's more than a scratch. It's a fairly significant dent.
Throttlechopper@reddit
This, a scratch could be fixed in a driveway by a pro for a less than $125, OP needs to understand it’s going to take a few hours at a shop to make that DENT repair.
HillarysFloppyChode@reddit
Uh no, it’s creased, it’s at a sharp angle. It’s going to be creased if you try to dent repair, that’s a panel replacement.
Solid-Wrangler-1554@reddit
I do body work and paint I'd either source a matching fender or repair it in about 5 hours that Includes all the time waiting for paint to dry. My materials are less than $100 and I'd charge $400 to do the repair or if just A fender $200 for replacement plus parts
HillarysFloppyChode@reddit
That’s nice, if it was my car I would still take it to shop that certified in the brands i own. I value keeping my warranty though
havok0159@reddit
It's usually cheaper to replace because of the labour costs involved in fixing that dent.
MaturoGambino@reddit
Be a good uncle and pay the thousand and have your nephew pay you back-or not.
merlot2K1@reddit
This is the correct answer.
gome1122@reddit
Don't like 20% of Americans(assumption that this is where it happened) have $0 in savings? Might not be possible.
chathobark_@reddit
Yes. Weird to specifically call out Americans. People in all countries are stretched thin
jujberr@reddit
I think they’re just referring to a specific study done on Americans
Barely_stupid@reddit
If the parent's have homeowner's insurance this might be covered under the liability part of their policy. This is not to be confused with their car insurance.
GreatBallsOfFIRE@reddit
That deductible is almost certainly more that $1k
chathobark_@reddit
As others are saying this is fully fair. Truly insane he is only requesting the amount of his deductible. This guy is a saint. Otherwise he reports it to YOUR insurance and you get canceled or he reports it to his insurance and they subrogate for the $1000 anyway and you also get sued for the $3500 it costs to fix this
Him appearing to be talking about filing a comp claim without blaming you is the best possible outcome for you. Or better yet he takes the $1000 and goes away
TranceF0rm@reddit
I'd offer to replace the fender and just go pull one off a salvaged on the same color. That would be the cheapest option.
If the guy plans to go to a body shop instead of replacing it, or plans on replacing with a brand new part and have the dealership do it, yeah $1000 sounds about right.
Tony-cums@reddit
You’d let someone do that with your car? Lol.
TranceF0rm@reddit
Let someone do what?
They're going to take it to someone else to put a fender on..
Tony-cums@reddit
Your car gets hit. The person who hit it says “oh. My bad. Let me go to the junk yard and get you a replacement.”
TranceF0rm@reddit
Oh well I wasn't necessarily saying he should do it. Just that the option is possible.
They could get the part and take it to a shop to install too and it'd be cheaper than getting a new one sprayed
Eggrolling@reddit
That sounds like a good plan if you know what you’re doing. But I feel like the time and effort it takes for them to learn how to locate, remove, and replace that fender would be difficult. And then hoping the recipient will be happy. I don’t think it’s worth $1000 imo
No hate, I’m just thinking about how difficult it would be for me to do it. And I’ve replaced (small) parts on my cars before.
thewishmaster@reddit
Plus would need to get quite lucky for the paint to match well since that looks like metallic paint.,
havok0159@reddit
Yup, even if it's the exact same paint code, it may end up not matching for a variety of reasons.
yodas_sidekick@reddit
Ya, and honestly, I finally have a new car that I worked very hard for. I wouldn’t really be ok with a fender from a junkyard.
TranceF0rm@reddit
Well if you do end up wanting to go that route;
https://www.car-part.com/ is a great site to locate the part
And in recent experience most junkyards have someone go take the part of for you and good ones do it before you arrive if you call in advance.
But yeah I totally understand it's way more of a hassle
MAUSECOP@reddit
Most brain dead chud response of all time, yeah I’m sure the 13 year old with no job can source a perfect paint-matched fender from a junk yard and swap out body panels perfectly
Type-R@reddit
Aligning your door to a used panel sucks
BlueGoblin2007@reddit
Whoever says it need a new fender is crazy. Here in UK such repair to hammer it out or pull it out and pained around £200.
Solid-Wrangler-1554@reddit
Why don't you just let it go I had some one hit me a couple times they dented my car and I just let them go rather than cause harm to them financially. Accidents happen and honesty should be rewarded. Idk maybe you and your wife are the types that thing everyone will laugh and point and think you're poor for having a dent in your car. I just forgive and let go.
naph8it@reddit
I think they are being very fair and reasonable. A $1,000 cost is way less then the damage of the vehicle.
If this happened to my car, expect $5k+
Offer to pay for the damage, or see if you can find the exact part in the right colour from a wreckers then pay to have it fitted.
From the texts, it sounds like everybody's been pretty kind about it.
sobergophers@reddit
Expect 5k😂 You gonna loan shark a teenager over a mistake?
naph8it@reddit
Are you dumb?
I said if this damage happened to my car the repair would cost over $5k to repair.
Mistake or not, I'll be understanding, but it's not coming out of my pocket.
havok0159@reddit
Had to fight tooth and nail to get my damage covered when my neighbours' crotch goblin decided my freshly washed car was a blackboard for his entertainment. Two body panels scratched that needed paint and a trim element and window that needed replacing and they were nickel and diming me because they left their kid who had already scratched another car unattended.
People are too damn used to fixing their shit on a budget and are shocked when they meet someone who expects to be made whole and the real price that involves.
yodas_sidekick@reddit
If the mistake costs somebody else $5k then yes, obviously.
chicken_taster@reddit
Don't let him take advantage of you in this way. This is exactly what insurance is for, and it would be foolish not to use it. Don't pay him directly, pay the shop or the insurance company and keep documentation for everything. Make sure you get at least 2 legitimate quotes and that he's not just trying to pay his buddy to bondo it. Honest people get taken advantage of all the time. You did the right thing, but he is not being reasonable now. I would let him file a lawsuit before I paid him directly (yes, seriously that at least will make sure that the insurance company gets involved).
black599-onlyfans@reddit
There’s ZERO reason the owner of the vehicle should claim insurance at all. There’s 100% certainty if he did the insurance company will seek to recoup 100% of its costs from the kid whom damaged the car. This is simple common law.
Break other people’s shit -pay to fix it. There’s no other lawful view.
AoeDreaMEr@reddit
Painted OEM parts are available for cheap if they shop around.
FirehawkLS1@reddit
If I was the owner that this happened to, I would ask the adults that are responsible for the nephew to pay my deductible. That's more than $1000 in damage, and the deductible being payed is the lesser of 2 evils. And I understand accidents happen but they need to be made whole again. Learning moment for the nephew.
cactusjakal@reddit
That's easily over $1000 in damage. A shop is going to replace the whole fender and paint a new one to match. It could end up being more than that, so if that's all they're asking for then I'd just pay that and be done with it.
He will probably put in a no-fault claim and pay his $1000 deductible and insurance will cover the rest.
marino1310@reddit
I’m a that really in need of replacement? I feel like most body shops could work that dent out. Still needs a respray though
cactusjakal@reddit
They're not really interested in trying to pull a dent if they don't have to. That's a lot of labor and time to just save one panel. They would also have to sand the entire panel, all the way through the clear coat, paint, and primer down to bare metal, blend it with filler and then repaint every layer.
Buying a new fender means they just have to buy the part, paint it, and replace the old one. It's a lot cheaper and faster.
transcendanttermite@reddit
That deep & sharp of a dent means the metal is stretched pretty far. It could go either way, honestly, depending on what the shop decides to do… but a new fender and the labor involved in removal & installation plus prep & paint is probably going to be almost the same as the labor to repair the dent and prep & paint for the existing fender. If it’s a wash as far as cost goes, I’d rather have the new one than a fender with a filler patch on it.
DariusBuilds@reddit
Get on eBay and order a prepainted fender
yodas_sidekick@reddit
If they only ask you for $1000 you are very lucky. That will cost them more in the long term (as their premiums will go up). This is easily a few thousand dollars - body work in cars is expensive these days.
funked1@reddit
"scratched"
palmytree@reddit
1k is a steal - doesn’t even account for the years of premium increases.
merlot2K1@reddit
Scratched? That sir is a dent and will require much work or a new panel. Pay the deductible and have your nephew reimburse you.
HeadOfMax@reddit
You can probably find a fender that's already white for cheaper on eBay or copart.
Call some local smaller shops and ask how much to install.
I bet it comes out closer to half your 1k deductible.
I'd also bet the right mechanics shop can do it for cheaper even with the parts.
If you need a mechanic to call I have one in RP I trust
Help the kids out he trying to do the right thing.
Helen_A_Handbasket@reddit
Except there's like 20 different shades of "white".
HeadOfMax@reddit
Why so negative? It's worth a shot.
mk5madz@reddit
is this not a 13 year old kid in the blue texts?
BS2H@reddit
Ready by punctuation, they are both 10 year old kids.
jabroni4545@reddit
Looks like an older equinox. Have you tried getting a quote from a pdr(pointless dent repair) guy?
Cusp-of-Precibus@reddit
That is way more than a scratch.
Helen_A_Handbasket@reddit
That's not a "scratch". That's a gouge and a dent. Be happy the quote was only $1000.
Sad_Net1852@reddit
The fender does not need replacement, they just need to go to a body shop, have the dent pulled and painted, which sometimes is unfortunately more expensive than a replacement but I don’t know, each state has their own premiums for auto insurance
DirkNL@reddit
It’s an electric bike as mentioned in the chat. Is this a peddle assisted bike or a electric powered moped of some kind? The first would be covered under personal liability insurance right?
Ran4@reddit
That's assuming they have that
DirkNL@reddit
Well yeah. With teenage sons that pays for itself
88FirebirdGTA@reddit
This type of work is more expensive than you think nowadays. It needs a new fender, paint on the fender plus the shop will probably blend the paint on the hood and possibly bumper as well.
If it was your own car, sure you could half ass it a little and maybe just have someone paint the fender and not blend the hood, the panels might just not much perfectly, however when you damage someone else's car they're most likely going to want to get it done right.
As someone who works in an automotive paint department, paint is very expensive nowadays. I'm not saying this in a harsh way at all, but it will teach him to be more careful around other people's things. You live and you learn.
tpeeeezy@reddit
id have just ran this ass through the mud based on how retarded he sounds texting, and if it saw this reddit post id drag you down with it. at that point the insurance hit is worth making yall struggle
elroddo74@reddit
The kid actually is more literate than you are. You should either learn English or don't drunk post if you want to criticize someone else's written communications.
harmlessharold@reddit
Strange for an illiterate person to be criticising someone else's writing.
barrelsofmeat@reddit
“yall” lecturing someone else about sounding stupid in texts is certainly a choice. Meanwhile the other guy is at least attempting to handle his debt like an adult. He could have just ran from it, you know.
H-vil@reddit
Wtf are you on about
ScaryfatkidGT@reddit
Little more than a scratch…
Get a junkyard fender car-part.com
elroddo74@reddit
If it was my car I wouldn't accept that. Paint still needs to match and that's not cheap.
Aggravating-Card1137@reddit
smward998@reddit
The adult in your nephews life should cover the payment and then nephew should pay family back that kid doesn’t even have a job and that person will be waiting for money for ever
L44KSO@reddit
1k is even on the low side imho. New fender, respray and the lot can easily be 2-3k.
Deathcon-H@reddit
That is going to be more than $1000 to fix
far_beyond_driven_@reddit
$1000 is a valid quote. The fender will need to be replaced and/or bodyworked and painted.
As for the rest, I have no idea.
Eggrolling@reddit
The $1000 is his insurance’s deductible that the owner would have to pay. Not for the repairs. The repairs itself would probably be \~$3500 if they have to replace and repaint.
OP I would ask him to see his deductible bill from the insurance. Ask politely not from an angle that you don’t believe him. Then work out a plan to pay him back. If he doesn’t agree. See if someone you know can lend him the money and just pay them back monthly. Maybe throw in an extra $50 to the person who let you borrow it at the end to be nice.
JUST incase he’s trying to pull a fast one on you. I mean you made a mistake and did the right thing. But for example you’re just accepting his word that the deductible is $1000. It could be $200. You never know.