UKC

scratched car situation

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 dan ely 20 Apr 2015

Hello everyone
I have just moved to Oslo to work do a season and got a bit of a situation on my hands.
A few nights ago me and my colleague arrive home after a long day and had my housemates boyfriend nice Audi in our space on the drive. As we had a expensive tipping trailer on we had to take it of the car and push it in next to the Audi. The next morning in the dark I may of scratched the Audi as I pushed it back onto our car. The next day I was accused of this which may be correct but there is no solid proof. The owner who I only just met for the first time wants me to confess and pay for part of the car to be repainted . Now I told him I would maybe pay for part of a cheep repair but I'm not gonna give him loads of money or totally confess as he parked badly, has little proof, could of been over people. I also said politely that it's only a scratch and he needs to chill out.
So what's people's opinion on this please.? I'm not sure what to do.
Thanks,!
1
In reply to dan ely:

has it gone through to the metal or is it just in the paint?
 Mark Eddy 20 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

When you say 'our space on the drive' - do you mean your drive that you own / rent or just a place you regularly use to park?
If it's your private driveway and they've used it without permission then it's hard luck on them.
If it's a communal space it may be best to come to an agreement on damages and part with some cash!!
 Oli 20 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

If you think you scratched it, then don't be a cock; pay up.

This post sounds like someone who knows what the correct course of action is, but is looking for some sort of excuse/validation that they can use to justify not doing the right thing.
1
OP dan ely 21 Apr 2015
My last comment as I think I wanna knock this on the head....
It was dark so I don't know if I Sid although quite likely. Also made no noise,feel etc.
Scratch not down to metal but he wants respray.
He was parked badly on our communal drive(he was a
guest). He only wants full insurance job so I'm gonna say Go on then call the police and I'll play hard ball too.
I can't afford to mountain his ego boasting flash car. I can bearly make a living with out that bullshit to deal with.
So there you go. Sorry for the rant. Judge fairly please.
1
In reply to dan ely:

if its not down to the metal, get some cutting compound T cut will do it but G3 is miles quicker and polish it out, you may go through the clear coat if the scratch is deep but with enough polish on top you'll never see it. If you have access to a electric buffer you can do this in 10=20 minutes, if you use a buffer keep plenty of water on it as you can go through the top coat very quickly. If this is beyond your skill set either pay the man or develop some communication skills. apologies for the bluntness it's been a long day

hope this helps.
 wbo 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely: you need to think if you did this or not. If you did this pay up, if not say so, but the fact you're aready humming and hah-ing does not make you look good.

An Audi - in Oslo - i hope you're trolling, else you are going to find this is not cheap,

 BnB 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

Dan. Put yourself in his shoes and ask how you would feel if someone put "only a scratch" in your pride and joy. It isn't about his ego, it's about his feelings. If you believe you scratched his car then pay for the repair. A proper repair, not some T-cut that removes the protective lacquer and leaves a dull smudge.
1
In reply to BnB:

Apologies if I'm teaching you how to suck eggs but as I mentioned T cut earlier in the thread I feel obliged to justify my post.

Generally you need grit or something a bit more abrasive than T cut to remove the 2K clear coat, but it would be possible if he spent a day trying to polish out a scratch it all depends how deep the scratch is, he said it hasn't gone through to the metal so it may not have gone through the clear coat either.

This is something a smart repairer would do in the UK and it would cost anything from £30 upwards to do this job, a lot of the time they buff scratches out but can also require clear and base coat. I'm not a painter by trade, I'm an engineer, but I was taught how to prep and paint by one of the best painters in the region and carry out a fair amount of paint work.

I also understand Norway is a very expensive place to live so I'm trying to give Dan a few options to think about, obviously when all is said and done, he needs to communicate with the guy who's car he thinks he's damaged. But even in the UK you can get your pants pulled down when it comes to paint work and easily end up paying £400 on a £30 job.
 Oujmik 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

You need something like this to avoid the expense of a full respray, but not sure what's available in Oslo. It still won't be cheap but it will be like new.

http://www.chipsaway.co.uk
 wbo 21 Apr 2015
In reply to John Simpson: Norwegians are black or white on cars - they don't give a damn or they're super picky. So I'm thinking you're not going to get him to buy into T-Cutting.

As a former Audi owner in Norway I would be getting ready for a bill of circa 8000 NOK. My office mate has just had some deep scratches out of his Volvo and that was the bill ofr that approx. IF you/he has a decent relationship with a garage they may have a workaround but the more you mess around the less likely that is.

You'll also need to move house as you'll have form now for being a bad housemate if you let this drag on
 ByEek 21 Apr 2015
In reply to A Mountain Journey:

I don't think this is about right and wrong. It is about doing the right thing. If this chap wants his pound of flesh then personally I would tell him to f*** off. However, if he is happy to be reasonable and negotiate a settlement which perhaps involved you paying someone to come to his door and fix the scratch then that is something different all together. Or you can settle it through an insurance claim which he would see his premiums rise. His choice.
m0unt41n 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

You did the damage, you pay the bill.

There is a reason most people take a lot more care when parking next to an expensive car than a beat up wreck, because they know the cost of the consequences.
1
Rigid Raider 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

Somebody scratched my brand-new VW on my second day of driving it by brushing past carelessly with a sharp object. Not only was I heartbroken, I was also furious at their stupidity and carelessness. It ought to be pretty clear how the scratches were caused if you move the trailer close to the car and see where the contact took place; you might also be able to see traces of Audi paint on your trailer. If I was you I would Man Up and do the right thing. If you're worried about being ripped off, get a couple of those "scratch away" travelling paint repairers to come along and give you quotes, they do a very good job.

Scratches on dark-coloured cars will show up white because the soft protective lacquer will powder. A good polisher will be able to make the scratch invisible, as long as the underlying paint isn't damaged.

(I speak from experience here having carelessly scratched my wife's brand-new Ibiza and needed to get it fixed.)
 _sllab_ 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

he took your parking space...people like him should realise there are consequences to such antisocial behavior.
1
In reply to dan ely:

Tell him he is welcome to examine your trailer but if he can't find a matching scratch on the trailer or evidence of paint transfer from the Audi to the trailer or trailer to the Audi then since you did not notice any contact you are going to assume the damage was caused elsewhere.

Take pictures of the damage to the Audi so you have proof of how small it is in case he gets it fixed and tries to stick you with a huge bill.

If there's no amicable settlement report it to the insurance, while telling them that as far as you know you did not cause the damage and giving them the picture so they have evidence the damage is minimal.

A couple of years ago my wife just touched the bumper on a new Toyota Aygo that was parked behind us. No visible damage on our car and the tiniest scratch on the Toyota. They tried to get £2,400 for a replacement plastic bumper, total respray of the front of the car and a weeks car rental. Our insurance told them it wasn't reasonable and the insurance companies fought it up to the point where there was a date for a hearing at the Sheriff Court at which point they made some kind of deal between themselves.
 John Ww 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:
I've experienced this sort of whining bullshit at first hand, so here's my opinion:

>I may of scratched the Audi as I pushed it back onto our car

aka "yes, I know I did scratch it"

>he parked badly

aka" it was stationary when I pushed the trailer into it"

>it's only a scratch

aka" I know I have damaged his property, but don't want to pay for the repair"

>he needs to chill out

aka "I don't want to take any responsibility for my actions"

> So what's people's opinion on this please?

"You are a coward - learn to take responsibility for your actions and pay up"

>Thanks

You're welcome.

JW
Post edited at 10:14
1
 Jim Hamilton 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

Hand over to your personal liabilty (contents/travel) insurers ? to deal (presumably not something covered by motor insurance) or if they exist in Norway , get a scratch repairer to quote if they can do the job, and say that’s the max you will pay plus a bit for his inconvenience. Is a good repair on the original factory paintwork better than a body shop respray ?
 ByEek 21 Apr 2015
In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

> If there's no amicable settlement report it to the insurance, while telling them that as far as you know you did not cause the damage and giving them the picture so they have evidence the damage is minimal.

No don't do that. If the insurance even get a sniff of the fact that there may be a claim against you, your premiums will go up (no claims protection or not). Only go down the insurance route if he decides to make a claim.
 Neil Williams 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:
If you scratched my[1] car I would insist you paid in full for a proper repair. Did you? You must have noticed if you did hit it.

[1] Probably not my current filthy, rusting hulk of a Vectra, but I would have been bothered when it was new, and I would be bothered again when I change it for something newer, which I intend to do soon.

Neil

Post edited at 10:29
 deepsoup 21 Apr 2015
In reply to m0unt41n:

> You did the damage, you pay the bill.

> There is a reason most people take a lot more care when parking next to an expensive car than a beat up wreck, because they know the cost of the consequences.

That's one point of view. Here's another:

If your car is so f*cking precious that the tiniest tiniest bump or scratch is going to be a huge issue, you have no business taking it to the supermarket. Keep it in the garage and buy a banger to do the shopping in, because if you use it as a working vehicle it will accumulate wear and tear like a working vehicle. If you don't treat it like some kind of precious object, it's not reasonable to expect everyone else to.

I don't take a lot more care parking next to an expensive car than a cheap one btw. Equally careful in either case, because contrary to what you may be thinking I do respect other people's property. Don't bother asking me to pay for a full respray for something that a once-over with a bit of T-Cut will fix though - not going to happen.
 Neil Williams 21 Apr 2015
In reply to deepsoup:

> I don't take a lot more care parking next to an expensive car than a cheap one btw. Equally careful in either case, because contrary to what you may be thinking I do respect other people's property. Don't bother asking me to pay for a full respray for something that a once-over with a bit of T-Cut will fix though - not going to happen.

ITYF that if you collide with my car and are unreasonable about it, I will simply pass the matter to my insurers who will use my legal cover to ensure you (or your insurers) *do* pay for what the law considers a proper repair.

The difficulty in this case is that a trailer pushed by hand is probably not covered by any insurance (other than possibly travel insurance's third party liability clause, which the OP may do well to investigate).

Neil
 deepsoup 21 Apr 2015
In reply to Neil Williams:
> ITYF that if you collide with my car and are unreasonable about it, I will simply pass the matter to my insurers who will use my legal cover to ensure you (or your insurers) *do* pay for what the law considers a proper repair.

Quite possibly so. If you subscribe to the "You've scratched my door - you owe me £15000 for a full respray" school of thought however, you may be disappointed to find that 'proper repair' is closer to what I think is reasonable than to what you think is reasonable.
In reply to Jim Hamilton:
Factory paint jobs are left with a lot of peel in them, give em thier due Audi do flat them back more that the average to get closer to a show finish.
Post edited at 10:58
 Neil Williams 21 Apr 2015
In reply to deepsoup:

I subscribe to the "it should not be possible to tell visually that there has been a repair" view, which may involve a partial respray, or a replacement panel, depending on what the insurance company deems necessary.

It *won't* involve T-Cut.

Neil
 jkarran 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

If you scratched it and he wants it fixed then apologise and come to an agreement over the repair. If you didn't scratch it then say so, don't be bullied.

If you're really not sure then do what your judgement and conscience tells you.
jk
Lusk 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

Fly me over to Oslo, plus expenses, and I'll be an independent arbiter on this matter.
 RomTheBear 21 Apr 2015
In reply to dan ely:

If you scratched his car just pay for it. If you didn't don't.
m0unt41n 21 Apr 2015
In reply to deepsoup:

The idea is that you pay what it costs to return the car back to the state it was before you damaged it. Not more, but also not less.

I would not want a car repairer set up a rope system for climbing merely because they have experience using tow ropes on cars. But if they said a bit of T-cut sorts it out then that's OK, but if its just you saying it then maybe not.
 Trangia 21 Apr 2015
In reply to Neil Williams:

> I subscribe to the "it should not be possible to tell visually that there has been a repair" view,

Plus 1.

A couple of years ago I found a note on the windscreen of my Mercedes SLK. It was from my neighbour, a taxi driver, who owns the parking space next to mine, appologising but he had scratched my front wing. Not only very honest but he said please take it to the Mercedes main dealer and he would pay the full cost of repair/paint repairs.

I took it down to Mercedes who looked at it and after much teeth sucking and head shaking said it would need a complete moulded plastic front end and respray - £1200 to £1500. I was staggered but told my neighbour who went white but said as it was his fault go ahead.

I thought, no, this is ridiculous, so I took the car to a little back street garage who do car repairs and resprays. They said they could patch it and respray the patch for £175. I told them to go ahead.

When I collected the car it was impossible to tell that it had been damaged and respayed to the damaged area.

Result the neighbour and I were, and remain firm friends.I respect his honesty for owning up in the first place and he was delighted that I didn't insist on Mecedes doing the job..

Don't touch main dealers, go to a reputable small car repair firm.
Rigid Raider 22 Apr 2015
In reply to Trangia:

Excellent advice there.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...