Doubt I get any cooperation from OT after I let everybody down and failed to comply with demands in that roommate thread, but here goes...

Last Thursday when I headed out from work to get some lunch, I noticed a huge (basketball sized) dent in my rear bumber on the driver's side corner. I have on street parking on a pretty busy street, but I just got this car about 3 months ago and I still inspect it for door dings, scratches and dents pretty regularly, so when I discovered it at work I assumed that it had happened that day at work and somebody had backed out of a spot, hit me pretty good, and took off. Shitty, but nothing I can do... no cameras on the parking lot.

Fast forward to Saturday morning as I'm getting something out of my trunk before heading out and one of my neighbors who's always on his porch smoking cigs comes up to me and tells me that he saw the old guy who lives in the apartment between us hit my car late Weds night, then pull off down the road and park somewhere else. He said that its not the first time he's seen this old guy hit other cars while parking. He's in his late 60's or maybe 70's, drives a huge boat (crown vic type car), and according to this kid "usually looks drunk when he rolls in late at night and stumbles to his building".

So with that evidence it becomes obvious that the old guy knew he hit my car, and just wanted to get away with it, so he went and parked further down the street. No note, obviously.

My question is how would you guys approach this?

Ideally I let him know that he can't deny it b/c somebody saw him hit me, plus he has my car's black paint all over the front right of his car's bumper, and that the best thing to do would be to just pay me the $600ish to get a new bumper, painted and installed. Otherwise it goes the route of getting the cops and insurance companies involved, we both risk our premiums going up and he likely gets charged with a misdemeanor hit and run.

I'm completely open to suggestions for how to approach this guy. Do I play dumb at first and see what he says before I tell him that there was a witness, or do I come right out with that info to keep him from lying and then becoming hostile after he gets caught lying? I feel strongly that he'll deny it until he knows somebody saw him do it.

I'd rather not get insurance involved b/c my deductible is $500 and the dealership says it'll be around $600 painted and installed, plus I run the risk of my premium going up for something I had no part in.

I'm thinking:

Knock on his door tomorrow, tell him I was approached by neighbor who saw him do it, and then offer him 3 options of

a.) paying cash based on estimate
b.) getting his insurance involved to cover it
c.) getting the cops involved to force him to cover it

He's an old guy, so I'm not worried about him getting hostile and kicking my ass, although that would be considerably embarrasing if I DO wind up getting my ass kicked by some 70 year old. This guy is no epic beard man tho, so I think I'm safe. Having said that, he is my neighbor, and my other neighbor seems to think he is drunk more often than not, so I don't exactly want to make an enemy out of him.

cliffs:

-old man neighbor hit my parked car last week and tried to get away with it
-other neighbor saw him do it, and approached me over the weekend to give me the heads up
-cost to fix is roughly $600, and my deductible is $500

Is there acutal paint on his bumper, or is that in theory?

and yea, old grumpy drunks are not fun to deal with, have fun wit dat

Arson. Hard to drunk drive into neighbors' cars if his car is a melted heap

at least your roommate didnt hit your car, becasue now you can at least talk to the guy who did

Do you not have comprehensive coverage? If I get hit and run and cannot find the driver, I pay $300 deductible, and my rates don't go up at all. If I find the vehicle that hit me, through a witness or whatever, I pay $0 deductible, and the guilty party pays. Maybe having public auto insurance isn't as bad as I thought.

 

Originally Posted by norcaljeff

Arson. Hard to drunk drive into neighbors' cars if his car is a melted heap

True story. I've tried this before and it's not very effective

 

Originally Posted by MeJahAndOmaha

I know thats a running lol in OT, but that's actually a legit approach that I didn't consider.

Leaving a note on his wind accomplishes 2 things: it lets him know that I know he did it b/c I've singled out his car, and it lets him think about how he wants to proceed without being on the spot.

Not bad, we're off to a good start.

You're welcome. You can send your thank-you to wes_mc on ftp. (sigh)

Take pics.

For the first time in ot i dont care if u post them tho lol


@wes. You tried arson or driving a melted heap? The answer affects the advice pretty severely imo

 

Originally Posted by norcaljeff

@wes. You tried arson or driving a melted heap? The answer affects the advice pretty severely imo

The second one. I'm not crazy ffs

 

Originally Posted by MeJahAndOmaha

Not theoretical. There's actual black paint on his right front bumper, equivalent in size/length to the dent/scrape on the back left of my bumper. His bumper has no damage tho other than my paint smeared all over it. Pretty open and shut case with the paint, the height/positioning of his right front and my left rear bumpers, and the eye witness.

I suggest confronting him before he gets that paint removed. There shouldn't be any issue with your insurance. Talk with him and if he acts at all not compliant then contact the police and/or your insurance to get the damage documented as soon as possible after that chat. The sooner the better from the date it took place.

Your deductible will be refunded by his insurance if it is not settled by when you get the repair completed. Hopefully he is onboard because I'm about to finally get my $500 deductible refunded from the lady that rearended me... in April 2010.

Whatever you decide, do it soon. Good luck.

 

Originally Posted by LeftyMark

Easily b. I don't get how your insurance premium will go up due to this.

before I found out who did it, I almost made the mistake of filing a claim on this. The only reason I didn't file a claim is b/c I knew my deductible was $500 and I knew repairs would run $400-800, but I called them up anyway to ask a few general questions.

The insurance rep said "I can't say whether or not your premium will go up, but it CAN go up. In fact, your premium can go up even if you file a report with us but choose NOT to file a claim." I asked how they could possibly increase my premium for something that I had no fault in, repair out of my own pocket, and that doesn't cost them a dime, and she said something along the lines of "its complicated but involves your driving record, your length of time as a customer, and several other factors". I told her I had to think about it and hung up before even giving her my name/info.

I wouldn't say anything to him. Get pics of damage and the paint on his bumper and report it to the police. Judging by his behavior so far, there isn't a chance in hell that he's going to pay a dime for the damage he did voluntarily no matter how laid-back and diplomatic you try to be with him.

With a police report you can work through his insurance company and not even confront the guy.

They have your phone number. It's all over. Premiums are jacked. Call Geico

They're not supposed to be awesome, just cheap.

 

Originally Posted by Ugot2BKddn

ask your neighbor if he would be willing to give a statement to LE. If yes, call the cops and report a hit n' run, then contact your insurance co. and let them handle it.

really... i don't get the "why" you want to be "nice" to a guy who hit your car and took steps (moving his vehicle) in an effort to shirk personal responsibility.

Getting the cops involved is a last resort imo, not b/c he's a good guy and deserves a break but b/c he is my neighbor and I make an effort not to have enemies, especially if they are my neighbors or coworkers.

haha i almost threw that in there, but didn't want to reopen the door.

In my mind, calling teh cops on your neighbor is bad for the same reasons that accusing your roommate of hoaring is bad, you're making an enemy of somebody who knows where you live and what you drive.