On Saturday I went to a local bar to watch some college football. My buddy knowing how cautious I am about my car saved me the perfect spot, a curb on the left and his truck on the right.

After the game was over I went out to my car to find a junky Ford Explore backed in and parked on the grass to the left of my car. Half the Explorer tires were on the grass and half were in between my car and the curb. Well I did not have to look too close to see the Explorer’s driver and passenger door had hit my car. I can only assume that given the Explorer had two wheels on the curb leaning towards my car that they had let gravity open their doors as I now have two vertical dents down my car.

I immediately called the police and wrote down the license plate of the Explorer. I went inside the bar to ask that they make an announcement for the owner of the Explorer. After ten minutes had passed the announcement was made and I went back to my car, only to find the Explorer was gone. While I can’t prove it, I believe the Explorer belongs to someone who works at the bar and they were tipped off before the announcement was made.

When the police showed up I gave them a description of the Explore and the license plate number. The problem is the license plate was from Pennsylvania and the police will have to reach out to that states DMV to find the owner. However, the Police were upfront in telling me they probably will not be able to do anything as this is now a hit and run case with no witness to the damage being caused.

So now I have two of the ugliest vertical dents down my car and the estimates to fix them both is over $1,200! Word to the wise, never try and own a nice car in a college town as these idiots have NO respect for others property. To the owner of the Explore WATCH OUT!!! The cops might not do anything but I will…

 

That's absolutely criminal, Scott. I feel for you. At least you've filed it with the police and hopefully they can persue a hit and run charge.

College town or not, it doesn't matter. There are a$$holes everywhere. People like that should be taken out and beaten with a large blunt object. No, better yet, they should have something that they really care for damaged in return - something of approximate equal value. Oh, nevermind, jerks like that never have nice things because they don't take care of anything. I guess we'll have to stick with the large blunt object.

Speaking hit and run: I was eating lunch at a local pizzaria a couple years ago - before I got my Crossfire, thankfully. And some MORON backed over my car. Yes, you read that right. They backed up and over the hood of my Eclipse. It must have been a large truck or SUV - something with a high bumper. But they went up the front bumper of my car, over the hood, and across the top of the fender - then the idiot must have figured out they'd hit something - and they pulled forward down over the fender, hood, and bumper again.

I've never been so angry in my entire life. Of course, no one saw anything. Big ol' parking lot at a busy plaza, and no one saw a thing. I couldn't see from where I was at in the pizzaria either. So I didn't know anything had happend until I finished my lunch. That was the most expensive pizza I've ever had. $2,000 in damages - new bumper, hood, fender, paint and labor. Grrrrr..... a$$holes are everywhere.

 

I feel for you too Scott. That's just ignorant. Did the dent break the paint? If not, go to a paintless dent specialist like Dent DR, or Dent guy and have them fix it. It will be less than $100.

 

I hate reading threads like this, it is infuriating how people disrespect others property like that. If you are anything like me those dents will stand out like a neon light everytime you look at your car.

I had an idiot landscaper throw a rock onto my door 2 weeks after I bought my srt6, luckily i caught him and made him pay the $400+ to have it fixed. That of course ment me without my new car for almost 2 weeks thanks to someones carelessness.

Hopefully you see his explorer soon and can cut his tires, bust out his windows and take a bat to all his door panels. He deserves it.

Try to turn in your dents to your insurance, vandalism should be covered 100% without a deductable.

 

I just had a small dent taken out of my SSB by the gas filler door and it cost me $200! The guy did a great job and I cant tell it was there. But that was the going rate out here for PDR.
Sorry to hear about your damage. I had someone back into the front of my Intrepid a month ago and take off. I have to replace the front bumper as it tore up the plastic. $@%(^*^%&*^*#^!

MikeR

 

When ever that sort of thing happens I go out of my mind. Hopefully "Dent Wizard" can take care of it. You would be amazed at how much damage these "paintless dent removal" places can make dissappear.
But just ask Andrew how helpful the Cops can be when ever somebody damages your car on private property, especially when they have an out of state plate.
Good Luck.

 

Scotty-B, Sorry to here about the door. I would do the same as FP suggested. I had a door dink in my first Xfire and had a local dent guy remove it. It was perfect when he was done. I think it cost me about $150. $1200 sounds high for a door hit unless it went through the paint.

 

To most people a car is just transportation -- to us on the forum, it's a love object. Like you, I am a-r about where I park my car. In the big lots I'm always a dozen spots away from the closest car and away from the store. But as forum readers know, this strategy often invites the biggest POC to park right next to you. Anytime I go to a restaurant or bar, I only park where I can watch the Crossfire.

I have been known to stand by my car and glare at a driver pulling in next to me, just to intimidate them into either going away or being darn careful opening their doors. My wife thinks I am crazy.

I recommend inserting the blunt object rather than a simple beating.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the support. The $1,200.00 estimate it to remove the dents and repaint the rear quarter panel and drivers door as both ended up with paint damage. Two months ago when some girl backed into my car and took off my insurance agent told me a hit and run is classified under my uninsured motorist coverage which has a $1,000.00 deductible. I ended up paying $400.00 out of pocket to get that fixed and now I am going to have to spend the $1,000.00 to get this fixed. Man, this stuff is enough to make me sick! BUT I refuse to loose the love I have for this car as she is going into the shop on Monday.

 

Won't your insurance company track them down, I would assume that they would rather that the other guys insurance pay rather than themselves. That is assuming the culprit has insurance. Of course the burden of proof is still on you !
I hate hearing of this crap ! Sorry about your ride Scotty !

 

#1 never make threats at least out loud or on a public forum.
#2. Find a lawyer like I did that will do suits for a percentage like I did for property crimes. I got for my 350# mailbox that a drunk hit and left, $1800. I designed it solid with rebar and such, deflected his path so he did not go into a 20' gulley.

You have the number and the other word of advice is #3 carry a camera in EACH vehicle with the battery isolated with a piece of paper. The electronic cameras have a constant drain and you dont wanna be there without a good charge.

Enjoy Woody

 

Sorry to hear that and thanks for the cautionary tale, Scotty.

I'd lecture you on the merits of becoming a citizen of Beaterville, but I'm sure you're well aware

 

I also suffered a 2" crease in my passenger door sometime last week. My hubby saw a dry ice trick on YouTube & the dent is down to about 3/4" now, for real. You take a piece of dry ice (handle with gloves) rub it back & forth over the dent, & it contracts the metal. Anyway, we had our doubts, but it mostly worked. Cost $7 in dry ice, of w/c we only used 2 small pieces, and about an hour of my time - it's not instantaneous. The guy on YouTube said he had to do it several times. Our dry ice disappeared already, though. I'll probably try again or have DentPro take out the remaining crease. I'm trying very hard not to get crazy about it.

It's heartbreaking to see a nice car suffer the indignities inflicted by idiots. I think we are lucky that MOST people are considerate. Our cars are hard to ignore - had a small gathering around mine yesterday!

 

I was attending the Wisconsin State Fair a while back when we were living in Illinois. We went back to our car around 11:30 pm and found a crease along the entire passenger side - someone had started at the front quarter and kept going all the way off the back - over $2500 in damage. There was a note from a witness saying he would sign an affidavit, along with the license # of the apparently drunken idiot that did it. We reported the incident to the police and gave all the information to our insurance, then paid our $500 deductible and got it fixed. The insurance company paid the body shop and never followed up on the information in the note. I guess it wasn't worth $2000 of their time...

I feel for you Scotty - I just cringe every time I hear about this stuff!

 

Here is a WEB site I found that will ID your scumbag through his license number. I used and it works. Provide the info to your insurance company. Or your lawyer.

http://licenseplate.unlimitedlookups.com/index.html

Hope you get the guy.

 

Stories like this make me realize just how much of an assss I would have been. I would have made sure to let the air out of the tires closest to the car and then found a nail or something to make sure that when he pulled out, he would gotten two flats on the other side.

Why? Because if these people are going to be so disrespectful of my property, why not make them pay the same way I'm going to end up paying.

I guess after so many years I now understand why the Sisters at the school were so terrified of me.

 

After much soul searching I have decided no matter what I am keeping my Crossfire!

 

Same thing happened to our Xfire. The car is my wifes' daily driver and she's the secretary for an elementary school. I'm the IT guy for our county schools and I just happend to arrive at her school to do some work when a lady and her son came out and went to get in the car parked next to the Xfire. The boy had gotten into trouble and both he and the mother were upset. I just glanced over in time to see the back door bang into the passenger side of the Xfire.

My bloodpressure shot sky high. I told the lady, "thanks a lot, you just hit my new car" (Yeah, we've had it a year but it's still new to me. Still paying for it so I want it looking perfect)

She starts getting all defensive saying she didn't so I opened up her door and showed her and the door fit exactly where the ding/scratch was.

Long and short, Dent DR $50 she paid. Can't tell anything was ever wrong with it. I kept the guys card that's for sure. Excellent job.

Hopefully the boy got his rear end busted when he got home too.

 

I feel you pain and agree that the world has a high percentage of a$$holes. On two separate occasions, someone has hit my back bumper and left a mark (but not a note). I never parallel park my Crossfire. And I always pull forward in spaces leaving plenty of room behind my car. And yet, people manage to hit my car.

My family works at the information booth at a local craft fair. The show is held outdoors and people are parked in the fields surrounding the festival. The people who are in charge of parking leave extra room between the cars, but the terrain is not perfectly flat and drivers and passengers need to take extra care when opening doors. I only mention this because the queen of the a-holes showed up at the information booth to lodge a complaint. Seems she let her door fly when she opened it and it dented the wheel well of the car next to her. The driver of the other car was furious and demanded her insurance information. She refused. Besides, it was only a small dent. So what. She marched straight to our information booth and yelled at us for the incompetence of our parking crew and on the uneven terrain on which she was forced to park. Nevermind she just let her door fly open. It wasn't her fault. It somehow became our fault. My wife wrote down her complaint and made certain to get her contact information; name, address, phone number. We will dutifully turn the information over to the festival and in turn they will provide it to the driver whose car was damaged. Hopefully justice will be served in this case.

I hope that your insurance company pursues this individual for the damages to your ride.

 

And let's not forget what a wonderful example she was to her son, but maybe he won't grow up to be an irresponsible liar, too.

These days, people insist on not being at fault even when presented with evidence to the contrary. Are the consequences THAT bad to admit you goofed?

Our poor little cars. Hey, I saw a white coupe today!!