Absolute idiot - hit and run

[Californication69]

My fault really, one didn’t install the gun turret and razor wire. Heathrow T2, level 2 short stay car park, empty apart from 20 cars.
I came back last night at 21:30 to find some some absolute twunt has hit the back of the Cali, dented and scratched the tailgate, I’m thinking maybe new handle and tailgate outer skin or even a new tailgate.
The crease is very visible on the line above handle.
Absolutely gutted. Pi55ed off.
Must be a Merc GLC or Range type with high level sticking out front number plate.
Heathrow said no liability as it’s in the small print. No cameras.
They have number plate recognition on every bay
But they say as soon as that number plate goes to the exit, it’s deleted from database.
So now what to do?
Get a chipsaway quote.
I’m going in to VW first week b4 Xmas, so I’ll get a quote from them.
Or just bite the bullet and ring insurance. ?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Really annoying! I think I would do the following.
Get a VW quote.
Get a Chipsaway quote, or similar, inc local body shop.
Talk to family, friends, neighbours and see if any of the can recommend a body shop. Get a quote from them.
l’m guessing you already know your excess in the light of an insurance claim so no need to call them yet.
Once you have all this information you can make a judgement as which way to go based on cost, reputation (quality of work), convenience (distance, courtesy car etc).
Hope this helps. All the best.

 

[Californication69]

Thanks @Jabberwocky
It’s £150 xs, or if I want VW to repair, then an extra £200 so £350 in total.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Oh! That's less than I expected it would be. You know what? If the VW bodyshop is convenient and/or they offer you a courtesy car and because your Cali is so new I think I would go with the VW dealer (no arguments about thickness of paint should you ever want part-ex it with a VW dealer later).
A couple of things to check maybe. What warranty would you get and should you choose the insurance route what would that do to your NCD - is it protected or not?

 

[Californication69]

Yes I have protected no claims. And I’m in touch with Heathrow to see what they will help with.
been parking there for 5 years for 5 months of the year!
Yes local dealer is good, not far and providing courtesy car for swapping out EU for UK plug in the kitchen. So I shall ask for a quote.

 

[andyinluton]

are the chairs in the boot ok?
Difficult to tell from the photo but if the paint isn't cracked you might get lucky & get that pushed back out without needing paint.

 

[Thepuma]

Surely the official Airport Car Park has cctv.

 

[Soton Campers]

Google "Dingoes Dent Removal" I use these guys all the time and they are exceptional. Hopefully one will be near you. Adam is quite the magician when it comes to bodywork.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

View attachment 70023

So b***dy annoying for you :-(
Hope you get it resolved quickly. As Soton Campers says, dent removal specialists can work wonders. I had a dent in the tailgate of a Mercedes estate and they came to my house to fix it and did a fantastic job. Pure wizardry!

Not wishing to rub salt in the wound but I think front and rear dashcams are well worth a future investment. Just one incident like this potentially covers the cost.

 

[Loz]

I would contact a Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) specialist as its amazing what they can do.
Check out Youtube if you want to see what's achievable.

 

[Hamish S]

This doesn't help but I would be so p*ssed off if that happened to me. You have my sympathy.

 

[Corradobrit]

Good news is that looks repairable without paint. I'm pretty sure the panel can be exposed from the inside making he dent easier to push out. I wouldn't wait too long though as there will be stresses in the paint layers. Get a couple of paintless dent repair experts to take a look. The only caveat might be the locking mechanism inside the tailgate.
Good luck. Similar thing happened to me 2 weeks into ownership of an Audi. Careless idiot reversed into the boot and bumper in my work parking lot. No note left. He knew he did it as he didn't park in that section of the lot again for several months. When he thought he got away with it he parked there again and I matched the gold colour paintwork (I remember seeing it before the incident but not the make/model) and the height of his beat up SUV which had many battle wounds, to the damage on the Audi. Damage was minor but it still hurt on my brand new car. I printed off a pic of the damage and left it on his windshield with some choice words.

 

[Rams66]

Would just add, avoid using your insurance company if you can. Even after a no fault incident as this clearly is not only will your XS be affected but your future insurance premiums will rise because of the dink. I discovered this to my annoyance when someone dinked my car. I would now only use insurance for a major claim (hopefully never therefore!) and agree with the others to find a decent bodyshop.

 

[Californication69]

Surely the official Airport Car Park has cctv.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Heathrow Parking. We are sorry to hear you arrived back to a damaged tailgate on your vehicle.

The Airport does not accept liability for damage to your vehicle (whether caused accidentally or by way of vandalism); while your vehicle is in one of our car parks. The exception to this, is if such damage or theft is caused by the negligence of the Airport or its agents or employees, and then only to the extent that the Airport’s negligence has caused or contributed to the relevant damage or theft.

Whilst Heathrow Airport does have many CCTV cameras located around the airport, it is not always possible to have complete static coverage of all areas. The surveillance we do have in the car park is at the entry and exit points, in lift lobbies, and at payment machine locations. Nevertheless, we want to reassure you that we will assist you by reviewing the CTTV footage we have.

In the meantime, we recommend you contact your insurance company to make them aware of the situation.

Kind regards,

Gayle Holland
Customer Service Advisor
Heathrow

 

[Californication69]

Would just add, avoid using your insurance company if you can. Even after a no fault incident as this clearly is not only will your XS be affected but your future insurance premiums will rise because of the dink. I discovered this to my annoyance when someone dinked my car. I would now only use insurance for a major claim (hopefully never therefore!) and agree with the others to find a decent bodyshop.

Yes, I’m not going insurance route until I get a full Assesment of what needs to get it 100% again
I’m worried about trying to open the boot at the moment as need to be at BHX Monday for a week trip again. Then France the week after.
I will get time in 3 weeks to get it sorted.
What a Pain in my

 

[Jabberwocky]

Amazing this forum. First time I heard of PDR (I know you must be thinking, "Where have I been") but I guess I've just been lucky and not needed a body panel repairer for well over 15 years. The examples of what can be done using PDR techniques are amazing! Learn something everyday. Thanks for that.

 

[Wogga]

So happy now I pulled the trigger on a dash cam for the front and back, you must be well pissed off and I don't blame you people just do not give a sing about other peoples property. £350 didn't sound too bad especially when a stone chip can take £500 off the trade in value at a dealer!

Intersted to see how you get on.

 

[Ting Tong]

Simon at Dent Tox in Swansea will get that out. Stunning PDR work. Don’t even mention it to your insurance as it’s then logged as a accident even if you don’t claim.

 

[Californication69]

Simon at Dent Tox in Swansea will get that out. Stunning PDR work. Don’t even mention it to your insurance as it’s then logged as a accident even if you don’t claim.

Thanks @Wiggly Woo
It’s a bit of a trek to Swansea from The Midlands.
Would Simon know of anybody in The Midlands ?
And I haven’t rung insurance.
Does anybody know if I left it 3 months until after Christmas and I have some time to get the work done if I did go insurance route, would they rebuke it, as I’ve left it for so long ?

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Thanks @Wiggly Woo
It’s a bit of a trek to Swansea from The Midlands.
Would Simon know of anybody in The Midlands ?
And I haven’t rung insurance.
Does anybody know if I left it 3 months until after Christmas and I have some time to get the work done if I did go insurance route, would they rebuke it, as I’ve left it for so long ?

Morning C69, I think you’ll find that most insurers state that “If you're involved in an accident, you must tell your insurance company as soon as possible. Most insurers specify that you must inform them within 24 hours of the incident.” However .........
Regarding dent repairers in the Midlands best to go on recommendation if you can I guess, but Dr. Google will give you a few.

 

[Ting Tong]

Give him a call but it’s not that far. We regularly travel to the Midlands and back in a day: You could easily do it in a day if you get up early and then catch the bus into Swansea whilst he is doing it.

Be careful of franchised UK wide firms that just supply some unskilled bloke with a van, some tools and a few training videos.

 

[Loz]

Thanks @Wiggly Woo

Does anybody know if I left it 3 months until after Christmas and I have some time to get the work done if I did go insurance route, would they rebuke it, as I’ve left it for so long ?

How would they know when you had it?

 

[JaneJ]

Simon at Dent Tox in Swansea will get that out. Stunning PDR work. Don’t even mention it to your insurance as it’s then logged as a accident even if you don’t claim.

+1 for Dent-Tox Swansea. Simon is a magician.

 

[2into1]

1) As above, decide quickly if you are going to involve your insurance. We've established before that even mentioning it and not claiming has - ve effects for many years and is far more expensive than just the 'excess'.... But if you do decide to claim you are under obligation to tell them "straight away"
2) dent removal looks like a winner but be aware it will probably need removal of the fabric and fibre board box that holds the deck chairs. This has been discussed elsewhere and is quite a job. The pdr specialist won't have done one before and may run a mile. You may have to get it removed, let the pdr pro do their magic, then get the chair's box refitted.

 

[nickb77]

It’s a bit of a trek to Swansea from The Midlands.

I can highly recommend Mark at http://www.panelperfectpdr.co.uk/ Based just outside Cheltenham, so perhaps a bit closer to the Midlands