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What to do if someone has hit your parked car?
A survey by RAC shows that Britain is a nation of people with terrible parking skills. Over a third of drivers reported that they have had their car pranged at least once in a car park. Almost as many had experienced multiple occurrences. It’s likely then, that most of you reading this will have had someone hit your parked car before.
The owner of this Renault Clio was one of those unlucky people who picked up car damage in a car park. She came into our workshop for an estimate on getting the rear bumper repaired. We were able to get the car booked in a short time later. The rear bumper was repaired and resprayed to the manufacturer’s standards and the Clio was soon looking good as new. Read on for the after picture 👇
So, what should you do if someone has hit your parked car?
Have a look to see if a note has been left on the car. This could possibly be under the windscreen wiper. It is the law to leave some contact information and an explanation of what happened. The person who caused the damage has basically committed a hit and run if they haven’t left a note with their name, address and registration number. You should get some photos of the damage to your car, how it is parked, the surroundings and ensure you have a time and date for the photos. If there are people in the car park, you can ask if they saw anything. It’s a good idea to also look for CCTV on surrounding buildings that might have recorded what happened.
Parked car has been hit and there is a note. Get in touch today!
If you have been left a note by an identifiable third party, that’s good news! The note should including their name, address, registration number and insurance details. If you have all that information as well as admission of fault, then you are in a great position to make a no fault claim with us. Using a service like Non Fault Car Accident Repair can mean that you will not lose your no claims discount with your own insurance company. There is no need to make a claim on your insurance policy and therefore pay any excess fee.
Find out more about how our no fault accident management service works and contact us on 0800 059 0220 to discuss your claim. Alternatively the person who left the note might want to pay for repairs to your vehicle and not involve their own insurance company. We can also help in that situation by providing an estimate and dealing directly with the third party for payment if that is the agreement.
Parked car has been hit and there isn’t a note:
If the person responsible hasn’t left a note, then a no fault claim might not be an option. It’s unlikely that you can make a no fault claim with an accident management company without an identifiable third party. You can of course contact your own insurance company. If you have fully comprehensive cover you can claim against your own insurance. However, regardless of fault you may find your no claims bonus is affected. You will also be required to pay the policy excess when any claim is made, even when it isn’t your fault. Therefore it is worth checking how much the damage would be to repair – especially if it is minor, before you actually make an insurance claim.
Don’t panic, Car Magic can still help.
If you don’t have third party details to make a no fault accident claim through Non Fault Car Accident Repair then Car Magic can still help. We have a 5* rating on Facebook and Google, as well as lots of customer reviews on our website for our vehicle body repair services and we might just be able to get the repairs done for less than your insurance excess. Send some photos of the damage to us at Car Magic and we can provide an estimate to get you started. We may need to see the car at our workshop near Chesham, Buckinghamshire for an accurate estimate.
Here’s the Renault Clio that received damage to the nearside rear bumper in a car park. Repairs were completed along with a wash, wax and polish. The car park was now a distant memory for the happy owner.
If you hit a parked car what should you do?
We all make mistakes. If you have a moment of madness in a car park, you should wait for the driver to return. If you can’t wait, you should leave a note under the windscreen wipers. The note should always include your name, address, contact number, and an explanation of what happened. If you don’t want to go through insurance, a note will give you the opportunity to speak to the owner. They might want to get their repairs done by someone they know, like Car Magic. This could avoid going through insurance companies if both parties agree.
If you don’t leave a note after causing damage to a car you could receive a motoring conviction. Before leaving, you need to take photos of the cars. Take a photo of damage as well as the number plates and surroundings. If there is doubt regarding who is at fault for the incident then gather information from witnesses or via CCTV.
Leave A Comment
I’m glad you indicated calling your insurance company if it was hit when parked. Someone hit my neighbor’s car last night while he was sleeping. I’ll inform him to call his insurance company while I call the police.
Relevant content. Keep posting.
Thanks!