Vent - dent/scratches on car door

[Elegant]

Hey there,

I am so upset right now. I love my car very much and I am grateful to have it every single day. I am just so upset right now... I know there are other things in this world a lot worse than this, but it doesn't make me feel any better.

First, on a day when it was hell hot over here and the A/C wasn't working about 2 weeks ago, my bf and I went to a hotel. We stayed over night and in the morning I left to go take care of the dogs at my house. I went to pull out and I hit a truck's bumper right in the middle of my car's bumper. I talked to the hotel woman, found the owner, and he said it was his work truck - no harm. But my car will need to be repaired. It isn't too obvious, etc. but it will need new paint or possibly be replaced.

Second, I recently had to call my insurance company because a small rock or something hit my windshield and overnight sprang all of these LONG cracks...so that is about $900 and I have a $500 deductible.

Hopefully last...this morning I am out to take my dog for a walk and I see my driver's side door has two dents/scratches. Now mind you, I haven't been out of my house hardly at all because I have been waiting for the air conditioner guy to come and now another electrician needs to come - total fiasco, but I haven't been able to escape my house so I haven't really seen my car all that much. Now the A/C guy came Monday or Tuesday this week to pull out this HUGE A/C that is in this house and he is a small guy - he had his son with him. Well, I think they might have dented it because they were out of sight, and I wasn't watching them the whole time, etc. But the dents look like it could have been the old A/C and the guy didn't tell me...

I'm angry - all of a sudden things are happening to my car and I don't get it. It is a 2008 Land Rover and I have had it exactly two years yesterday. I know, things could be worse, but I just needed to tell someone. I don't know what to do either. Tell my insurance company that someone dented my door? My rates will increase, right? I'm sure my deductible for that will be high too. I am very sad right now. Thanks for listening. Now I don't know about that anniversary ring I posted about...I'm a bit depressed.

 

[Elegant]

This is a pic. It is on the lower driver's side door. I am a mixture of angry and sad. I wish he would have said something if he had done it...

Sorry so huge!!!!!! I wish I could take this part of the post out!

 

[atroop711]

oh I''m so sorry...as for the windshield, is there an area in your town that has little car shops? Here in NYC (the bronx) there is an area that has all small car shops. I got my winshield replaced there for $100. Thank god because I have a 1k deductible. I didn''t even bother calling the insurance for it. GL

 

[Elegant]

I''ve already filed a claim with the insurance company. The windshield is a three layered windshield and it has to come straight from the dealership. I am getting it done through a glass place. Regardless of the insurance or place, it is just that much.

 

[Prana]

I get really mad when stuff like this happens to my car too. I completely understand your frustration.

I had a cat walk all over the hood of my car when it was brand new, like 2 days in the driveway new. I cried because I was so frustrated. I lived with the scratches for almost 2 years, then as fate would have it, a deer ran into my car and I got a new hood! As well as a new grill and front bumper...

Hopefully you will be able to get everything fixed.

 

[Haven]

Elegant, I''m sorry you''re feeling so down about your car.

As for this: "all of a sudden things are happening to my car and I don''t get it." I''m going to tell you what I tell my DH, because he gets upset about these things, too.

The car is *going* to take a mild beating out there in the big, bad world because if it didn''t, it would be *you* taking that beating. It''s a car. It sits and drives around outside exposed to elements that are beyond your control. (Yet, to be fair, backing into that truck was not something that happened *to* your car, it sounds like *you* backed into the truck, right? So that is something you can avoid doing in the future. I''m just sayin''.)

I don''t know if you live in a big city, but when we lived in Chicago our cars regularly had little dings and scratches on the doors. DH parked in an attended parking garage under his condo building for years, and even there his car came back dented and dinged.

I think the best way to look at this is that you take an inherent risk every time you drive your car out in public, or park it in the street, that it may incur some small damage to the exterior. As soon as my DH stopped getting upset every time he found a new ding or scratch, he started feeling much better about the whole thing. (When the car wash door slammed down on top of his car as he was exiting, however, THAT was a different story. THAT was worth getting a bit miffed about.)

Those scratches on your door are unfair, yes, and I hope you can get them fixed up without too much expense.

Feel better, Elegant.

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/10/2009 12:48:43 PM
Author: girlface
I get really mad when stuff like this happens to my car too. I completely understand your frustration.

I had a cat walk all over the hood of my car when it was brand new, like 2 days in the driveway new. I cried because I was so frustrated. I lived with the scratches for almost 2 years, then as fate would have it, a deer ran into my car and I got a new hood! As well as a new grill and front bumper...

Hopefully you will be able to get everything fixed.

my friend had a deer run smack right into the driver car door

left a big ol dent too.

I used to baby my all of my cars before I got married and had kids. I was a nut at how I parked too, I had to have so much space in between other cars so they wouldn't ding my car and always was annoyed when I came out and someone would park so close that I had to access the passenger side so I can get to the driver seat. now If I'm lucky it gets washed once a month and vacuumed out oh yeah, and I have so many dings and scratches oh well, but I've had this car the longest.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm sorry about your car! That really sucks.

I can empathize. Three weeks ago, while my car was parked and I was out-and-about, someone rammed into the back of my car, busting out the light assembly and left the back with a huge dent in it. Luckily the driver had insurance, but the shop I took it to did a terrible job (they installed a CRACKED brake light light cover as the replacement one) and now they're having to fix the whole thing again. The whole job cost $1,800! I'm on my second rental car! The first was a brand new Prius, covered by the driver's insurance, but the second is less glamourous - covered by the autobody shop at $29 per day (won't say which kind as to not offend) has been smoked in and stinks so bad that when I get out of my car, my hands smell like smoke!

It would make sense to suggest you call around to get car references, but in my case, the auto shop has a superb track-record. For some reason they just picked my particular car to cut corners on.

With the a/c place. Can you call the and ask about the dent?

Good luck.

 

[Prana]

I used to baby my cars too, then I realized, it was a car. I still get upset when it gets scratches and dings, but I guess it''s bound to happen with normal use. I will never buy a really expensive car for that reason though.

 

[Elegant]

Yeah, I just wasn''t anything like that to happen in my own driveway, you know? I completely understand normal wear and tear, but all of this stuff is happening like within 3 weeks period of time and it is a bot overwhelming. Yes, it was my fault a rammed into the trucks bumper (I was exhausted from the heat and just totally brain dead), but the windshield and the scratched are real pissers - I was FURIOUS at myself and still have flashbacks! I am a major dork, but everyone''s input is making it easier to accept. I just hate that the guy didn''t say anything about it...if it was him. I think I will see him once again and kind of ask him if there is anything he needs to tell me - but then I don''t want to be an idiot either and start stupidness...

 

[Dancing Fire]

Elegant
understand how you feel...when i drove my wife''s brand new car home from the dealership the big trucks on the freeway manage to put 3 or 4 rock chips on her car.

 

[Haven]

I didn''t realize the scratches happened with the car in your driveway. That changes things, in my opinion. I''d be pretty livid. I would probably call the guy, in that case, since you pretty much know who has been pulling in and out of your driveway.

I wasn''t trying to make you feel stupid about being upset, Elegant. I was trying to make you feel better. I''m sorry if I sounded preachy instead of supportive!

 

[Elegant]

Yeah, DF, I have a few of those on the front grill as well!

Haven - you were being supportive and that''s how I took it. I''m not 100% about it though, and I don''t want to fling accusations, but should I call him or something and ask him? If he did it and didn''t say anything, he''ll probably deny it too. I like confronting people in person because I can totally read their reactions. I don''t know.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Were any of your neighbors around? Can you check to see if anyone saw the a/c guy bump anything into your car?

 

[choro72]

Threadjack; Haven, can you convince FI that scratches are unavoidable? He thinks the world is out out to get him! (/threadjack)

elegant, that''s not a dent, that''s a hammer job! I''m so mad for you

 

[Haven]

Elegant--I think I would call and ask to meet with him in person. I''d probably bring my husband and some photos, but I''d definitely follow up with it. If I didn''t I would regret it. (And I''m glad you took my post as supportive!)

Choro--Did we marry into the same family????

My husband''s entire family thinks the world is out to get them. A few months ago the exit door to a car wash slammed down on DH''s car as he was pulling out, and I think his father really thought that it was done on purpose! It''s actually amusing at times.
I haven''t been able to convince DH of anything, actually, but I''ll let you know when I do!

 

[lala2332]

be careful getting your widshield replaced somewhere other than the dealer. I had a Land Rover and had to get the windshield replaced for the same reason and the dealership messed up the rearview mirror taking it off the old one and replacing on the new one. The rearview mirrors in those cars have a kind gel/oil stuff in them to make them dim automically, i think. Anyway, they are super expensive! The dealership replaced mine and I didn''t have to pay and they had them in stock, but I would be nervous taking it to someone that might not be that responsible about replacing it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/10/2009 4:21:56 PM
Author: lala2332
be careful getting your widshield replaced somewhere other than the dealer. I had a Land Rover and had to get the windshield replaced for the same reason and the dealership messed up the rearview mirror taking it off the old one and replacing on the new one. The rearview mirrors in those cars have a kind gel/oil stuff in them to make them dim automically, i think. Anyway, they are super expensive! The dealership replaced mine and I didn''t have to pay and they had them in stock, but I would be nervous taking it to someone that might not be that responsible about replacing it.

How expensive are the rear view mirrors? Mine had the gel in it, but for some reason, after a hot day in the summer, it partically melted so there is a vertical line down the middle. Half gel and half not.

 

[lala2332]

i''m not sure how much they cost. When I pulled back into the service department and told them it was messed up, the guy goes, ''uh-oh, those are really expensive.'' and I replied that it wasn''t my problem, since they were the ones that messed it up. So they just replaced it..i never saw any paperwork on it. I would check and see if its under warranty and try to get it fixed before the warranty expires.