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Kids threw rocks at my Kodiaq and dented bonnet

17K views 44 replies 13 participants last post by  Old and Grumpy 
#1 ·
So I visited a school last week to observe a trainee teacher and parked my car in the school carpark. When I got back to it a member of staff was there and asked me to check it over as kids from the school next door had apparently been throwing rocks over the fence at cars. It was dirty so I couldn't really see anything. It all seemed okay but this morning I washed it and found a 50p size dent and scratches where a rock has obviously hit the bonnet. I thought it was bird poo before washing.

So angry. How much is this going to cost? Anyone had a bonnet repaired and resprayed? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks
Matt
 
#2 ·
First and foremost claim against the school if you have witnesses.

Second, I was hit in a car park and as expected whoever did it did a runner. The damage was over two front panels and needed straightening out and respayed. I used a local (and very well regarded) body shop to do the work. They did a blinding job and quickly. That cost me £250, a bargain compared to paying excesses and getting grief from my insurance company. So I would suggest you ask around before going to insurance or Skoda, Skoda dealers near me only farm out the work anyway.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the quick reply. I am hopeful that someone knows who it was as the school had notified the owner of the car next to mine. That was who the person was who alerted me as they had come out to check their own vehicle. I will call on Tuesday and ask to speak to her and see where it goes. Not that I will probably get anything out of them. I guess I could inform the police as it is criminal damage but again, probably won't have much joy.

Thanks for the advice on price, that is reassuring.
 
#5 ·
Hi

I am in Lincolnshire. Problem is it's not just a dent, it was a chunk of concrete so it has scratched right through to the metal. Good news about the repair to yours that is a great price!!

Matt
 
#7 ·
Dr. Matt, the school's insurance should be picking up the bill. You have one witness in the form of the other car owner, and they have an informant. If the school or their insurers try to wriggle out of responsibility then go through Skoda Ensurance and your insurers and make a formal claim. It will cost the school's s insurers more if they choose to go that route, so if they have any sense they will tell you to get it repaired and they will pick up the bill.
 
#8 ·
I did look at using a well know national dent repair company but they were so national that they wouldn't come out to where I live as it was too rural.
 
#9 ·
Shotto said:
Just had a dent removed from my bonnet after a branch fell on my car when driving home from work in the strong winds we had last weekend.
Cost me £120 and the job was perfect

Where abouts are you located ?
The damage I had repaired was allot more significant than yours, it was two panels and needed bending back out, filled and resprayed so I was happy at £250.

For £120 it's not worth considering telling your insurance company which makes it bit of a nonsense really.

In this case the school should pick up the cost of repairs as well as out of pocket expenses and some level of compensation. If there are signs saying 'parking at your own Rick etc.' Then it maybe more of a challenge.
 
#10 ·
Thanks all. I will try contacting the school for an amicable settlement on Tuesday. Otherwise I will have to let the insurance company deal with it. I don't want to let this go out of principle. I would much rather not have a claim on my insurance but if that's the only way...
 
#11 ·
DrMatt said:
Thanks all. I will try contacting the school for an amicable settlement on Tuesday. Otherwise I will have to let the insurance company deal with it. I don't want to let this go out of principle. I would much rather not have a claim on my insurance but if that's the only way...
A noble statement but for the sake of maybe £120 it maybe not worth claiming on your insurance.
 
#12 ·
Interesting views posted here on who to blame and who should take responsibility for your upset and inconvenience.

How about the little sh*sters who through the rocks and/or their parents. This is an act of criminal damage and if they're allowed to get away with it without any lessons learnt then they will do it again. If you go down the insurance company route they will recognise it as a crime and probably want you to report it to the police for a 'crime number' in any case.
 
#13 ·
H2UBS said:
Interesting views posted here on who to blame and who should take responsibility for your upset and inconvenience.

How about the little sh*sters who through the rocks and/or their parents. This is an act of criminal damage and if they're allowed to get away with it without any lessons learnt then they will do it again. If you go down the insurance company route they will recognise it as a crime and probably want you to report it to the police for a 'crime number' in any case.
And why should your insurance be affected? You are blame free. The school's insurers are liable and your NCB will not be affected.
 
#14 ·
Old and Grumpy said:
H2UBS said:
And why should your insurance be affected? You are blame free. The school's insurers are liable and your NCB will not be affected.
These day the insurance companies are likely to increase you premium at fault or not.
Apparently figures show that if you have one claim it is highly likely that you will have one or two more in the same year. Personally I think this is a load of goolies! I do however know of three or four peeps who had 'no fault' claims and had their premiums increased the following year, more than by the cost of living.

Frankly I would NOT involve your insurance for this small amount It is most unlikely that your excess will be less than the amount quoted and therefore, having been all through the aggro of involving them , they won't give you a penny!
 
#15 ·
Colin Lambert said:
Old and Grumpy said:
H2UBS said:
And why should your insurance be affected? You are blame free. The school's insurers are liable and your NCB will not be affected.
I do however know of three or four peeps who had 'no fault' claims and had their premiums increased the following year, more than by the cost of living.
So be a "loyalty whore" and shop around at renewal using the comparison websites. I do this EVERY year and I have always managed to beat the current insurer's renewal quote, even after declaring a no fault claim in the previous year. Now that it can all be done on-line it's as easy as sticking with the same insurer.
 
#16 ·
Here's a direct quote from confused.com:

<COLOR color="#0000BF">"Will a non-fault accident affect my insurance?

Let's tackle one thing first. 'Non-fault' accidents and 'non-blame' accidents aren't always the same thing.

'Non-fault' refers to when your insurer is able to reclaim the cost of the claim from someone else. If they can't - regardless of who was to blame - it counts as a fault claim.

Even if you have a non-fault claim, you might see your insurance premium go up at your next renewal. Why is this?

Based on years' worth of insurance data, insurers have seen there's an increased risk of someone making a fault claim if they've previously had a non-fault claim.

Given that insurance pricing is closely related to risk, you may find next year's insurance quote to be a little higher".
</COLOR>


That would suggest that even if the damage is done by someone else and you were not at fault, if they cannot recover the cost of repair and their costs then it can be held against you as a fault claim and your premium can be affected.

I don't trust insurance companies, they do not have your best interests at heart and are purely profit driven. They work off the principal that you cannot legally drive on the road without them so it's not a nice to have. Over the years I have dealt with insurance companies I have never been satisfied with the service I received even with a no-fault accident. The third party insurance company (Admiral) tried every dirty trick in the book to threaten and intimidate me.
 
#17 ·
H2UBS said:
Interesting views posted here on who to blame and who should take responsibility for your upset and inconvenience.

How about the little sh*sters who through the rocks and/or their parents. This is an act of criminal damage and if they're allowed to get away with it without any lessons learnt then they will do it again. If you go down the insurance company route they will recognise it as a crime and probably want you to report it to the police for a 'crime number' in any case.
Stones today.... knives tomorrow.

When I was a kid growing up in London we did what the Police told us without question. Over the past 20 years kids respect for anyone has been gradually watered down by our lilly-livered liberal society.
 
#18 ·
All this talk of "no fault" claims is nonsense. The question is whether you did or didn't make a claim. If you did, that can affect both your no claims bonus (because you no longer have "no" claims!j and the premium, because you now have a proven track record of having things happen that result in a claim.
 
#19 ·
It's all so depressing. Even protected no claims won't stop your premium going up if you declare a claim in the last 5 years.
 
#20 ·
It's very simple (I used to work in the insurance industry).

Your gross premium for 2018 is £1,000 but you have 60% NCD (protected)......net premium is therefore 40% of £1,000 = £400.

You make a claim between 2018-2019 so you are therefore deemed to be more of a risk.

Your gross premium for 2019 will therefore be, say, £1,500 but, thankfully, you have protected your NCB so the 60% still applies......your net premium is therefore 40% of £1,500 = £600.

So your insurance premium rises by £200 (50%) because of the claim.

Thank goodness for NCB protection eh?
 
#21 ·
DaveM said:
All this talk of "no fault" claims is nonsense. The question is whether you did or didn't make a claim. If you did, that can affect both your no claims bonus (because you no longer have "no" claims!j and the premium, because you now have a proven track record of having things happen that result in a claim.
That's essentially what I said and for the sake of about £120 it's not worth the effort.
 
#22 ·
This is why when some bell***d smashed off my wing mirror, and another t**t keyed my car I just sucked it up and paid for the repairs! With this experience and the comments here I have decided insurance claim is not the way to go. I will try to get the school to help out, otherwise it looks like hands in pockets again. Poor old Kodiaq has a dented nose!
 
#23 ·
Just out of interest, if you were using your personal car on work business, should your employer not be responsible really?
 
#24 ·
DrMatt said:
So I visited a school last week to observe a trainee teacher and parked my car in the school carpark.
Matt,
Are you a member of the teachers union, as they used to have a fund to help members whose cars got damaged like this. Been retired a few years now, so do not know if its still active. When I claimed many years ago it covered the expected increase in your annual insurance.

Maybe worth a try
 
#25 ·
ChrisL said:
Just out of interest, if you were using your personal car on work business, should your employer not be responsible really?
A good point and I don't know the answer. It is worth finding out about though. Thanks.
 
#26 ·
davidb said:
DrMatt said:
So I visited a school last week to observe a trainee teacher and parked my car in the school carpark.
Matt,
Are you a member of the teachers union, as they used to have a fund to help members whose cars got damaged like this. Been retired a few years now, so do not know if its still active. When I claimed many years ago it covered the expected increase in your annual insurance.

Maybe worth a try
Hi there. Thanks for that. I am a member of a university union so not sure this would be the same. However, you have got me thinking that they should be able to provide legal advice which could be useful if I don't get the answer I am hoping for from the school.
 
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