You’ve returned to your car, and it’s been keyed; what’s the first course of action after the inevitable personal meltdown?
It seems like leaving your car parked in a public place is just tempting fate. That’s where your car is most likely to be damaged.
If it’s some old bomb, it may not matter to you if it should happen to be damaged – either accidentally or maliciously.
But if it’s a recent model of prestige car, or a collectible classic, you may want someone to pay for your ‘loss’.
It’s not always clear who’s at fault, however, and you may find yourself out of pocket for a variety of reasons.
Here are some cases to illustrate…
Natural event
It’s not unknown for parked cars to be washed away in a flash flood or buried under a landslide.
Usually, any sort of event like this, one that has the power to move the car – or bury it, or drop it down a slope, off a cliff and/or into the sea – will result in the car being written off.
Water damage, in particular if the flood level is high enough and water seeps into the car’s cabin, will more often than not have the same result.
Presuming the car is comprehensively insured, contact the insurer straight away and discuss your options with the claims department. They should help you transport the car to a place (a panel beater or an inspection facility) to have the car assessed.
At that time, the insurer will decide whether the car is repairable or should go straight to the wreckers, with you hopefully receiving payment in accordance with the comprehensive insurance policy to compensate you for the loss.
In many cases, if the car is of particular value to you, you may be able to negotiate with the insurer a settlement that is part cash, less the ‘salvage value’ of the vehicle, and you retain ownership of the car. That assumes you have the know-how, or the mates in the trade, to fix the car cheaper than the insurer can arrange.
That’s not so with water damage however. It doesn’t take a lot of water damage for a car to be declared a ‘statutory write-off’.
If the car is not a write-off, the insurer will arrange to pay the cost of repairs, less the excess you are required to pay for each claim.
Parking bingle
In the event that you’ve left your car parked while shopping and return to a vehicle that is not in the same pristine state as when you left it, chances are high that the offending driver of the third-party vehicle will have absconded without leaving you their contact details.
It’s illegal, but still happens a lot.
If you’re lucky, an independent witness may have seen the event and recorded the other car’s registration and identifying details with their smartphone.
If a witness hasn’t come forward, check with the shops in the vicinity for CCTV footage that might have captured the incident as it occurred.
Should the damage be so severe that the vehicle isn’t even drive-able, ring for police attendance. They may be better placed to investigate the incident on your behalf.
If you can obtain the third-party vehicle details (and better still, contact details for a witness), you can lodge a claim with your insurer. The insurer can then request a statement from the witness and pursue recovery of costs from the other driver.
If the third party has been honest and left contact details on a note under your car’s wiper, it makes the process of getting your car repaired that much easier.
Your insurer will forward a ‘letter of demand’ to the other driver, and while you may be required to pay your excess in the first instance, it should be refunded once the insurer has successfully recovered its costs from the third party, or established that ‘knock for knock’ applies, in which case each insurance company pays for the damage to each respective vehicle.
If, however, the driver absconded and the damage wasn’t witnessed or recorded on CCTV, you don’t have many options. You can claim the cost of repair from your insurer, but you will be required to pay the excess, even though the damage incurred wasn’t your fault.
Traffic accident
Someone has slammed their car into yours while it was parked or waiting for a traffic light to change. The procedure in this instance is much the same as for a parking bingle (see above).
Stay calm and approach the other driver when safe to do so.
It’s very important to see the driver’s licence and record their name and address personally. Don’t just accept their hand-written note, as they may provide dodgy details.
Write down their vehicle’s registration as well, but also bear in mind that it may have false plates fitted. That happens more often than you might realise.
If the third-party driver is not co-operating, ring for police attendance.
Ask any witnesses to provide contact details, and check local shops for CCTV footage of the crash.
Record these details on your claim form or email them to the insurer so that, hopefully, your excess will be refunded. Arrange with the insurer for your vehicle to be towed somewhere to be assessed.
Malicious damage
Some people get their kicks by damaging the property of others – including parked cars.
It is always best to park in well-lit and reputable areas, but the old ‘20-cent pinstripe’ can seem random. Cars can be keyed or the tyres slashed in “nice” residential areas too.
Often it’s just one perpetrator going on a spree.
This type of offender can be apprehended by the police, but it doesn’t happen that commonly. Part of the reason is that vehicle owners may choose not to report the crime.
It’s quite likely, however, that if your car’s tyres have been slashed, so have the tyres of other cars in the neighbourhood. Once there are multiple victims involved, police will work harder to track down the miscreant.
So, it’s definitely worth reporting the incident to police.
Assuming, however, that the police are unable to find a culprit, you will lose your excess for any claim you lodge with the insurer.
For a lot of owners, it’s not worth the cost of the excess and the consequent higher premiums payable to have a keying incident repaired.
That’s a decision for the individual owner. Check with the insurer how much it will cost you now and in the future to have the panel damage repaired or one or more tyres replaced.
If the damage is minor, it may be cheaper in the long run to pay cash to a panel beater or tyre shop, and leave the insurance company out of it.
Quick reference checklist
• Retain contact details from witnesses who come forward
• Ring police for attendance if the third party has left the scene
• Ask nearby shopkeepers whether they saw anything or have CCTV video
• Contact your vehicle insurer to discuss your claim and arrange a tow truck
• Ask insurer for advice on how to proceed with the claim and repairs
• Forward all relevant details to insurer, including witness and third-party contact details
