luvinlife

So some guy hit my car and a pedestrian saw and was nice enough to come tell me. The guy denied it so we ended up getting the police involved. the scratch is little but even so it requires my whole bumper to be repainted, my MB is brand new and I really dont want it to be repainted already. Most people wont notice it but I hate looking at the scratch. He didnt want to turn it in to insurance so he paid me the 587.00 estimated to repaint it. I have a friend that works at the body shop that can mix some touch up paint and hide the scratch without repainting the whole thing. Is there anyway this can come back on me if the guy notices I didnt fix the bumper the right way? . . this guy has been very shady and mean and has been trying to get out of it the whole time. we both signed a release of liability form had it notorized after he paid me, I just dont want to get in trouble for not using all his money to repaint the whole thing.

icanectc

Sucks someone hit your car. But you are good you are under no obligation to ensure his money was spent in whole on fixing your car. You could choose not to use any money at all for the repairs and will still be okay.


Even with insurance claims from StateFarm, etc.. Don't require you to fix the damage unless severe in which case many insurance companies pay the body shop directly. You just can not file a reclaim for additional monies on the same damage. So if you were say hit again and scratched in the same general location it might be in your best interest to show the insurance company a receipt showing you did infact get the damage repaired otherwise they could decline your claim.

You also both signed a release of liability which IMO is extreme for a scratch but you did it. That does not entitle him to say hey I am now going to file a civil suit against you for the reimbursement of what you did not use to fix your bumper I mean how would he know? Unless you directly told him.

While he may have been *****ing the whole time about not hitting you in fact he paid you so I don't see the guy paying you for something he didn't do. So he was at least honest enough to pay you. Time for you to return some of that honesty at least IMO.

If you can get the work done cheaper and of quality for less money I would not pocket the additional money I would give it back - if I had a way to give it back to the individual (I would not go above and beyond - but reasonable).

It's good to be honest

Sportstick

A settlement (or a judgement) compensates you for the damage you suffered. The measure of damages is the cost to make you whole...put you back in the same position you were before you suffered damages, in this case as the owner of a car with unscratched bumpers. But, you are not obligated to actually make the repairs. However, what he may say or do personally is unpredictable.

i_am_amused

summary:

you are trying pocket the cash by having a cheaper repair performed, but don't want the guy to find out.

answer:

don't worry about it

suggestion:

next time, shut the f*** up about it. if you want something to remain a secret, don't tell the entire world.

icanectc

Well said haha!

luvinlife

Thank you guys very much I appreciate ur replies.

encoder

It's about diminished value. I think icanectc is totally wrong about refunding the remainder. I don't think that's even morally correct. Because you may need to have the whole bumper resprayed at some later time if the appearance of the touch-up paint does not age well.

luvinlife

(TO: I AM AMUSED )I am not trying to pocket the cash, I dont want him to get away with it because I know he did it and hes calling me a liar. He devalued my car and its completely his fault. I dont want my car taken apart and repainted when its 2 months old. Plus its not like he will find out through this forum and for that matter Im not even trying to keep it a secret.

luvinlife

encoder . . thank you

Derspeed

You would have been compensated the same by his insurance company. Even then, you are under no obligation to get it fixed at all. He caused the damage. The repair cost is $587.00. He paid you for the damage he caused. Also, his insurance doesn't go up. He's lucky.

Maybe he won't hit and run or do anything shady again if he thinks people may be watching.

C300Sport

Agreed.
Accidents happen, but the fact that he refuses to take responsibility makes me wish it would have cost him another grand or two. What a sorry POS.

RLE

Look, it's a question of pay now or pay later. When you are finished with this car and trade it, the used car manager (or an awake buyer) is going to see unrepaired damage and deduct the repair cost from the car's value.

Your worrying about repainting the area is unwarranted to a degree. Spotting in the color coat is nothing for a good painter (MB experienced, not some schmuck down the street, either) but there might be a question whether he would use the OEM Nano-particle clear coat. Worth asking about.

Personally, when I see unrepaired collision damage on a newish car, I see an owner (or lessee) who doesn't give a damn and is likely neglecting other things also such as proper service.

encoder

This is the front bumper cover?

If so, I DEF would not have it painted yet

Pocket that money.

In a year or 2, you will have a nice amount of road rash. I drive very cautiously -- lots of distance between me and the car in front of me, and not all that much interstate driving -- and it's just unavoidable to some degree.

Have it repainted then. Kill 2 birds with one stone. And maybe have a clear bra applied

Azn_C300

pic of damage?

rberg925

+1

beber2600

depends how bad the damage is I guess. you can get those little bottles from www.touchuppaintonline.com if it's small enough. having original paint is always nice too, so i see why you don't want to repaint it. pics would be nice

TaxEsq

Bravo!!