BLAST! Hit and run.

mikester · 03:31 PM

So; Wife takes the Porsche to the Gym this morning and parks it on the street. Normal in our part of town plus there is a little american iron car show on main street so most of it is blocked off, including parking at the gym.

She comes back to this:

She got a police report and he looked at all the cars that were around to see if there was anything obvious but none were. When I got there a few hours later to get it and take a look to see if it was driveable (I hadn't seen it and from the description thought it was much worse) I found a white explorer with damage on both corners of it's front bumper which was exactly the right height. I asked the ladies out in their yards who owned the car and they pointed to the house my car was parked in front of. So I went to the door to ask if they had seen anything, of course not.

So I took the license plate down as the damage on my car was a nice scar of white paint. I'm just not sure of how she could had done the damage honestly but I'll call the officer and give him the plate.

Now I'll have to talk to my insurance company and find a decent body shop.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Sorry to hear that Mike. That sucks.

Ian

Navaros911 · 08-27-2005, 03:37 PM

I feel your pain.... I hope you find the criminal.

mikester · 08-27-2005, 06:19 PM

It really kind of sucks in that the person didn't even leave a note - the rest I could forgive easily if they had simply left a note and made good on the damage.

That's the crappy part - you make a mistake - you own up to it.

Por_sha911 · Por_sha911's Garage

Unless CA is a "no-fault" state, I'd push the police into investigating that neighbor. Otherwise, you will be charged by your insurance company for the accident even though it was a hit and run.

Steve87-911 · Steve87-911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Navaros911
.... I hope you find the criminal.

Based on Mikester's description of the explorer, I think he already did.
I'm pissed just looking at the pics...and it ain't even my car.

Fishcop · Fishcop's Garage

At the risk of being a little bit CSI... You could pay to have a paint scraping analysed (the white paint) that would tell you definitively if it was an Explorer. You could then pinch a scraping off the vehicle you suspect and know for sure...

HardDrive · 08-27-2005, 09:07 PM

What kind of piece of **** does something like that?

mikester · 09:25 PM

Like I said - I'm going to talk to the Officer about it tomorrow when I call him. As far as accusations - she's innocent until proven guilty. Under the circumstances I bear the burden of proof.

Regardless; I certainly want to find the criminal and the women in the neighborhood I talked to said that they would not put this behavior past this person.

We'll see what the officer says. When he took the report he walked up and down the street looking at the cars to see if any had any signs of doing the damage but this Explorer was not there at the time.

mikester · 08-27-2005, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HardDrive
What kind of piece of **** does something like that?

Exactly that, a piece of ****. A person of integrity does not do this.

KevinP73 · 08-27-2005, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikester

Now I'll have to talk to my insurance company and find a decent body shop.

Not here to tell you how to handle your business but I'd give that a second thought. Your insurance company may not have your better interest in mind.

vash · vash's Garage

mikester that sucks!

one time i banged a car parallel parking on a steep hill. i left a note, and the guy called me and told me his car is a beater, thanked me, and i never heard from him again.

another time, i banged a car, left a note and the bastards claimed $1700 in damage! i had pics, but my insurance still paid it.

some people suck, some dont. good luck.

scottb · 08-28-2005, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikester

I found a white explorer with damage on both corners of it's front bumper which was exactly the right height.

You find a white Explorer. Is it my imagination, or do I see blue on the damage?

mikester · 08-28-2005, 09:36 AM

It's the photos; plus under the paint of the explorer it is black plastic and some of that is rubbed off as well.

I'm going to take pictures of the explorer and I'm going to go look around again today to see if there may be other cars around that have similar damage. Having spoken to a few neighbors around there a little more it seems that they have a problem with things like this happening because it is all street parking.

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

That's terrible. Scottb, I think that might just be the sheet metal/rubber trim showing. BTW, is that the back end of the white explorer that I see in the reflection of the door in the 1st photo? Hey, I know a great dent guy that should be able to pop the dents right out. I've seen his book that he keeps of other cars that he's pulled dents out of, and it looks impressive. He did our BMW and it looks as good as new now. He has a great attitude and loves his work. If you want, I can give you his number. He's up here in the Bay Area through.

mikester · 08-28-2005, 10:38 AM

I appreciate it Matt but I'm down in El lay so it's not likely I'll get it up there.

mikester · 08-28-2005, 10:43 AM

I appreciate it Matt but I'm down in El lay so it's not likely I'll get it up there.

scottb · 08-28-2005, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KevinP73
Not here to tell you how to handle your business but I'd give that a second thought. Your insurance company may not have your better interest in mind.

What Kevin didn't say (but I will) is that he's a great Porsche body man. Before you get involved with your insurance company, go let Kevin take a look. He'll give you a good idea of what it will cost to fix it right, and in the long run it might make sense to pay him rather than file a claim, pay your deductible, and have your premiums go up.

My $.02.

mikester · 08-28-2005, 12:19 PM

I understand the point of not using insurance where it isn't needed on something small.

He's my understanding; I have uninsured motorist coverage which covers this instance and I believe doesn't even require a deductible to be paid(mine is $250). If CA is a "no fault" state and this is clearly not my fault then the insurance can't ding me for this ding.

Question is; is CA a "no fault" state?

KevinP73 · 08-28-2005, 12:34 PM

With a $250.00 deductable it's a no brainer to turn this into insurance. I can see at least $3,000.00 worth of damage just from the photo's. My only concern is that most insurance companies try to "steer" you towards one of their "direct service providers" also known as a DRP. These shops will write a sheet that speaks more to the interest of the insurance company than to your interest as a Porsche owner. The result may be hurried repairs and refinish and may not include a thorough evaluation of the damage.
I hate to see these things happen and even more don't want to come across on this board as an "ambulance chaser". I offer my .02 only as a way of contributing to a community that I enjoy being a part of.