Hit and run!

[John Reddie]

A week ago Friday was a nice sunny morning so I took my '67 Fury III convertible for a ride. I needed to cash a check so I parked in the village which was very crowded but I found the last spot near my stop. The parking is diagonal and beside my car was a Mini Cooper which was parked crooked at a slight angle and not parallel with the lines. I observed this but saw that the car could back out with a little maneuvering. I was in the bank less than ten minutes and when I returned, that car had backed out and was driving away. I didn't notice the decent sized dent and cracked paint in the rear of my rear quarter panel until later when I went to the supermarket.
I called my insurance agent (I have Grundy) and he told me where there were no witnesses or police involved, I would be responsible for the $300.00 deductible which I would be okay with but then he said it would be on my record and I would be surcharged where I had no proof that another car caused the damage. I told him to screw that and that I would repair it my self. I am not really that good at body work but under these conditions, I will make a valiant attempt. As far my thoughts concerning the other driver, I kinda wish him or her a weekend of uninterrupted dysentery.
John

 

[Boydsdodge]

Thats a really suck thing to happen. It looks like a good paintless dent remover can handle that. Should pop nicely.

 

[Big_John]

Any chance the bank had a camera pointed that direction?

 

[1970FuryConv]

Sorry that happened.
I have a friend who's been a cop 33 years.
He says, "Ben, people are assholes." Sometimes I have to agree.
With the cracked paint below the trim, you may need a body shop.

 

[marko]

Thats a really suck thing to happen. It looks like a good paintless dent remover can handle that. Should pop nicely.

paint looks cracked to me unfortunately

 

[57fury440]

Hopefully they will find that their car was damaged as well. Very few people are honorable today and would rather run than be responsible for their actions. I would try and see if a dent remover can straighten it out. Maybe you can get away with just a little paint work.

 

[shooter65]

Any chance the bank had a camera pointed that direction?

This just happened to my brother about two weeks ago. He had to leave town for a funeral but just filled a police report, they're going to get the surveillance video from the bank.

 

[Boydsdodge]

I would still have it popped before some eager beaver at the body shop gets the grinder out

 

[FWD Look Fan]

I'm sorry that you experienced this -- the victim of a driver of a small, easy to maneuver car, unable to park properly, and unable to properly leave a parking spot, too. Let's just hope that they are not a part-time school bus driver after they are done shopping. I can't stand that anyone would hit a car and not leave a note. ANY car. But, especially a rarely seen car. This make me angry and disappointed, full stop. We should not have to practice defensive driving when choosing a parking spot!

Some try to avoid this by parking well away from close spots. Some park centered over a parking paint strip, taking up two (or more) spaces (tempting the aggrieved to show their displeasure in nasty ways.) But many times, parking spots are limited and we have to "just park." And some of us need close parking spots due to health and mobility issues.

Drivers today aren't used to dealing with 19+foot-long, 8+foot-wide cars in parking spaces (which have shrunk since the demise of our full, I say, full-full-size rides.) They can be careless and use only "muscle-memory" when backing up (or use only a backup camera) rather than looking.

There's not much to do but to limit our trips to off-hours shopping, or seek out the more spacious and/or less popular shopping centers. Myself, I park well away from other cars and walk the extra distance to get to the store. It's no big deal. I can enjoy a leisurely walk back, enjoying a good long look at my car as I take pleasure in knowing that I have a special ride back to wherever I am heading next. (Disclaimer: I don't take my cars out in the rain -- so no long walks involved on those days.)

But that is no consulation for you, damaged during a 10 minute errand by an incompetent and irresponsible and uncaring individual. I hate to see posts like these--this is too common and it Pi$$es me off.

 

[LocuMob]

That sucks, man. I hope it works out to your satisfaction.

 

[crv]

Yep, people are arseholes.

 

[polarus]

I'm sorry that happened to you, Id talk to the bank and any other business in the area, cameras are everywhere these days. I think insurance companies invented loopholes.

 

[saforwardlook]

I know a guy that uses Hagerty insurance and he has had this happen to a couple of his cars often parked on the street in front of his house. No police report or any other fees - they just took care of it.

I know of at least one other person on this site who has had a bad experience with Hagerty, but all I can say is that I dropped Grundy some 10 years ago and would never go back to them. I have not had such issues but my friend has had several. No questions asked, Hagerty just takes care of it every time. I hated Grundy just for their dumb charges and none of their rates are even close to competitive. I am surprised they are still in business, honestly.

Get rid of them....................................

 

[John Reddie]

Thank you to all for your responses especially the suggestions about possible security footage. I checked with the business right in the immediate vicinity of the incident but only the bank has cameras and they are only on the ATM machine which is on the other of the building. Some years back I talked to a representative from Hagerty Insurance but was denied coverage because at the time I did not have a locking garage. I now have one and may talk with them again. Thans again.
John

 

[live4theking]

Thank you to all for your responses especially the suggestions about possible security footage. I checked with the business right in the immediate vicinity of the incident but only the bank has cameras and they are only on the ATM machine which is on the other of the building. Some years back I talked to a representative from Hagerty Insurance but was denied coverage because at the time I did not have a locking garage. I now have one and may talk with them again. Thans again.
John

As someone else said cameras are everywhere check with the business on the other side of the street too. I assure you that banks have more cameras then just at the ATM too.

 

[John Reddie]

I spoke with Grundy Insurance and Hagerty also and found Hagerty to be very much more informed. My Grundy policy ends the end of this month so I have decided to switch to Hagerty. I didn't know that Grundy is actually affiliated with another company and the claim person I spoke with seemed clueless. Thank you for the insurance info. It was vert helpful.
John

 

[saforwardlook]

I spoke with Grundy Insurance and Hagerty also and found Hagerty to be very much more informed. My Grundy policy ends the end of this month so I have decided to switch to Hagerty. I didn't know that Grundy is actually affiliated with another company and the claim person I spoke with seemed clueless. Thank you for the insurance info. It was vert helpful.
John

Hagerty is a very large and well run company in my experience. Their agents are quick, smart and always cheerful and nice to talk with. They also have a Drivers Club magazine option if you wish and it is also has very well written articles of interest to older vehicle owners such as ourselves. The editors of that magazine come mostly from Car & Driver magazine who have a lot of experience with these older vehicles such as ours. The company just exudes confidence in how to run a good business and is motivated to succeed. They are the direct antithesis of Grundy. You will never look back is my expectation.

 

[3C's & a D?]

I spoke with Grundy Insurance and Hagerty also and found Hagerty to be very much more informed. My Grundy policy ends the end of this month so I have decided to switch to Hagerty. I didn't know that Grundy is actually affiliated with another company and the claim person I spoke with seemed clueless. Thank you for the insurance info. It was vert helpful.
John

You've paid into Grundy for some time I would assume? Would it be worth making the claim, paying the deductible, then ditching them? I'm not clear on the surcharge you brought up. Is that regarding this claim, or future?

Sorry you have to deal with this. I believe certain people purchase small cars because they blame their past "accidents" on the size of the vehicle they were driving at the time.

Also, not sure how small of a town you live in, 'round my parts the first gen mini Cooper's are not seen in the numbers they once were. I think I see more of the weird four door versions with the rear barn doors. What colour was it? Anything distinctive about it? Cheesy union jack mirror or roof graphics come to mind. Might be worth asking around some of the local gas stations.

I wish you the best of luck. That's a snowball schmuck, and it's going to cost alot to fix properly. I believe the worst of it will pop out. Then there's the rust/previous bondo repair, paint, and trim. That adds up in a hurry.

 

[John Reddie]

Your point on Grundy is well taken but the fact is, I am already paying a surcharge due to an accident I had with my other '67 Fury back in 2021 ( the details were posted on here a while back). I will try to repair this damage myself. I am sure with patience I can have it looking better at least. As far a the Cooper cars go, the town I live in is a money town ( I'm only here because I inherited my house) and Mini Cooper car are abundant. I wish I could remember the color and style of the offending car but like I stated earlier, I was not aware the I had been hit until later that day so I wasn't paying attention to the car at the time
.Bad news for my '67 Fury III hardtop

 

[3175375]

Sorry about the accident.
People are sloppy and don’t pay attention to detail. Period.

If you were to have the car fixed and ditch Grundy, your claim would travel with you, wherever you go. I think that you are doing the right thing by fixing it yourself.

Just as a side note, my fiancé had a terrible time getting car insurance when she moved. She had 4 windshield repairs in 3 years (driving on gravel and being behind empty, uncovered gravel trucks - but that’s another rant - and the claims counted.
Insurance isn’t what we think it is.