So first of all, I am really pissed! Due to the nature of my work, I have to park on the street in a really dense part of L.A. So after a year or so, I have had my share of minor scrapes to my rear bumper. Nothing that polishing compound or a little dabs of touch-up paint couldn't fix. So today I parked on the street as a usually do, and left a somewhat small space behind me, and in front of an old VW Bug. I never thought twice of it.

So I come to my car after work, and much to my horror, there is a big scrape about 6" long on the driver side bumper, over the exhaust, and an even bigger scrape on the rear driver side corner of the bumper. DOWN TO THE PRIMER!!!

I am SO ANGRY! What should I do? I already called the insurance company, and they will be sending an adjuster to inspect my car this Friday. Is there anything I can do to prevent this thing in the future? Or am I just going to have to pay up everytime some Joe Jerk-off decides he can park in a tiny space behind me?

Sorry, I'm just ranting now.

 

the only prevention i can think of is to put those rubber strips on your bumper that i see all over nyc cars. it's kind of cheesy but it's there to limit bumper contact. so if you're forced to park on busy streets i don't know what else you can do. or you can wait for the VW owner to come back and tell him what happened. ::shrugs:: sorry man.

SSTS

 

Thanks for the kind words.

Yeah, the first thing I thought was that I might need to buy some horrible looking rubber baby bumper strips for the rear bumper at least. I will kep my eye on cars with a large chunk of white paint on their front passenger's side bumper corner though!

 

You can do what I did. Buy a beater for 1200 or so bucks to commute in. I save my Acura for sunny days for nice weekend drives. With the beater you can jam it in any spot on the street you want to and keep your other car nice & clean. Not to mention getting a multi car discount on your insurance. Since you can afford to take the loss on the beater, you would need liability only and that wouldn't cost much at all. You would also have a second vehicle available when one needs service.....Just a thought, but it works great for me.

 

try giving your work the bill, or the cost from insurance company.. It is "almost" the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe area for their workers to park, even if they make you pay for the parking, they have to supply it or have it readily accesable. It's not their fault you were hit but, because of poor parking conditions for their employees, the employees have to, exactly wht you are describing, have their fair share of dents, dings, scratches, and now this primer deep scratch!! I would try to fight it.. or at least discuss it, if it was the president of your company's car out there, you bet they would write-off the cost of fixing his car as missalaneous repair costs..If you don't start yelling about it they might do the same for you. One scratch they might tell you to get lost, but this is a constant issue that has not been addressed properly and potentially cause you finantial setbacks. No one has it in their budjet to repaint their car every year... Unless work wants to bump your salary. I would also discuss the possible repair costs if you would have taken your car to a bodyshop. They don't overpay you accounting for this damage. Good Luck with it. Keep us informed.

 

ResidualFreedom,

I don't agree ...

I don't think the employeer has to provide anything with regard to parking, safe work environment YES ... parking NO ... If you were working in DownTown TO your employeer would definatly not do this. Getting to work is your problem... you took the job knowing fully well that parking is an issue... They'd tell you to take the transit !

Now... YES the CEO/CFO etc etc will get special treatment.. but that was negotiated within their terms of employment and anyways the company usually pays not only for the parking for these folks but also for their CARS !!!

In today's working environment, just getting a raise and keeping your job should make you happy.. don't push your luck with asking them to pay for your car damages.

 

My apologize about what happened. It sucks, I try to park away from as much as possible when I can, and dread when it is just not an option. A couple of months ago a SUV must have either missed the corner coming into the parking space or while exiting... left a pretty deep scratch on the back bumper on the top. Right now I have touch up paint on it, and it looks like crap. Sucks that people can't drive and we get stuck with the tab. If I was in your situation, I would definitly consider a beater car. Dont put your Acc through that type of torture. In the long run you will save some green.

 

My point was, if the employer only suplies one place to park, and it is a highly vandlized area without security, you haven't supplied a safe place to either travel to or from your car (seperate issuse, I know), as well as an unsafe area to leave your car.

Another example, if a employer has their parking lot within range of a golf course or a driving range and once or twice a year you have a golf ball hitting your car or breaking a window. The employer has a certian ammount of consideration has to be taken in to account when planning where the employees cars are going to be parked.

Most buildings downtown have underground parking that is really overpriced, and usually fills up quickly. However, that is there way of getting out of situations like this, as long as they give you another option to parking in a unsafe enviorment, they are usually clear froma any obligations. But considering it has happend multiple times, and if it actually is the only available place to park, not the cheapest, your employer might give you some leanancy. Never hurts to ask, not yell, ask.

and something to think about TLS RULZ

Your employer pays you just enough so you won't quit! disagree? If your employer told you he was going to reduce your salary by 5% you'd leave right? Does that say you are being paid well? or even what you are worth? or does that mean you are being paid just enough so you don't quit?

95% of the people in this world work for 3% of the population.... there are alot of pawns out there... don't become a person who is content with what you have, always try for more, your boss doesn't work harder than you, he only works smarter.

How will you know if you can get it if you don't ask? There is a good chance his the employer will say However you'll never know if you don't try. just my

 

I wish it were a situation where my employer would have to pay. I am technically a "self-employed contractor" which means that besides haveing to pay a nice chunk of money in takes today (the end of the second quarter of 2004), I can deduct the expense of getting my car fixed, since it is primarily used for business (wink, wink), from my taxes. It still pisses me off though because I still have to shell out my hard earned money on a repair that I shouldn't have to do, especially since my car is leased!

An annonymous sorry note would have sufficed! :'(

Since I have a tough commute, I wanted a nicer, more comfortable car than my bimmer. Now it seems I need a beater just for the commute. Oh brother!

In the mean time, does anyone know anything that will help protect a bumper from these incidents in the future? Looks unfortunately, are not too important at this point.