Got that scratch.

It's not quite that bad, I had just gotten off work at 2:30 AM, stopped to grab some food, and figured I might as well take a peek on my way home.

 

I know I said there wouldn't be much to tell for a bit, but I did a few things on my way to work yesterday.

10/19/13 12:40 PM - Went downstairs and knocked on the door. Son answered the door and I told him I needed to speak with his father regarding the vehicle, I gave him an outdated business card and wrote my cell number on the back.

10/19/13 12:50 PM - Stopped by the fathers house again. There was a pickup in the driveway, meaning someone was likely home, so I knocked on the door. The father answered the door, invited me in and we talked for a bit. Apparently he is in the process of divorcing his wife. He was a bit taken aback, but not necessarily surprised, that she had gone on a drunken ping pong spree with the vehicle. He knew something was amiss already when one of his neighbors informed him that someone was asking around about his wife and the Murano. He gave me all the insurance information that I need, and said he wasn't sure why she didn't give it to me, that she has hit people in the past and traded info in a normal manner. He also asked that if I see them (son or wife), to please tell them to call him. Lastly he wanted me to get him the number on the police report, since obviously his name shows up on it.


That should cover everything except the repairs themselves. I'm sending the police report info to him now, and planning on taking my C to the new collision center first thing tomorrow morning so they can look at the damage and get everything scheduled.

 

Got second estimate this morning, this body shop was much more reputable than the first, total $1,273.81. Will likely take it in for repairs early next week.

Been emailing the Murano owner, he said his estranged wife has been checked into rehab. He also said that he would like to pay for the repairs out of pocket, which is fine with me, I still have his insurance information, and I'd do the same thing if I was in his position*.

*If you don't already know, filing a small claim against your insurance often costs you more in the long run than your insurance company has to pay out. Increased premiums can add up to thousands of dollars before they go back to normal, even if there is no penalty to your premium you can still lose out on discounts, like my maxed out 10 year safe driver discount, which would take at least another 10 years to get back.

 

The last email I received from the vehicle owner stated that his wife had also tried to commit suicide, which is part of the reason she didn't respond well to anyone when she had the accident or when she was approached later (that and the drinking). He also offered to write a check on the spot if I brought him a copy of the estimate, which brings up a conundrum. If I just had the cash in hand I could:

A. Repair my car
B. Repair my car at a cheaper shop and pocket a couple hundred $.
C. Go to a scratch and dent place and do partial repairs for a couple hundred and pocket the rest.
D. Seal the scratch myself, leave both dents and pocket over $1200.

Most of the people I've asked so far aren't so good with money, so pocket the $1200 is their option, as it's a veritable pile of gold to them. I'm a bit better with my cash, so I don't need the money to get by, but it's still a lot of money, and I do plan on keeping the car for quite some time.

 

Well there is that much damage to my vehicle. I didn't go to a second shop to get a higher estimate, I went because I refused to use the first shop for the repairs. I assumed that I would get the repair done and then he would pay the shop, or they would collect from his insurance. The only reason pocketing the money is on the table is because he offered to write a check based on the higher estimate, and he does know about the lower estimate.

Having the repairs done before accepting payment is still on the table. Being as how it is an estimate there is no guarantee that the final cost would be exactly the same.

 

Actually the husband never lied to me, his wife and son both did. The first time I was able to speak with the husband I got all the insurance information and everything, he has been pretty awesome in trying to get this resolved.

The compensation part is correct though. Pretend my car was totaled an the damage was $23k. I wouldn't be obliged to buy another identical car, or to even buy another car at all if a $200 bike will work for me. The cost of the damage done to my property doesn't change based on what I do to replace/repair it. Admittedly there are two different repair quote values, but that wasn't me intentionally trying to inflate the cost of the damage, the first shop I went to simply didn't fill me with confidence on their ability to do a good repair job, which is possibly why the price was lower.

 

Received cashier's check for the higher estimate amount. Got the whole sob story of what has been happening to the wife to put her to the point of trying to kill herself, not going to repeat that here. He had the Murano in his driveway after having to get it out of impound. He thanked me for helping to bring this chapter of his life to a close, said he's been waiting and praying for 4-5 years to get his wife into rehab.

The Murano was already rusting so I got a little worried and finished over my bare metal immediately. I taped it off, sanded, primered, painted, and sealed. Looks pretty solid except the base paint color match I had was far too thick and didn't go on as well as it should have, I know enough about paints I should have tested it and thinned it ahead of time. Still, the paint job isn't really noticeable until you get within 2-3 feet of the repair, one nice benefit of having gotten my C in black. Not sure what else I'm going to do from there, at the moment I'm up over $1200, but have a couple of dings in my car. I call this case closed, until I decide what to do with the money.