Morris Minor Owners Club

I made the mistake of parking the car on the road late last night because of the time getting home from seeing family over christmas. I went out this morning and tried to start it and the noise was horrendous, cut the ignition and popped the bonnet and immediately saw the problem, the grill has been pushed back, and the radiator is a couple of inches further back than should be, the grill is bent out of shape and there are cracks in the bodywork.

I know what car was responsible (the only car that has been there between the minor being ok and not being ok (we live in a very quiet cul-de-sac)) but have no idea what to do, it must have happened as they were pulling away earlier. It has really p*ssed me off that they did not leave a note or anything and obviously could not care less. What should I do to get it sorted? Is there anything I can do? (As in get the driver to pay up) Is it worth going through insurance? I would really like the t*ssbag to pay up for it because he didn't even leave a note.

hello very unfortunate but chances of getting paid out seem to beslim hope you canrepaire her, allthe best for the new year,,grandad

That needs a fair bit of bodywork, so not a quick or easy fix

If you know where the other car comes from and it has damage on it and some of your paint then 2 options:
1) take detailed photos of their car showing damage and paint etc.. then ask them to cough up.

2) take detailed photos of their car showing damage and paint etc.. then report it to police as a 'leaving scene of accident' and tell them the evidence is very clear cut.

Taking photos ASAP is about the only way to protect yourself if they don't want to listen - once the other car is fixed / T-Cut / hidden away then you're up the creek with a missing paddle.

I'd guess the repairs need to go through your insurance, however if your insurance requires parking off road when at home then be careful! If it's not going through insurance then if you inform your insurance company they can pull a stunt like record it as an accident against you (had that happen to me - it caused me a few problems when changing insurance companies)

first thing to do is when they come home look at the car and see if it has damage or any paint marks or even better your paint on it another thing to look at is has your car got any paint from the offending car this put to them means they cant deny the fact they have damaged your car. keep calm when you approach them and put it to them this I have found normally works if they deny it and you have proof say to them I will have to call the police to sort this out you will be better to sort this out between the two of you like getting a quote for the repair but make sure they agree with garage to pay the bill or you could be left with it. dont let them have a mate who does repairs this will not work been there done it its can be bodged. remember its your car and you want it back as it was. [if all else fails just set fire to his when he goes to bed] only joking but sometimes it can make you feel this way. good luck I am sure it will all work out Ok

Doesn't it come under being classed as "failing to stop after an accident" ie "hit & run" and as such Police should be involved.
I reckon if you have evidence that the other party damaged your car then the Police would probably visit the other person and advise then to exchange insurance details.
We had a small problem when someone ran into our car and refused to give insurance details as they wanted to pay cash for the repairs. I wasn't happy as the the same attitude could also apply when they got the repair bill. I reported them to Police who rang them up and told them it was a legal requirement to provide insurance details in in the event of an accident if requested by the other party even if no claim was going to be made. BTW they did paid the bill - which was £500 and in late 1980's was substancial amount so you can understand my worry

Paul Humphries

As has been said, it is an offence not to supply details within 24 hrs of an accident. If you can prove that the other driver was responsible ie by matching the paintwork, then confront him and if he gets difficult then report the incident to the police. If they have nothing better to do they should follow it up.

I've decided to call it in as we have no idea when the car will be back as they are visitors to our neighbours (here a couple of days each week). I am taking it that they are unlikely to accept liability for it unless confronted with evidence and asking for information may end up with them making sure the car is clean. The police seem very interested (much to my surprise) and have informed me that they have been taking damage to motor vehicles very seriously in the area. It is a 'failure to stop' but with little evidence it's not likely to be fruitful.

Insurance claim will cost us £200 in excess and likely end up with having a claim on our insurance, for some vehicles it isn't a trivial amount of damage but i don't know for a minor. I half inclined to just knock it out and leave it at that.

Would there be any likely further damage by bending it back into shape and bending the rad mounts back to forward? What would people advise? (I know that is a difficult question without being able to see the damage)

I would advise getting a couple of quotes from Minor restorers if there are any in your area. Once you have an idea of the costs involved you can make an informed decision.
Looking on the bright side he probably did more damage to the plastic end of his car than to the Minor.

Sorry to hear about this. That's a lot of local Minors in the wars at the mo.

Just to temper your temper. If you get the chance to inspect the suspect car you might want to check its rear just in case someone else shoved him into you.

The car has returned and is damaged as expected. Lines where the chrome on the grill is, even an impression of the grill pattern marked into his bumper. The recovery point on his car matches where the grill has been caught and pulled. (all measured up within the millimetre to what was expected although it clearly shows that it hit the minor twice (where the pattern of damage is). We've got loads of pictures, including of the paint flecks (fairly distinctive paint colour) on his bumper.

We will write a note informing him of the photographic evidence we have obtained and that we have been in touch with the police. I will also mention that they have contravened Section 170 of the Roads Traffic act by not exchanging details or making a reasonable attempt to leave details at the scene of an accident. (always beneficial to have good friends as coppers, it makes it easier quoting the relevant acts.) Would be nice to settle it outside of insurance but we will wait and see. Annoyingly though the police do not have anyone to come out to inspect the damage and remove the paint fleck... at this time of year I am sure they have much better things to do in the evenings (like coralling drunks).

Anyone know of anyone near portsmouth who can inspect damage? What should I do to get it running to get it to a garage? (The radiator has been pushed into the fan, so unable to just unbolt the fan also have tried levering and bashing the radiator away from the fan but with no luck.)

Most of that front end is custom mate. If you are going to go through insurance i will try to find the number for a bodyshop in Hillsea. My mate works there and he carved out the shape of the car origionally.

Rod

Ta Rod, Would be cool to get it to the shop mentioned and get a quote for work from them to go to the guy that owns the other car. Do you know the name of the bs?

I would approach your neighbour - and ask them to sort it out with their visitor! Meantime- lots of pictures of both cars.

Any chance of a look at the photos after you have settled the legal matters?

Sent some pictures off to the officer dealing with it. He is going to get in touch with the owner and inform them that they have evidence that shows the incident and try and get them to accept liability. Unfortunately we don't have evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt but we do have evidence to prove beyond a reasonable probability (according to the roads unit officer). The pictures do not show the damage very well but I will get them up when I have the time. Thanks for the advice. I am going out there with some blocks of wood and an old axe handle to try and bend it back into a drivable state, wish me luck!

Take care that you don't cause more damage. You should get some estimates before you try to get it driveable otherwise his insurance could reject your claim.

luridhue wrote:I made the mistake of parking the car on the road late last night because of the time getting home from seeing family over christmas. I went out this morning and tried to start it and the noise was horrendous, cut the ignition and popped the bonnet and immediately saw the problem, the grill has been pushed back, and the radiator is a couple of inches further back than should be, the grill is bent out of shape and there are cracks in the bodywork.

I know what car was responsible (the only car that has been there between the minor being ok and not being ok (we live in a very quiet cul-de-sac)) but have no idea what to do, it must have happened as they were pulling away earlier. It has really p*ssed me off that they did not leave a note or anything and obviously could not care less. What should I do to get it sorted? Is there anything I can do? (As in get the driver to pay up) Is it worth going through insurance? I would really like the t*ssbag to pay up for it because he didn't even leave a note.

I recently found out that my neighbor had backed in to my car overnight.
It was only because another neighbor saw her do it did she fess up.
Had her insurance fix it.
I'd go door to door and see if anyone saw it happen. It also wasn't clear if you knew this car or not. Don't know about the UK, but in the US, you can file a police report for a "hit and run". You can also keep an eye out for this car again.
2 inches in did some damage, and you'll want it fixed properly.

Oh no not another one damaged I hope you get the insurance sorted with the other party OK
As for bodyshops I would make sure its classic car friendly & experienced with minors as most are geared up for moderns & may not be that interested in doing it properly especially as some of its custom. probably be best to go with the chap Rod recommended who's worked on it before.
As for the damage on mine I'm likely to be getting Autobodys in Lavant to do the paintwork on it as they did the respray for me last year

I have spoke to the guy and sent his number to you email address Mike.

thanks rod