Damage to a vehicle while I was not there?

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

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Joined
31 May 2005
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Location
Nottingham
It appears our handbrake failed while the car was parked up in a car park.

It rolled, and damaged a bumper on another vehicle. Our car has no damage.

Details were exchanged.

As I am not making a claim (Or am I) do I need to pay excess?

Thanks.
 
If you are paying for the damage to the other vehicle yourself then no, you won't need to pay an excess.

Don't know what would happen if you needed to make a claim. As nobody was driving at the time..
 
it only took three posts for the perfect human to appear ^

OP that stinks. See if they're happy to settle without involving insurance.
 
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Always wondered where you would stand in this scenario with the manufacturer if your vehicle has a full dealer service history, could you claim damages from them?
 
neoboy said:
Always wondered where you would stand in this scenario with the manufacturer if your vehicle has a full dealer service history, could you claim damages from them?
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Of course you couldn't. How would a dealer be liable for a mechanical failure? If you were on the motorway and a lorry tyre blew out, damaging your car in the process, you'd expect their insurance to pay. You wouldn't start trying to claim damages from Michelin would you?
 
If my hand brake failed and my car was under warranty I would expect the dealer to fix it along with any panel damage caused by the failing brake
 
Excesses are usually only on your own damage. Almost no personal policies have what is known as an All Sections excess where you have to pay a proportion of the third party claim.
 
PapaLazaru said:
How would one prove the handbrake was on in the first place?
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Suppose that would be a hard one, unless the cable actually snapped.

Gaygle said:
Of course you couldn't. How would a dealer be liable for a mechanical failure? If you were on the motorway and a lorry tyre blew out, damaging your car in the process, you'd expect their insurance to pay. You wouldn't start trying to claim damages from Michelin would you?
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Well that's a case of someone else damaging your vehicle, not to mention a handbrake isn't something that's subjected to as many external factors that may cause it to fail like a tyre (sharp objects, damage from kerbing, etc) and is something that's normally checked during servicing albeit with visual check I imagine. Although as above if it simply "pops out" then that's near impossible to prove.

Was just thinking hypothetically, although if I had a newish vehicle with a service history I definitely wouldn't be happy with something like this happening. Then again I actually don't trust handbrakes alone to keep my vehicle stationary, always leave it in gear as a backup.
 
Everyone saying put your car in gear too, which is all well and good till you get shunted in the wrong direction and need a new gearbox.
 
If it does end up going through insurance just point out no people were in either car at the time ... otherwise you will get plagued by those ambulance chasing scum firm on whiplash claims.
 
neoboy said:
Was just thinking hypothetically, although if I had a newish vehicle with a service history I definitely wouldn't be happy with something like this happening. Then again I actually don't trust handbrakes alone to keep my vehicle stationary, always leave it in gear as a backup.
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A mate of mine had that happen on a car that was <1 month old. Hammering on the front door, opened it to see a neighbour pointing into the road to see a lovely new car sliding backwards down the road. we ran after it, but were too slow. Smashed a small French tat box, so some good did come from it ;) :p The dealer 'looked' at the handbrake, said nothing was wrong, and it had to go through insurance. Luckily, no humans were damaged in the breaking of the French tat box.

FluffySheep
 
My drive is on a hill so i always leave it in gear, if hand brake fails it will smash through the house over the ways living room.

Leave it in gear or if parking on a hill turn wheels inwards so the car can only roll into the kerb.

It's all common sense really.
 
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