Dog damaged neighbours car

physioman

Hi my sisters dog damaged my neighbours car one night. It scratched the bonnet and one of the side panels. It broke the grille on the bumper. The neighbour has cctv which shows the dog at the house but doesn't show clear footage of it damaging the car. She spoke to the owner who showed the footage. She told them to get a cost for the repair. She was shocked to get a quote of 3k for fixing the broken parts and respraying the bonnet, two side panels, bumper, driver and passenger door.

They said they would take 1300 in cash to repair it. Clearly the neighbour is taking the piss. What should she do from here. Thanks

wildwillow

I'd like actual proof that the dog did the damage. Of course if it is responsible, then pay up and keep dog under control.

Keep her dog on her own property from now on. Apart from that given you said that it did damage the car either pay or go the legal route with more costs.

O.A.P

If her dog done it then pay up.

1300 for a bonnet respray and repairs is fair enough.

.42.

If there is proof that her dog damaged the car then she needs to pay up. I don’t see what the issue is.

physioman

But the issue is that the neighbour is getting extra work done that wasnt damaged

Suckit

Or pocketing a load of money.

@op, best go to legal forums, or motors to try and get a rough estimate. This is not the correct forum, and not very helpful.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117756887#Comment_117756887

You said that your sisters dog damaged the car in your first post.

Now if you know that they did damage your neighbours car , and again going by your first post that is the case, either pay up for the damage they caused or go the legal route to argue that they only did some of the damage and you want to pay for that only. But you are going to have to provide evidence that your neighbours car was already damaged before your sisters dog did its damage and they are looking to get more money out of the incident than your sister is liable for.

Your sisters dog damaged the car.

if the dog was under control the damage would not have been done.

your sister is therefore responsible for the cost of repairs.

she should.pay up.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117756908#Comment_117756908

Motors will give you a good idea of the real cost of the repairs. A lot depends on the make, model, year etc. of the car. The neighbour will want the car put back in the condition it was in before the damage was done.

endacl

Cheap enough for that amount of damage. Pay up and keep the dog in.

Eoinbmw

A tough lesson but you need to have your animals under control it could have been a human that was damaged after all!

TheChizler

How did they break the grille?

DBB

Thread moved to Motors forum, seems a more apt spot for this discussion. The relevant charter now applies.

Thanks,

DBB

Atlantic Dawn

Get the neighbour to provide 3 written quotes, one of which should be from somewhere you recommend, then get neighbour to decide which they want to take. Main dealer, independent repairer and dog owners recommendation would give fairest mix.

If there’s no evidence the dog damaged the car then tell them to go whistle.

wotzgoingon

I was sitting in my car one time with my dog and another person came along and their dog and it went up on the back paws and started scratching the **** out of my door. Dog owner didn't even do anything. I should have followed up on it as I done nothing but it was a bit annoying what the dog done and the owner just kept walking along until the dog stopped and ran after the owner.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757516#Comment_117757516

Why should the person who’s car was damaged by the dog (assuming that’s the case) have to go through all of that.

The OP’s friend shouldn’t have any say in this.

God forbid they go with the quote the OPs’ friend suggests and something ends up going wrong with that then.

Suckit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757548#Comment_117757548

Without doing that, the owner of the car could set any price and say that's how much it will cost, which is pretty much what the op is questioning. Also, I believe that is the correct way (legally) to do it anyway.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757575#Comment_117757575

Yes of course it’s up to the person who’s car was damaged to give a quote.

If the OP’s friend doesn’t agree to the quote then they go legal, simple as that.

the_pen_turner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757575#Comment_117757575

what purpose does that serve. the car owner gets to choose whicj quote either way.

say the car owner gets a quote from a very well respected crash repair place that specalises in high end cars(sounds like a bmw, audi level of car)and a quote from the local garage that fixs local cars.

local garage 1000 euro and proper job is 3000 euro

if the dog owner gets a quote from a hack (or even just a cheap place) for 500

it doesnt matter about the 1000 or 500 quotes if the car owner wants the 3000 quote company to do the work

cruizer101

You say

The neighbour has cctv which shows the dog at the house but doesn't show clear footage of it damaging the car. 

It kinda depends on what it does show, does it show dog at car but not actually damaging does it jump at car?

It would be strange for a dog to just randomly scratch and chew at a car so I would be looking for clear enough evidence

beertons

How big is the dog? Broke a grill?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757703#Comment_117757703

Exactly that. Everyone is getting way ahead of themselves with prices and fixes, and the first thing that needs to be determined and proven is that the dog did indeed damage the car.

Anything could have happened it and the owners have just seen an opportunity with the dog being in the general area at the time.

They’ve went with the old tactic of causing panic with a price but then coming with a lower one for cash which should raise alarm bells about them instantly. She should stand her ground until presented with proof.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757751#Comment_117757751

The op stated in the opening post that their sister's dog did damage the car.

Their argument is that they believe that the neighbours are trying to have existing damage repaired along with the damage that their sister's dog did. If they know that their sister's dog did X amount of damage as they stated they should pay for that damage to be repaired. They can get a different quote but the job would have to be to a level acceptable to the neighbour.

If they want to now state that what they said about the dog damaging the car was not the case, as in they are now saying that the dog didn't do any damage, that's a different story.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058204082/dog-damaged-neighbours-car

How does your sister know what damage was done by the dog and what was not? Was she a witness to the incident? Were there any other witnesses?

Suckit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117757645#Comment_117757645

What my understanding was, was that there was no quote on paper. Just the neighbours word, and the OP thought that was way out. IDK/C.

Darc19

I'd be checking the footage and looking at the scratches.

Easy to see if they are dog paw scratches.

Was there a reason the dog took a liking to the neighbour's car? - Cat on the roof?, remnants of dead bird on the grille?

And is the dog a larger breed or some small toy breed? - If a larger breed, it really should have been under full control

and finally, how did the dog get into the neighbours garden in the 1st place - did it escape or was it allowed out?

€3k is about right for the work. I suspect they are looking at the lower amount as some of the scratches are probably minor and possibly the car is a few years old and they may not get the scratches done and instead see the payment as compensation for the lower value that is now on the car. I think €1300 is quite a good offer - but I'd chance my arm and suggest €1,000 which would be an excellent outcome

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117758095#Comment_117758095

If it’s easy and they’re not dog paw scratches then the rest of the post is irrelevant anyway. I’d be offering them nothing.

kirving

The first three lines of the OP's post very clearly accept that the dog did the damage. It appears their sister accepted it too, as she has asked for a quote.

It's fairly clear that everyone has accepted that the dog was out of control, in which case it shouldn't be up to the third party to have to prove beyond all doubt with CCTV that the dog did the damage. But teeth marks on the grille and claw marks on paint are obvious enough.

Of the €3000, the first 500 may well be insurance excess, and after that the 1300 is the off the books price, and the car owner looks to be doing a favour and taking a risk at that.

I'd be going nowhere but a main dealer, taking their courtesy car and enjoying their coffee at the expense of the dog owners insurance.

Darc19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759183#Comment_117759183

Obviously if they are not dog scratches and video not clear, no payment is offered. But it seems it is accepted that it is the dog and in that case, the owner is fully responsible.

Dogs will scratch with 3 or more paw nails.

bigmac3

Did the dog take the car for a joyride?

Esel

Dog Bites Car - film at 11.

honda boi

I wonder if the dog has no insurance and the owner couldn't pay, what happens?

Bring them to court? Wouldn't that be quite expensive ?

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759183#Comment_117759183

How could any dog do three thousand euros worth of damage to the ( presumably ) outside of a car ? Was it made of silk or something ?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759654#Comment_117759654

When I was a kid a mate of mine had a labrador who used to bite and burst the back tyres of people's cars when they left his yard, always wondered how he managed to bite them without getting killed in the process.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759997#Comment_117759997

Easy. I have a few scratches and teeth marks on my bumper from a dog. He was trying to eat the dead bugs stuck on it.

Dogs will chew through anything given a chance. I've a few scratches on the bonnet too from a cat. She started to slip off and the claws came out.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117760028#Comment_117760028

Pressure in a car tyre is fairly low. Bike tyres have a bigger pop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759997#Comment_117759997

Depends on the car I guess, one of the managers in my last place damaged the grill on his Audi A8 and the dealership were looking for close to or just over grand to replace it from memory . Just checked ebay now and from the UK they are going from 140 up to 500 euro.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117760044#Comment_117760044

It's like when I had to use a space saver tyre. It was a bit low so stopped at petrol station to pump it up and remember reading the sticker. Something like 90 PSI and I was like how the hell when I only put 30 PSI into the standard tyres.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117760044#Comment_117760044

Meant by getting dragged under the wheel than the tyre bursting.

Henry Ford III

If there's no dispute about liability the dog owner should just pay up. The car owner shouldn't be out of pocket for the damage.

PsychoPete

If there's no actual footage of the dog damaging then I wouldn't be paying for any damage but if the dog owner has already accepted responsibility then she has to pay up. One of my own dogs has chewed my wing mirror and put scratches on the car

endacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769597#Comment_117769597

Seriously? If it were your dog, and you knew the dog did the damage, and your neighbour knew that too? You’d refuse to pay because there was no video evidence?

jaysus....

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058204082/dog-damaged-neighbours-car

unless the dog is a moose or something similar, that is fishing for a payout!

if there is footage of the dog near the car, surely there is footage of the same dog doing the damage.

i would politely ask for that.

1874

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759624#Comment_117759624

The dog owners insurance? what insurance might the dog owner have that covers this?

I dont think pet insurance would cover it, nor their home insurance, or their own (assuming they have one) car insuarance.

Is there cover available for a pet damaging private property within pet insurance? I doubt it myself, pretty sure it's be for the pets medical needs.

cruizer101

https://www.allianz.ie/pet-insurance/documents/pet-policy-document-0619.pdf

Page 21, Third party liability

If property is damaged, or someone is killed, injured or falls ill as a result of an incident involving your pet during the period of insurance, we will pay

Looks like you would be covered, I knew they covered injury alright but wasn't sure about property damage, that said might be hard getting the money.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769643#Comment_117769643

How would anyone know the dog did the damage if it wasn't seen doing it? Are they just meant to guess?

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769726#Comment_117769726

Home insurance will often cover it. A dog ran out in front of my dad a few years back and caused about 3 grand's worth of damage and the owner's house insurance covered it.

1874

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117771055#Comment_117771055

tbh, unless it is specifically covered or part of a policy, Id be astonished this is something insurance companies just cover.

I'll have to check mine to see what it says.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117769726#Comment_117769726

Given that even the smallest of dogs could bite a child's finger, you'd be absolutely insane to own a dog and not have excellent insurance which covers third parties. If the dog owner hasn't got insurance, the car driver shouldn't suffer financially.