Unfortunately, if it is a legal parking spot, he has a right to park there. If it is not legal or there are other options and he won't work with you, then yeah, I would probably get ticked off eventually also.
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I had two, both at work years ago.

I always parked in the same spot with the drivers door facing the store. I left work and drove home with a couple days off from work. My roommate pulled into the garage and came in and asked me what happened to my car. Of course I had no idea what he was talking about I go into the garage and my passenger door panel is smashed right in. I never saw it because I got in my drivers door and never say the other side.

The second time was a month later in the same spot. But this time with my new car. I was standing my the front window and noticed a weird looking shadow coming from my back bumper. When I went outside I noticed a grapefruit sized dimple in my bumper. Of course I was pissed since I just got this car/current car.

So to say the least I'm not a fan of hit and run.
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I had somebody sideswipe the front fender (similar to where your car got hit) of my car. It also took out my hubcap and made for a pretty ugly ride. I called the cops and they told me I was pretty much screwed. Since I didn't see it they couldn't follow up.

I'd file a police report whether or not you think it was your neighbor:-) That looks like more than 500 bucks damage to me. I feel bad for you bro. Good luck:-)
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it was on the edge of their driveway admittedly not the best spot to park, but it was there because the driveway was being pressure washed at the time (the guy who was pressure washing was not aware of the incident) beyond that, would have been parking in an intersection. the brown car is the one that i had suspected especially because it is normally not backed in. I ventured that the impact came from the right rear of that car.

Image

Called FHP, they said they were not going to respond to a hit and run incident from yesterday. My only options were to self-report.

Looked at the car, theres some damage, some paint that looks like it could be mine, but the damage is not as severe as what was on my car so it could be improbable, however, seeing as bumper's are designed to absorb impact, it wouldnt be unlikely.

Talked to the neighbors.The car is the one their high school kids take to school, judging by the time of the incident, they claim the kids were at school at the time and could not have hit my car which seems probable.

Not really sure what to think. I might just bite the bullet on this one.
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Image

heres the suspicious area. the vertical piece of paint seems to match the paint missing on the edge of the door they claim that's been on the car since they bought it.

It's tough for me to let it go, and its tough for me to accuse a neighbor I dont know very well. Only possible hole in their story is if the kid was not at school, and that would be a PITA to prove and probably not worth going through.
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The type of cover he has on that car in the photo will not tolerate the impact to your car without residual damage.
While true they are designed to absorb impact, that is not the same as saying they do so without resulting damage. The Insurance Institute tests tons of cars annually that all fail the government minimum impact collisions and all end up with thousands of dollars of damage.
That cover is made of a somewhat giving flexible plastic. Under there, it has an "absorber" which is a styrofoam type material. That is what absorbs the impact. Beyond that is a metal reinforcement bar that is the true bumper.
While they can handle some impacts and show minimal damage, I assure you it is unlikely at all that they would have done that to you and you would not be able to readily see damage on their car as result as that is NOT what that bumper was designed to tolerate without evidence of paint and material distortion. Particularly, what often happens is that it absorbs the impact to the point the reinforcement ends up distorting the material on the outside and often protruding it.

Bottom line, if you see nothing of what I have mentioned, it is very, very unlikely it was caused by THAT car. Not to say someone else there didn't perhaps do it.

I can't believe they won't take a report, particularly when a hit and run is a felony.
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NO WAY.

Sleep in peace.
That car did not cause that damage to your car.
That claim would be in my fraud operation and we would investigate it to seek to deny it as no way those two cars collided together.

I have done a considerable amount of accident reconstruction and have taken many courses and seminars on it. I assure you with all I know, this car did not do that to yours.
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Phew! Thanks Carlos. I do feel bad for approaching them a bit hot and heavy earlier, but at least I can trust my neighbors with that at least.

I'll probably just get it repaired out of pocket, with the deductible, police report, and all that hassle and insurance rates, including reacharound time (is that the right word?). I dont need another headache.

At least we had a little mystery out of it.

oh..the word i was looking for was turnaround time.
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Sorry to hear that Aldrin.:-)
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Hey Carlos, if you look at the photo closely, you can there's some rumpling of the bumper on the neighbors car to the right of the paint layer from a darker colored car...that looks like it's slightly squished from an impact...if they were going slowly, like backing out of a driveway, they'd do a lot more damage to what they hit than their car, and it looks like the plastic of their bumper buckled slightly...see the crease on the right side of the bumper at the rear of that car?
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If that's where you parked the car then I would have to assume there is no other location for your accident to come from except those particular neighbors. Since I know the layout of the neighborhood, I would assume that someone was visiting that house at the time and backed into it from the driveway. Though probable, but unlikely that someone who was parked parallel to you on the other side did a 3 point turn into your car. I would suspect those neighbors are indeed involved, but it is possible it wasn't them at all.

Did you consider the other car to cause the damage?
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Many carriers will in fact jack up your rates for a hit and run with no police report. Check with your agent.
Get estimates and see where you fall as compared to your $500 deductible.

Marc,
Trust me, no way that damage is related.
That bumper would never withstand that damage caused to that fender with such minimal resulting damage.
Also note vertical line. Too perfect. That is from backing up into a fixed, straight object.

I agree with you.
I think it may have very well been due to that driveway, just not that car.
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Jeez... Im sorry, bro. At least you have a solid suspect...
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Any chance they had a delivery of some sort that day. I would guess that a truck did that damage from the high damage on the fender. Again, just a shot in the dark.
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Blew up that picture to focus on area of damage on his car.
Absolutely no doubt that did not result from hitting your car.
Photo could be fooling me but he does not appear to have paint transfer. Appears from photo to be more like paint scraped exposing material of bumper in its form prior to having been refinished.
Don't see any impressions in the material that would invariably have resulted from metal compressing into it. There would have been some type of impression in the plastic for sure.
While photo appears clear as to what it is, the best way would be In person, to be able to tell for sure on whether paint transfer or scrape. For a layperson, real easy to do. Take wax or compound and buff. If it comes off, it was paint. If it doesn't come off, it is the material underneath.
I think you will buff for days and not remove anything off this one.
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:-):-):-):-):-)

I can't rep bump you anymore
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Damn, sorry to hear this Aldrin. Getting hit and run is never good, though I'd imagine that damage is well over $500, if you haven't had it checked out already. I got sideswiped in an old Ford Escort a few years ago in a similar spot. Damage estimate was about $1500+.
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:-)

You're crazy for no police report. Go after him and make his insurance pay. Tell him someone came by and identified his car. Call his bluff.
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Moses, being on the claims side of insurance, I can tell you we would strongly defend this case if he were to present it to us, and we were that neighbor's carrier.
If an insured denies the event and if furthermore, there is absolutely no related damage to substantiate the claim (which is clearly evident here), we would honor the insured's version and let a judge decide for us or for you. Our duty in this matter would be to defend the insured as otherwise, with no physical evidence he did it, his rates would unjustifiably go up as result of us paying this claim.

If the damage was significant enough, which is not the case here, we would also hire a reconstruction expert that would testify to that affect, if he agreed that it is unrelated of course.

This neighbor's car did not cause that damage. That is not to say it didn't emanate from that driveway. Just not that car.
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The hope is the neighbors will give up the car who really did this vs. going through the hassle of fighting it.

Are there street cameras in that neigborhood?
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