Tweet
My DS who turned 18 last month had his second road test today, having failed a little while ago. He has been practicing a lot and gotten much better, but like most of us, does not like to parallel park and up here we rarely have to do it.
This morning we went out for a last bit of practice. We pulled up ( a little too close to the car for my liking) and he proceeded. Pulled back to the B pillar and he cut the wheel all the way to the right, lined up with the bumper and he cuts it all the way to the left. I'm like stop....this isn't how you do it....and proceeds to skim the paint off the bumper of that pretty late model Nissan.
Granted there was a bit going on. A van right behind him. A woman walking in the street right in front of him. Still I wish I had that over ride steering wheel.
We did the right thing. I got out and rang the bell and the woman took a look at her car. She asked if I wanted to call my insurance company and I look at that little scrape and say "Please no. That is such a little bit of damage, my deductible is $500". I have never had an incident with my car in all the years I have been insured with them or any other insurer for that matter. We exchange information and drive off.
I tell her to get two or three estimates and I will write her a check. Figuring what is it going to be $200 - $250?
She calls me a couple of hours later and says she got an estimate at XYZ collision and it's $726.34. ACK! I say you have gt to get a second estimate. I usually do nothing without 3 bids. Hold on let me call my mechanic and I will get a company from him.
I love Charlie. He is a businessman but I always have felt he has treated me fairly in the 18 years I have gone there. He's right up there with Fred my accountant.
He gives me ABC Collision Center right across the street from him. I call this really very nice woman back and she takes her car to ABC. Calls me back with an estimate from them at $574.26. I met her there 10 minutes later and wrote a check to ABC. Her appointment is a week from Tuesday.
So yeah it was an expensive day but I can't say it was an awful day. This woman really could have been a witch and caused a lot of issues. I couldn't thank her enough for her kindness about this.
And yes I stopped across the street and thanked Charlie.
PS: We went off to another area, where I demonstrated how I was taught when the earth was cooling. Pull back to the B pillar. Cut the wheel all the way to the right. Line up with the bumper and go back straight. THEN cut all the way to the left and park. DS did it 3 times in secession and passed his driver's test. God help me. He couldn't apologize enough. My answer? Pumpkin I hope that is the worst "accident" you ever have in your life.
PPS: I really miss the days of chrome bumpers.
This morning we went out for a last bit of practice. We pulled up ( a little too close to the car for my liking) and he proceeded. Pulled back to the B pillar and he cut the wheel all the way to the right, lined up with the bumper and he cuts it all the way to the left. I'm like stop....this isn't how you do it....and proceeds to skim the paint off the bumper of that pretty late model Nissan.
Granted there was a bit going on. A van right behind him. A woman walking in the street right in front of him. Still I wish I had that over ride steering wheel.
We did the right thing. I got out and rang the bell and the woman took a look at her car. She asked if I wanted to call my insurance company and I look at that little scrape and say "Please no. That is such a little bit of damage, my deductible is $500". I have never had an incident with my car in all the years I have been insured with them or any other insurer for that matter. We exchange information and drive off.
I tell her to get two or three estimates and I will write her a check. Figuring what is it going to be $200 - $250?
She calls me a couple of hours later and says she got an estimate at XYZ collision and it's $726.34. ACK! I say you have gt to get a second estimate. I usually do nothing without 3 bids. Hold on let me call my mechanic and I will get a company from him.
I love Charlie. He is a businessman but I always have felt he has treated me fairly in the 18 years I have gone there. He's right up there with Fred my accountant.
He gives me ABC Collision Center right across the street from him. I call this really very nice woman back and she takes her car to ABC. Calls me back with an estimate from them at $574.26. I met her there 10 minutes later and wrote a check to ABC. Her appointment is a week from Tuesday.
So yeah it was an expensive day but I can't say it was an awful day. This woman really could have been a witch and caused a lot of issues. I couldn't thank her enough for her kindness about this.
And yes I stopped across the street and thanked Charlie.
PS: We went off to another area, where I demonstrated how I was taught when the earth was cooling. Pull back to the B pillar. Cut the wheel all the way to the right. Line up with the bumper and go back straight. THEN cut all the way to the left and park. DS did it 3 times in secession and passed his driver's test. God help me. He couldn't apologize enough. My answer? Pumpkin I hope that is the worst "accident" you ever have in your life.
PPS: I really miss the days of chrome bumpers.
Left a note and dad paid cash. He was really cool about it. The time I took a corner on a dirt road too fast and gouged a big hunk of rubber out of the side of the tire I sure heard about it, though. My defense is that they'd just put that edging in and I wasn't expecting anything like that on a dirt road; technically true but he knew full well I was going way too fast, so he didn't buy it. 
Comment