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can some one help with a civil dispute? Fender Bender

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dmata928

New member
A roommate backed up into my car one night and messed up my car a bit. 3 main options were discussed: insurance can take care of it, I can charge him a sum and I can take care of it with my people, or he can take care of it with his people. I was nice enough as to not go with the insurance route as per his request, and I let his people do it since he said it would be cheaper for him. The arrangement was made that I would use his car as mine gets fixed. Car gets fixed in a city about an hour away about 4 days after I was told to expect it (could have been done in one weekend if I had done it). Come Friday I need to head back to my hometown 4 hours away. I asked if the car was ready as I had to leave I was told it would be ready the next day. In addition, I had no way to retrieve the car so I had to leave in my roommates car. Sure enough both of his front tires explode on me and different times and mess up his car in the process. I offered to pay for a couple used tires and the side mirror that some how shattered but he expects me to pay for all of it mainly a new number. Should I be held accountable for being forced to use a car I didn't want to use and pay for the damages that resulted from that cars ill maintenance?

On a separate note: If someone messes up a part of my car that already had previous damages on it, should they be responsible for replacing that part despite of any prior damage or lack thereof? Or should I help pay for that part as well? What would insurance say?
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
A roommate backed up into my car one night and messed up my car a bit. 3 main options were discussed: insurance can take care of it, I can charge him a sum and I can take care of it with my people, or he can take care of it with his people. I was nice enough as to not go with the insurance route as per his request, and I let his people do it since he said it would be cheaper for him. The arrangement was made that I would use his car as mine gets fixed. Car gets fixed in a city about an hour away about 4 days after I was told to expect it (could have been done in one weekend if I had done it). Come Friday I need to head back to my hometown 4 hours away. I asked if the car was ready as I had to leave I was told it would be ready the next day. In addition, I had no way to retrieve the car so I had to leave in my roommates car. Sure enough both of his front tires explode on me and different times and mess up his car in the process. I offered to pay for a couple used tires and the side mirror that some how shattered but he expects me to pay for all of it mainly a new number. Should I be held accountable for being forced to use a car I didn't want to use and pay for the damages that resulted from that cars ill maintenance?

On a separate note: If someone messes up a part of my car that already had previous damages on it, should they be responsible for replacing that part despite of any prior damage or lack thereof? Or should I help pay for that part as well? What would insurance say?
Please let us know what US state this occurred in.
 

HighwayMan

Super Secret Senior Member
Your roommate damaged your car and you wanted to make it easy and cheap for him to take care of? Hope you learned your lesson.

Tires don't "explode" and even if they did how did you keep driving after the first one "exploded" (you said that they "exploded" at different times)?

And I'm guessing that "his people" still didn't fix your car.
 

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