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Popped out to pick up a cheap neoprene sleeve rather than pay shipping and delivery on a less than £7 purchase. Pulling into the last disabled spot at the store had to park further to the left of the space because of inconsiderate driver using the disabled bays to pick up his purchase leaving his doors wide over. And not disabling a valid blue badge, surprised? Not me.
So ten minutes later I get back into my car and begin reversing and my Mum in passenger seat yells stop and I hear the scrape on my bodywork. Blasted cement bollard in my blind-spot on very corner of space. Getting back into space I get out and go around to passenger side door. Instead of just the scraped bodywork we expected as we barely touched the bollard and I was going a snails pace, my usual speed when reversing.
But the panel over the wheel had bent inward just a little on the side neared the door joints. Whatever the real name is, not mechanical here.
Heading into the shop I asked if it was fixable. After all not much damage to the naked eye and only a couple of scrapes of paint on the edge of the passenger door.
Good news, only the wheel arch panel was actually damaged, not the door or the mechanisms there. But it would be between £200 and £300 to attempt fixing the existing door, plus repainting it to match bodywork as it would become damaged while beating. New panel costs just over the £100 and comes the exact colour match from Kia. When we added it up it was cheaper to bring in the new panel, put it in for two days (apparently it's a two day job) and they would fix the scratches for free. Basically in cash it came to £550 but as we were going by cash rather than claim off insurance they will do everything for £500.
Luckily no casualties except my dignity, or rather my self-flagulation. Apparently it's the new safety feature, when in accidents bumpers and sides of car built to collapse and it's less dangerous for driver and passengers. Unfortunately it doesn't take much pressure to cause them to collapse and replacement is very expensive. I'm just glad it was only a one person accident. I might feel like an idiot for coming into contact with that blasted bollard but at least no physical harm has come to anybody, which would be more nerve wracking I'll take indignity and embarrassment over actual harm coming to an actual person.
So that's a total of £506.99 for the £6.99 sleeve. I would've been cheaper paying shipping and delivery this time.
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