The Good Samaritan & The Kidney Grill- a karmic tale

Hi,

Yesterday I found a note on my car. Please understand that I street park my car on somewhat steep hills - usually parallel parked. "As we walked past your car, we saw a Jeep Cherokee back up and perhaps break your grill. The driver did not step out of the car to check for damage. License Plate ######. Best Wishes, Liz (and a phone #.) "

I called Liz to thank her profusely. That's the most important thing to me - thanking the do-gooder. I have left quite a few notes on others' cars, "Left front tire looking a bit low. You might want to check the pressure for your own safety." My theory is that I'd accumulated enough karma points by note writing, and it was my turn to receive a note.

I'm just happy that little Beemie's hood is undamaged; I would have been pissed off. (I'll overlook the 100 tiny paint chips from rocks. The proud badge of experience I say. At 40 yrs, I wear my somewhat gray hair with confidence.)

I don't quite know how to proceed. I think that contacting the police or DMV would be a big pain for a $62 dollar part. I would like to tell the driver "For Shiva's Sake, please be careful when you back up! The dance of creation and destruction surrounds us constantly. " Although I don't practice any religious belief system, I do like to invoke the polytheistic deities from time to time. Surly all the cleansing rituals and sacred part offerings will appease the Bavarian Fire God eventually. I so wish that I had 8 arms to hold the tools necessary for most projects. And Shiva has some killer tools man...

Thoughts anyone...

Cheers, Kelly

Sometimes justice needs to be handled on your own. Obviously the person that backed into your car did not care enough to admit it themselves, so confronting them would probably be futile. I would keep an eye out for the jeep perpetrator and at 3am throw a rock through the windshield. If you are unwilling to go to that extreme then maybe just chalk it up as another one of those things that really isn't worth that kind of vigilante justice and move on. At least that will give you something to look forward to in the future to being able to park in a garage and really appreciating that space. If the damage was more considerable, then contacting the police would be viable. Maybe today is your lucky day anyway...I happen to have a complete grill in decent shape that I could give you if you want it. Mind you the kidney's chrome is not perfect but depending on what is damaged you might even be able to swap that out as they can be separated. I will have to look in my parts bin and see for sure. So much for the Bavarian Fire God!!

Just give him/her a call and see what happens.

Good luck Kelly

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rkj
Just give him/her a call and see what happens.

Good luck Kelly

She doesn't have their phone number, only the plate number or else she probably would.

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wodcutr

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rkj
Just give him/her a call and see what happens.

Good luck Kelly

She doesn't have their phone number, only the plate number or else she probably would.

I'm sure one could get that info from a plate number if it was presented right to the powers that be.

Depends on how important you think it is to go after the hit and run driver. Personally I'm in a law suit over a traffic crime I didn't commit (aggression), last week I had a true incident (somebody was blocking me when I wanted to change lanes and tailgating me such that I couldn't even see his headlights). The same evening I wanted to report to the police, the day after I didn't really care anymore and thought the guy would be caught sooner or later.

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rkj
Just give him/her a call and see what happens.

Way back when I was a kid, I was riding my bicycle along a road (legally, and on the right side of the road) when a car came out of a driveway, clipped the rear wheel of my bicycle, sent me sprawling, and bent my wheel. The car didn't stop, but I got the plate number. My mom was able to get the guy's name and address, and I wrote him a letter (the was in the '70s, when letter-writing was still considered routine). A few days later he sent me a check in the mail.

Once they know they're caught, most people are happiest not to get the police involved.

It's worth trying to contact the person.

__________
Dave
'91 325iX

ebay has them for about $40 including shipping.

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daniel
ebay has them for about $40 including shipping.

Hi Everyone,

So far, I'm liking the Ebay idea best. Unless WoodCtr wants to sell me his extra and ship it. I don't need a brand new grill. A few little chips or scratches are fine. It will match the hood.

As I said, I'm happy the hood was not dented. Then I would be pissed.

I did have an offer last week to rent at parking space at $200 per month, but I've street parked for 3 years now and this is the only damage. Although I did find a yellow paint rubbing on the hood once, but a little elbow grease quickly removed it. Besides $200 x 12months = $2400 annually which is more than a new convertible top replacement.

Woodctr - let me know if you want to sell me your grill. If it's a pain, I'll buy on Ebay. Easy.



Thanks, Kelly



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2009 02:57PM by Kelly.

Kelly - I will check in the morning if I have a proper one to send. You should make sure that that is all you need. Check each piece thoroughly...there may be more damage than you think. I will PM you tomorrow.

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wodcutr
Kelly - I will check in the morning if I have a proper one to send. You should make sure that that is all you need. Check each piece thoroughly...there may be more damage than you think. I will PM you tomorrow.

Hi WoodCtr,

The new grill looks great! Thanks for taking the time to find and send!

Cheers, Kelly