Expert: William Forster - 12/27/2006

Question
I backed into my friends passat with my CRV, not ver y hard, but the Spare tire on the back of the CRV is the only thing that hit the passat. The CRV was fine, but the Passat has a spare tire size dent in it, no scratches or broken tail lights or anything really except a fairly big dent on the trunk of his car, no bumper damage, but like I was saying it is a fair sized dent, obviously i didnt hit it too hard, but still I'd like to know what you expect id have to pay him for this kind of dent at a bodyshop. I wish i had a picture i could send you but i dont have one >.< and i guess to give you a better idea of what happened, the only part that contacted was the spare tire, which was sheathed, the rubber part even, so its a soft but deep ish dent. Thnx for youre time.

Answer
Glad to help, Moisei. I know, body work is expensive, but you just can't put a price on friendship. You made an unfortunate mistake. I often encourage people to just pay for the damages, even if sometimes the price seems unfair. Sometimes, you just have to suck it up, be a man, and do the right thing. The right thing to do is pay to fix your friends car, and preserve your friendship. A month after it's fixed, you will forget about the money, your friend will forget about the dent, and you will both have a good laugh about this for many years to come. Remember, he may back into YOUR car tomorrow, and how you handle yourself today will dictate how HE handles himself if the tables are turned. Just a little friendly advice form the bodyman.  Bill