Guy wants 5 grand for scratching his Benz

First of all, people who have posted so far don't seem to know much about Japan. Except for Jason (666energy).

Perhaps Nobby can help out with a suggestion as to what to do. Haven't seen him here before and likely not to click on this thread since Japan is not in the title. There are a couple more gaijin who frequent this site but, again, Japan is not in the title.

Anyway, things are done differently in Japan than in the US. And things like this cost a heck of a lot more. And let's compare like with like. If someone damaged your vehicle, you'd want to get it repaired at a top notch shop like a dealer. The dealer costs a lot more than other shops. It's not surprising to me that the initial estimate is around $5,500. It's also not that surprising to me that it includes extras.

I generally wouldn't get my boss(es) involved in personal matters but it's probably good that you did since this isn't a simple issue for you to deal with, considering the legal, language and cultural differences. Hope they can help out. But remember, you should also go along with what they negotiate without protesting further. To some extent, they are putting their reputations on the line to help you out.

As far as the car being illegally parked, I don't think that would relieve you of any fault in the US and my guess is that it's the same in Japan.

Good luck with minimizing the cost.

How do you say "Sh#t Happens" in Japanese??

Gambatte! wrote:

First of all, people who have posted so far don't seem to know much about Japan. Except for Jason (666energy).

Classic!

I think the same about most posts here.

After reading this I think it would be fair to conclude that "people who have posted so far don't seem to know much..."

OK, I call troll...but a good one.

You are working in Japan, but can't spell "fortunatly/unfortunatly"?) plus, "anyhow"? Really?

And then you mention not faking an injury, but then denting the Benz on your way out? So, you have ethics in regards to not faking, but then trash it so you can exact some revenge?

Troll 2.0. Good one.

I would consult a lawyer and see if you can sue the guy.If you play your cards right you just might make a few yen

I happen to know some people in yakuza. Let me call them to see if they can whack out the problem...

It Happens wrote:

How do you say "Sh#t Happens" in Japanese??

They have a similar concept, that some things just can't be helped: shoganai (shikata ga nai). Personally I think this should be the decision the owner of the Benz should come to. "Some stupid, poor gaijin scratched my car but he can't pay to get it fixed so ...sho ga nai... i'll have to take care of it myself and just curse the existence of gaijin and chalk this up as further evidence as to the superiority of wari-wari-japanese since we would never scratch the car in the first place and of course never hesitate to pay up if we had caused damage. damn foreigners!"

fwiw, i lived in japan for many years and this sort of situation of property damage is always handled by negotiation of a cash payout, oftentimes with the police assistance, but never by some crude american tactic like a lawsuit. Heck, even in cases where physical injury is caused this is the most common resolution.

OK, now there are two people who know what they are talking about: Jason and this guy.

Thanks for helping bring back good memories. I'm certain I was the damn foreigner on more than a few occasions!

I think that getting the boss involved was really really dumb. You should have used a friend to translate and nothing more.

That being said, you should work with the car owner to drive a settlement.

You should hammer two points:

(1) It was an accident.

(2) He was illegally parked.

In Thailand, Cambodia, China, etc., the concept of "illegal" is much different than Japan. You are actually better off that he was illegally parked in Japan. In Japan, the letter of the law applies in all cases. I can tell you crazy stories about training in Japan and even eating at restaurants in Japan where the exact letter of the rules and regs were vigorously enforced on me, driving me crazy!!!

Because he was illegally parked, he created a hazard for the public in general. You should say that you crashed BECAUSE he was illegally parked. In Japan, ANYTHING, even very minor against the law is VERY VERY SHAMEFUL.

In general, if you are in any situation where you don't know what to say and you are in a bit of a problem, DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH.

repainting the whole car? 5 grand is about right, especially if its done at the dealership...

BTW, have you taken pics and gotten some estimates yourself?

FWIW, I think bicycling on the sidewalk is technically illegal in most cities in japan as well (unless signs in the area specifically authorize it). Yes, everyone does it, just as everyone parks half on the sidewalk when need be. But the OP can't claim the benz was illegal and that's why he hit it because if he wasn't illegally riding on the sidewalk he wouldn't have hit it either.

To respond to a few coments:

I am not a troll. God how I wish.

I did not take any pictures myself, I let the cops take care of everything.

I don't know what kind of Benz it was. Not more than a couple years old though.

I did give the guy me full contact info and I got his.

Riding on the sidewalk in my city is legal and the Benz was parked under a no parking sign. Not to say that's going to help me.

Shikata ga nai does not mean "shit happens" in Japanese.

So the next chapter:

Today I talked to my boss again. He says the insurance comopany says my peddle put a dent in the car which explains the high bill. (I .guess they want to take the dam thing apart to look inside) This is totally false and if I can get the police report with photos I can make that clear.

...for the link. pretty interesting stuff!

freakingout in Japan wrote:

My boss contacted our company president last night. Apperently the president is in some kind of exclusive rich guy club that the Benz owner is also in. So the Benz guy is also the presindent of some company and therefore not a gangster. I am lucky I live in a small city. Both my boss and the company pres also looked at the estimate from the Benz dealer and pointed out that there was a lot on there that had nothing to do with paint/scratches.

I am freaking out less now.

So, what you are saying is, I hit the nail exactly on the head from the get go. You're welcome!

Gambatte! wrote:

First of all, people who have posted so far don't seem to know much about Japan. Except for Jason (666energy).

Your list of exceptions is obviously too short. I'm hurt.

"You got a 'Benz, I got a busket!!"