10/30   While trying to maneuver into a parking space at work this morning,
        I bumped into the bumper of what looks like a brand new car while
        going about 1 mile per hour.  I left a note on the car windshield
        with my number.  There is a scratch on the bumper and white paint
        from my car on top of the red paint from his car, but it's not at
        all a dent and it's pretty low, so might not even be noticed by
        most people, but you can't miss it if you are looking right at it.
        Supposing the guy wants to have it repaired, how much does this
        cost?  Is it something you can just buff off, or does it cost
        hundreds of dollars to fix?  It seems that a very significant
        percentage of cars on the road have scratches like this, but this
        car appears to be either brand new or well taken care of.
        \_ Did you take pictures of the scratch.  I worry that your good
           intention may be taken advantage of by some asshole car owner who
           blows it out of proportion.  "Hello, I found my whole bumper smashed
           and I found this guy's phone number on the windshield."
           \_ Owning a car != automatically an asshole.
              \_ I know.  I own a car and I'm not an asshole.  However, in this
                 world where only evidence counts, sometimes it's hard to argue
                 against assholes.
                 \_ Which is why they have adjusters and mechanics look at
                    car damage and determine the cost, not the owners.  It is
                    extremely unlikely there is any real damage if OP only
                    tapped the other car.  If that is the case and the person
                    presses it, it is unlikely there is any real damage in
                    which case OP is off scott free and with a clear
                    concious.  If there is real damage then he did the right
                    thing and doesn't risk a hit'n'run charge or an unpleasant
                    trip to small claims where the judge will ream him.
        \_ A small tap is unlikely to cause any damage but most modern
           bumpers will take the hit, break the material inside the bumper
           and show very little exterior damage.  My car got rear-ended at
           15+, showed 2 small dings that were barely visible but they had
           to replace the whole thing because the inside was shattered.  It
           was good of you to leave a note, btw.
           \_ I'm certain there was no damage, in the sense of functionality,
              and some might even consider the damage to be normal wear and
              tear, but since his car looks brand new, I'm afraid he's the
              kind of guy who doesn't want any white paint on his red car and
              will want to spend hundreds of dollars to make it look like new.
              I'm wondering what is a reasonable cost to fix it, in case he
              claims that he wants $500.  Thanks!  -op
              \_ Soap and water will probably take off the white paint.  If
                 there's still a scratch, prefessional buffing may fix it.
                 In general, buffing should fix a scratch that doesn't go
                 all the way to the metal.
           \_ Most cars, minivans and SUVs nowadays have styrofoam bumpers.
              My '96 Cherokee has metal ones, and small scratches can't be
              seen easily.
           \_ Not just good of him, it's the law.  If you get IDed leaving the
              scene, you're up for a hit-and-run.
        \_ So you're the asshole that scratched my new red car! Learn to
           drive! It won't be cheap to fix! I'm guessing at *least* $500
           if it cannot be buffed out. At least you left a note. Most
           mfers just leave. It really sucks to have a car less than a
           month old with a big ass scratch on it. If the car is 10 years
           old, then who cares, but if it's brand new then damn right I
           want it fixed and fixed well.
        \_ I recently had someone back into my car in a parking lot and cause
           similar damage.  Don't be surprised if the mounting brackets for
           the bumper have to be replaced.  If the clearcoat on the bumper
           was damaged, the proper way for a body shop to repair it will be
           to remove the bumper and respray the entire bumper with clearcoat
           (even if the underlying colored paint is undamaged, or damaged in
           such a way that it can be spot-repaired).  Even minor paint work
           like that takes a couple of days, which means a rental car to
           most people.  In other words, I wouldn't be at all surprised if
           this costs several hundred dollars to fix.  Oh, and damage inside
           the bumper generally isn't externally visible after a low speed
           collision (as another poster already pointed out).
        \_ Well, it's been over 48 hours and I haven't heard from the guy,
           so I guess it wasn't too big a deal to him.  -op