Had a brush with a mk3 MR2 today

Looks fairly like it was already there to me as it seems to be dark in the bottom, rather than a pale primer colour.

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I'd expect to see a transition from top paint through the primer and down to the plastic of the bumper, and a larger damage area for it to make it all the way to the plastic of the bumper due to the shape of my car.

Damage to the MR2 doesn't look consistent with a scrape to me. If there was something solid between the cars, it would have made more of a mess of your car's paintwork

I'm no expert, but it screams "stone chip" to me - it isn't at all consistent with a "rub"

Pre-existing certainly. A glancing contact can't make a sharply defined hole like that. I doubt if any paint expert would give the guy the time of day if he tries to claim that as an insurance claim against you.

It's a stone chip and/or maybe a previous repair given the colour at the base of it. There's also another anomaly an inch above it although that might just be where water is running around a greasy spot. I bet if you scraped away the paint around there you'd find filler or at least non original primer.

It may also be that the two vehicles can't actually even make contact in that spot. It seems to be quite a long way underneath the panel. Worth trying with another MR2 if he takes it further.

The word "its" does not automatically require an apostrophe in it every time btw. One of my bugbears I'm afraid.

Yeah, this mirrors my thinking...

I thought one should use the apostrophe when talking about belonging (it's paintwork), or when you contract 'it is'. I managed a passing grade in English 21 years ago though...

It's is a contraction of it is & gets one, its is a possessive pronoun like his & doesn't.

Ah fair play. Like I say, I passed my English exam 21 years ago and put it to one side...

Possibly there was a blister (rust under a covering of paint), and you've knocked it off, exposing it to sight. (unlikely place for a stone chip - rear quarter).

But to cut to basics - you admit to hitting him - you should take it on the chin for the (very minor) cost of the repair - its not as if he's claiming you took his wing off and need to replace that as well.

Paul gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

That'd be an achievement on a plastic bumper on a

It's on a plastic bumper.

Well no, but I'd rather have a bit of arguing room to get a chips away company to sort it and cough up directly, rather than arse about with insurance companies and all the grief that goes along with that.

Well surely its still at chips away stage- tell him you doubt it was you but here's £50 to get a drop of paint bunged in the hole.

Yeah that's the plan.

That doesn't look fresh at all

You should subscribe to this newsgroup -I only had to think about subscribing to it and never had an issue with apostrophes again...

alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe

Sorted. Few quid for a chipsaway company and it's over and done with