Should I file insurance claims for scratches and a dent?

May 19, 2022 1:59 PM

I just bought a brand new car a few weeks ago. Yesterday, after 3 separate (!) incidents where I wasn’t at fault, I now have a slightly dented door and a series of deep scrapes on the front bumper. I made online police reports but I’m trying to figure out whether I should involve insurance.

Yesterday, someone pulled out of a parking spot and hit the back passenger side bumper but did no damage. Still shaken from that, I was looking for parking at my destination 10 minutes later, when a person having an apparent mental health crisis boot stomped my door and dented it slightly. Then, when I pulled over to assess the damage, I discovered a series of deep scrape from a hit-and-run on the front driver’s corner. Ugh.

This is the first new car I’ve bought myself, and the nicest thing I’ve ever owned. I’m now on a really tight budget to cover the car payment. So I’m feeling really bummed that this all happened. I can let the damage go, I guess, but I would really like to get it fixed, and my understanding is that deeper scrapes should really be fixed to prevent rusting anyway. I got a quote of $395 to repair them, and I’m waiting on a quote for the dent. I have Progressive and my deductible is $500 for comprehensive coverage, but I don’t have underinsured motorist coverage, which I assume I would need to fix the scrapes from the hit-and-run. I’m worried that my rates will go up, but I called to ask about that and they said I’d need to file a claim to get specifics on how it would affect my rates.

Any suggestions?

posted by quiet coyote to Travel & Transportation (14 answers total)

if the cost out of pocket is less than your deductible, the advice i've always gotten is to just pay oop.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 2:06 PM on May 19, 2022 [3 favorites]

Another vote for just paying out of pocket. It's far less hassle and you don't gain anything from involving your insurance unless you need to make another claim within the year (and if that atually happens then you may just be cursed). Plus the potential increase in your premium could eventually cost you more than the relatively low one-time expense of just repairing the damage yourself.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:21 PM on May 19, 2022

Response by poster: So this would nearly certainly be above my $500 deductible for comprehensive since with the scrapes alone the estimate is $395, but I’m not sure whether or not they would be covered under comprehensive or underinsured motorist since it involved a hit and run.

I’ve lived and driven here for 6 years and this is the first time I’ve ever had any damage to a vehicle.
posted by quiet coyote at 2:24 PM on May 19, 2022

my understanding is that deeper scrapes should really be fixed to prevent rusting anyway.

You may want to check if the bumper is actually made of metal. A lot of things on cars, especially bumpers, are well-painted pieces of plastic.
posted by meowzilla at 2:35 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

I learned this one the hard way, if someone hits your stationary parked car, it’s a collision claim and not comprehensive.

If that makes a difference with deductibles.
posted by hwyengr at 2:38 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

As a minimum, my understanding is that this consists of three different events so I think each will have it's own deductible and might be covered under different sections of your policy. Also, is it clear that the damage to the front bumper was a hit and run or could it have been your fault which would make a difference in how it is treated?
posted by metahawk at 3:15 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

Your bumper will not be made of metal. Putting off the repair makes no difference for rust or otherwise as long as all the damage and 'through the paint' scrapes are on the bumper itself.
posted by Brockles at 4:22 PM on May 19, 2022

Can you just claim the most expensive repair, thus only reporting one incident and involving only one other insurance company? I've had to make more than one claim this year (in similar not-my-fault freak accidents) and I was always told that having one incident every three years won't raise the rate. Of course it's risky in case it happens again, but you pay insurance every month for a reason and holy hell does body work get expensive.
posted by Amy93 at 4:40 PM on May 19, 2022

A dent from a boot kick, you could probably take off the inside of your door and pop it back out with another well placed boot kick. Scratches not too deep can be fixed with a bit of buffing compound and some elbow grease and maybe a little fingernail polish sized bottle of color of car matching touch up paint. I'd guess it depends on the nature of the dent and the scratches. I'd at least check out a few YouTube videos or do some searches to see if I could just fix it myself. I've fixed quite a few random scratches, replaced torn off mirrors, and rebuilt a ripped off back-hatch lift just by buying parts and providing the labor. YMMV.

I leave insurance for getting T-boned or things major like that. When you swap insurance info and the like.
posted by zengargoyle at 5:29 PM on May 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

There are shops that specialize in minor dent and paint repair- ask around on local forums for recommendations.
posted by rockindata at 5:34 PM on May 19, 2022

Response by poster: Sorry, the scratches are technically next to the bumper, definitely on actual metal. I suppose it could look like the hit and run was something I did, but it definitely was not. Thanks for the suggestions!
posted by quiet coyote at 5:38 PM on May 19, 2022

I was always told that having one incident every three years won't raise the rate.

Unfortunately, this is not true in all states. The way insurance companies legally increase your premiums without technically raising the rate is by removing "accident free" or "good driver" discounts.

Source: Used to work for several personal auto insurance companies.

Re: the askme question: I wouldn't bother with insurance for these. While it's immensely frustrating that three (!!) incidents happened in one day on your new car, I would pay out of pocket for these repairs.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 5:55 PM on May 19, 2022

I was really upset when the first brand new car I bought was hit by someone in a parking lot on my birthday, about 1 year after getting. I cannot imaging how frustrated you must be.

Mine wasn’t that bad, and being the kinda side bumper, it was plastic. So even though very obvious, I let it be. I did bitch up a storm to friends but it is fine. And now my car has been through so much worse, bears the scars of me getting cocky backing out a tight driveway and hitting a dumpster with my mirror; but not enough to stop it from being functional. Too broke to fix, it’s like a scar that I remember the days I’ve gone though. (It happened early in covid, when dropping off groceries to a friend who probably had it; the mission to get groceries, my insistence he not come outside until I was back in my car. The warning to be careful with how difficult that drive was. Me thinking “but I have a backup cam” and the pure facepalm of hitting that dumpster.)

My car has also been t-boned by a guy who was trying to make a left turn from the far right parking lane, had to have major repair after that. The only car damage worse was the hand-me-down car from my parents when I was rear ended by a semi as a 19 yo. Beyond that, no car I’ve owned had that kind of damage, so of course my still mostly new car was gonna be the one hit. The windshield is cracked and I can’t afford to fix but I had the cheapest insurance and they don’t cover that size repair. They say it’s from window heating up in winter, but there were all these weird creaks and pops after the repair around that part of the car that at the time sounded like the windshield was going to crack but I didn’t take back to be looked at because life was and continues to be crazy.

My point is that sometimes your first brand new car is seen by the universe as a target; it’s a bitch. It will also be ok. I personally would fix anything major but otherwise accept this is just one of those things. And like now you have the story; “oh yeah, I remember when I got my car and was hit 3 times in the same day” with some joy because come on, that’s nuts and would only happen with your first brand new car.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 2:05 AM on May 20, 2022

New car damage is the worst in terms of frustration and anxiety. So deep breaths.

Get quotes but as others have pointed out - your insurance may look at this as three separate claims if they can justify that under the contract and they have every incentive to do so because three different deductibles reduce their payments significantly and three claims gives them an excellent reason to raise your rates. So I'd proceed on the assumption that it would be cheaper to fix oop.

You don't have to have all three damage areas fixed or fixed at the same time so you could spread the cost. I'd recommend you delay the repairs unless there is damage that makes the car unsafe or unfit for purpose.

Because the damage is so new it is really grating and noticeable (to you at least). But in a few months you'll find it much less so/be used to it. You're looking at cosmetic repairs/repair of damage, that may accelerate a long term problem like rust slightly. When you get the quotes, ask them how long you could leave the repair without rust becoming a problem. The answer here will probably depend on your local climate among other things.

I guess my point is - this probably feels really urgent to get sorted but it probably isn't. Do all your fact finding and research and take it from there. You have filed the police report. Figure out if you're looking at 1 vs 3 claims and what that means and proceed from there.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:54 AM on May 20, 2022