To claim, or not to claim that is a question

[AG64]

Visiting friends I parked on the local street, when i came out later discovered that someone had put a long thin scrape on the read driver side's passenger door and wheel arch (I have Luxury Line so they are painted). It is fairly deep with actual metal indented and going all the way through the paint. Question is, should i go with insurance claim (have Geico), or just repair on my own. I've been lucky enough not to have any claims in like 15 years so not quite sure what the current policies are. Pictures are below.

On a side note - anyone from NYC can recommend a reliable body shop if i decide to pay for it on my own.

Pictures:

[Kzang]

This is the very reason why I am very picky about where I park... but it doesn't help... if it is going to happen it's going to happen... I would get a quote from a respective body shop and if the cost of repair is under a grand.. I would most likely pay out of pocket.. It is not worth claiming it with the insurance to likely increase your premium in the future.

Edit: if you want to go real cheap... clean the surface up real good and touch it up with touch up paint.

[Barbja]

Ya, I'd start with scratchx and touch-up paint first then stand back and see how bad it looks. If I wasn't willing to use scratchx, I'd be a much poorer person right now (or have an uglier car).

[chrisny]

Bastards. People like that have no respect for anything.

I would get an estimate then decide.. Could be it wouldn't cost you any more than your deductible anyway (making the claim pointless). Even if your deductible is lower though, I agree with Kzang, anything under $1000 probably isn't worth the claim and likely hike to your premium. Especially if you're going to pay half or more of that $1000 out of your pocket (deductible) anyway. I can't imagine that damage costing you any more than a few hundred.

I don't know any body shops in the city but I do know a good one up in Westchester if you don't get a good recommendation down your way, A&P Collision in Ossining does good work.

[barcelona]

Personally I would not go through insurance.

I believe that the trim above the wheel well is plastic and the door does not appear to be down to the metal, hence I would first use touch up paint. To me, the best paint is the Factory original. If later you decide that you want perfection then find a body shop, ensure no report to Carfax.

Similar scratch happened to me, applied touch up paint, so far no rust. If I went body shop, I know that something like this would happen again.

[DavidTSG]

My $.02 - completely agree with most of the other feedback here. Get an estimate from a reliable shop. Sounds like you're already looking for a good shop based on your post.

One thing I would check is whether and how they're going to report it to carfax. I've seen some horror stories where people have had minor scrapes and the body shop reported it as an airbag deployment. That will hurt your resale, assuming you purchased. If a lease, then this is less of a concern.

Anyway, if the estimate is within your budget to pay out of pocket, then I'd recommend paying out of pocket. No sense in hitting your insurance and risking a premium increase for something you can afford yourself.

[PepperJack]

I had a car that was keyed, it was over the door and the front quarter panel so I turned it in to the insurance. It came off of comprehensive, since it was clear it was 3rd party damage, and my rates didn't go up. Not certain how they determine if it is comprehensive or could be collision.

[vadriver]

i agree the comprehensive should not cause an increase. Did you buy insurance from a broker that can give you an honest opinion. Usually they can tell you what it the best option. I would get it done right though, i couldn't live with "touchup"

Good luck, sucks someone would do that and not own up to it

[AG64]

Thank You for the replies. My Insurance is direct from GEICO, have had it for over 20 years. I too lean towards paying for it myself. Now to find a good body shop. Even to use a touch up, i failed at finger painting in kindergarten

[LowerEast]

My car is currently in the shop for some body work. I dropped it off with BMW Manhattan, and they use Highline Auto Body in Flushing. I haven't seen the work yet, but I assume if BMW is having them do the work, they must be pretty decent.

[Socal2025]

Originally Posted by DavidTSG

My $.02 - completely agree with most of the other feedback here. Get an estimate from a reliable shop. Sounds like you're already looking for a good shop based on your post.

One thing I would check is whether and how they're going to report it to carfax. I've seen some horror stories where people have had minor scrapes and the body shop reported it as an airbag deployment. That will hurt your resale, assuming you purchased. If a lease, then this is less of a concern.

Anyway, if the estimate is within your budget to pay out of pocket, then I'd recommend paying out of pocket. No sense in hitting your insurance and risking a premium increase for something you can afford yourself.

This is an excellent point. I had a very similar scratch on my former 535i. It was maybe just a tiny bit deeper than yours. The person that scratch it had insurance so I decided to take to one of the best body shops in Los Angeles. The work they performed was amazing and no one, no even me could tell it had been damaged. HOWEVER!!!!! Those m*&%##% f#@#$ decided to replace the side airbag out of "precaution" since the impact is on the side. Result: I got hit on my CARFAX with "airbag deployment" even though it was not an impact but simply a scratch just like the one you are talking about. I didn't check the CARFAX until years later when selling the car on the private market. Point of the story: be very vigilant about what exactly is being repaired in your car.

[AG64]

Originally Posted by LowerEast

My car is currently in the shop for some body work. I dropped it off with BMW Manhattan, and they use Highline Auto Body in Flushing. I haven't seen the work yet, but I assume if BMW is having them do the work, they must be pretty decent.

Thank You. I may drop by the shop this weekend and get an estimate from them

[AG64]

Dropped by Highline bodyshop, lots of BMWs there, apparently they do a lot of work for the dealers. According to them would run about $700 for the repairs (blend the door, repaint wheel surround). They also mentioned that i can safely go through the insurance, since this wasn't an accident. And should have no effect on the rates. Going to call GEICO first, before making a decision. My deductible is $500 so we're talking about a 200/300 savings.

[originalgoods13]

I always worry about when it's time to trade or sell private the buyers can argue that it has an accident.

The claim will go under Collision and will be in the vehicle's record forever