[mgastor2022grey]

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing good. I have not posted in a while, so some information might be new to people. Read on!

I have recently bought a Tiago EV to compliment my Astor for city duties. Both the cars are in ICICI Lombard insurance. Generally, I don't take my Astor within the city but due to some unavoidable circumstance, I had to take it.

I had actually received my car the day before the incident from the service center and had repainted my rear bumper. However, on the next day, while parking my car in the office, i misjudged the distance to the wall and banged it. Luckily, the tailgate was not damaged, but the bumper received some scratches, paint transfer and a dent.

Here comes my question: Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago? I'm little anxious about what the service center people would think about me (bruised ego ). Or should I leave it as such? Its not a minor one, anyone tailing me would know that it is damaged.

BHPians, need your help in this one. Thank you!

[toiingg]

What i would suggest is to keep driving the car for a bit and get yourself comfortable with the dimensions of the car. Do that for a month (or two) and then get all the dings and scratches fixed once and for all.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing good. I have not posted in a while, so some information might be new to people. Read on!

...

Here comes my question: Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago? I'm little anxious about what the service center people would think about me (bruised ego ). Or should I leave it as such? Its not a minor one, anyone tailing me would know that it is damaged.

BHPians, need your help in this one. Thank you!

Nothing wrong in making a claim again. In fact, if you do want to claim this later on, they may reject the claim, saying it is an old dent/scratch. So if you are planning to claim insurance, always get it done as soon as possible.

Some of the add-on covers or zero-depreciation etc. could become invalid after a certain number of claims in a year. You can check your current insurance policy terms to see if there is anything like that in your policy. You can make a decision based on that as well.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Here comes my question: Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago? I'm little anxious about what the service center people would think about me (bruised ego ). Or should I leave it as such? Its not a minor one, anyone tailing me would know that it is damaged.

You can claim insurance any number of times during the validity of the policy.
As you mentioned that the damage is not a minor one (we take it that the damage is a major one), then you should go ahead and claim the insurance again.

Take some photos of the wall where the bumper hit and there must be some damage to the wall too. Speak with the insurance company official and explain them the incident and go ahead with the claim.

If you have taken the photo of the bumper after it was repainted, then it would be an additional plus point. Further the service center will vouch that the bumper was repainted and the work was done to your fullest satisfaction prior to your second incident.

So, please speak with the insurance official and lodge your claim.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Go to the service centre and get it fixed. As it is the same bumper, you may get a discount.

[HarshVShrotriya]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Here comes my question: Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago?

First of all, you need to know that you are not the only one. Difficult to believe but even best drivers get their egos (bumpers) damaged. The bumpers are called that for a reason.

Secondly, least I will do is to get the rear end checked by service centre. Sometimes, cosmetic damage does not tell the full story. There may be (hope not) some internal damage which may have not surfaced yet.

Finally, you pay insurance premiums for a reason. If damage to car is playing in your mind, go the claim route and get it fixed (my 2 cents).

[TorquePull]

Share a picture of the damage, it will help everyone to give a better response. Bumper dents can be fixed, I think.

I normally don't paint small scratches, as they keep happening in our roads, even when parked. I'll only do for metal parts, if there is a chance of rust.

[bijims]

Do check how many Zero Depreciation Claims are available with your insurance before claiming, some companies only allow 2 Zero Depreciation claims a year, so if you claim this again this year, you won't get another Zero Depreciation claim till renewal, so choose wisely, However, if the damage is significant, it is better to get the claim done no matter what the case.

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

BHPians, need your help in this one. Thank you!

This happens to the best of us. Dont worry about it.

Just remember you have insurance for a reason. Not claiming insurance is NOT a badge of honour. And so is claiming it every other day.

I do not recall any use of insurance other than accidental claims. Would you buy a rain coat and not use it when it rains so the rain coat wont get wet? You get the drift.

But as other suggested do get used to the cars dimensions first.

[PrideRed]

If your insurance allows for multiple claims in a year and you have time to deal with hassle of leaving car at dealership , I would say go for it.

[ghost-was-here]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing good. ...

Here comes my question: Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago?


I'm little anxious about what the service center people would think about me (bruised ego ). Or should I leave it as such? Its not a minor one, anyone tailing me would know that it is damaged.

BHPians, need your help in this one. Thank you!

Regarding Insurance: claim again, ASAP. they might deny it later saying its an older dent/mark/scratch

Regarding ego: blame another family member to whom you lend the car

PS- i hope you have unlimited claims! if not, another thing to lookout for when you renew your insurance

[Newtown]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Should I claim insurance once again, considering its the same panel I painted 2 days ago?

Since you have lost the No Claim Bonus already from the first claim (UNLESS you have an NCB protection add on) go ahead and get it fixed by insurance right away.

Also, metal with paint scraped off will be more prone to rust given its humid in Chennai and the rains are in full force.

[Innysta]

I would recommend not to go for insurance claim if the repair cost is below 20k because more the no.of claims, higher the premium. Even if you have already lost NCB, it is just having only 1 claim and the no.of claims do matter a lot. Also, just a word of caution to reverse very slow looking at rear, side mirror, reverse camera (go for one if not having already) and importantly physically turn back to flex neck muscles. It requires practice to follow all of these sources but will save you from repairing damages, cost and time.

[Naetik30]

Originally Posted by Innysta

I would recommend not to go for insurance claim if the repair cost is below 20k because more the no.of claims, higher the premium.

This is wrong info. The only loss would be the NCB discount. Do not buy insurance to maintain NCB.
The cost of premium/renewal is NOT decided by individual claims.

[Innysta]

Originally Posted by Naetik30

This is wrong info.
The cost of premium/renewal is NOT decided by individual claims.

I meant the no.of claims assuming the amount is high. Otherwise, we would have paid by self to avoid hassles. Being an novice, summarized it based on my previous experience where i claimed a repair work under insurance for Rs. 17k and next year premium was added by 18k and the reason quoted was that i had a claim.