Biker hits my car: Claim insurance or repair at own expense

I feel it's a minor damage and am worried it could affect my next year's premium.

BHPian Syperam recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Yesterday night some idiotic 2wheeler guy rammed into my car while taking a u-turn (with indicators on). He tried to get past me from the right while I was taking a u-turn. I was dead slow (almost at 0) while taking the turn, I don’t know how he thought to go through that small space between me and the divider. I was looking at him in the side ORVM and thought he will pass me through the left but in a jiffy, he hit me on my driver side door and was about to hit the road but managed his bike and hurried away before I got down.

I am in dilemma to go to HASS and claim insurance or shall I do it anywhere else at my own expense (as I think it’s a bit minor damage and will affect my next year premium). Another thing, on the rear door there is a small scratch (next to the door handle) with a slight dent visible only when seen through sideways. Do I need to go for its repair (if I do, then I think they will paint the whole door) or shall I leave it and feel miserable whenever I see it.

Please need your valuable input for taking a decision. Thanks in advance.

Here's what BHPian Sushil Pingua had to say on the matter:

Make this an insurance claim, the HASS would charge anywhere between Rs 5000/- to Rs 10,000/- for your damage. This dent on the door requires denting and then painting. The whole of this door shall be painted to match the remaining vehicle. The ASS would take a minimum of 2 days to do this job. Do not worry about the NCB, your peace of mind matters. NCB is meant to deter you from making claims, do not fall into the lure of NCB.

The second option would be to get this job done at your neighbourhood car denter-cum-painter who will do this job of denting and painting within 12 hours on a dry sunny day.

I had similar damage like yours on my rear right door and I got the damage dented and painted at my neighbourhood denter-painter's shop within 9 hours for a total cost of Rs 2,000/-

My HASS was asking for 3 days to repair & process the claim, and I couldn't spare my car for more than a day, so opted to spend Rs 2,000/- and get the job done within my office hours.

Here's what BHPian naveen.raju had to say on the matter:

Sorry to hear about the mishap.

Get it repaired from HASS but don't hurry on the work. We once had a bitter experience on our i10. The second time we asked them to take their time and told them that the finish should be perfect.

Just drop in this line as I have seen other manufacturers messing this up before.

Here's what BHPian SR-71 had to say on the matter:

It's not as bad as it looks. If you want all the damages gone fully, HASS folks will recommend replacing the door or at least repainting the entire door if they manage to get the dent fixed flawlessly. Go to a reputed FNG to get the dent fixed and get your car polished. From the looks of it, you should be able to manage a 95% back to normal fix but there will be mild visible scratches if looked at closely. It's difficult to ascertain these things over a picture precisely but I don't think this is worth sinking into your insurance and losing out on NCB.

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