Dent repair at a local shop & its impact on future car insurance claims

Will the insurance company cause any headaches in the future if I have to make a different claim that also involves this panel?

BHPian Transmission recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have a dent/scrape on the center of the door (metal panel) of my car that I wish to get repaired. The damage is cosmetic and doesn't involve any parts involved in structural strength/support.

Going by my past experience, the authorized service center here takes forever to get the job done (upwards of 1 week).

Since the damage is just cosmetic, I am considering local shops for fixing the dent since they can usually provide much faster turnaround times - and the cost involved is most probably not going to be much more than the insurance claim registration fee.

My question is if I get a metal door panel dent-repaired by a local shop now, will the insurance company cause any headaches in the future if I have to make a different claim that also involves this panel?

Here's what BHPian Gotham had to say about the matter:

It's quite a common practice to get minor fixes to be done by 3rd party and an insurance claim wouldn't be an issue as they wouldn't know about it unless the SC centre knows it was done outside.

My S-cross had various minor fixes done by 3rd party and later had to make a major claim considering the amount it would cost to fix. the whole claim process with Lombard was smooth.

Here's what BHPian HillMan had to say about the matter:

No, it will not cause any headaches in future and your NCB is also maintained. So before any repair just compare the cost of processing fees plus the NCB loss in the next insurance renewal with the cost of repair before making a claim.

Here's what BHPian Cry0gen had to say about the matter:

The insurer may object to any future repairs under the same insurance for that particular panel only if the damage that is being repaired is consequential to the repair from unauthorised garages. Otherwise, it is not and should not be their headache.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.