Is It Okay If Nothing Happens After a Few Days of Scratching a Car?
3 Answers
If you scratch someone else's car, you should contact the owner promptly. Failing to contact the owner within a week is considered hit-and-run. Below are specific details about hit-and-run in traffic accidents: Accident Handling Deadline: The maximum processing period for minor traffic accidents is 5 days. The public security traffic management department can detain the vehicle for a maximum of 40 days. The deadline for determining responsibility is 5 days for minor accidents, 15 days for general accidents, and 20 days for major or severe accidents. Responsibility Assignment: If a party involved in a traffic accident flees the scene, the fleeing party bears full responsibility. However, if there is evidence that the other party was also at fault, the responsibility can be reduced. If a party intentionally damages, forges the scene, or destroys evidence, they bear full responsibility.
Last time my wife scratched the rear bumper while reversing, and only a nail-sized patch of paint came off at the time. We both thought it was no big deal. Unexpectedly, after more than two weeks when washing the car, we noticed a nail-sized yellowish-brown rust spot swelling around the scratch! The auto repair shop worker sanded it down, revealing oxidized and bubbled metal underneath. In the end, the entire rear bumper had to be repainted, costing me over 800 yuan. Veteran driver's advice: Summer humidity is high, and metal layers start oxidizing within 72 hours after being scratched. By the time you see rust, the primer is definitely damaged. Don't believe the nonsense like 'if it's fine after a few days, then it's fine.'
A buddy told me not to worry about scratches if they don’t bubble up within a few days, but my lesson was harsher. On a rainy day, I scraped the right front door against a utility box corner, leaving just three white marks on the surface. On the third day, as I parked underground, I suddenly caught a whiff of rust—only to discover rust-colored water seeping from behind the door seal! The bodywork technician removed the door panel and pinpointed the culprit: the scratch had severed the drainage channel at the bottom of the door, causing rainwater to backflow into the inner layers. A warning: the metal edges hidden under seals are especially dangerous—trapped water accelerates corrosion way faster than you’d expect.
