Should Car Paint Touch-Ups Be Covered by Insurance?

[VonGrant]

Whether car paint touch-ups should be covered by insurance is detailed as follows: 1. Scratches: If the scratched-off paint area is on the rear bumper, and you have scratch insurance, it's advisable to wait until the insurance is about to expire to have the entire car touched up. Insurance premiums will only increase the following year if you file multiple claims within a year. 2. Repair Compensation: Filing an insurance claim doesn't necessarily mean your premium will increase the next year. However, if the paint is chipped on a metal part, it should be repaired promptly, such as in cases where another car rear-ends yours. 3. Minor Paint Chips: If the paint chip is minor and not severe, it's better to pay for the repair out of pocket. Additional information: Quick Paint Touch-Up: A common scenario is when a car is parked in a residential area and the door gets a large scratch. Traditional paint touch-ups, whether done at a 4S shop or a repair shop, usually take one to two days. After the repair, you're often advised not to wash the car or perform any beauty treatments immediately. Quick paint touch-ups can restore the damaged area in 40 minutes to two hours. This is what quick paint touch-up entails.

[ElianaLynn]

Whether to file an insurance claim for car paint touch-ups depends on the extent of damage and repair costs. Last time I had a small scratch on my front bumper, the body shop quoted me just 300 RMB for a touch-up, while my insurance deductible was 500 RMB. Filing a claim would’ve been a loss because even a single claim record could raise renewal premiums by 200-500 RMB. Frequent small claims may label you as a high-risk driver, reducing discounts or even leading to policy denial. Only consider insurance for major damage exceeding 1,000 RMB. My advice: handle minor scratches out-of-pocket for convenience and savings, and reserve insurance for costly repairs.

[LeahFitz]

I found that claiming insurance for paint touch-ups requires weighing convenience against cost. Insurance is hassle-free, handling all the paperwork so you don't have to run around. But for minor damages with low repair costs, like small scratch touch-ups costing just two to three hundred yuan, filing a claim might increase your premium by 10% to 20%, amounting to several hundred yuan more annually. I also checked my policy: the deductible is usually around 500 yuan. If the touch-up cost is less than this amount, it's more economical to pay out of pocket. Don't forget that claim history affects your No Claim Discount (NCD)—accumulating multiple small claims might lead insurers to downgrade your policy or increase premiums. So my advice is to first assess the damage size and repair quote before deciding whether to use your insurance card.

[OAnna]

As a new car owner, I panicked when I got a small paint scratch. After consulting car-savvy friends, I learned that filing an insurance claim for minor scratches isn't cost-effective: premiums would increase by at least 200-300 yuan, while a touch-up might only cost 400 yuan - easier to pay out-of-pocket. The key is assessing the damage severity. For small chip marks the size of a fingernail, self-payment is quicker and simpler; only large scratches exposing primer warrant an insurance claim. Important reminder: every claim leaves a record, and too many can cause bigger issues at renewal time.