What is the process for filing an auto insurance claim for self-inflicted scratches?
2 Answers
Call the insurance company's customer service hotline to report the claim, providing a general description of your vehicle's condition. Once the insurance company's surveyor arrives at the scene, they will verify the cause, nature, and extent of the damage. Next is the damage assessment process, where the repair shop evaluates the vehicle's damage. The insurance representative and the vehicle owner will sign off on the assessment if there are no disagreements. Gather all necessary documents for the case and submit them to the insurance representative to process the claim. After undergoing reviews by various departments within the insurance company, the approved claim amount will be transferred to the vehicle owner's account.
My experience from the last time I scraped a tree trunk while reversing: First, turn on the hazard lights and park the car in a safe spot, then get out and carefully inspect the location and depth of the scrape. Remember to take photos from different angles with your phone, including wide shots and close-ups, and make sure to capture road references. Immediately call the insurance company to report the incident—they require the report to be filed within 48 hours. In my case, the scrape happened at night, and the customer service representative instructed me to visit a designated repair shop the next morning. Bring your driver's license, vehicle registration, and a copy of the insurance policy to the repair shop, where the mechanic will assess the damage and take photos on the spot. After signing the damage assessment form, the repairs will begin. When picking up the car four days later, the repair costs were automatically settled. A reminder to everyone: keep the scene photos for at least three months. If the repair cost is below 2000 yuan, it’s advisable to pay out of pocket to avoid an increase in next year’s insurance premium.
