What to Do If Your Car Is Scratched by Someone and You Can't Find the Culprit?
3 Answers
In such a special situation, you should call the police immediately and let the traffic police handle the accident judgment. Do not impulsively chase the other vehicle. At the same time, you can retrieve the footage from your dashcam to prove the other party's illegal behavior. Then, call your insurance company and have them send a specialist to assess the damage and process the claim. The specific steps are as follows: 1. Call the police: Report the incident immediately. If the scratch occurs on a main road with no injuries, take photos of the collision area and the entire car for evidence, then move your car to a place where it does not obstruct traffic and wait for further instructions. 2. Accident determination: After the traffic police arrive, they will issue an accident liability determination report. 3. Report to insurance: Wait for the insurance company to send a specialist to assess the damage. 4. Wait for results: You can then wait for the damage assessment results and proceed to repair your car.
My car got scratched in the parking lot last time too, and I was furious but had to stay calm. The first step is to take photos immediately—capture the scratches and the surrounding area as solid evidence. Then look around for any witnesses or surveillance cameras, and ask security or passersby if they saw the offending vehicle. If no one is found, I’d go straight to the property management or file a police report to get an incident record. Next, check the insurance—my car has collision coverage, which can reimburse part of the repair cost for such cases, so I’d call the insurer to clarify the process. To prevent it from happening again, I now park against walls or in corners, avoiding blind spots and high-traffic areas. Also, don’t rush to repair—first assess the damage. Minor scratches can be fixed cheaply with a touch-up pen, while deeper ones require professional repainting at a certified shop. These things are so common; just being more vigilant makes them easier to handle.
I remember my car got scratched while parked on the roadside half a year ago. It was heartbreaking as the car was brand new. I immediately took out my phone and took photos from all angles, including the license plate and street signs. Then I walked around the neighborhood asking shop owners and passersby, but unfortunately, no one saw anything. Back home, it occurred to me that I should reach out to the community WeChat group for help—sometimes neighbors can assist. With no leads, I directly reported to the police and filed a report to prevent potential disputes. For repairs, I compared paying out of pocket versus using insurance; minor scratches costing a few hundred yuan were easier to handle myself, while major damages were covered by insurance with a small deductible for peace of mind. The lesson is not to impulsively drive away a damaged car to avoid worsening the problem—park it properly first. Next time, I’ll choose public parking spots with surveillance cameras to reduce risks.
