What to Do If Your Parked Car Gets Scratched and You Can't Find the Culprit?
4 Answers
Contact the traffic police immediately, provide clues, and request to review surveillance footage. Standard parking lots usually have liability insurance, so first file a claim with your insurance company to compensate the car owner. If the car owner has insured the vehicle, they can file a claim with the insurance company for compensation.
It's really upsetting when your car gets scratched. I've been through this before - parked my car downstairs in the residential area overnight, only to find a huge scratch on the body the next morning with no culprit in sight. Here's how to handle such situations calmly: First, don't move the vehicle. Use your phone to take 360-degree photos of the scene and close-ups of the damage, while checking for nearby surveillance cameras. Second, call 110 to report to the police and get an accident certificate. Nowadays you can also file reports via WeChat mini-programs - make sure to specify the exact time and location clearly. Third, contact your auto insurance company for damage assessment. But be aware that if the responsible party can't be identified, typically only 70% will be covered and you'll have to pay the remaining 30% yourself. By the way, when parking at night, try to park near street lights or security booths whenever possible. If that's not feasible, consider buying a parking surveillance camera to mount on your windshield - just around 100 yuan can prevent such headaches.
My daughter's car got scratched downstairs the other day, which made her really upset. If you can't find the culprit, the key is to preserve evidence: 1. When taking photos of the damage, remember to include the background, such as store signs or house numbers; 2. Don’t go empty-handed when checking surveillance footage with the property management—bringing a pack of cigarettes for the security guard makes it easier to get help reviewing the recordings; 3. Before filing an insurance claim, check the depth of the scratch—if it’s shallow, just use a touch-up pen, as filing a claim might raise next year’s premium more than the repair cost; 4. If there’s no surveillance in the neighborhood, post photos in the community group chat to ask around—sometimes neighbors who witnessed it can provide clues; 5. If you really want to save money, buy a scratch repair kit on Taobao and fix it yourself—a few dozen yuan can solve minor scratches. Anyway, live and learn—I now make sure she parks in spots with cameras.
I've handled this several times. The key is to first look for surveillance footage: Many shops or residential elevators have private cameras, and owners are usually willing to assist in checking the recordings. If there are no leads, after reporting to the police, they'll give you an accident report—don't underestimate this document, as it's crucial for future lawsuits against property management or insurance claims. When filing an insurance claim, remember two things: First, you must report the incident within 24 hours; second, calculate costs for minor damages—for example, a paint touch-up at a 4S shop costs 800, while a local repair shop charges only 300. For prevention, I always keep a parking contact card in my car and have installed a dashcam with collision detection that automatically records surrounding footage upon impact. If you're really upset, you can also post a notice in the hallway—it might just move a witness to come forward.
