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-   -   Unlucky day for my 9 months old Ritz (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/84005-unlucky-day-my-9-months-old-ritz.html)

June 19th happened to be an unlucky day for my Ritz. My car was parked in the open parking area as assigned in my apartment complex. Some stupid person seems to have inflicted a dent in my car's back door. The dent, although it doesn't appear to be major, really shoots my BP each time I notice it. I went to the nearby MASS as soon as possible. I have a couple of queries before i finalize my decision:

1. The MASS people told that the whole door needs to be repainted, which will account to around 3400/-. Will the robustness of the door decrease as a result of the repainting?

2. I was advised to claim insurance for the damage. Is there a limit to the number of times i can claim in a particular year? My insurance is Maruti Insurance (Royal)

3. If i leave the dent as it is, will it accelerate the rusting process in the long run? As you can see from the dent that the colour has come off. Although the dent doesn't appear to be a major one from the angle i took the picture, it has deformed that part of the door.

Hi Dude, no worries.(1) My advice would be to get your door repainted at MASS. Nothing would happen to the robustness of the door. This is just repainting that you are doing. Hence no issues.

(2) Check your insurance policy to verify if there is NCB protection enabled. Analyze the cause & effects. Usually the first year NCB is 10% (if you have taken a new insurance) which is much lower than 3500/4500 rs. There is no limit to how many times you can claim per polic year, but there is a limit to the total amount that can be claimed. Please read your insurance policy fine print.

My personal suggestion would be pay it out of your pocket without claiming for the insurance. Having a clean policy helps in the long run as your car will have a claimless past at the time you sell your vehicle.

As for question (3), I would suggest you get it painted. Leaving the dents as it is might just accelerate rusting, especially if you are living in costal area.

P.S.: Sctatches and dents even if small are visible only to the owners!

1. The prices quoted are correct. I got all my doors repainted at the MASS recently. (Pratham motors) There will be no change in the robustness of the door. However do ensure
- Inspect the painted panel in bright daylight before you take delivery. Defects will be easier to spot. - orange peel, blisters etc
- Check the condition of the weatherstrip & the fitment of the alignment of the door with reference to panel gaps etc.

2. Guess the insurance help desk will be best to answer your queries. I claimed it through Royal Sundaram & the dealership guys took care of everything It was quite hassle free. I did lose my entire no claim bonus.

3. If the bare metal is visible, better to get it repainted ASAP. Rust is a silent killer & spreads quickly.

Wish your Ritz a speedy recovery :)

Hey thats a sad thing to happen man! I feel for you. I under went the same agony a few years back. But since the damages were on the higher side (18K +) I claimed insurance and got a new door. For a 3-4 K job don't spoil the history of the car. IMHO!

i say don't spoil the originality of the car its nothing big
get touching done

Yes, a little bit of a touch up job (by an expert !) should be enough going by the pic instead of getting the whole door repainted ! I know how you must be feeling though, bad luck.

If I am not wrong its 20%. I am pretty sure.

+1 to sachin. its 20% i.e Not Worth Insurance!

As for manik - he's spot on. I guess its the first battle scar. Cars accumulate them over time. like laugh lines. They add character. Don't fret too much brother.

Sad to read about the dent and the scratch. Its frustrating that though we are not on the move these things happen.
I would also suggest that you do not claim the insurance for a small amount like 3.4K, as apart from spoiling the insurance record, it also affects your NCB for the next year.
Apart from the MASS there are very good painters who may charge upto 2K or so for the whole job. In the garage where I get my old car repaired, I saw a black Honda Civic getting its door dent repaired-I asked the mechanic about it and he said the Honda authorised dealer charges more so the owner has come here.
Around that time my Scorpio suffered a dent on its rear due to a minor hit.So I decided that the denting will be done by my mechanic.He did a splendid job.For the painting I was scared about shade matching, so I took it to the Mahindra A.S.S.

The dent

The dent gone and being touched up after the paint job at the Mahindra A.S.S.

My advice.

Leave that dent as is, Dont touch them.

The damage is not as bad as what you feel. Get a matching nail polish, blend it along the white lines and leave it:D

Thats too small a damage to loose some Rupees and No Claim Bonus which is HUGE.....!

Insurance company might give you 98% of the overall cost, but your next premium will loose that 20% NCB, which is almost Rs 4000/-.

No point.. Live with that dent as of now.

Hey guys thanks for pouring in with your valuable suggestions.. I was really looking for a touch up rather than going for the repaint of the whole door. As you can see from the picture that its hardly a half inch wide scratch. Also the white color visible i hope is the primer and not the metal. Any suggestions as to where i can get a good touch up done. I stay near the Sarjapur Outer Ring Road, Bangalore.

My advice, Touch up will look bad. First try some rubbing compound on the spot and chances are 95% of the scratch will be gone.

+1. It does n't look too bad. And follow masters idea here :)
You dont need to attend to these kinds of repairs immd because insurance will provide. Better use it when its really needed.

Agree with Pavan and Vinay;just stay cool and do a temporary job as suggested.

We must understand that cars aren't going to remain without blemishes over time;don't allow your BP to shoot up.

I was also like you but have slowly changed.

How about some fancy stickers (to match), for both the rear doors, as seen in so many of the cars (on some Eecos, for instance) :D.

Fixing an aftermarket door cladding might help prevent future scratches, especially while opening the doors in tight parking spaces. I do not know whether this can be done on a Ritz without spoiling the aesthetics, though.