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My car was damaged when parked - do I need to report it to anyone?

I came out of my house today to find that someone had hit my car on the offside back bumper. It is obvious that someone has been parked too close to the rear of my vehicle and tried to pull out and rubbed along the back and side of my car, or they have tried to reverse into the space behind my vehicle and made contact. There is no structural damage that I know of, but being a white car, cosmetically it looks worse than it is. I have never claimed on my insurance and will bear the brunt of the repair myself. Do I need to notify anyone - such as my insurance company or the police? The car is 6 months old and has 2,900 on the clock. I also worry what effect it will have on its future value and future insurance premiums.

Asked on 12 June 2017 by Thomas Seaward

Answered by Honest John
If whomever caused the damaged has not left their details, there is no point reporting it anywhere. You may think there is no structural damage, and there may not be, but plastic bumpers pop in an pop out. I would suggest you take it to a bodyshop and have them check for you. If the vehicle has sustained damage to the rear panel, then it is worth while claiming. If it has not, then it isn't as the cost to repair a bumper scuff is probably less than your excess. As long as the scuff is repaired, It will not effect the future value.
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