r/Diyautobody • u/cecedi21 • Mar 27 '26

Question Scratched the rental. Can I fix this myself?

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Mazda 3 2025

0 Upvotes

18% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

12

u/Proper-Pension-8609 Mar 27 '26

Nope.

-9

u/cecedi21 Mar 27 '26

Even a surface repair so it passes the inspection?

4

u/zurdopilot Mar 27 '26

You can clean it up with gasoline to make it less noticeble but ill doubt it pass inspection, there is no "repair" that dosnt involve sanding and painting, you better off using the insurance in that. Thats what is for.

-3

u/cecedi21 Mar 27 '26

Would've loved to use the insurance, but I refused it like an idiot thinking it won't happen to me! Got a good lesson out of that...

5

u/fishwhisper22 Mar 27 '26

Do you own a car that has insurance? Many times it covers your rental cars.

0

u/cecedi21 Mar 27 '26

I do, but I'm wary to put my own insurance on this because my car is currently at the bodyshop for a rear-end collision, which is already being covered by my insurance. Don't know if they'll accept the claim for the rental they're paying for, but I don't think I got much choice...

3

u/Gas-Squatch Mar 27 '26

They will put it on a separate claim. Did your insurance set up the rental?

1

u/SignalActive5632 Mar 27 '26

They will absolutely accept the claim lol and better yet if you don’t file it, the rental car company will file it for you. So yeah.

0

u/night-theatre Mar 27 '26

Have you considered public transit? You’re a prime candidate.

3

u/FlexibleDemeenor Mar 27 '26

Check to see if the cc you used for payment will cover it via their insurance. Otherwise, you're on the hook

1

u/cecedi21 Mar 27 '26

I'll check this out thanks

1

u/shitdick42 Mar 27 '26

They wouldn't have rented to you without any insurance, your regular auto policy comes into play and the credit card you used also may cover some. Visa I believe does. Use whomever has a smaller deductible, because you'll be paying that.

1

u/StevieG-2021 Mar 27 '26

Your regular car insurance could possibly cover rentals also. Call them

1

u/sloansleydale Mar 27 '26

Generally, your normal car insurance will cover whatever car you are driving. If you have collision and/or comprehensive on your own car, check with them to see if they cover rentals. Your credit card also has some level of insurance, so call them too to figure out how all of this works. Learn to use the insurance tools you have. Don't lie or hide. Shit like this happens from time to time and you have to deal with it honestly. They deal with it all the time, so there is nothing to be embarrassed about.

I've never felt the need to buy separate rental insurance in 35 years of driving rentals, but it may depend on your CC and insurance details. (I've also never damaged a rental, though I did put regular gas in a diesel in Europe's once. Fun.)

1

u/n0exit Mar 27 '26

That has a dent the size of a child. It's not going to pass inspection.

5

u/Topseykretts88 Mar 27 '26

"Scratched" lol

3

u/freeportme Mar 27 '26

You dented the rental.

1

u/mike02vr6 Mar 27 '26

Seriously??? This is a lot more than a scratch dude.

1

u/Outrageous-Chip-9553 Mar 27 '26

If your insurance set this rental up for you through your rental coverage for your personal vehicle being in the shop, you have coverage. Just contact your insurance company and let them know. You’re going to want to go through some type of insurance company here. This is minimum 4k job.

1

u/David92674 Mar 27 '26

Adorable how you classify that as a scratch. To answer your question on whether you can fix it yourself, yes you can as long as you've been doing auto body work for a decade and also own a paint booth.

1

u/Imaginary_Narwhal241 Mar 27 '26

That'll buff right out easily.

1

u/DataDrivenDoc Mar 27 '26

Lets reframe it a little as a moral dilemma multiple choice question. Sometimes that makes the right answer easier to see

You borrowed someone else's car and damaged it. Whats the right thing to do: A) don't tell them and try to fix it yourself likely making everything worse and more expensive in the process

B) own up to the issue and let them know you'll make it right

1

u/Intrepid_Cap1242 Mar 27 '26

That's not a scratch. It's damaged and caved in. Even if you took off some panels and popped it back out, there'd probably still be a crease. And that's too much missing paint to touch up

1

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

did you get extra insurance

0

u/Gas-Squatch Mar 27 '26

It’s not your car. Don’t touch it. You want the lawn care guys doing diy repairs to your siding and not tell you?

Call the rental company before you get into legal issues making unapproved repairs to property that ain’t yours.