Man Dings Car. Then He Gets The Bill: ‘Ruining Someone’s Life Over A Baby Scratch’
“They are trying to scam you.”
Getting any sort of scratch on your car from another driver can be irritating to deal with. No one looks forward to involving insurance, but it’s a necessary step to get a small or big scratch taken care of.
In a TikTok with over 456,600 views as of this writing, Donn Duly (@donnduly) shares how a minor scratch turned into a massive bill.
Duly showcases the minor scratch on the back bumper of his vehicle. The damage includes a few black smudges and one scratch that carried some distance. At first glance, there appeared to be no drastic or substantial damage.
Duly contacted the driver who hit his car about getting the scratch fixed. The driver agreed to pay for the damages and offered Duly to pick the shop of his choice to get the job done.
“Alright - it’s a little scratch not like I totaled your car. But feel free to send me the shop of your choice and have them contact me,” the driver texted Duly.
Duly proceeded to get the scratch fixed and was in disbelief at the total amount charged by the shop. The screenshot of the invoice revealed the total cost to fix this minor scratch was $8,440 after taxes.
The invoice listed parts, labor, and material costs. The parts totaled $3,475 alone. Total labor hours were reported to exceed 39 hours, with 27 hours dedicated to the body repair itself.
‘I’d Block Ur # ATP NGL’
Viewers in the comments section were shocked at the total bill for such a minor scratch.
“How’s that 8k?” one TikTok commenter questioned.
“Potentially ruining someone’s life over a baby scratch,” a second added.
“Literally is just a little scratch,” another wrote.
More viewers chimed in on what they believe the repair should’ve cost.
“Body shop owner here, that's a $600 to maybe like $800 job,” one said.
“I run a mobile auto body service and I would personally fix that for around $500. All fees included. But at the shop, the most that should be is $2,500. And that’s going to a very high-end shop,” one shared.
While other viewers assumed that another major repair must’ve taken place to rack up the tab.
“A $700 scratch fix followed along by a whole rear axle swap,” one said.
“Is there a new engine involved?” another questioned.
Gallery: Nissan Scratch Guard Coat Clear Paint
How Much Should A Minor Scratch Cost To Fix?
When getting a minor scratch fixed, few think it would cost four digits. However, this can be the case: one Denali driver paid over $3,000 for repairs after a basketball hoop fell onto her car. High quotes like this are why people have tried using the Comet hack to buff car paint themselves.
Cost can vary drastically, from $50 for a DIY repair kit to over $2,500 for a professional, Auto Cleaned reports.
According to Anderson Auto Body, scratch repairs include buffing and polishing, retouching paint, spot repainting, and panel painting or replacement.
The cost will be determined by the size, depth, and location of the scratch itself, Goodwill reports. Scratch types can include scuffs, clear coat, primer, and deep paint scratches.
Apex Auto Pros shares that a clear coat scratch can be buffed out by a professional for between $75 and $150 on average. Dealing with a medium scratch that has penetrated the paint layer, or a paint chip, will cost between $150 and $400 on average. With serious damage to the paint that goes down to the bare metal, the cost rises drastically from $400 to $800, or potentially more.
How Much Do Scuffs On The Bumper Cost To Repair?
Additionally, car scuffs on the bumper happen regularly, as seen in the TikTok.
Unpainted bumper scuff repair can cost between $100 and $250, while a painted bumper scuff repair will be between $300 and $600, Apex Auto Pro reports.
Repainting scuff jobs involves color matching, sanding, and filling.
By ignoring small scratches on your car, rust can build up, leading to a more expensive fix down the road. Fixing scratches is worth the investment, as this preserves the vehicle's resale value.
Motor1 has contacted Duly via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if he replies.
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