Are minor repairs to your car worth it?

After a long winter, you may have a few scratches on your car. So should we get them fixed or is it ok to leave them there?



We talked to Craig Kehrberg, senior product manager at PEMCO. He says when it comes to a big scratch that goes all the way down to the metal, you want to get that fixed. “It would be a much costlier repair in the future if you needed to replace an entire panel or a door for example, rather than just fixing it at the time,” says Kehrberg.

When it comes to filing an insurance claim it may not be worth it. That’s because anytime you submit your claim, you could impact your premium. Also, if you have a claim free discount or benefit, that goes away once you submit a claim. Kehrberg recommends saving a claim for major damage, or if you’re involved in an accident with another person.

So if you have just a few scratches, it is worth it to get them fixed? It really depends on how you feel about your car. “If you have a new car and plan to keep it a long time, it may be worth fixing that ding,” says Kehrberg. “If you have an older car, if you think that the cost isn’t going to offset the trade in value in the future, it may not be worth it.”