Body damage is often bigger than it looks. After a car park knock or a minor collision, the first instinct is to judge the damage by what you can see. With bodywork, though, what you can see is often only part of the story. These steps help you protect your position and catch problems that are easy to miss.
At the scene
- Make it safe. Switch on your hazard lights, move the car out of traffic if you can, and put out your warning triangle.
- Call for help if anyone is hurt. In Türkiye, call 112 for any accident with injuries; police or gendarmerie will also be involved.
- Take photos. Record the position of the cars, close-ups of the damage, the number plates and the surroundings from several angles.
- Complete an accident report. For damage-only accidents, both drivers can fill in the joint accident report form (kaza tespit tutanağı). Accurate, complete details directly affect the insurance claim.
- Swap details. Note the other driver’s licence, registration and insurance policy information.
Insurance steps and deadlines vary between policies, so check with your insurer or broker about your own situation.
What can hide behind minor-looking damage?
On modern cars the bumper is a plastic cover designed to flex on impact and spring back. So even if the bumper looks fine, the foam absorber, reinforcement bar, mounting clips or parking-sensor housings behind it may be damaged. Front-end hits can reach the headlight brackets and radiator support; side impacts can reach the reinforcements inside the door.
Checks you can do yourself
- Panel gaps: are the gaps around the damaged area the same as on the other side?
- Doors and lids: do the doors, bonnet and boot lid open and close as before?
- Lights: do headlights, indicators, brake and fog lights work — and is the headlight still aimed correctly?
- Sensors and cameras: are parking sensors or driver-assistance systems showing warnings?
- Leaks: after parking for a while, is there fluid under the car?
- Driving: does the car pull to one side, or is the steering wheel off-centre when driving straight?
- Wheels: if the wheel took the hit, is there a cut or bulge in the tyre sidewall, or a dent in the rim?
When not to drive the car
If you notice any of the following, it’s better to call a recovery truck or get advice first rather than keep driving:
- A noticeable fluid leak (coolant, oil or brake fluid)
- The temperature gauge rising
- Anything unusual in the brakes or steering
- A damaged tyre, or a wheel that doesn’t turn properly
- Headlights not working, if you need to drive at night
Don’t wait if the paint has cracked
If a dent hasn’t cracked the paint, you may have some time to plan the repair. If the paint has cracked or lifted, though, moisture reaches the metal and rust can begin. Repairing this kind of damage promptly stops the job from growing. We explain which dents can be fixed without paint in car dent repair methods.
Questions to ask before the repair
When you leave your car at a workshop, ask for a breakdown of the work, the parts options and an estimated timeline — and how you’ll be told if more damage is found once parts come off. You can follow the stages step by step in the accident repair process. To talk about accident damage repair or body repair, give us a call.
