13.09.2025 12:00
Car owners who want to avoid minor damages are suffering much greater losses due to the "painted" game played by service centers. Paintless dents are recorded as painted in the system, causing vehicles to lose value, insurance premiums to increase, and drivers to be condemned to pay thousands of lira unjustly.
A serious issue concerning vehicle owners has come to light in Turkey. While citizens want small dents and scratches to be covered by insurance without spending money out of pocket, some service centers recording these damages as painted are causing significant grievances. This method leads to depreciation of vehicles, increased insurance premiums, and leaves both appraisal reports and vehicle owners in a difficult position. Sami Tarcan, the owner of an appraisal company in Kocaeli, stated that drivers suffer much larger losses while trying to avoid small expenses.
"THEY SHOW PAINTED IN THOSE AREAS BECAUSE THEY RECEIVE LESS MONEY FOR DENTS"
Describing a situation he experienced six months ago, appraisal company owner Sami Tarcan said, "I gave a no-paint report for a vehicle we inspected, but since the service wrote that the entire right side of the vehicle was painted, the owner sued us. We explained to the vehicle owner that this was impossible. However, the vehicle owner filed a compensation lawsuit against us for 200,000 TL, claiming that the service records showed the vehicle as painted. Subsequently, we proved with an expert that the vehicle was indeed no-paint, and the case was dropped. So, why do they do this? Vehicle owners go to the service to have the damage covered by insurance after minor scratches and damages. The service shows those areas as painted because they receive less money for dents," he explained.
"BOTH MORE MONEY IS TAKEN FROM INSURANCE AND THE VEHICLE APPEARS PAINTED IN RECORDS"
Stating that a significant grievance is being experienced, Tarcan said, "Because the insurance company pays the service less money for dent repair. As a result, the service applies non-drug putty to the vehicle, sprays primer, takes photos, and reports this to the insurance companies. Since they do not put drugs in that putty, it does not harden, and they wipe it off immediately after taking the photo. For example, while 5,000 TL is charged for a dent, when the same part is shown as painted, 15,000 TL can be charged. In this way, more money is taken from insurance, and the vehicle appears painted in service records. This situation victimizes appraisers and vehicle owners," he stated.
"IT REDUCES THE NO-CLAIM DISCOUNT IN INSURANCE AND COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE"
Tarcan stated that he does not know whether insurance companies are aware of this issue, saying, "Imagine; there are dents on 3 parts, the real cost is 15,000 TL. However, when shown as painted, it rises to 45,000 TL. This also reduces the no-claim discount when taking out insurance or comprehensive insurance. The vehicle owner has to pay 25,000 TL for comprehensive insurance the following year instead of 15,000 TL. I am giving these figures as examples. When I give a report stating that a vehicle that has been completely repaired for dents is original, the buyer accepts it. However, since it appears painted in service records, the vehicle depreciates. This leads to legal issues with both the service and the previous vehicle owner, as well as with appraisers," he expressed.
"PAINTED IN SERVICE RECORDS, NO-PAINT IN APPRAISAL"
Tarcan stated that the material damage varies according to the value of the vehicle, saying, "For example, a vehicle with an original value of 1 million TL can be sold for 100,000 TL less when it appears painted on the right side. Therefore, vehicle owners need to be careful. They must check the records when leaving their vehicles at the service and also get confirmation from other services. Because the service shows no-paint repairs as painted in the system since it is less costly. This way, unfair profits are made. As a result, both appraisers and vehicle owners are victimized. In other words, vehicle owners go to the service for minor scratches and dents to avoid spending money out of pocket. The service shows the damaged area as painted because it receives less money from the appraiser. If the dent costs 5,000 TL, they request prices like 15,000-20,000 TL by showing it as painted. After fixing the dent on the car, they do a polish and wax and enter it as painted in the system. Since it is entered as painted, it appears painted in service records and no-paint in the appraisal. This leads to unfair profits," he said.