Here in PA, anytime you have a claim on your policy for anything related to driving, it counts against you. I'm sure that's probably the case in most if not all states. It falls under "collision" damage. Your smartest move would've been to come up with the $740 and just pay cash for the repairs. You are responsible for control of your vehicle at all times while driving. It's always the safest bet to avoid a collision with another vehicle. For a claim so minor, I would've never claimed it on my insurance knowing it would count against me.
I had a Mercedes once. I was driving down the highway one night when before I realized it, I hit a tractor trailer retred that was lying on the road that I didn't see because the vehicle in front of me was tall enough to drive over it and not actually hit it. When my car hit it, the rear tire kicked it up and it smacked my quarter panel leaving a small dent and obvious black rubber marks on bright red paint. Since I didn't want to face the cost of body work on my Mercedes, I called my insurance company. This is what I was told: "since it was on the road and you struck it, it falls under collision. If it had fallen off of the truck and directly hit your car, it would then be under comprehensive and wouldn't effect your insurance rates". Since I didn't want any marks against my policy, I gently worked the dent out from inside the trunk and buffed off the marks. I'd rather live with a very small, barely noticable, dent on my Mercedes than pay extra for my premium that would have stayed with me for 3 years.
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