I'm not quite sure how things work in CA, but in MA, if you put in a claim, and the damage was caused by you, then your insurance rates will likely go up. I'm not sure whether the DMV would count that as a collision and assess points against you. A simple call to the DMV annonymously should provide you with the answers you seek. Your insurance agent may be able to answer your questions too. You might want to ask them in a "hypothetically speaking... " way.