If you hit a post in a parking lot causing slight damage to your car should you report the accident to your insurance company and make a claim?

It might be cheaper in the long run to just take care of the problem yourself. If you report the damage, the insurance company may decide to raise your rates, maybe not this time, but certainly soon. Figure out what your deductable is versus how much it will cost to repair. If you have $500.00 deductible and it will only cost $600.00 to repair, I'd forget it.