Pre-existing damage
Pre-existing damage is any chip, scratch, or dent marked on the condition report at pickup. That mark is the carrier's record of what it received. If you sign without looking, you accept that baseline.
Pre-existing damage means the car already had the mark when the carrier took it. The origin condition report is where that claim is written down. Codes on the diagram, a photo, or a written note all count. At delivery, the carrier will compare the car with that record. A mark that was listed at pickup is not a new claim.
Why you look before you sign
Drivers mark cars quickly. They can miss a scrape, and they can also mark a panel you think is clean. Stand there. If a mark is wrong, correct it on the form before you sign. If you cannot see because it is night, write that the inspection was limited. Take your own photos. The copy you keep is the one you will need if the delivery driver says the dent was already there.
How it differs from transit damage
Transit damage is a mark that was not on the origin report and is on the car at delivery. Note it on the delivery report before you sign, and start the claim with the carrier named on the bill of lading. RideShipper does not inspect cars and does not decide which marks were already there.