First Scratch on a New Car & That Disappointed Feeling
First Scratch on a New Car & That Disappointed Feeling
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Bonzo1930

Original Poster:

218 posts

84 months

Yesterday (19:53)
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Changed my car about a month ago nothing exciting daily driver 2026 Toyota Corolla bought it at 5 months old with 1300 miles on the clock & saved a considerable chunk over new, gave it a really good clean & ceramic coating & remarked to my other half there really wasn't a mark on it & why would you buy new.

Mmm talk about tempting fate on the way home tonight passing a car on a dual carriageway there was an almighty bang thought it was a stone hitting underneath, when I got home it wasn't, car I was passing must have thrown a stone up & I was left with a 2 inch long scratch on the passenger side front door.

I've managed to buff out some of it but the rest is down to the primer, so will get a touch up pen to take my eye of it, will get over but I will always know it's there but for now just a bit sad that my new car is no longer unmarked, first world problems I know & as plan to keep it long term it's probably not going to be it's last battle scar!

Quattr04.

1,217 posts

19 months

Yesterday (20:02)
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It is always sad

I had my new car which the tyres provide hardly any rim protection, 2 weeks in a lorry was parked on the corner and I hit the back wheel

Then I did the other side a week later

Then I crashed into someone when they pulled in front of my at a petrol station and did a number on the bumper

Then I hit a kerb and did the front wheel

I’m not a very good driver

dave123456

3,852 posts

175 months

Yesterday (20:08)
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Slightly different tale.. I bought a very expensive gravel bike, cycled to the top of a local hill, lent it up to take a photo of it and the wind blew it over.. lovely scratch on the frame within about 3 miles.

ExBoringVolvoDriver

11,795 posts

71 months

Yesterday (20:09)
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I, or perhaps my wife can relate to that.

She got a brand new Polo last April and on the second day of ownership, some tt managed to catch the edge of the rear bumper as they, not very well, pulled out of a parking space! £160 of a repair as it wouldn’t T Cut out.


grumbledoak

32,540 posts

261 months

Yesterday (20:14)
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Turn it around. Think "Good. There was always going to be a first scratch, and now I don't need to worry about when it will be."

_Rodders_

3,445 posts

47 months

Yesterday (20:14)
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Only ever bought one new car and it really is a sickening feeling.

Blue Oval84

5,393 posts

189 months

Yesterday (20:15)
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Commiserations. It's not nice getting that first ding.

All I can say is at least it was an accident.

I'd had my Mustang for about two weeks when some slammed a van door open into the side and massively dented the rear quarter, cost £550 to fix and the damage was so hard there's no way it was just accidental carelessness.

Best car I ever owned was my Mondeo ex-hire that was delivered with every single panel dented and/or scratched, every one of them. I didn't care a hoot as long as I owned that car what happened to the bodywork and it was so liberating.

swisstoni

23,752 posts

307 months

Yesterday (20:24)
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Or you could have a look at the many many YouTube vids on fixing scratches, fix this one and arm yourself with the skill to fix any in the future.

MattsCar

2,332 posts

133 months

Yesterday (20:35)
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£100ish with a PDR guy will have that sorted.

Anyway, my friend purchased a year old 535d E60, bought it in to his business the next day and then a hail storm (was a freak one with golf ball sized stones) peppered the entire car. Think he spent a few thousand getting each little dent pulled out.




Bonzo1930

Original Poster:

218 posts

84 months

Yesterday (20:36)
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Thanks for the wise words, I'm a dab hand with a cocktail stick & some touch up paint so hopefully it will hardly show, will order some paint tomorrow, but for now just want to get it sorted so I can't see it anymore!

x type

1,010 posts

218 months

Yesterday (20:58)
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Know the feeling , recently bought a Qashqai 2016 plate to replace Renault capture
Its got a panoramic glass roof , had aircon gas replaced under warranty at garage about 5 miles away
Driving back home on a road that had recently had tar and chippings put on it , as I got on the road thought oh sh.. loose chipping drive slowly .

Car driving like a lunatic other side of road heard a bang thought oh no hit the car somewhere , got home couldn't see where until I looked at roof , cracked glass roof
just above windscreen. Rac insurance don't cover panoramic roof cry

Bonzo1930

Original Poster:

218 posts

84 months

Yesterday (21:09)
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Feel your pain it certainly puts my scratch into perspective

Twolane

206 posts

48 months

Yesterday (21:12)
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Not a new car but new to me. When I bought my e46 M3 7 years ago, previous owner had the wheels freshly painted. I picked the car up, hadn’t even left his village and I misjudged the width of the car and clipped a kerb with the front wheel, hadn’t even owned it 5 mins.

Mr Squarekins

1,632 posts

90 months

Yesterday (21:39)
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We've all been there.

I like Baron Von Grumble's story about perspective. He had some bird crap on the boot lid of his new M3. Stupidly, in a carpark he wiped it with a tissue and created tiny, minor scratches in the paint.

He was fuming with himself, considering it 'the end of the world'.

5 mins later, a car pulled out infront of him and his car was in 5000 pieces.

That paint will touch in. wink


Sheepshanks

40,683 posts

147 months

Yesterday (21:46)
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ExBoringVolvoDriver said:
I, or perhaps my wife can relate to that.

She got a brand new Polo last April and on the second day of ownership, some tt managed to catch the edge of the rear bumper as they, not very well, pulled out of a parking space! £160 of a repair as it wouldn t T Cut out.
My wife had a new Clio and garage wouldn't let her pick it up on 1st Aug (it was a long time ago) unless we went at midnight. Didn't fancy doing that and after a bit of huffing and puffing they delivered it a couple of days earlier, with strict instructions not to drive it. I moved it on the drive and parked it halfway down the side of the garage. Getting out I caught the door with my shoulder and the door just touched the corner of the brick wall.

I couldn't believe it would have done any damage but it kind of crunched the paint. Normally nothing bothers my wife but she went absolutely mad! Car was a lovely metallic blue and I thought fixing it would be a nightmare but the dealer's bodyshop (they had their own in those days) did an invisible repair for £60.

Dog Biscuit

2,510 posts

25 months

Yesterday (21:50)
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Bought one of the first mk4 Gti turbo in Jazz blue back in '99. Had it a day and somone decided to pull out infront of me from a layby - a swerved it but hit the kerb at an angle and damaged the suspension.

It was in VW for about 6 weeks as it was so new parts supply were limited.

It never felt the same after the repair so I got rid shortly after. Totally ruined it for me and I'd had it on order for months and it was my first brand new car.


fourthpedal

131 posts

32 months

dave123456 said:
Slightly different tale.. I bought a very expensive gravel bike, cycled to the top of a local hill, lent it up to take a photo of it and the wind blew it over.. lovely scratch on the frame within about 3 miles.
New but not so expensive gravel bike: I knocked it over at home while putting finishing touches on it, and it landed on a metal bike stand. Big chip in the paint before I'd ever used it for the first.

bennno

15,183 posts

297 months

Bonzo1930 said:
Thanks for the wise words, I'm a dab hand with a cocktail stick & some touch up paint so hopefully it will hardly show, will order some paint tomorrow, but for now just want to get it sorted so I can't see it anymore!
If you get a smart repairer in then you will find they…..

Very very fine wet and dry area, touch in scratch, scrape off excess with razor blade, very fine wet and dry, then polish with compound.

If it’s slightly indented then pdr first.

Chippex can be ok, they give you a blending solution and pad that levels the touch up - takes a bit of practice but better than normal touch up.

BEAMS 162

195 posts

75 months

Some tales of woe here,yes getting that first bit of damage is an absolute downer.

My colleague of 12 years at work is a car guy,his tale of woe is a cracker.Years ago he was in a well paid job for the time and bought a brand new Astra GTE. (he's 62 now)
The day of collection he drove out of the Vauxhall dealership and stopped at a red light at a crossroads down the road.Some plum drove straight into the back of it and shunted him into traffic coming from the green light on his right and was instantly hit by another car in the drivers side wing, hard.Wrote the car off with delivery miles on it.Disappointed feeling probably isn't the right phrase I'd guess.Least he wasn't badly hurt,physically anyway.

Gary29

5,177 posts

127 months

swisstoni said:
Or you could have a look at the many many YouTube vids on fixing scratches, fix this one and arm yourself with the skill to fix any in the future.
Talking of YouTube, I think Cleetus Macfarland has the right idea, everything he gets new, he immediately scratches it himself as it's inevitable it'll happen, so it instantly takes the anticipation of 'when' away from the situation.