OCD over car issues

[Ads22]

I wonder if anyone else experiences this but i find myself, especially as of late, over analysing if my car is driving how it should be. While i think its justified on a new car, i dont so much on a used car thats over a certain age. I have always been like it as far as i can remember but as of late its really starting to suck the joy out of car ownership. I currently have a 1 Series with the N52 engine. I wanted to experience something a bit different and go for something with a Inline 6 and manual gearbox but because i always am on edge as to whether its performing properly, i dont seem to be enjoying as much as i hoped. As much as this is probably my fault for buying a BMW, I have been like this with other marques and even cars that are much simpler and cheaper to run. I do drive myself mad with the 'Oh that acceleration felt off, that corner didnt feel right!, whats that noise!?, is this normal its doing X,Y or Z?

I dont know if im just more prone to noticing these things but id love to know how you tune out noticing potential issues that arent detrimental to the running of the car and just drive it like most people do!

[hajaba123]

If you think you've got OCD see a doctor, it's a serious illness

[Slowboathome]

I'm like that with noises - rattles etc.

My 'cure' is driving something that is verging into Shed territory. Rattles are 'part of the territory'. When I was in a brand new Gti they were 'unacceptable failures of quality assurance which the dealer must rectify'. Cue lots of angst and frustration.

I also remind myself of what friends have said to me in the past: 'all cars make noises, it's a by-product of machinery with lots of moving parts'. And I remind myself that I'm very sensitive to noise generally, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

There's a whine from my alternator bearings that I was stressing about 4 years ago, but it's still there and nothing's blown up yet.

Edited by Slowboathome on Wednesday 10th August 20:28

[samoht]

I feel like perhaps doing a couple of trackdays helped me worry less.

After spending a day effectively alternating between full throttle and hard braking, changing up at the redline and cornering at the limit, I think I convinced myself that my car wasn't going to fall apart too badly even when used hard. This gave me a bit of confidence that it was basically robust and I didn't need to worry too much about it in normal use.


A simpler thing is if you can take it somewhere for servicing every year that you trust to check it over and make sure it's driving correctly, catch any incipient issues. Then you can tell yourself, just drive it and enjoy, let the mechanic tell me if there's something to worry about.


Ultimately it's an old car, it'll break occasionally, you get it fixed and all's well again. You might as well enjoy it while it's working!

[Jonno02]

Slowboathome said:

I'm like that with noises - rattles etc.

My 'cure' is driving something that is verging into Shed territory. Rattles are 'part of the territory'. When I was in a brand new Gti they were 'unacceptable failures of quality assurance which the dealer must rectify'. Cue lots of angst and frustration.

I also remind myself of what friends have said to me in the past: 'all cars make noises, it's a by-product of machinery with lots of moving parts'. And I remind myself that I'm very sensitive to noise generally, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

There's a whine from my alternator bearings that I was stressing about 4 years ago, but it's still there and nothing's blown up yet.

Edited by Slowboathome on Wednesday 10th August 20:28

Could be Misophonia.

[georgeyboy12345]

It’s not OCD, you are just picky

[AnhBanhBao]

I kind of get how you feel, but my OCD or whatever you would call it manifests itself a bit differently to yours.

For example, if there’s a slight niggle with my car, ie. noisy wheel bearing, then it’s compounded by a second imperfection (like an alloy scuff, even if it’s totally my fault), I then seem to go through a short period of time of wanting to get rid of the car and start again.

This only usually eases when I’ve washed the car and/or had it serviced, then we’re all okay again. I’m sure it’s related to my fight or flight mechanism, bit weird I know.

[Ads22]

Thanks all - some good, yet reassuring replies here- its not just me then.
Instead of thinking that i just ocd tendencies or being a perfectionist, i know that I actually am OCD, yes it is a problem but im finding being ocd about cars is particularly stressful, and expensive! Most people who i know take the stance of if it drives then its fine. For some reason i cant shut myself off from the, is it handling, steering, performing properly etc etc. I think on a weekend or track car then its a bit more justified but on a daily car it’s exhausting. Funnily enough i can live with if the cars dirty, or has a small dent- cosmetic stuff. Im usually at my worst when i notice a problem on a car that isn’t glaringly obvious (less power for example).
I guess on a car theres so many variables that affects how it drives so it really is maddening hopping into a car expecting it to drive a certain way. I usually notice cars feel a bit different everytime you drive them.
Unfortunately when this sets in the urge to get rid creeps in but ive done this enough times now to regret it and ive let go of some cars i wish i hadnt of because of it.

Bearing in mind this is usually on 7-10 year old used cars which i expect to not be at their best. I dont think i would cope with a brand new car! I also need to stay away from owner forums too, as helpful as they are people on them seem to have never ending funds and facilities to work on their cars.

Edited by Ads22 on Thursday 11th August 00:00

[breadvan]

How about having a car mate drive your car and sanity check when you’re unhappy with things? Or perhaps (and I hate to say it), an auto EV like a i3S will give a more consistent feel than an ICE, if that sort of thing appeals?

[757]

Slowboathome said:

I'm like that with noises - rattles etc.

My 'cure' is driving something that is verging into Shed territory. Rattles are 'part of the territory'. When I was in a brand new Gti they were 'unacceptable failures of quality assurance which the dealer must rectify'. Cue lots of angst and frustration.

I also remind myself of what friends have said to me in the past: 'all cars make noises, it's a by-product of machinery with lots of moving parts'. And I remind myself that I'm very sensitive to noise generally, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

There's a whine from my alternator bearings that I was stressing about 4 years ago, but it's still there and nothing's blown up yet.

Use to be like this over my previous cars - now I have joined the shed club too, out of choice not necessity!

Rattles, bangs, smells, scratches, bird poo, stressing over what brand of oil to use, what brand of tyres to get, should I get my wheels refurbed, lending the car to the wife and worrying what/where she may go or park the thing...hell, I left it unlocked for two weeks in the airport carpark when I went away, forgot to lock it, didn't ruin my holiday one bit stressing over it, where as It would of years ago in my previous "nice cars"

I sleep easier at night these days, granted not for everyone I know, but it is so liberating just not having the worry anymore.

[Trevor555]

Jonno02 said:

Slowboathome said:

I'm like that with noises - rattles etc.

My 'cure' is driving something that is verging into Shed territory. Rattles are 'part of the territory'. When I was in a brand new Gti they were 'unacceptable failures of quality assurance which the dealer must rectify'. Cue lots of angst and frustration.

I also remind myself of what friends have said to me in the past: 'all cars make noises, it's a by-product of machinery with lots of moving parts'. And I remind myself that I'm very sensitive to noise generally, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

There's a whine from my alternator bearings that I was stressing about 4 years ago, but it's still there and nothing's blown up yet.

Edited by Slowboathome on Wednesday 10th August 20:28

Could be Misophonia.

+1 it could be that.

Although noises in cars don't set me off, unless it's a monotonous song on the radio lol

Things that really set me off are tapping, fidgeting, people eating noisily, people whistling (have to do a proper runner)

Misophonia has been mentioned to me, but is it a recognised condition?

[J1990]

hajaba123 said:

If you think you've got OCD see a doctor, it's a serious illness

I appreciate the sentiment and if there are other OCD traits then OP would benefit from checking in with a doctor as it can become a very debilitating illness.
Personally, I think it sounds like the OP isn't familiar with what everything on his car 'should' sound like and so is second guessing everything and just lacking confidence. I had exactly the same thing when I got my Defender, every little sound I thought was something breaking or that had been bodged by the selling garage, it wasn't until getting it checked out by a local place that I trust and also taking the owner's defender out for a little drive and seeing all the familiarities that I stopped worrying so much.

[Jonno02]

Trevor555 said:

+1 it could be that.

Although noises in cars don't set me off, unless it's a monotonous song on the radio lol

Things that really set me off are tapping, fidgeting, people eating noisily, people whistling (have to do a proper runner)

Misophonia has been mentioned to me, but is it a recognised condition?

It is yep. But there's no "take one of these twice a day sir" treatment for it.

I actually have OCD. Not the "oh my god, I hate mess I'm like so OCD" kind people like to proclaim they have. Mine is only related to locked doors and turning the taps off for some reason. At night when locking up, I check every door 4 times, all the taps 4 times and the windows 4 times. If I haven't done each one 4 times I get this really anxious feeling something bad is going to happen and have to go back downstairs and do the full routine again. Wife is upstairs watching TV for 30 minutes before I come up.

I am also incredibly sensitive to ANYTHING feeling 'off' about my car to the point I find faults where there are none. Probably somewhat related to the above. I'm trying to get a bit more chilled about it though.

[liner33]

Jonno02 said:

It is yep. But there's no "take one of these twice a day sir" treatment for it.

I actually have OCD. Not the "oh my god, I hate mess I'm like so OCD" kind people like to proclaim they have. Mine is only related to locked doors and turning the taps off for some reason. At night when locking up, I check every door 4 times, all the taps 4 times and the windows 4 times. If I haven't done each one 4 times I get this really anxious feeling something bad is going to happen and have to go back downstairs and do the full routine again. Wife is upstairs watching TV for 30 minutes before I come up.

I am also incredibly sensitive to ANYTHING feeling 'off' about my car to the point I find faults where there are none. Probably somewhat related to the above. I'm trying to get a bit more chilled about it though.

I have OCD (Pure OCD) also along with depression and suicidal thoughts, those saying see your doctor clearly haven't been seen a GP for a long time, you'll not find much if any support in your local surgery ime.

Yes the condition of my car bothers me but luckily i like car cleaning and doing odd jobs on the car anyhow

[Ads22]

Jonno02 said:

It is yep. But there's no "take one of these twice a day sir" treatment for it.

I actually have OCD. Not the "oh my god, I hate mess I'm like so OCD" kind people like to proclaim they have. Mine is only related to locked doors and turning the taps off for some reason. At night when locking up, I check every door 4 times, all the taps 4 times and the windows 4 times. If I haven't done each one 4 times I get this really anxious feeling something bad is going to happen and have to go back downstairs and do the full routine again. Wife is upstairs watching TV for 30 minutes before I come up.

I am also incredibly sensitive to ANYTHING feeling 'off' about my car to the point I find faults where there are none. Probably somewhat related to the above. I'm trying to get a bit more chilled about it though.

I second this. There are certainly other things i am ocd about, again not in the sense of ‘oh thats really annoying’. But i think being like it about maintaining cars is potentially very expensive, time consuming and dangerous- especially if you accidentally break something or render the car undriveable! Unfortunately im the same i seem more sensitive to the way my car drives. At the moment on mine im obsessed with performance issues and am under the impression that its not pulling away smoothly as it should/misfiring missing power…in my mind everythings falling apart but the reality is ive replaced a load of consumables recently on it so it should be running better than ever. Maybe im expecting too much.

On the other hand i do wonder if im bordering on shed territory lol! My cars have never been particularly expensive to buy and been on the older side of things, im currently in a 2009 car with over 100,000 so I should probably learn to live with these things. On the flip side i had a newish car once on pcp and i was more worried about the cosmetic side of things! I cant win!!

Edited by Ads22 on Thursday 11th August 11:37

[QJumper]

Jonno02 said:

Mine is only related to locked doors and turning the taps off for some reason. At night when locking up, I check every door 4 times, all the taps 4 times and the windows 4 times. If I haven't done each one 4 times I get this really anxious feeling something bad is going to happen and have to go back downstairs and do the full routine again. Wife is upstairs watching TV for 30 minutes before I come up.

Off topic, but have you tried taking pictures of taps/windows etc after you've shut them, on your phone, so you can check them from bed to reassure yourself if you feel anxious?

[Jonno02]

QJumper said:

Off topic, but have you tried taking pictures of taps/windows etc after you've shut them, on your phone, so you can check them from bed to reassure yourself if you feel anxious?

I have tried this previously. The best way to describe the type of OCD I have is that 'you don't trust your own eyes.' I'm seeing the tap is off, the handle is down, there is no water coming out of it and the plug is out so if water was running it wouldn't flood the room anyway.' When I would take a photo of the tap the first thought in my head would be "but did I turn it on after I took the photo? I better go check." It's more of a pain in the arse rather than the full on crippling type of OCD some poor souls suffer with.

[Trevor555]

Jonno02 said:

Trevor555 said:

+1 it could be that.

Although noises in cars don't set me off, unless it's a monotonous song on the radio lol

Things that really set me off are tapping, fidgeting, people eating noisily, people whistling (have to do a proper runner)

Misophonia has been mentioned to me, but is it a recognised condition?

It is yep. But there's no "take one of these twice a day sir" treatment for it.

Ok, thank you for answering.

I thought that was the case so haven't been to the docs about it.

It all started when I was about 14

Now 51 and have to live alone, mostly eat alone, be prepared to leave somewhere in an instant, carry earphones for public transport.

But as the OP has mentioned, it's been a right pain buying cars/bikes.

New Honda Forza rejected because the paint was peeling off the frame

Bmw bike rejected because of vibration (actually turned out to be a broken shock absorber after 7 months of them ignoring me)

New GR Yaris rejected for what the dealer said were minor faults

OP, I've found nothing helps, if you're fussy like me about cars then I'm not sure there's a cure, and even buying new ones has been a royal pain in the buttrice..

[aazer89]

georgeyboy12345 said:

It’s not OCD, you are just picky

This.

[PositronicRay]

Its expectation over reality.

Lowering your expectation helps contentment in all sorts of ways.