Is your car a damage magnet?
Discussion
It'd be interesting to know whether you own or have owned a car that for some unaccountable reason just gets damaged all of the time. My wife bought a Juke about 4 months ago and it's had two people shunt it up the rear already and a brawl in the street that ended up denting the door to the tune of £1500! O.K, please start the 'Juke bullying' now , then let me know whether you've had a car that always got whacked when it wasn't your fault!
I had a ford onion back in the 80's
Nice car in black and a Gaia which at the time was top end
Car was 20 mins old when a rock came out of a skip truck going under Croydon flyover and smashed up the bonnet and in to windscreen
It was 3 days old when someone striped it down the passenger side with a key or something similar
It was 2 months old when I returned to it outside the shops in Sutton when the front was all smashed in, the people in the shop said that the alarm went off and they looked out to see a big green lorry munching the car
It was 6 months old when it was in a petrol station in Mitchum where I was paying to see a BT van smash in to the back of it
The following week in same garage the guy behind the counter told me that bloke has just smashed your window and is grabbing stuff
About 6 months later my mum was driving the bloody thing when the back passenger tyre burst as she was on the New Malden flyover which spun her round and she bashed the car up big time on the Armco
It was a right off, thankfully mum was ok
A mate asked me to buy it back from insurance company as he had his own body shop, he did it up and gave it to his sister who then parked the bloody thing in someone's front garden which was a big smash and was then crushed
It was a jinxed car
Nice car in black and a Gaia which at the time was top end
Car was 20 mins old when a rock came out of a skip truck going under Croydon flyover and smashed up the bonnet and in to windscreen
It was 3 days old when someone striped it down the passenger side with a key or something similar
It was 2 months old when I returned to it outside the shops in Sutton when the front was all smashed in, the people in the shop said that the alarm went off and they looked out to see a big green lorry munching the car
It was 6 months old when it was in a petrol station in Mitchum where I was paying to see a BT van smash in to the back of it
The following week in same garage the guy behind the counter told me that bloke has just smashed your window and is grabbing stuff
About 6 months later my mum was driving the bloody thing when the back passenger tyre burst as she was on the New Malden flyover which spun her round and she bashed the car up big time on the Armco
It was a right off, thankfully mum was ok
A mate asked me to buy it back from insurance company as he had his own body shop, he did it up and gave it to his sister who then parked the bloody thing in someone's front garden which was a big smash and was then crushed
It was a jinxed car
Fleckers said:
I had a ford onion back in the 80's
Nice car in black and a Gaia which at the time was top end
Car was 20 mins old when a rock came out of a skip truck going under Croydon flyover and smashed up the bonnet and in to windscreen
It was 3 days old when someone striped it down the passenger side with a key or something similar
It was 2 months old when I returned to it outside the shops in Sutton when the front was all smashed in, the people in the shop said that the alarm went off and they looked out to see a big green lorry munching the car
It was 6 months old when it was in a petrol station in Mitchum where I was paying to see a BT van smash in to the back of it
The following week in same garage the guy behind the counter told me that bloke has just smashed your window and is grabbing stuff
About 6 months later my mum was driving the bloody thing when the back passenger tyre burst as she was on the New Malden flyover which spun her round and she bashed the car up big time on the Armco
It was a right off, thankfully mum was ok
A mate asked me to buy it back from insurance company as he had his own body shop, he did it up and gave it to his sister who then parked the bloody thing in someone's front garden which was a big smash and was then crushed
It was a jinxed car
This is exactly what I'm talking about. No doubt that was the only car you've owned where this sort of thing happened?Nice car in black and a Gaia which at the time was top end
Car was 20 mins old when a rock came out of a skip truck going under Croydon flyover and smashed up the bonnet and in to windscreen
It was 3 days old when someone striped it down the passenger side with a key or something similar
It was 2 months old when I returned to it outside the shops in Sutton when the front was all smashed in, the people in the shop said that the alarm went off and they looked out to see a big green lorry munching the car
It was 6 months old when it was in a petrol station in Mitchum where I was paying to see a BT van smash in to the back of it
The following week in same garage the guy behind the counter told me that bloke has just smashed your window and is grabbing stuff
About 6 months later my mum was driving the bloody thing when the back passenger tyre burst as she was on the New Malden flyover which spun her round and she bashed the car up big time on the Armco
It was a right off, thankfully mum was ok
A mate asked me to buy it back from insurance company as he had his own body shop, he did it up and gave it to his sister who then parked the bloody thing in someone's front garden which was a big smash and was then crushed
It was a jinxed car
I think everyone that cares about their car and goes out of their way to avoid damage, yet still has to use it as a daily will agree that their car is a damage magnet.
The last month has not been a good one:
1. Polished it bankholiday - was 'keyed' by Friday (parked very carefully in a respectable area)
2. Had to pop into Tesco for a late night dash - I'm the chap that parks at the edge, on my own, and walks half a mile across the carpark just to avoid 'door bashing cu'stards'...
...on my return I find a bunch of d
head hippster kids playing frisby IN THE DARK right next to my car.
The last month has not been a good one:
1. Polished it bankholiday - was 'keyed' by Friday (parked very carefully in a respectable area)
2. Had to pop into Tesco for a late night dash - I'm the chap that parks at the edge, on my own, and walks half a mile across the carpark just to avoid 'door bashing cu'stards'...
...on my return I find a bunch of d
head hippster kids playing frisby IN THE DARK right next to my car.Steamer said:
2. Had to pop into Tesco for a late night dash - I'm the chap that parks at the edge, on my own, and walks half a mile across the carpark just to avoid 'door bashing cu'stards'...
...on my return I find a bunch of dhead hippster kids playing frisby IN THE DARK right next to my car.
How many of them are still in the boot of your car?...on my return I find a bunch of d
head hippster kids playing frisby IN THE DARK right next to my car.I had a lucky escape in Bergerac, France this year.
Parked my pristine GTi away from all the French cars, found a deserted spot next to the exit.
Came back after a nice lunch to find a posse of pissed up Frenchies playing Boule towards the side of my car. It would have just as easy to play away from my car, but as it happened, no damgae done.
This GTi has a shield all around it. An invisibility shield judging by the number of muppets who pull out in front of me on a daily basis. My 2 previous GTi's (Grey and silver) seemed not to have this trait. I can't do more to assist these blind drivers than buy a bright red one with 'mid life crisis' 18" polished Monza alloys FFS!
Parked my pristine GTi away from all the French cars, found a deserted spot next to the exit.
Came back after a nice lunch to find a posse of pissed up Frenchies playing Boule towards the side of my car. It would have just as easy to play away from my car, but as it happened, no damgae done.
This GTi has a shield all around it. An invisibility shield judging by the number of muppets who pull out in front of me on a daily basis. My 2 previous GTi's (Grey and silver) seemed not to have this trait. I can't do more to assist these blind drivers than buy a bright red one with 'mid life crisis' 18" polished Monza alloys FFS!
Not damage per-se, as I am ruddy careful when I both drive and park my cars.
Ok, some things are unavoidable (like the rock bouncing up from the road) but I reckon that by being careful, anticipating the actions of other thickos around you, leaving a huge gap between you and the car in front, and parking as to attract the least liability (i.e. right at the other side of a carpark, and never 'on street') you can avoid a lot of it.
However. My damage magnet is bloody windscreens
Every car I've ever bloody owned has suffered continuous windscreen damage, almost constantly...bah! I seem to own most of my cars for around 4 years, and every single one has had nearly as many replacement screens.
Even more annoyingly, the damage always seems to occur within days of a new screen being fitted. From a multitude of different sources...my off-road Jeep for instance, I kinda expect it occasionally, but it seems I manage to always find the exact, specific tree branch that is the perfect height, size and trajectory as it flicks onto the screen and cracks it, yet again, when driving off-road.
I've had at least two go, from driving over a massive pot-hole at night in the road that I didn't see (and I mean massive) that has caused such a huge amount of energy to go through the car that the screen has instantly cracked from top to bottom.
But usually, the pattern is: have new screen fitted, then within days, I have been driving along, and I inevitably see a massive stone, heading my way, with no time to react - which then always hits the screen right in front of me, making a huge hole right in the bit that I look out from, rendering it an MOT failure immediately.
Keeps bloody happening, arrrgghhhh!!!
Ok, some things are unavoidable (like the rock bouncing up from the road) but I reckon that by being careful, anticipating the actions of other thickos around you, leaving a huge gap between you and the car in front, and parking as to attract the least liability (i.e. right at the other side of a carpark, and never 'on street') you can avoid a lot of it.
However. My damage magnet is bloody windscreens
Every car I've ever bloody owned has suffered continuous windscreen damage, almost constantly...bah! I seem to own most of my cars for around 4 years, and every single one has had nearly as many replacement screens.
Even more annoyingly, the damage always seems to occur within days of a new screen being fitted. From a multitude of different sources...my off-road Jeep for instance, I kinda expect it occasionally, but it seems I manage to always find the exact, specific tree branch that is the perfect height, size and trajectory as it flicks onto the screen and cracks it, yet again, when driving off-road.
I've had at least two go, from driving over a massive pot-hole at night in the road that I didn't see (and I mean massive) that has caused such a huge amount of energy to go through the car that the screen has instantly cracked from top to bottom.
But usually, the pattern is: have new screen fitted, then within days, I have been driving along, and I inevitably see a massive stone, heading my way, with no time to react - which then always hits the screen right in front of me, making a huge hole right in the bit that I look out from, rendering it an MOT failure immediately.
Keeps bloody happening, arrrgghhhh!!!
Had an unlucky Astra, bought late 1995.
Someone reversed a transit into in in our work car park. Damaged driver's door. Was about to get it fixed when;
Communal parking area, one of my neighbours managed to hit rear wing and both doors on driver's side. Was about to get it fixed when;
Queued in traffic. Woman on other side of road pulled away with old style Krook-lock fitted around steering wheel and brake instead of clutch. Couldn't steer or brake so drove into me on drivers side. Got it fixed on her insurance.
Girlfriend parking it, opened driver's door whilst reversing near a wall, it caught on a pillar and buckled. Bent it back into shape, then;
Someone tried to nick it, bent the door away from the frame to get in.
Put a scrap door on it and sold it late 1997. Shame, 'cos it was a reliable, trusty old thing!
Someone reversed a transit into in in our work car park. Damaged driver's door. Was about to get it fixed when;
Communal parking area, one of my neighbours managed to hit rear wing and both doors on driver's side. Was about to get it fixed when;
Queued in traffic. Woman on other side of road pulled away with old style Krook-lock fitted around steering wheel and brake instead of clutch. Couldn't steer or brake so drove into me on drivers side. Got it fixed on her insurance.
Girlfriend parking it, opened driver's door whilst reversing near a wall, it caught on a pillar and buckled. Bent it back into shape, then;
Someone tried to nick it, bent the door away from the frame to get in.
Put a scrap door on it and sold it late 1997. Shame, 'cos it was a reliable, trusty old thing!
My first car attracted damage like nothing I've owned since.
We had a Subaru Impreza try to pull out of an NSL A-road T-junction about 30 yards in front of us using inertia defying AWD system, which we T-boned. The car was declared a Cat C but damage was fairly simple to fix so I bought it back.
Some dozy bint then reversed in to the side of it whilst ours was stationary between rows of parking spaces, waiting for someone to complete a manouver in front of us - she claimed we drove sideways in to her back bumper.
It was hit by an old fart in a Vauxhall Agila trying to change lanes in a hurry in a very short queue for a roundabout, so he could do a 270 and bypass the queue. My wife chased him to the car park he drove to, he denied it despite obvious matching damage, became extremely threatening and abusive and refused to give any details. She photographed him with her camera phone as well as his car and got some details from his disabled badge in the windscreen. We called the police. He offered to brush paint our bumper. The police gave us a follow up call shortly after to tell us they were intending to charge him.
It was hit twice from behind whilst stationary at large roundabouts waiting for a gap by two separate students.
I collected a large lump of wood with nails sticking out which fell off a dumper truck heading in the opposite direction which smashed the O/S headlight and dented the wing.
The N/S front fog light was smashed when another lorry ran over a traffic cone on an NSL road and flung it up in the air.
We had a Subaru Impreza try to pull out of an NSL A-road T-junction about 30 yards in front of us using inertia defying AWD system, which we T-boned. The car was declared a Cat C but damage was fairly simple to fix so I bought it back.
Some dozy bint then reversed in to the side of it whilst ours was stationary between rows of parking spaces, waiting for someone to complete a manouver in front of us - she claimed we drove sideways in to her back bumper.
It was hit by an old fart in a Vauxhall Agila trying to change lanes in a hurry in a very short queue for a roundabout, so he could do a 270 and bypass the queue. My wife chased him to the car park he drove to, he denied it despite obvious matching damage, became extremely threatening and abusive and refused to give any details. She photographed him with her camera phone as well as his car and got some details from his disabled badge in the windscreen. We called the police. He offered to brush paint our bumper. The police gave us a follow up call shortly after to tell us they were intending to charge him.
It was hit twice from behind whilst stationary at large roundabouts waiting for a gap by two separate students.
I collected a large lump of wood with nails sticking out which fell off a dumper truck heading in the opposite direction which smashed the O/S headlight and dented the wing.
The N/S front fog light was smashed when another lorry ran over a traffic cone on an NSL road and flung it up in the air.
Both cars were okay - just stone chips and the odd little scuff. Then as three months old, our van clipped a low wall thanks to an error by the (usually good driver) wife. Six months later she reversed the BM into another one - AND WE HAVE PARKING SENSORS!!!
TBH when I properly clean the black BM and it's sunny, I end up fretting about the chipped up bonnet, the peppered front valance bit, the swirl marks I've done everything to prevent. To 99.9999% of people it looks incredibly shiny and fresh but to me, it could do with a complete respray. At least it's 7 years old though - the VW Calfornia is a mere two years old and already has three nasty stone chips, a few minor scuffs and scratches, etc - ARRRGHHH!! But again when clean and polished up, from anything but very close up, it still looks pretty fresh.
TBH when I properly clean the black BM and it's sunny, I end up fretting about the chipped up bonnet, the peppered front valance bit, the swirl marks I've done everything to prevent. To 99.9999% of people it looks incredibly shiny and fresh but to me, it could do with a complete respray. At least it's 7 years old though - the VW Calfornia is a mere two years old and already has three nasty stone chips, a few minor scuffs and scratches, etc - ARRRGHHH!! But again when clean and polished up, from anything but very close up, it still looks pretty fresh.
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