You may try your hardest to avoid it, but if you drive your car daily, it will get some form of cosmetic damage eventually. Maybe it’s a ding or a dent, maybe it’s fading paint or heck, maybe you crash your ride into something. How much do you care about cosmetic damage? Does it have you lying awake at night?
My wife’s Scion iQ has become like a pet to her. Sheryl’s given her iQ a name, Ike, and thanks the little car after every successful trip. We think of the little car as an underdog taking on the world. Unfortunately, growing such an attachment to a small car means feeling hurt when the little car takes on damage.
I don’t have pictures of it yet, but Sheryl says she got trapped in a horrible scenario. A semi-trailer ahead of her shredded a tire and she couldn’t react in time to dodge the tire “gator.” The tire shred removed a chunk from the vehicle’s lower left front bumper cover before whipping around and slamming into both right wheels. The vehicle’s right wheels lost their trim rings, which isn’t bad, but the tire also somehow managed to bend one of the steel wheels a little. We were already considering replacing the steelies with alloys, so now we have one more reason to. Thankfully, the overall body escaped damage and the only broken parts under the vehicle appear to be one or two exhaust hanger welds on the pipe. Here’s the sharp little car beforehand, if you’ve never read my pieces on it:
All things considered, it’s all very minor, very repairable damage. Still, Sheryl feels so sad because her Ike got hurt. She also hates looking at that chunk missing from the bumper because it’s a reminder that she couldn’t dodge the tire. Despite that, Sheryl tends to care less about body damage than I do.
I buy crap cars, but trust me, I do care about cosmetics!
I consider myself to be pretty loose when it comes to cosmetics. I don’t care too much about scratches, dents, dings, or other damage so long as it’s not severe. My Volkswagen Phaeton has a little dent near the right rear wheel well (above). I can live with that or have it fixed.
What I can’t deal with is when body parts are entirely wrong colors, when there are giant rust holes, colossal dents, or just general carnage. Yes, those of you who have read my work long enough will point out that I bought the multi-colored Volkswagen Passat W8. Yeah, I thought making it all one color again was going to be easy. It was not.
I won’t even buy a vehicle for the Gambler 500 if it’s been beaten too far for my liking, which some might call insane. I’ll make exceptions for rust for Gambler vehicles, but I’m not going to park a car at my apartment that has three different colors of doors or whatever.
Yet, Sheryl will happily drive around a car that has body damage so long as she didn’t cause it. Her HHR had a messed-up maw and her Oldsmobile LSS shed paint in giant sheets. Yet, she loved those vehicles.
So, what about you? How much do you care about that dent on your car’s door? Did you get good sleep last night?
I can’t handle any of it. I just got a tiny door ding on my right rear door and on the opposite side a ding on the c-pillar from a fallen branch. Went out and bought one of those glue gun dent puller things and going to try my hand at it.
My B6 Passat wagon got rear ended but only hard enough to craze the paint on the bumper. It went in the shop to get that repainted AND got 2 small rust spots repaired which were forming on the tailgate and on the front wheel well at the same time. That car also got swiped by someone making too shallow of a corner while navigating a parking lot. Ripped my turn signal out and scraped my bumper. It immediately went in to get repainted.
Same story when my wife had the GTI, some doofus pulled into the parking spot next to her and gashed the F out of her door and body panel and took a chunk out of the wheel. It had to get fixed right away.
After my own heart.
I can’t handle any of it. I just got a tiny door ding on my right rear door and on the opposite side a ding on the c-pillar from a fallen branch. Went out and bought one of those glue gun dent puller things and going to try my hand at it.
My B6 Passat wagon got rear ended but only hard enough to craze the paint on the bumper. It went in the shop to get that repainted AND got 2 small rust spots repaired which were forming on the tailgate and on the front wheel well at the same time. That car also got swiped by someone making too shallow of a corner while navigating a parking lot. Ripped my turn signal out and scraped my bumper. It immediately went in to get repainted.
Same story when my wife had the GTI, some doofus pulled into the parking spot next to her and gashed the F out of her door and body panel and took a chunk out of the wheel. It had to get fixed right away.
After my own heart.
If I’m exposed to potential rust, it bothers me a lot and I need to fix it pronto. But dents and scuffs get put on the “eventually” list. I defeinitely WANT my car to be spotless eventually, but I have to prioritize other things, so I just let my car’s age show until I have the time to learn PDR or the money to pay someone to do it.
If I’m exposed to potential rust, it bothers me a lot and I need to fix it pronto. But dents and scuffs get put on the “eventually” list. I defeinitely WANT my car to be spotless eventually, but I have to prioritize other things, so I just let my car’s age show until I have the time to learn PDR or the money to pay someone to do it.
I suspect but can’t prove that someone in management keyed my car last year. They started on the driver side fender, hit the hood, headlight, grill, hood again, grill again, right headlight, right fender (aka every panel in front of the A pillar).
I care more about the fact that I think someone in management did it than the fact that it was done. It looks like shit, but I don’t have >$2k to spend to wrap or repaint it.
tldr; apparently I’m an asshole
not familiar with that management’s leadership style.
NOW are you inspired??
I suspect but can’t prove that someone in management keyed my car last year. They started on the driver side fender, hit the hood, headlight, grill, hood again, grill again, right headlight, right fender (aka every panel in front of the A pillar).
I care more about the fact that I think someone in management did it than the fact that it was done. It looks like shit, but I don’t have >$2k to spend to wrap or repaint it.
tldr; apparently I’m an asshole
not familiar with that management’s leadership style.
NOW are you inspired??
I kinda don’t. I haven’t cared about the paint since I took my car through a car wash and learned why Chrysler’s cheap black paint sucks.
The actual panels though? Kinda. My front bumper has a nice big crack on it that used to cover some wiring on it. It survived the winter just fine, but I need to get it taken care of at some point. Probably will start putting money to the side once I’m done paying off the car (3 more months to go IIRC!).
I kinda don’t. I haven’t cared about the paint since I took my car through a car wash and learned why Chrysler’s cheap black paint sucks.
The actual panels though? Kinda. My front bumper has a nice big crack on it that used to cover some wiring on it. It survived the winter just fine, but I need to get it taken care of at some point. Probably will start putting money to the side once I’m done paying off the car (3 more months to go IIRC!).
The older I’ve gotten, the more the blemishes bother me, but the less I’m interested in spending a bunch of time washing, polishing, and detailing my vehicles.
The older I’ve gotten, the more the blemishes bother me, but the less I’m interested in spending a bunch of time washing, polishing, and detailing my vehicles.
I can accept various levels, but I generally try to preserve whatever finish a car has to keep it from getting worse.
My brand new truck I paid way too much money for? Spotless.
My 38 year old, 314k mile German battle tank with failing clearcoat everywhere? I keep it clean but the paint is dead last on the “fix it” list.
This, of course, drives my spouse crazy, since I enjoy driving the vintage car whenever possible instead of the “clean” cars.
I can accept various levels, but I generally try to preserve whatever finish a car has to keep it from getting worse.
My brand new truck I paid way too much money for? Spotless.
My 38 year old, 314k mile German battle tank with failing clearcoat everywhere? I keep it clean but the paint is dead last on the “fix it” list.
This, of course, drives my spouse crazy, since I enjoy driving the vintage car whenever possible instead of the “clean” cars.
I can deal with very small dents or paint chips, things cause my hail, or rocks, or just some wear in the paint on a small area. Absolutely not anything more than that though.
I hit a deer in December and it took until February to get it repaired and I legitimately didn’t want to drive my car during that time because it made me so sad, and embarrassed.
I can deal with very small dents or paint chips, things cause my hail, or rocks, or just some wear in the paint on a small area. Absolutely not anything more than that though.
I hit a deer in December and it took until February to get it repaired and I legitimately didn’t want to drive my car during that time because it made me so sad, and embarrassed.
It really depends on how nice the car was when I got it.
Someone rear-ended my ’00 Dakota? I was only annoyed because I was on the way to my brother’s graduation. Pulled the bumper back straight, still got an insurance payout, never thought about it again.
Overloaded oil/stereo shelf that ripped out of the garage wall, falling on my Saabaru? Mostly cared about the EPA superfund site that was the garage floor, since the rear quarter already had a massive dent in it, and it was a $1200 car.
My friend backed her Element into the door of my Prius in the driveway? I was mostly worried about her car, since it cost over twice as much and was in much better condition. I forget the Prius is even damaged sometimes, since the color hides the slightly crinkled outer panel, unless you really look.
Collision shop fixes my ’17 Forte5 SX, the newest and most expensive car I’ve ever owned, and the hood is off alignment a few mm and the paint isn’t perfect? I sent it back twice. They probably wished it had just been totaled.
It really depends on how nice the car was when I got it.
Someone rear-ended my ’00 Dakota? I was only annoyed because I was on the way to my brother’s graduation. Pulled the bumper back straight, still got an insurance payout, never thought about it again.
Overloaded oil/stereo shelf that ripped out of the garage wall, falling on my Saabaru? Mostly cared about the EPA superfund site that was the garage floor, since the rear quarter already had a massive dent in it, and it was a $1200 car.
My friend backed her Element into the door of my Prius in the driveway? I was mostly worried about her car, since it cost over twice as much and was in much better condition. I forget the Prius is even damaged sometimes, since the color hides the slightly crinkled outer panel, unless you really look.
Collision shop fixes my ’17 Forte5 SX, the newest and most expensive car I’ve ever owned, and the hood is off alignment a few mm and the paint isn’t perfect? I sent it back twice. They probably wished it had just been totaled.
Small dents don’t bother me but also paintless dent removal is a godsent. However, I’m also the guy that wants to do a respray on the front of his vehicle because the clearcoat is coming off the driver’s side fender of his 19 year old car.
Small dents don’t bother me but also paintless dent removal is a godsent. However, I’m also the guy that wants to do a respray on the front of his vehicle because the clearcoat is coming off the driver’s side fender of his 19 year old car.
Zero. Cosmetic damage bothers me zero amount. Function all the way for me!
I really enjoy the freedom of allowing the kids to freely climb, write with chalk on, and generally abuse my cars. Love not caring a whit about it. Keeps me from really ever wanting to get a new or newish car, honestly.
1 Function
2 Fit
3 Form
Those are my priorities as well.
Zero. Cosmetic damage bothers me zero amount. Function all the way for me!
I really enjoy the freedom of allowing the kids to freely climb, write with chalk on, and generally abuse my cars. Love not caring a whit about it. Keeps me from really ever wanting to get a new or newish car, honestly.
1 Function
2 Fit
3 Form
Those are my priorities as well.
I can get used to it over time. I’ve made insurance claims on cosmetic damage before if I want to preserve the vehicle’s value. The DD I had before my current car was 15 years old and already had plenty of battle damage when I got it, so I didn’t care. Not my damage!
I can get used to it over time. I’ve made insurance claims on cosmetic damage before if I want to preserve the vehicle’s value. The DD I had before my current car was 15 years old and already had plenty of battle damage when I got it, so I didn’t care. Not my damage!
i try not to wash my car because of how it used to make me feel.
owners wash their cars in the expectation of reveling in it’s pristine beauty, but instead sink into despair because all of the imperfections previously concealed by dirt now stand out. that said, i am resigned to the scrapes and dings and do not get upset. hey, they painted the steel at the factory to weatherproof it, the fact it looks nice is a collateral benefit.