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?
My cars are all stored outdoors so I’m pretty forgiving on a daily. All my cars have well over 100k miles and appropriate road rash, chips, and swirl marks. I have had several deer strikes fixed through insurance. I do keep headlamps polished and have even replaced as needed. Rust is a big thing for me as is interior condition and cleanliness. I see and touch the interior every minute while driving and want it complete, clean, and presentable.
I have never owned a new car, always used and am not sure can I handle the responsibility. I use my cars as cars. I get a scratch or ding in the 2005 SUV and I’m not sweating it.
My cars are all stored outdoors so I’m pretty forgiving on a daily. All my cars have well over 100k miles and appropriate road rash, chips, and swirl marks. I have had several deer strikes fixed through insurance. I do keep headlamps polished and have even replaced as needed. Rust is a big thing for me as is interior condition and cleanliness. I see and touch the interior every minute while driving and want it complete, clean, and presentable.
I have never owned a new car, always used and am not sure can I handle the responsibility. I use my cars as cars. I get a scratch or ding in the 2005 SUV and I’m not sweating it.
I’ve tried hard not to care, but I can’t. It’s just how I’m wired.
I’ve tried hard not to care, but I can’t. It’s just how I’m wired.
I bought my 2022 Santa Cruz brand new in August 2021 – I bought the first one sold by the dealership I got it from.
I took possesion of it on a Saturday. The following Tuesday I went to Discount Tire to get Certificates for the tires. As the employee and I walked out to the truck to get the mileage for the Certificates, I noticed a rock had chipped the hood. I’d had it three days. I just shrugged and moved on with life. I did look into getting a touch up pen for it, but since it was a new color (Stone Blue), they didn’t have pens available.
Over Memorial Day Weekend I visited my MIL, and as I was parking it in her garage, I inched forward too far and the hood hit the shelf supports on the back wall. When I checked for damage, I found two pairs of two dents/scratches that matched up with the supports. I’ll probably leave them as-is.
While I want any vehicle I own to look as nice as possible as long as possible, ultimately they are simply tools used to transport me and my stuff from place to place. As long as they function properly, I couldn’t care less about cosmetic damage. I also don’t wash my vehicles very much for the same reason.
I bought my 2022 Santa Cruz brand new in August 2021 – I bought the first one sold by the dealership I got it from.
I took possesion of it on a Saturday. The following Tuesday I went to Discount Tire to get Certificates for the tires. As the employee and I walked out to the truck to get the mileage for the Certificates, I noticed a rock had chipped the hood. I’d had it three days. I just shrugged and moved on with life. I did look into getting a touch up pen for it, but since it was a new color (Stone Blue), they didn’t have pens available.
Over Memorial Day Weekend I visited my MIL, and as I was parking it in her garage, I inched forward too far and the hood hit the shelf supports on the back wall. When I checked for damage, I found two pairs of two dents/scratches that matched up with the supports. I’ll probably leave them as-is.
While I want any vehicle I own to look as nice as possible as long as possible, ultimately they are simply tools used to transport me and my stuff from place to place. As long as they function properly, I couldn’t care less about cosmetic damage. I also don’t wash my vehicles very much for the same reason.
On my FJ? I have gotten so many sinks, dents and scratches on that from wheeling I don’t care much for what happens to it cosmetically any more. My Cummins has been in a few accidents due to failed brakes or snow so that I also do not care what happens cosmetically any more though it does tick me off seeing the giants dents in it as it was a very clean straight truck when I got it. My firebird I care a bit how it looks it has some dents and scratches on it and would like to bring it to a body shop for new paint and to straighten out the body if/whenever I get that done I will care much more about cosmetic issues on it.
On my FJ? I have gotten so many sinks, dents and scratches on that from wheeling I don’t care much for what happens to it cosmetically any more. My Cummins has been in a few accidents due to failed brakes or snow so that I also do not care what happens cosmetically any more though it does tick me off seeing the giants dents in it as it was a very clean straight truck when I got it. My firebird I care a bit how it looks it has some dents and scratches on it and would like to bring it to a body shop for new paint and to straighten out the body if/whenever I get that done I will care much more about cosmetic issues on it.
I feel like cleanliness matters more than cosmetics- Ive had cars with peeling clearcoat, dents, and rust. But I made sure they were clean at least!
When I had my vibe, I polished it, painted trim, and made sure itlooked good. but I try not to flip my lid over a door ding. but a ripped bumper, that will get replaced.
I’m in a similar boat, honestly I can forgive paint defects if the interior is pristine.
I feel like cleanliness matters more than cosmetics- Ive had cars with peeling clearcoat, dents, and rust. But I made sure they were clean at least!
When I had my vibe, I polished it, painted trim, and made sure itlooked good. but I try not to flip my lid over a door ding. but a ripped bumper, that will get replaced.
I’m in a similar boat, honestly I can forgive paint defects if the interior is pristine.
The scion is named Ike? Kick the scion!
No, dont kick the scion. It may be small, from a foreign land, and adopted by a new family, but its not a baby!
The scion is named Ike? Kick the scion!
No, dont kick the scion. It may be small, from a foreign land, and adopted by a new family, but its not a baby!
It depends on who did it, and when.
The little wrinkle in the MG’s nose? Been there longer than I’ve owned it, it’s part of the car. I’ll never fix it.
The dents in the truck’s bed from rocks and gravel when we were landscaping the old house, or the scrape on the bed side from a tree branch? Badges of honor. Wouldn’t dream of fixing them.
That new ding I just discovered in the Chrysler’s door, probably from some careless asshat in a parking lot? Makes me livid. But I probably won’t bother fixing it, either.
It depends on who did it, and when.
The little wrinkle in the MG’s nose? Been there longer than I’ve owned it, it’s part of the car. I’ll never fix it.
The dents in the truck’s bed from rocks and gravel when we were landscaping the old house, or the scrape on the bed side from a tree branch? Badges of honor. Wouldn’t dream of fixing them.
That new ding I just discovered in the Chrysler’s door, probably from some careless asshat in a parking lot? Makes me livid. But I probably won’t bother fixing it, either.
I care about trim coming off and clearcoat peeling because those lead to bigger problems down the line such as water intrusion and rust. Fogged headlights are a problem for me because I don’t like dim headlights. Plastic being sunfaded I don’t give a shit about, nor do I care about scratches on steel plating such as box bumpers or skid plates. Rust is an immediate no go. If there’s rust on something that shouldn’t have rust or even surface rust, like brake rotors or hitch receivers, that gets fixed as soon as possible. Paint scratches aren’t an immediate fix, but do tend to get fixed faster than other issues because, again, I hate rust. My current car has a tiny bit of the shiny black plastic surrounding the grille emblem cracked and I haven’t bothered to fix that because nobody would notice and nothing gets damaged by leaving it alone. Wheels being scuffed I don’t like because, say it with me folks, it leads to rust. Mismatched paint can be bothersome but understandable, and can even be a part of the car’s aesthetic if it’s symmetrical. Flat primer or spraypaint is an immediate red flag never to touch the thing. Broken glass, so long as it’s not the windshield, isn’t a problem because I know how to cut and form acrylic and polycarbonate, and if I do one side I’ll do the other so they match, assuming the gaskets and trim aren’t damaged. I don’t do temporary windshields with that because they’ll scratch all to hell from the bug impacts and the windshield wipers pushing dirt for the first few swipes, as I found out with my dad’s UTV I made a windshield for. Door windows are a maybe with that fix, depending on if the door’s frameless or not. Missing hubcaps, whatever, fuck it, I like steelies more than gaudy hubcaps anyways and take them off regardless. Hail dents are a “What can you do?” situation, but bigger dents get pulled and hammered out, even if that means doing something as involved as removing the fender liner, battery bracket, and headlight. A dent not fixed now means a dent not fixed later, and I want whoever has the car after me to enjoy it instead of fretting over that. For the interior? My last car didn’t have an interior… I had a half assembled center stack with a Raspberry Pi in it for the stereo and no door cards. So long as there’s no mud and no risk of being stabbed from a hard brake stop from things either attached to the car or stored in it it’s not much of a problem.
Mostly it’s just matters of practicality and cost.
I care about trim coming off and clearcoat peeling because those lead to bigger problems down the line such as water intrusion and rust. Fogged headlights are a problem for me because I don’t like dim headlights. Plastic being sunfaded I don’t give a shit about, nor do I care about scratches on steel plating such as box bumpers or skid plates. Rust is an immediate no go. If there’s rust on something that shouldn’t have rust or even surface rust, like brake rotors or hitch receivers, that gets fixed as soon as possible. Paint scratches aren’t an immediate fix, but do tend to get fixed faster than other issues because, again, I hate rust. My current car has a tiny bit of the shiny black plastic surrounding the grille emblem cracked and I haven’t bothered to fix that because nobody would notice and nothing gets damaged by leaving it alone. Wheels being scuffed I don’t like because, say it with me folks, it leads to rust. Mismatched paint can be bothersome but understandable, and can even be a part of the car’s aesthetic if it’s symmetrical. Flat primer or spraypaint is an immediate red flag never to touch the thing. Broken glass, so long as it’s not the windshield, isn’t a problem because I know how to cut and form acrylic and polycarbonate, and if I do one side I’ll do the other so they match, assuming the gaskets and trim aren’t damaged. I don’t do temporary windshields with that because they’ll scratch all to hell from the bug impacts and the windshield wipers pushing dirt for the first few swipes, as I found out with my dad’s UTV I made a windshield for. Door windows are a maybe with that fix, depending on if the door’s frameless or not. Missing hubcaps, whatever, fuck it, I like steelies more than gaudy hubcaps anyways and take them off regardless. Hail dents are a “What can you do?” situation, but bigger dents get pulled and hammered out, even if that means doing something as involved as removing the fender liner, battery bracket, and headlight. A dent not fixed now means a dent not fixed later, and I want whoever has the car after me to enjoy it instead of fretting over that. For the interior? My last car didn’t have an interior… I had a half assembled center stack with a Raspberry Pi in it for the stereo and no door cards. So long as there’s no mud and no risk of being stabbed from a hard brake stop from things either attached to the car or stored in it it’s not much of a problem.
Mostly it’s just matters of practicality and cost.
Dings and scratches are part of the aging process, so not a big deal. Broken or missing pieces have to be fixed ASAP.
Dings and scratches are part of the aging process, so not a big deal. Broken or missing pieces have to be fixed ASAP.
Dings and scratches, etc. are part of wear and tear, and they cost WAY too much to remedy. Of course I don’t love them, but it’s a part of car ownership. I have an old 83 911 that has plenty of dings and paint damage. It would cost a fortune to fix and it would then prevent me from driving it whenever I want.
Dings and scratches, etc. are part of wear and tear, and they cost WAY too much to remedy. Of course I don’t love them, but it’s a part of car ownership. I have an old 83 911 that has plenty of dings and paint damage. It would cost a fortune to fix and it would then prevent me from driving it whenever I want.
I have had a door dent for a year and it has been driving me nuts, then last week a tree fell on the car-
The good news is that you can stop obsessing about the door dent.
I have had a door dent for a year and it has been driving me nuts, then last week a tree fell on the car-
The good news is that you can stop obsessing about the door dent.
Whatever happened to the dent resistant, scratch hiding plastic body panels of Saturns?
People complained about poor panel gaps due to the expansion and contraction of the plastic.
Thanks. You prompted me to bet off my lazy duff and look myself:
After reviewing the reasons for using plastic in the Saturn, Lutz states:
“In practice, however, the plastic panels were finicky. They took longer to produce than conventional stamped steel, and they grew and shrank when the temperature changed, requiring the cars to have wide, unappealing gaps around the doors, hood and trunk for clearance.”
Plastics have a higher coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) than steel, and require more space to grow and shrink. Efforts to improve CLTE properties of plastic compounds with fillers and backbone tweaking haven’t resolved the problem.
GM moved back to steel for body panels when it launched the Saturn Sky roadster, Aura sedan, and Outlook cross/utility vehicle in 2006, and the Vue CUV in 2007.
https://www.designnews.com/plastics/finally-we-get-some-truth-on-plastic-body-panels
https://www.gardnerweb.com/articles/do-plastic-body-panels-have-a-future
The Smart for Two however has plastic panels:
https://www.machinedesign.com/news/article/21813232/smart-pioneers-first-full-polypropylene-body-panels
It looks like plastic panels are still being worked on.
Whatever happened to the dent resistant, scratch hiding plastic body panels of Saturns?
People complained about poor panel gaps due to the expansion and contraction of the plastic.
Thanks. You prompted me to bet off my lazy duff and look myself:
After reviewing the reasons for using plastic in the Saturn, Lutz states:
“In practice, however, the plastic panels were finicky. They took longer to produce than conventional stamped steel, and they grew and shrank when the temperature changed, requiring the cars to have wide, unappealing gaps around the doors, hood and trunk for clearance.”
Plastics have a higher coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) than steel, and require more space to grow and shrink. Efforts to improve CLTE properties of plastic compounds with fillers and backbone tweaking haven’t resolved the problem.
GM moved back to steel for body panels when it launched the Saturn Sky roadster, Aura sedan, and Outlook cross/utility vehicle in 2006, and the Vue CUV in 2007.
https://www.designnews.com/plastics/finally-we-get-some-truth-on-plastic-body-panels
https://www.gardnerweb.com/articles/do-plastic-body-panels-have-a-future
The Smart for Two however has plastic panels:
https://www.machinedesign.com/news/article/21813232/smart-pioneers-first-full-polypropylene-body-panels
It looks like plastic panels are still being worked on.
Door dings and light scratches on a older car I can live with. For worse stuff I have great insurance.