Oh, that painful 1st scratch.

[Sharky]

Ah yes, we all love our cars. I'm sure that many here keep them sparkling clean and are always worried about the car looking good. And that's why scratching the car or having the first crash is so painful. So, do you guys still remember that painful moment?? How did you feel??

(Note, when I say crashes I mean, small crashes....not something serious).

For me, well. The first "big scratch" was actually quite funny. Some Fridays I trade cars with my dad and one time I was exiting the parking lot at my university and there was this pillar and I took the corner too close and scratched the side of my dad's car, but it wasn't a huge scratch just a little "square". A couple of months later I was exiting the parking lot (this time in my car) and I was very tired and very sleepy. As I was turning I thought to myself "well, I recall that when I scratched my dad's car I was taking the corner just like I'm taking it now". Then, of course, I heard the hideous sound of metal grinding against concrete and the worst part was that I was so sleepy that my first thought was "and it sounded just like that!!". But then I got out of the car and saw the horrible picture. I had made a huge dent on a rear dor of the car, a gigantic scratch and had broken one of the hubcaps of the rear wheels. As you can imagine I wasn't happy at all. I was very upset indeed.

And well.....there are a couple more but I'll save them for later. First, let's see what you guys have to say.

[elephino]

Hmm..my first scratch on my current car...odd one actually. About 2 weeks after I bought it, a mysterious dent appeared in the bonnet in a very strange place. Told you it was odd

[bella]

mine happened when i was completely full of a head cold, and my reactions were up to about 2 minutes. i was on the grafton centre roundabout in a traffic jam in cambridge, and the guy in front of me stopped, and it didn't even cross my mind to slow down until i heard a 'doink' noise, and i realised i should probably go check out the damage.

all i can say is god bless 3 sheets of metal thick french numberplates and towbars - there wasn't a scratch on the other guy's car, and my number plate was only a little bit bent
saved.

[Neil C]

Door bangers are a pet peeve. After the first ding, then it's not so bad, though. I caught the lady that gave the first door ding to my then-new 91 Ford Escort GT. She got a piece of my mind.

I have a new Ford Escape since Dec. So far it has no dings, but I'm afraid to wash it for fear of revealing that first dent I don't want to know about.

[elephino]

Not really

The second mysterious ding, similar to the first but on a door was just as odd. One day, at a panel beater of all places (picking up someone elses car), I noticed this ding. Probably picked it up in a carpark. Didn't feel any better after that one.