My first scratch was the result of my kids handlebar grips wearing out on the ends so I bought them new ones and asked them to respect my car. They have been wonderful since. True I have aquired a few scratches in parking lots. One from a ford excursion that literally hit my front bumper on my y2k GT and had the nerve to leave it parked that way! Oh and the vandal who shot it twice with a high powered BB gun 4 months after I bought it, cant forget that.
But a new neighbor has moved in next door to me (last year) with 4 boys. Recently they crashed their battery powered truck into my car and scratched it good. Along with a few other small ones that I can safely blame on them. What can I do but sell my car or watch them completely destroy it. Yes I told my neighbor about it but how can anyone control 4 young boys?
I cant expect them to pay for it, after all they are my neighbors and there is always the possibility one of my kids will return the favor.
Im seriously considering selling my GT and getting a beater. Its either that or watch my GT become one right before my very eyes.
Thanks for letting me rant, off to check kbb.com 8-(
Getting dings and dents in parking lots is simply unavoidable. If some slob is going to bang your car while you're not there, there's nothing you can do. However, having your car get damaged repeatedly in front of your own house, that's another story. There has got to be a way that you can improve your situation. Where is the car parked? In a driveway? Street? Is there any way that you can put a fence around the car to keep people away from it? Or park it down the block where kids do not play? How about some type of car port next to your house or in the backyard somehow? If you have a garage but it is filled with junk, clean out the garage and put the car in there, under lock and key. Or, maybe when kids are going to play near your car, put some type of removable boundary next to the car... lay a wood picnic table on its side to act as a shield of sorts.
Ha... I finally bought a house with a long driveway where I thought my car would be safe. The neighbors kid shot a baseball high in the air from like
60 feet away, came down on the trunk of the car and made a nice big dent. At least it wasn't the hood. Finally, a car is just a hunk of metal and has a life... it gets damaged, wears out and eventually dies. The idea is to use it, enjoy it, and when it gets wrecked, either fix it or just get a new one. Believe me, I'm the first guy to go absoutely bananas when I notice a new micro-scratch on one of my cars... but I am trying to learn how to just accept it. A car is meant to be used, not stored in a glass case... at least I keep telling myself that. If you use a car, it WILL get damaged. That's just part of the game. Jump in it, mash your foot to the floor and don't worry about the scratches.
I would have a serious (but friendly) talk with your neighbor -- his kids are controllable, the parents just have to do their job.
Also, a good coat of wax can help reduce the damage as it makes the paint 'slicker'.
If all else fails, park the car ON the four neighbor kids -- one under each wheel. That should greatly reduce the amount of damage to the car although you may have to wipe down 'splatter' marks after you park it.
Parking far away from congested areas is indeed a good idea when you can do it. However, NEVER EVER park diagonally across multiple parking spots. Never. I once saw a guy with a brand spanking new Lincoln... beautiful mint expensive car... must have been just a week old. It was perfect, like a show car. He parked it diagonally across two spots. The lot became very crowded as time went on and there were many angry people trying to find a spot. Needless to say, the fact that this one new Lincoln was eating up two precious spots made people quite mad. Finally, some guy in an old beater came along, carefully positioned his front bumper against the door of the Lincoln, hit the gas and proceeded to put a huge dent in the door... some bad damage. Ouch! So, I learned an important lesson that day... NEVER do anything to bring attention to your car, especially if it is a rude gesture to other drivers. Trying to prevent a tiny ding may result in very serious damage. If that Lincoln hadn't been parked across two spots that day, it probably would have sustained zero damage... instead it left with a huge dent.
What can I do but sell my car or watch them completely destroy it. Yes I
EXCUSE ME ????!!!!!! With an attitude like that, it's no wonder they are disrespecting your property and will continue to do so throughout their lives with anything and everything they encounter.
I suggest you grab tthe boys AND their parents by the scruff of the neck, haul their asses out to the place where you park the Mustang and explain to them CLEARLY without any politically correct mumbo jumbo that you will no longer tolerate their carelessness or disrespect of your personal property and then further explain that if it should happen again that you will not only be kicking some ass,both kids and PARENTS , BUT you will hold them responsible for the cost of the repairs... AND MEAN IT!
Geeze... what a mamby pamby attitude.
there is always the
I think I'm gonna puke. Tell your kids the difference between right and wrong for Chrissake, and the responsibility of being accountable for their actions "You break it, you BOUGHT it!"
that or watch my GT become
If you are so weak in the spine that you will sell your Stang to accomidate a bunc of careless children and neighbors, then you DESERVE to drive a beater. It's not that I don't feel compassion for your situation, but man.. you gotta show some backbone and some values here! Your kids, and the neighbor kids ALL need to know that carelessness comes with consequences.
What does your wife drive? Try asking her if you can park your Mustang in there and if she wouldn't mind exposing her car to the disrespectful neighbor kids. As for parking lots, park AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN from other cars. I've learned this many times. I was actually sitting in my car when somebody opened their door right into my new '97 Taurus. I got out and...backed down. It was an old lady and the wind was blowing. :-|
and Im 36, so it was a
However, with my Mustang, I don't back down! Dude, talk to your neighbors, sounds like they are the biggest threat at this point. Elsewhere you have other parking options, but not at home. Just be honest. But I'm afraid you've let it go on too long. Now that you've developed a relationship with these people, it's not going to be easy to tell them to keep their children away from your car.
very hard to protect it. I
Nor do I! Every time I wash my car I find new scratches and I'm pretty careful. I washed my car one day, and noticed white speckles all over my front bumper that weren't there during the last wash. I strongly suspected highway damage or the automatic wash in town. Since then, over two years ago, I hand wash my car and avoid semi trucks. ALTHOUGH, didn't seem to help as when I passed one a few days ago, a bloody rock flew up and made a nice dime size chip in my windshield. If I can't fix it, this will be the second windshield I will have replaced in less than six months. :-(
Corvette or something with
can keep it pristine I
Heh, I ain't letting nuttin' stop me from buying a Cobra! I'm looking right now. I am afraid if I do buy one, I will become an even bigger bitch about my car. ;-)
boys move in next door and I
beautiful. So I already don't
How old are these kids? Like I said, if you've gotten close to these people, just make your wife park her car in the driveway. You take the garage. It is understood that any Mustangs will be parked in our garage, I don't care if our second car is worth over $50,000! And my husband is okay with that.
** I wish I could do more to the kids who damaged it, believe me. 4 little boys move in next door and I
** have 3 little girls that I constantly get compliments on as being very beautiful. So I already don't
** like them ;-) Heck maybe I will shoot them.
You've got 3 girls, and they have 4 boys? Keep that garden hose handy!!!
The USA seems to be short on common sense and Manly Men lately. With the return of a California Governor who is seething with vital testosterone, we remain hopeful of a trend.
I'm a firm believer in having an everyday transporter ('96 Contour Sport) and getting a garage (got two, one attached with two bays and one detached with two bays), before fulfilling "the vision" (that's next!).
at 28 Feb 2004, Joe [ snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com] wrote in news:c1qo7l$1fvoda$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-49604.news.uni-berlin.de:
Hmmm so what will you do if Joe Schmo comes up, keys the hell out of say your Dakota, blows you a raspberry and goes on his merry way? It's your word against his that he did it...
I for one would break the news to my neighbours. Their insurance will probably cover this. Anyhow, it is their children that did the damage. Would I shoot the kids? Nah, maybe the parents as they are the main culprit for not teaching their kids the right values.
BTW, you break into my house at night and you'll meet yet 'Another tough-ass shoot-em-up moron'.
We live in a free country. You have a right to your opinions and I have a right to mine. But at least I don't call you names like you seem to do. I wonder why...
In defense of my *spine* I did go over and tell them what their kids had done and asked them to keep their toys away from my car. The way I see it is even if I had gone ballistic it wont stop things like this from happening, just make me seem like a jerk. For example, my last car had a alarm and it didn't prevent someone from breaking in and stealing the stereo and other valuables, twice. So I said screw the alarm when I got my stang. This world is to damn unpredictable. BTW Middle class neighborhood in case you were wondering. Sounds like I lived in the projects with all that has happened. We recently moved to a even nicer neighborhood, new house on a quite street. I thought I was finally safe. Then THEY moved in.
BTW my wife drives a poorly cared for (aside from the mechanics, which I care for) 97 honda accord and couldn't give a rats ass about my stang. Hence I get no special garage privileges. Heck she actually gave my last car a few door dents. Though she knows if she dents the stang she will never hear the end of it.
Some women just don't understand. I find it funny that she cant tell the difference between a red ferrari and a red vw bug!
Also keep in mind we are talking about a 2 or 3 year old that did the actual damage. You can start to teach a child this young about actions and consequences but they arent going to learn it overnight. It may be another 2 or 3 years before they actually learn that sort of thing and that's only if you are really really lucky. Do you have any kids? Really its the parents responsibility and many many adults don't place value on possessions even though they work hard for them.
Yes Tim, I have three children. One of them is the notorious Kristen the Red Headed Car killer LOL Little children are wonderful, and they need supervision. if their perents were where they should have been (with children this young) they should have made the little ones keep away from the car, and when they saw what happened they should have offered to make good on the repairs.
It's a lesson that parents need to teach their children: Respect thy neighbor.
We recently sold our home in California to avoid new neighbors that we could not adapt to. Not saying I think that you should do the same, but it has been the best thing that has ever happened to us.
I wish you the best of luck with your neighbors and your car, as for your wife's beater in the garage and your Stang in the driveway..your marriage is your own business, and my tongue is bleeding from how hard I am biting it right now.
Wait a second. When my three year old (and especially when he was two!) goes outside, I go with him, and we live in a very small town! What's a 2-3 year old doing outside in the neighbor's driveway alone??? Not very bright parents, if you ask me!
Thank you, Kate! My point exactly!!!!! What's a three year old doing outside alone???? Obviously the parents have zero respect for anybody or anything.
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