Your Car Has A Dent So I’m Staying Away
August 2nd, 2005
Defensive driving is key to one’s survival in Los Angeles.
The landscape on the road is filled with obstacles and potential disasters, from pedestrians who have no concept of the walk/no walk rules to slow drivers, drivers who don’t look, drivers who can’t see, and drivers who just plain suck.
It’s a real life video game constantly being played out on the city’s highways and byways that we’ve all got to be aware of. But even more than these distractions and obstacles, there’s one thing more dangerous than all the rest…
Drivers who already have a dented car.
For when I see someone next to me driving any kind of car (luxury, compact, flower-pot) and there’s a huge dent that has yet to be repaired anywhere on their car, I will often move into another lane. The last thing I want to do is be anywhere near someone’s dented car. Why?
If you’re driving a car with a huge dent in it — you already are a dangerous driver. Whether or not it was your fault, you are unable to cope with either end of the offensive/defensive driving parabola. You are either not good at avoiding disaster or don’t look where you’re going or you, simply, upon witnessing someone else’s car drama — swerve into the highway divider or other cars to escape others’ downfalls.
No matter how it happened, no matter whose fault it was — the fact that you’ve got a dent on your car makes me not want to drive next to you.
But even more than that — if you got into an accident or you slammed into a pole or you drove headfirst into a glass window on the outside of an expensive Rodeo Drive restaurant and you still have yet to repair the damage there’s more going on there than is worth getting into. For if you are driving around ALREADY with a dent in your car, you have already passed the “my car is perfect” threshold and really aren’t too concerned if you bang up your car anymore.
“Eh, it’s already got a dent. Who cares!”
Don’t deny it. When you have a car without any damage you are careful about parking near loose shopping carts. You are cautious about parking valet. You have a little tiny towel in your glove box so you can wipe off pollen and strange little streaks of moisture. But once you get a nice little ding in that car’s body — it’s all over. Your ability and desire to keep it looking good is gone.
And when you get into an accident that smashes up the front corner of your bumper, or dents in the side of your door or successfully cracks and crunches both your tail lights and your trunk so that you can’t even open it (or you must tie it down with cord) — your ability to care if you slam into another car on the freeway or alongside the drive-thru window kiosk at the Jack In The Box or alongside my car while trying to squeeze through a parking lot… Well, you probably don’t care at all.
That’s why if your car has a dent, I’m staying away. Far far away. So far away that if you’re in the slow lane I will move to the fast lane or if you’re in the fast lane I will move to the slow lane or if you park next to me in a parking lot I will move. Even to the handicapped spot…
Anything to get away from you, you non-car fixing, bad car-driving, no-care repairin’ dented-ass car body fool.
I’m stayin’ away. And that’s the truth.
I’m glad you mentioned that part about the mentality of those who don’t fix their dented cars, because I was thinking about the people who buy cheap cars that are already dented, and don’t have the money to fix ‘em. But of course, as usual, you see all sides of the equation, oh wise one.
Comment by Fun Joel — August 2, 2005 @ 8:04 am
It’s called the Broken Window Syndrome. If there’s a broken window in a neighbourhood, it’s likely that there’ll soon be another. If you already have a dent in your car, you won’t care as much to prevent another. If you already have one problem with your website, etc. This happens to programmers too, and I’ve been very careful to keep my code as clean as possible so that I don’t fall into this trap.
Comment by Henning Hoffmann — August 2, 2005 @ 8:42 am
If they have a major dent and they’re driving it around unfixed, the dent was probably their fault and they either don’t have the insurance to fix it or they don’t have the $500 deductible.
I have a different take on parking lots. My husband always insists on parking his always-newly-detailed car away from all other cars. I say this is bad because it makes the car stand out, a magnet for kids who like to mess around, a bull’s eye for pooping birds.
I’m careful about my car but I like to blend it in with others too. I follow my own guidelines. I always park next to sedans. Two-door cars have wider doors and are more likely to hit you. I stay away from cars with baby seats in the back. If I have to squeeze into a spot I stick closer to the left (the other car’s passenger side). The car to my right will most definitely open his driver’s side door, but the car to my left will most likely not have a passenger and will therefore not open his passenger door.
These guidelines do not apply to parking lots of Home Depot or Ikea, where idiots constantly try to pack furniture, sharp tools and other oversized items into their Mazda Miatas, hitting nearby cars in the process.
Comment by Leese — August 2, 2005 @ 8:57 am
Heh, my dad used to have an old beaten up truck he took forever to replace. He said he liked that everyone got out of his way because they knew he had nothing to lose.
Comment by Daniel — August 2, 2005 @ 11:24 am
So that’s where my car ended up. I have been looking all over for it ever since that damn tornado came through town. Thank’s Pauly D, your blog has once again saved the day!
I don’t mind cars with dents in them and I disagree with your statement that a dent in your car means you are a dangerous driver. My wife’s car has a dent in the side from a car backing into her. I was being a safe driver and letting a pedestrian walk in front of me, and a dangerous driver wasn’t paying attention and hit me. The dent has nothing to do with my driving ability.
On a humerous note, the driver of the car was a little beefy and his insurance company’s name was Chubb. Good stuff.
Comment by Dave — August 2, 2005 @ 12:02 pm
Timely entry! Last Friday as I was leaving work I discovered someone hit my parked car.
Yup the tell tale dent on the back bumper. There goes my extra fun money for my San Fran trip next month. *sigh*
Comment by groovebunny — August 2, 2005 @ 12:02 pm
how do you classify hail damage?
Comment by Kathleen — August 2, 2005 @ 1:40 pm
I do the same, Pauly. I don’t trust anyone with a dented car. If they can’t fix it, then what other areas do they slack off in life? They have nothing to lose.
Comment by Amy Steier — August 2, 2005 @ 2:59 pm
All you people make me laugh.
The thing is this, just what Amy says is so true: “they have nothing to lose.” Even I have thought about such a mentality:
Sometimes, when people cut me off or do something illegal, I think to myself that wouldn’t it be awesome if I could just ram their car and teach them a lesson? Of course, I stop and refrain cause I don’t want to mess up my car. But I think to myself, if I only had a sort-of banged up car with dents in it — I would totally ram them.
Maybe that’s why I’m so fearful of people with dents.
Comment by Pauly D — August 2, 2005 @ 3:08 pm
lol! very wise choice!
the thing that sucks about driving in, say, Pittsburgh is that EVERY car is the car with the big-ass dent. apparently you’re not a true Pittsburgher if you don’t have a big-ass dent on your car.
Comment by Dawn (webmiztris) — August 2, 2005 @ 4:34 pm
That is too funny and so absolutely true. My big thing is that I have little things all over, for if someone parks to close to me, it’s not my fault my door dings into theirs, is it?
Comment by Becky — August 2, 2005 @ 4:58 pm
Of course not, Becky. You go ahead and bang your door into other cars — just tell me where and when you’re gonna be parking so I make sure to avoid you like the plague.
Comment by Pauly D — August 2, 2005 @ 5:01 pm
What’s even more scary is watching “Pimp My Ride” (yes I’ve seen it- no, I’m not ashamed.) These cars are held together with duct tape, chewing gum and pantyhose. Stay away. Far Away.
Comment by Brie — August 2, 2005 @ 5:34 pm
the other thing is…those who already have dents; who upon hitting you, claim every single dent on their car is due to you or the particular incident you are involved in. always carry a disposable camera and threaten to call your “uncle, the police chief” if they get testy.
also, i stay away from people reading maps. it’s a bit hard, since i live in a beach town and it’s tourist season.
Comment by jenny — August 2, 2005 @ 6:21 pm
I’m obsessive about where I park. If the cars next to the parking space look too old, too dented, or as if children might be using the back seat, I’ll stay far away. I’m in that “new car obsession” stage, since my bright shiny red car doesn’t even have 1000km on it yet.
Comment by Sara White — August 2, 2005 @ 10:33 pm
Remember “Fried Green Tomatoes” with Kathy Bates? Her husband wondered “How do you accidently back into a car SIX TIMES?!” She was great in that.
Comment by nic — August 3, 2005 @ 4:48 am
I’m new to reading your blog, and don’t even remember how I found it, but I always have something to say about your posts, so I’m going to comment, dammit!
I am a bad driver. Parked cars and mailboxes just seem to come out of nowhere. Within a period of about 4 months last year I got into 4 accidents: 2 minor, 1 involving my roommate’s car and a mailbox, and the last causing $1700 in damage to my car that isn’t worth much more than that. The first 2 minor accidents broke both of my tail lights, and I actually drove around for a while with that red tape over them and a huge dent in my back bumper. Now I’m just driving around with the huge dent in one side of my bumper (it goes along nicely with the bright green paint scratched into the other side from when I backed into a dumpster a few years ago). After shelling out the $500 deductible for my bad accident I’m too disheartened to spend the $500 or so to replace my bumper, so I’ve just decided I hate my car. It’s easier that way. You don’t care if something you hate is ugly and not well maintained. And I’ve learned to live with the fact that I’m a bad driver. Maybe it’s good that I have a giant warning sign slapped on the back of my car.
And as a side note, bad drivers with dented cars do have something to lose: a hike in our insurance. Granted, if I keep going around hitting mailboxes and rusty old trucks my insurance never has to know, but if I hit you with my car, I’m pretty sure my insurance might make me pay for it.
Comment by hope — August 3, 2005 @ 8:58 am
Insurance, schmurance Hope.
You know you could care less what you hit and that’s why I am staying awwaaaaaaaay!
Comment by Pauly D — August 3, 2005 @ 9:13 am
I have some white paint on the front driver’s side. I always assumed it was from pulling up to the Tim’s drive-thru window but I was never sure because I didn’t feel my car hitting (or grinding) against anything.
Now they’ve painted their poles yellow, and guess what? I now also have yellow paint on the front side of my car.
So while I was getting up nice and close for my coffee, and not feeling a damned thing, I now know that I was too close.
I can’t get that paint off, I tried with some mineral spirits, but if I used something stronger I’d probably take off the actual car paint too.
So it’s not a dent, and I’ve had no accidents, but I don’t think you have to be scared of me - it just shows how much coffee I drink.
Comment by jafer — August 4, 2005 @ 7:41 am
That’s it, jafer! You’re shut off! It’s closing time and you can’t stay here. =(
Comment by nic — August 4, 2005 @ 8:56 am
Amen, Pauly! I do the same! Thanks for spelling it out!
Comment by C(h)ristine — August 6, 2005 @ 12:16 pm
People who got into accidents that aren’t their fault are stupid? I was going down a 2-way highway in the left lane, cars were backed up in the right lane because of a stoplight up ahead, some lady on a side road pulls into the side of me, even though she can’t see whats coming because of an F250(Do middle aged men who dont do industrial work think this makes them a man?) in the right lane in front of her, I was doing 25 mph.
Most of the dents in my car have come from people sitting on the car, or leaning on it at parties, I usually beat them out with a hammer or pull them out with a plunger(yeah it works) but they are still noticeable under scrutiny. Getting them fixed at a body shop?? I think some of you have too much money, or care too much about appearance, maybe both.
And it’s funny how some of you spend so much money on a new car, you know you can get a Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Volkswagon with like 65k miles on it for 6,000 dollars, that will last you at least 140k miles, get 35+ mpg, and require little to no maintenence.
Comment by Slick Ricky — February 24, 2006 @ 2:32 pm
I live in Miami Beach and I know that when I park on the street there is a chance (a very good one) that my car will get dented. That’s why I was so happy when my boyfriend offered to park on the street and give me the assigned parking space in the covered parking area right under our building. There was one potential problem though - the woman with the huge boob job that parks next to our space. Not only does she have a nasty attitude, but she also has a car that has a dented front right fender and is generally not the best looking thing around. She is a terrible driver, but I figured with all of the people who could potentially see her hit something in our small parking lot (only about ten cars) that she wouldn’t hit my car and be able to get away with it. Well, I was wrong. I noticed my back left side has a dent on it and wouldn’t you know it is at the perfect angle from the way she would have backed in. There is no paint missing from my car, but I checked her car just for the heck of it. No green paint (the color of my car) but about three or four other different colors mark the back bumper and a huge scratch on the right side of her car.
Should I call the police or my friend Guido?
Comment by Ann Marie — March 16, 2006 @ 10:17 am
I think this is a little judgmental.. (In this way….) I got a dent in my car. I”m not the best driver but I’m trying to be careful. The other day I was tired, and I as driving to this shop with this awning. Parking. There was a lady standing in the owning who wasn’t leaving, so I was trying to a void her and didn’t notice the side of my car hitting the pole till it was too late. I feel like an idiot and now I have a nice little dent. My back passenger door closes and all of that. (And I did talk to the stores owners)
I haven’t gotten it fixed (It happened on Tuesday, and today’s Saturday) Why? Because I was scheduled to work all day for the last five days and I had class as well. So I just didn’t have time to get it fixed (and well my car does (drive). But I do plan on getting the car checked this wednesday. The point? You don’t know why the person has a dent in their car, and you don’t know that they aren’t willing to fix it.
Comment by becca — March 17, 2007 @ 6:08 pm
I am a bit confied as to what to do. You see, 2 wks ago my daughter borrowed a friend’s car and drove just down the street less than 3 miles - hit a tree! The friend’s car needed repairs to the front passenger side - headlight, bumper, fender. Our insurance settled with them. I am not sure how it was worked out, but we didn’t have to pay a deduct to have her car fixed as we had to file a claim. But the letter we got from our ins co. stated it was settled with the owner of the car. Well a wk later I pull into someone’s driveway, at night in the country w/ no street lights present…and preceded to back out of the driveway to turn back around - I hit a mailbox. Not just any mailbox, but a freakin brick one! I swear when I say I bumped it - I bumped it! You cannot possibly back out of a driveway in an unfamiliar place going no more than 5 miles if even that. So yes - the whole thing fell to the ground. Minor scratches and dents are on my bumper but that is it. So I am fearing to call my ins co. b/c I do not want to get slammed with a huge hike on my premium or worse -get dropped!
The quote I am getting to have that mailbox repaired is $1300.
Seriously??? Is it even that much to built one from scratch? Does anyone know? So I am now debating on whether or not to just bite the bullet and call my ins co. to file it. This way both the mailbox and my car can be fixed for the cost of my $500 deduct.
But my husband is certain our ins rate will hit the roof if not get dropped. Does anyone know or have a clue as to which way to handle this? BTW…I am a safe driver. Never had an accident!
April is not our month! HELP!!!
Comment by what to do?!? — April 22, 2007 @ 11:30 pm
I scraped the side of my car on the corner of the wall because some idiot driver parked her car in a non parking zone and left me no clearance. Stupid me only has liability insurance! So now I have to pay for the repairs out of pocket. Do you think I like driving around in a dented car? I enjoyed driving more when my car did not look like a mess. It’s been about 1 week now, and I will not have money to fork over for repairs until the end of May! Listen if we were all rich, I doubt in hell any of us would be driving dented, scratched up cars! Body shops want to charge an arm and a leg! Cheers to your driving mishap, never thought that I would get a dent or scratch. The driver in the parked vehicle made a comment “It hurts doesn’t it” Well quite frankly it does.
Comment by Lynn — April 30, 2007 @ 10:45 am
I have a 98 corolla.. when i got it it had dents down one side from a gaurdrail, not very noticable as all the paint was intact. It just had a few extra body lines. Soon after getting the car the hood latch stuck and made the hood dent slightly.. you’ll see that in your rearview. then i got hit in the other side in a mall parking lot by the rear wheel well.. another uhly dent. I was paying a parking guy and someone backed right into me real slow like.. Now mini dents seem to appear not of my doing but of other not respecting the vehicle. I work in construction and people walk around with tools strapped on them and long materials. . shit happens. I’m driving a 2000 dollar car with 5000 in body damage..I Bought the wife has a nice buick for her and our baby.. and that’s what matters.. So if you see me out there driving know that it’s for my daughters sake.. and someday i won’t have dents in my Chevy 2500 but you’ll STILL get out of my way.
Comment by Matty — July 21, 2007 @ 5:47 am