[Pontiac]

REVERSE PARKING

This one was probably forced on to me by the Japanese. Always must be reverse parked and perfectly lined up in the center. It was considered rude to forward park in Japan and it got stuck on to me like a habit as I won’t consider OCD as I still think reverse parking is the respect you give to your car. And yes, I hate when people forward park not even bother to straighten their wheels.

[fhdowntheline]

Like others, I do have my small routines and one OCD if you want to call it that way.
1) Tyre pressure check/nitrogen refill a day before a long trip.
2) Topping off the tank and not using the designated long distance car for the rest of the Day-minus 1 (of the trip). A few km (single digit), perhaps.
3) Before starting off on a long trip, washing of the windshield/long spray.
4) Making sure parents in the back are fully fastened and secure.
5) Always request to keep minimum bags in the cabin and preferably on the floor, but sometimes not possible when mom passes around the odd chocolate or dry fruits/nuts.
My OCD if you will, is vibration/squeaks/grinding noises. I hate it if that ever happens. I have made peace with minor rattles but I am always on the lookout for weird mechanical noises, especially on long trips.
The other thing I do occasionally fiddle with is music volume. It is never perfect for me and usually is within 30-35 % of peak volume.

[rpunwani]

Great thread, read through it and found that I am not the only one with OCD (as my wife says)

Some of my quirks:-

1. Prefer our cars in our building to be parked facing north. Two of the three cars is always parked facing north. The third parking slot has a wall on the north. One of our earlier drivers used to turn the car around facing south to facilitate easy movement. On a few occasions he left the car facing south at the end of his day. It made me furious !
2. Always move the car forward before driving away
3. AC Temperatures are set to whole numbers (two of our cars allow 0.5 adjustments)
4. Interior of my cars are squeaky clean. My wife's car is quite messy by my OCD standards
5. Dislike any marks on the windshield & windows - have to get rid of them asap
6. Same with dents, don't like to have them for long time
7. I always adjust the front seats to be positioned exactly the same in distance, recline, headrest height

[ruskinash]

Originally Posted by rpunwani

Great thread, read through it and found that I am not the only one with OCD (as my wife says)

Some of my quirks:-

1. Always move the car forward before driving away

What does this mean? How do you go about this?

[subie_socal]

I have a few peculiar OCD's:

1. I always follow the turbo idling rule in our car. Now, if someone does not follow that in our car, it pisses me off. Mostly done by my sister dearest.
2. I always switch the engine off in neutral and then shift it up to 1st gear. Even on inclines. Maybe perhaps to ensure that I leave the vehicle in a gear.
3. If someone has taken the duty navigate the roads, they must ensure to announce the next course of action in advance. Not right before where we are supposed to take a turn. This is one reason why I ended up buying a phone holder cause my mom and sister are worst navigators.
4. I tend to spot the minute imperfections/scratch/lights not working and it sends my OCD alarm bells into frenzy mode. I love to keep the vehicle I drive in pristine condition, but that's too much to ask for a vehicle used by multiple people of a family :⁠,⁠-⁠)
5. I tend to pat my car/scooter on a successful overtake and also profusely apologise to the vehicle if I fail to spot a pothole, before the humans (if there are any passengers).
6. Be it front or rear, I feel extremely uncomfortable and nervous if I do not buckle up. It was my uncle who taught me the importance of buckling up and I've religiously followed it since then.
7. I personally practice not to drive/ride when not in sane state of mind. Dont know how but the moment I step in onto the driver's seat, all my anger/restlessness vanishes.
8. I love to park in challenging conditions. I usually prefer to park without external guidance and always in reverse.
9. I've recently started to acknowledge the favour done by fellow road users with regards to stopping for me or waiting while I complete parallel parking to name some. Usually a thumbs up or a slight toot.
10. I hate my folks saying ayyo, pathuke poku (please slow down), when I must be doing 60 in a 80 zone. Or trying to engage in backseat driving.

[vsbabu]

Originally Posted by F2005

I always keep the volume and AC temperature in even numbers only ! Even if the passenger changes the volume I always try to adjust it from the steering column to an even number.

Also one more OCD, the volume know show always be in the correct position like below !

I am so happy to read this - thought I was the only one. I've to have these in odd numbers and whole numbers only. Also, the temperature digits should add up to 7 (not that hard a rule though - got out of this during peak winters in France). Often resulting in my wife requesting to stop the car so that she can go sit at the back seat - well, changing seat is easier than changing DNA

Plus, the parking has to be aligned properly, resulting in few to and froms at times to be in the middle of the lot. At home though this straight line business drives everyone nuts that family gets out before I start to park.

[amitayu]

We seem to be clubbing OCD and quirks together.

Nonetheless, here's my twopence (pleasantly surprised to see so many fellow enthusiasts with similar quirks: I am not the only one nut job out there)

1. AC, car volume, has to be at EXACT levels everytime!!

2. I am very finicky about seat arrangement and all 3 mirror alignments. Often, the guy who cleans my car shifts the seat position or the mirror while cleaning. I spend as long as it takes to get it exactly right, even if it means my passengers have to wait for 30 minutes!.

3. I am always reading the driver of the car ahead of me. I pickup if they are fiddling with their mobile while driving (I HATE IT!), or more focussed on chatting with the passengers while paying less attention on the road. I steer clear away from such cars, even if it means shifting lanes or just forefully overtaking. I don't wait to tail such an idiot, not want them to potentially bang my car from behind.

4. If I am to take a turn at the red light, I stick to the side lane. If I am to go ahead, I will stick to the middle lane. I hate lane cutting at red lights!

[Sunny_7937]

I might have one of the weirdest list of ocd with regards to
1. orvm/ irvm placements,
2. head light leveler set to 2,
3.i love to see my glasses spotless i.e no finger tip marks on the windscreen / passenger door glass
4. Volume set to even numbers
5. AC set to even numbers + 0.5 ( don't know why I can't put it to 24 or 25). I always end up puttting it to 24.5 or 25.5 😁

[Genie]

I am very particular about maintaining clean interiors and also have a pleasent smell inside the cabin or even better no smell at all. I have tried various perfumes but none satisfies me and even tried the charcoal bag option.
I ensure to do AC cleaning every year.
I dont know why I always use AC in manual mode.
I keep my cleaning cloths clean!
Averse to rattling
Everything has a place, a neatly packed boot with utilities required
I try parking at the same spot in office..list goes on
I admire the car as I walk away after parking it.

[akshye]

I can't park like this. If I see my car is not aligned perfectly to parking's lines, I get back in and re-park. Car perfectly in line, steering exactly at 0 degrees.

[Bhodrolok]

Quite a few OCDs actually now that I think about it,

Parking has to be aligned with lines.

Always start the day with a windscreen wash.

Fuel always till auto cut off.

Always air pressure check after fuel.

Temp at a steady 24 always.

[vj196]

It was fun reading the thread. And realise that most of us are very similar in our quirks.

I do share some of these but not so much to call them an OCD, a few of did resonate with me though.

The 'taking car forward first thing' is definitely deeply rooted in a good number of us. This was brought into my head by my driving instructor who said, "always strive to move ahead in life", and somehow it stuck with me.

The 'staying in lane' and 'using indicator for smallest of lane maneuvers' are all part of good driver behaviour which we really hope every other road user follows. Reverse parking is a sensible thing to do, OCD or not.

I do check alignment with the parking markers but don't sweat over it if it isn't aligned. Just give myself a 'can do better' and leave as long as I am within my box. Although, I do have a favourite parking spot at work. Nothing special, definitely not the easiest, but just 'mine'.

Thankfully the 'even digit ac and volume numbers' have gone away. Glad I could win over it - life was complicated as is.

Definitely not an OCD, but I do a light knock on the bonnet especially after a long drive or tough traffic. A pat on the back for bringing me and itself unhurt.

[Gamemaztr]

I thought I wouldn't have such an OCD and I was so wrong.

I require my Car's MID set to show me the Average Fuel Economy and the HUD set to show the Braking regeneration and Torque Assist animation. I do not allow anyone who would drive the car to touch the system. I don't know why I started with such a thing in the first place, but I feel very unwelcome and uncomfortable when it is not that way.

Only I reset it during full tank refueling and that's it. Another interesting thing I have started to follow since we got the Indian Oil Axis Bank Credit Card is to put 40 Lts of Petrol. Whether 91 Octane or 95 Octane. 40 Lts. Nothing more. Sometimes less if the machine air trips. But never exceed 40 Lts. When the car can gulp 40 Lts. of petrol, I have this strange satisfaction.

Otherwise, some posts here showcase very interesting habits of some of our members.

[ike]

• I always reverse park(except at home in Chennai that I visit every month) and the front wheels have to be straight.
  
• I used to have the AC ay 22.5 degrees always in my previous car. In my current car 22.5 is too damn cold so it's at 25.
  
• Mentally recite a checklist (Handbrakes engaged, AC off, Transmission in P, Turbo idled - Shutting down engine) to myself silently before switching the car off).
  
• Shifting to N if I have to stop in Traffic even if the stop r signal is for 10 seconds.
  
• No eating in the car. This has caused many unpleasant situations with my wife especially when the kids were small.
  
• No Valets, I park myself.
  
• In my office the security used to ask for the boot to be opened for "checking". Everyday I used to get down from the car and open and close the boot myself much to their irritation. They started waving me by after some time without having a look inside. In malls I say the tailgate is jammed and they usually let me go.
  
• Trying to reach my destination before the arrival time predicted by Gmaps.

[rpunwani]

Originally Posted by ruskinash

What does this mean? How do you go about this?

Put the car in D and let it move forward by a few inches.