Cycle Wala Scratched my car !

supremeBaleno · 20th September 2006, 10:31

goldsun, it happens to most people. Bikes are the major danger here as they cannot stop as fast as cars. Which should mean that they should drive that much more carefully, which is not the case usually.

My suggestion (which I practice), use the rearview mirror and brake lights to the full. Before braking, have a look to see if there are any bikers charging behind you. If so, pump the brakes lightly once or twice so that he sees the brake light and gets some advance notice. Then brake to a stop taking into account the distance between your car & the vehicle in front of you. I would say that it is usually better to brake a little too close to the car in front than to have a biker draped on your boot.

shbhrao · 20th September 2006, 12:02

Hi, offer me some sympathies. I generally drive so carefully, and yet for no fault of mine, my car got dented. happened last friday when I was over the vashi koparkhairane fly over going towards vashi, it was raining hard and this motor -cyclist tried to squeeze into a narrow space, I heard a thudding noise, thought th eguy must have brushed against the side mirror, but later found out that he had caused a small dent on the rear passanger door. I am so cheesed off. What can I do. I always wanted to maintain my car in mint condition, but others will not let you keep it so.

johy · 20th September 2006, 12:29

Sorry to hear that shbhrao - feel bad for you. My new Wagon R got scratched on the first week itself - after that many more small scratches, mostly cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and also the ones with more malice - the ones done by our fellow humans with keys. I have gotten to live with them now; just like you, I drive carefully and yet. I guess it is just a part and parcel of driving a car in our very congested streets - there just isn't enough space for all these vehicles, cycles, and humans , and cows, and dogs put together - there just isn't enough to fit them all. :-(

kutlee · 20th September 2006, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

My suggestion (which I practice), use the rearview mirror and brake lights to the full. Before braking, have a look to see if there are any bikers charging behind you. If so, pump the brakes lightly once or twice so that he sees the brake light and gets some advance notice. Then brake to a stop taking into account the distance between your car & the vehicle in front of you. I would say that it is usually better to brake a little too close to the car in front than to have a biker draped on your boot.

Good trick there. Infact i am doing this everytime in the city. Maybe this is a trick why i am not getting major kisses and kicks. I always use the rear view mirror and if i see motor cyclist, keep the brake pedal pressing without braking so that he can see the lights, eventhough there is good gap between me and the vehichle in front. Beleive me this works...so to avoid side kicks, always keep both rear view mirrors open. Thats a deterrent and that too works wonderfully. If you brake even moderately hard, 100% chance that biker will bump you in the back. If its a car, very less chance. Every time, inspite of the precautions i have been kissed by bikers all the time and only once by a car(driven by a lady!, infact 3 times in sucession) under slightly hard brakings. Sides are relatevly safe due to mirrors...Guys, try these and let us know...

deepakhon · 20th September 2006, 12:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldsun

How many of you experienced bangs on your rear bumber?

My neighbour did that to me once. I had parked my car just outside my home and this neighbour of mine comes in her santro and since there is a downward slope near my home, she was coasting (???). Obviously, the brakes were not effective enough when the engine was off and neither she nor her husband had the presence of mind to apply hand brake. I could hear a huge thud and my Palio had a few scratches. Their car's bonnet was not fitting in properly as the portion below their bonnet had gone inwards after this thud.

Her husband had promised me to take care of all the repairs for which his wife was responsible, but so far, nothing has happened. I can not shout at them because they are my immediate neighbours....

zaphod · 20th September 2006, 14:21

..edit...wrong post.... sorry

edit: might as well vent....

My car's a blue one so it picks yup scratches easily

within the first week, it hard been keyed twice near the doors - an inch loing and deep as hell..

then some kifds decides to go scratch the drivers side door wiitgh a stone or a coin....

then an idiot on a scooter using a zillion year old tyres skids in the rain and places a nice dent (which i hammer out) and a 4-5 inch wide scratch on the rear right quarter panel....

but one can't really get too worked up over it - i just try and be careul and hope taht I'm oversestimating teh level of idiocy of other drivers

goldsun · 20th September 2006, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

goldsun, it happens to most people. Bikes are the major danger here as they cannot stop as fast as cars. Which should mean that they should drive that much more carefully, which is not the case usually.

My suggestion (which I practice), use the rearview mirror and brake lights to the full. Before braking, have a look to see if there are any bikers charging behind you. If so, pump the brakes lightly once or twice so that he sees the brake light and gets some advance notice. Then brake to a stop taking into account the distance between your car & the vehicle in front of you. I would say that it is usually better to brake a little too close to the car in front than to have a biker draped on your boot.

Thanks a lot supremebaleno, I will take your suggestion and will practice it hereafter and let me hope for the best.

rjstyles69 · 20th September 2006, 15:18

absolutely true.. no matter how hard u try 2 maintain your car and keep it in shape, people wouldnt let u do it.
my experience : 3rd week,a kid used a 50 ps coin and scratched the rear passenger door on my baleno .Was almost in tears since i couldnt do anything

.Caught hold of the kid and couldnt do much coz it was one of those kids from the nearby slum.

Next in the list is bikers @ the signals.They will rub ur bumper @least once(body colored bumpers ) and leave a mark on it.

Lukeskywalker · 20th September 2006, 18:37

Ok, so must of us have had scratches on our cars from cyclists, bikes, cars or kids. My optra got a few scratches yesterday courtesy a DOG. Yes, by a friend's pet hyperactive dog. The story goes like this:
I had to accompany a friend to maddur and back early in the morning, so I parked the car outside the friend's compound even though I was invited to park inside. I did this deliberately because i knew that their frisky 8 month old dog has a habit of jumping on top of parked cars (I believe the dog jumps on their cars even when they are reversing out), their badly scratched cars are proof of the fact. On returning close to noon, i bid goodbye and as i sat inside i could see paw marks on the windscreen, drove back home hoping for the best, today after the car was washed and wiped I went around to assess the damage- 2 paw scratches on the bonnet, couple on the roof where the dog had jumped off and a couple on the boot lid.
Well, what to do? even I have dogs but they don't damage cars and can't blame the dog for being hyperactive

Surprise · 20th September 2006, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldsun

Does this happen to everybody or should I need a change in my driving style? If some of the experienced BHPians post a write up on how to get away from these incidents, it will be great for all of us.

Tailgating & Hard braking is the major reason for getting banged from reverse. Always maintain a safer distance so that there is no need for your to brake suddenly

Zappo · 21st September 2006, 01:24

happens everyday here... today evening while returning back home i heard a low intensity thud from the back. as soon as i slowed down because of a state transport bus that veered into the middle of the road from the corner stop a biker came and hit me from the back. thankfully nothing happened to the rear bumper.

however last month it was even luckier for me. a santro ahead braked hard and a biker (wo helmet) who had his gf/wife with him and was swerving cutting through the maze of the cars just went and hit the santro and got thrown on the road. i panicked and braked lest he comes under my wheels. so far so good... 10 seconds later i hear a screeching sound and bam. my car lurched a bit. a stupid guy in his wagon-r just came and hit me... the fool was probably day-dreaming! amazingly the hit did not cause any big damage to my car's bumper. only there was a small wavy contortion on the bumper at a different part of the bumper from where he hit! i gave him a piece of my mind though... asked him whether he has doggy traits... the fool was bamboozled!

you just can't do anything about these things nowadays. only be cautious and on the lookout for any vrroom vrrrooom type crazy jerk and let him have his way.

Surprise · 21st September 2006, 11:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Before braking, have a look to see if there are any bikers charging behind you. If so, pump the brakes lightly once or twice so that he sees the brake light and gets some advance notice.

It seems to be very difficult to implement what you say. In city traffics, we do apply brakes many a times. If we want to check whether any bikers following us each and every time, most of our concentration would be rear view miror. I guess this would put us under lot of negative stress.

supremeBaleno · 21st September 2006, 12:30

Well, this does not apply only to bikers - braking sharply without warning is an invitation to get hit in cities, by bikes/cars/buses, whatever. And even though mentioned here as a remedy to avoid getting hit by bikers, I think most people do this normally as part of driving (atleast in cities). For me, this has become a part of driving and happens instinctively.

Summary : Do not tailgate the vehicle in front - leave some buffer. Avoid sharp/sudden braking. If possible, provide advance warning by flashing brake lights. Have a high-mount stop lamp if you do not have one - provides better/clearer warning to people behind you. And hope for the best.

20th September 2006, 10:31	#31
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,545 Thanked: 2,694 Times View My Garage	goldsun, it happens to most people. Bikes are the major danger here as they cannot stop as fast as cars. Which should mean that they should drive that much more carefully, which is not the case usually. My suggestion (which I practice), use the rearview mirror and brake lights to the full. Before braking, have a look to see if there are any bikers charging behind you. If so, pump the brakes lightly once or twice so that he sees the brake light and gets some advance notice. Then brake to a stop taking into account the distance between your car & the vehicle in front of you. I would say that it is usually better to brake a little too close to the car in front than to have a biker draped on your boot.
	() Thanks

20th September 2006, 12:02	#32
shbhrao BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 60 Thanked: 0 Times	My car too was dented by a scooter Hi, offer me some sympathies. I generally drive so carefully, and yet for no fault of mine, my car got dented. happened last friday when I was over the vashi koparkhairane fly over going towards vashi, it was raining hard and this motor -cyclist tried to squeeze into a narrow space, I heard a thudding noise, thought th eguy must have brushed against the side mirror, but later found out that he had caused a small dent on the rear passanger door. I am so cheesed off. What can I do. I always wanted to maintain my car in mint condition, but others will not let you keep it so.
	() Thanks

20th September 2006, 12:29	#33
johy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Siliguri Posts: 971 Thanked: 620 Times View My Garage	Sorry to hear that shbhrao - feel bad for you. My new Wagon R got scratched on the first week itself - after that many more small scratches, mostly cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and also the ones with more malice - the ones done by our fellow humans with keys. I have gotten to live with them now; just like you, I drive carefully and yet. I guess it is just a part and parcel of driving a car in our very congested streets - there just isn't enough space for all these vehicles, cycles, and humans , and cows, and dogs put together - there just isn't enough to fit them all. :-(
	() Thanks

20th September 2006, 14:21	#36
zaphod BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NO IDeA/Madurai Posts: 236 Thanked: 4 Times	..edit...wrong post.... sorry edit: might as well vent.... My car's a blue one so it picks yup scratches easily within the first week, it hard been keyed twice near the doors - an inch loing and deep as hell.. then some kifds decides to go scratch the drivers side door wiitgh a stone or a coin.... then an idiot on a scooter using a zillion year old tyres skids in the rain and places a nice dent (which i hammer out) and a 4-5 inch wide scratch on the rear right quarter panel.... but one can't really get too worked up over it - i just try and be careul and hope taht I'm oversestimating teh level of idiocy of other drivers Last edited by zaphod : 20th September 2006 at 14:25.
	() Thanks

20th September 2006, 15:18	#38
rjstyles69 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bengalooru.. Posts: 4,343 Thanked: 842 Times View My Garage	absolutely true.. no matter how hard u try 2 maintain your car and keep it in shape, people wouldnt let u do it. my experience : 3rd week,a kid used a 50 ps coin and scratched the rear passenger door on my baleno .Was almost in tears since i couldnt do anything .Caught hold of the kid and couldnt do much coz it was one of those kids from the nearby slum. Next in the list is bikers @ the signals.They will rub ur bumper @least once(body colored bumpers ) and leave a mark on it.
	() Thanks

20th September 2006, 18:37	#39
Lukeskywalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,397 Thanked: 1,243 Times View My Garage	Ok, so must of us have had scratches on our cars from cyclists, bikes, cars or kids. My optra got a few scratches yesterday courtesy a DOG. Yes, by a friend's pet hyperactive dog. The story goes like this: I had to accompany a friend to maddur and back early in the morning, so I parked the car outside the friend's compound even though I was invited to park inside. I did this deliberately because i knew that their frisky 8 month old dog has a habit of jumping on top of parked cars (I believe the dog jumps on their cars even when they are reversing out), their badly scratched cars are proof of the fact. On returning close to noon, i bid goodbye and as i sat inside i could see paw marks on the windscreen, drove back home hoping for the best, today after the car was washed and wiped I went around to assess the damage- 2 paw scratches on the bonnet, couple on the roof where the dog had jumped off and a couple on the boot lid. Well, what to do? even I have dogs but they don't damage cars and can't blame the dog for being hyperactive
	() Thanks

21st September 2006, 01:24	#41
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,918 Thanked: 2,652 Times	happens everyday here... today evening while returning back home i heard a low intensity thud from the back. as soon as i slowed down because of a state transport bus that veered into the middle of the road from the corner stop a biker came and hit me from the back. thankfully nothing happened to the rear bumper. however last month it was even luckier for me. a santro ahead braked hard and a biker (wo helmet) who had his gf/wife with him and was swerving cutting through the maze of the cars just went and hit the santro and got thrown on the road. i panicked and braked lest he comes under my wheels. so far so good... 10 seconds later i hear a screeching sound and bam. my car lurched a bit. a stupid guy in his wagon-r just came and hit me... the fool was probably day-dreaming! amazingly the hit did not cause any big damage to my car's bumper. only there was a small wavy contortion on the bumper at a different part of the bumper from where he hit! i gave him a piece of my mind though... asked him whether he has doggy traits... the fool was bamboozled! you just can't do anything about these things nowadays. only be cautious and on the lookout for any vrroom vrrrooom type crazy jerk and let him have his way.
	() Thanks

21st September 2006, 12:30	#43
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,545 Thanked: 2,694 Times View My Garage	Well, this does not apply only to bikers - braking sharply without warning is an invitation to get hit in cities, by bikes/cars/buses, whatever. And even though mentioned here as a remedy to avoid getting hit by bikers, I think most people do this normally as part of driving (atleast in cities). For me, this has become a part of driving and happens instinctively. Summary : Do not tailgate the vehicle in front - leave some buffer. Avoid sharp/sudden braking. If possible, provide advance warning by flashing brake lights. Have a high-mount stop lamp if you do not have one - provides better/clearer warning to people behind you. And hope for the best.
	() Thanks

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search