[ObsessedByFIAT]

The dents, scratches and all short of Nick nacks worry me to no limit. I even end up losing sleep over it.
However, I rarely get them fixed, unless it is impacting the way car drives.

A few examples:

- I was a newbie and was driving my Palio. A govt bus decided to stop right in middle of the road for passengers to alight. I ended up rear ending and had the entire bonnet folded up like a card board. No damage to the engine bay components.
Came back home and parked it for the next almost 15 days, after which had to get it fixed as I could not drive around with that face.

- This happened with both my Figo and Ecosport. On second or third day of ownership, stone gets kicked up by a bus/truck in front of me and damages my wind screen.
Figo ultimately got sold after 2 years and 40k on odo, but the crack remained there.
On the other hand, I drove my Ecosport all the way to Mathura and back to Pune with the crack. By the time I returned back, it was too big to be ignored and got it replaced.

- Though it's a long story, yet, in March 2017, I was on a pleasure trip with my family. Being on road presents a lot different situations. In one such situation, a person banged the bonnet with a hockey stick really hard. The dent on the bonnet still stays and I am in no mood to fix it :P

- All my cars, Nano, Figo, Spark and Ecosport have had their front and rear numbers scratched by wall while parking. All those scratches remain as is. Not going to fix them as they are minor ones.

[subuiyer]

Driving around daily in a city like Mumbai over the years has helped me realize that I cannot be precious about the exterior - dings and scratches are part of the experience. It did hurt initially (first few contacts), but after a while I learnt to condition my mind (or so I believe). A full grown banyan tree fell on my vehicle in the 14th month and while damage was luckily limited to a couple of dented rear panels, I drove around with it like a battle scar for 3 yrs.

In the 5th year I replaced 7 of the 13 panels on my vehicle and have already earned a few scratches. Interiors however are a different story, for I have better control.

[JayKavadi]

It does bother me but not to an extent where I start losing sleep over it. Its also a function of how old the car is.

However in the current lockdown, there’s been a change in my thought process. Given the free time on hand, I ended up doing what i love most - browsing through team bhp and dreaming of my next car (my current Honda City is 8 years old). But then with each passing day the grim impending economic reality hits you and all thoughts of buying a new car and putting in a million and a half big ones get sidelined

That is when you start looking at your current ride differently. You know you will have to keep her for another year atleast and thats when the nicks and dents suddenly become unbearable. So the first thing on my bucket list post lockdown is to get my “ Dhanno” back to ship shape

[hareshjethwani]

It bothers me. I would like to fix it right away but the process involved isn't worth the time given, so fix it once in a year. However if it looks too ugly on the car would get it done right away !

[busydrive]

Nice Poll! For me my December service has two components - 1. Full Service Including Oil Change and 2. Bumper Painting.

This takes care of most of the cuts and bruises which are common in Bangalore. Body hits are rare for me though. Somehow have been able to manage to get the hits mostly on Bumpers

[Slickshift99]

I have a i10(2009) with 100k on the odo. This was my first car and i used it to sharpen my driving skills also my younger brother learned to drive on the same car.
Now in Delhi's traffic there's no way you'll be able to keep your car safe from bikers, rickshaws and miscellaneous treats. My car probably is the most scratched and dented car owned by a bhpian as of now. I'll get it all done for once soon after the lockdown as i plan to sell the car or might keep it not sure, both ways it has to be done.

I don't know how the car cleaner does his job,he has done more harm than good to the car.

Bhpians please throw some light on what could have happened in the above picture,this discolouration occurred after the cleaner was appointed, can this be corrected, if so then how? Your inputs would be highly appreciated .

[amitayu]

I stay in a rented apartment is South Delhi. Driving in South Delhi traffic is pretty taxing, and you are bound to have some cars or scooter brushing you.

My car is parked out in the open and all our cars are resting grounds for dogs in the summers! We also occasionally have monkeys visiting our neighbourhood given there are few fruit bearing trees, and the car-tops are their dining tables!

Nicks, scratches, dents are part of life and cannot be avoided. Usually, I get them all treated once a year during the annual servicing period, either at SC for minor works, or a local garage where the rates are more reasonable.

[kutts]

I am extremely bothered about scratches and dents. I tend to keep them unless it becomes a major eye sore since I fix only at company outlet. The unfixed ones remain a heart ache every time I see them. The repair job even in company outlets are of lower standards compared to the factory finish so such repairs still gives me the ache.

[VVN]

Aesthetics of the car matter to me as much as the mechanicals. If there is a rattle, I will always have that itch of getting it fixed asap. Same with scratches and dents. The moment I see it, it magnifies itself 10x and the urge to get it fixed is usually very high. However, I stick to the 1 year schedule of getting scratches and dents sorted out. I have my share of scratches on the left side of the bumper thanks to an autorickshaw not able to squeeze himself in that 1mm of gap in heavy Mumbai traffic. Same with ORVMs, thanks to bikers. However, with PPF, I am a bit happy. Although the scratches on that PPF has also started bothering me lately

[nitro_pandit]

This is an interesting thread. Indeed. Nicks and dents can mean OCD to one and meh! to another. I am somewhere in the middle, to be honest :-)

Sometimes I lose sleep over a dent or a nick that happens in the Alpha areas - to me Alpha area is the metallic part of the car body. I intent to get it fixed ASAP.

The other areas for me is the bumper or outside plastic, minus the Front Grill or Badge. I usually wait for a few outer dents and nicks and club them together to get it fixed.

It may seem rather, absurd why not address both together or in groups. Well the metallic parts not being pristine, interfere with the weekly detailing ritual. Which is primarily performed and affects metallic parts. So hence, the prioritization applied.

[procrastinator]

They used to but not anymore for cars used more often.

Traffic is always high. Two wheelers crossing, parking car on streets; minor scratches are inevitable.

The one that is an eyesore is surely getting fixed.
Cheap solutions like rubbing compound at home for minor scratches makes a difference.

Service Center or any denter will do touch up free or at very low cost.
(White, Silver and Black coloured cars are easy)

Over the period of time, bumpers do get scratches and multiple touch up jobs are visible.
This is the time to get it repaired and repainted.

[balenoed_]

I have noticed there is a big mindset that plays on how you drive your car with and without scratches, atleast I have that.

If your car is full of scratches, you drive rashly and in a don't care attitude, with a mindset that, "that's okay I anyway have some dents". I will fix it all at once together. I don't care if I squeeze in through non existent gaps.

If you are car is scratch free, and in a spic and span condition, then you drive very cautiously and carefully to be sure that you don't get any scratches on it.

That's one reason I try to fix any small dents or scratches as soon as possible.

[Aafaq]

Getting my car repainted for a damage is the last thing I would want particularly if it is a dark colour as I have never seen it matching with original body paint.
So to me it depends on the severity of the damage regardless of the car being new or old, I get the deep dents and scratches repaired immediately and try to live with minor ones.

[pganapathy]

When I was younger and in my 20's, I really cared about how the car looked. I spent a lot of time washing and maintaining the car. Now I just need it to be clean and a weekly wash seems like a pain

[wildsdi5530]

I'm bothered by any dents in the car. Minor scratches, dings from flying stones, etc. are all over and I cannot be bothered with them.
I hate anyone placing stuff on the car or playing around the car, or letting their dogs or kids piss on the car. That is OK in cars like ambassador, but modern cars dent even if you lean on them, so strict no-no.
Contrary to the general opinion here, I'm more worried for my older cars. The newer cars panels can be replaced, color matching is more accurate and there is Zero-dep insurance. In my older cars, any damages have to repaired and cannot be replaced, and the slightly faded color is not matched. Plus body work is so expensive.