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View Poll Results: How much do you care about scratches/dents, paint defects & minor fit/finish issues?
I get it fixed immediately, else I'll go crazy. 115 18.08%
Bothers me a lot but only if the car is new. Not much once it gets older 143 22.48%
It bothers me, but I get everything fixed together after a year or so. 221 34.75%
It bothers me, but I get it fixed only if there is a cheap solution 84 13.21%
Does not bother me at all. Waste of time & money to fix such minor issues. 73 11.48%
Voters: 636. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 1st May 2020, 20:53   #61
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

I love to keep my cars in top shape all the time. The main reason? - It makes me feel that I'm driving a new car so it keeps the itch of upgrading away from my mind.

There is something about a clean/scratchless/dentless car that I adore, call it an OCD of sorts. Even a small scratch takes away my peace of mind to the point I keep thinking about it every time I look at the car.

My 6 year old XUV5OO -
I always try to keep it in top shape.
How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?-img_20200201_180948__01__01.jpg

Had small scratches that were made by the kids in our society, which were taken care of, mostly within a month.

My 18 year old Santro -
How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?-img_20200227_145026__01__01.jpg

At one point in time, it was taken care of diligently.
But, with the course of time, I've realised that it's not feasible to keep it scratch/dent free so it has a few of them. So now I don't bother much and drive it around the city with a stress-free mind.

Last edited by Saurav_Nair : 1st May 2020 at 21:14.
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Old 1st May 2020, 22:58   #62
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Minor blemishes are just the way of life in Indian traffic and can't be fixed each and every time. On major dings which split open paneling, I always take multiple opinions on whether postponing repair can lead to rust. I can't tolerate rust on a car.

My dad and I have also done many DIYs with varying success rates.
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Old 1st May 2020, 23:09   #63
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Doesn't bother me much, not anymore. Now I get them repaired/repainted once they get visibly irritating to avoid.

Though I still remember getting a minor scratch on my first car years ago and felt like crying for it.
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Old 1st May 2020, 23:50   #64
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
Most of our cars here are daily drivers and have had their fair share of encounters with other motorists, pedestrians, cricket balls, handcarts etc. With street parking and visits to crowded localities, it's only a matter of time before someone nicks your ride.

Where do you draw the line in the quest to maintain your ride? ]
Very interesting thread, Blackwasp and nice to see what other Bhp-ians have to say about it.

I get very restless and uneasy when my car has a dent or bump and would want to get those repaired immediately. But scratches on the paint / car / body panels is something you just can't avoid in India.I just tend to leave them and ask the ASS if they can touch them up during the regular service.

Back in 2011, I recall getting this neat little dent just above the bumper on the hatch door, on my brand new barely a week old i20, which was street parked outside my office in SEEPZ. I was so heart broken and upset at that, that I just had to get that repaired.

Over the years, I got a few scratches on the bumpers, and front quarter panels from bikers and crazy people who like to run a key across the car panels ( sick in head mentality ). I haven't done much about those other than trying to get a touch up when possible.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 00:23   #65
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Voted for the 3rd option!
What I've noticed is it bothers a lot when it is 'fresh' but after a few days it tends to subside and then you get used to it. Not so for the mechanical/moving bits, has to be sorted ASAP. Of course, the equation would change if the damage starts to rust!

Till date the only significant damage my Storme took was on the bonnet, when I misjudged braking and ran into the back of a truck! While visibly, it is a small damage, it was a crushing feeling (quite literally!) but I made my peace with it after about a week. Even visited the TASS workshop for a quote but decided to delay it bit further as a service was due in couple of thousand kms. Thanks to Covid, that wait is now probably going to be even longer.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 01:52   #66
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

If it's a major issue and hampers the performance/functionality of the car then I would get it repaired ASAP or else for small nicks and dents I usually accumulate it and get it done yearly as per my convenience.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 02:52   #67
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Voted for the first option.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with those scratches that are otherwise not visible unless you’re looking at them in broad daylight. But I do have a problem with those that mess up the paint even though how small they may seem. I have one on the rear bumper just below the parking sensor, it’s small but visible. Hopefully will get it fixed after lockdown ends.

I’m okay with panel gaps at the factory level, dents and paint inconsistencies can’t be tolerated and since I’ve been driving a car from Maruti Suzuki little rattles are always expected, it’s no Volkswagen.

Last edited by Mat095 : 2nd May 2020 at 03:12. Reason: Fixing a grammatical error
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Old 2nd May 2020, 09:43   #68
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

I can't participate in the poll as none of the questions capture my perspective.

Nicks and dents do bother me a lot but even if I want to I can't convince myself to get it touched up.

Reasons

1) Poor workmanship and lack of proper facilities even proper place in dealer workshops to handle the entire process during repainting


2) Can never get back the original factory finish which we love and want to preserve.

3) Interiors also get spoiled due to improper handling during repair work. Sometimes even the overspray is not taken care of properly.

4) Inorder to temporarily match the surface they using a rubbing compound on the whole car.

5) Repainted surfaces do fade or discolor over a period of time.

6) The above is true for most mass market brands, very few workshops that too of high end brands do a decent job.

That's the reason I preferred non-metallic finishes which are easier to match and also dont require touch up or re-painting of the whole panel.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 12:30   #69
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

I do not bother much about small bumper scratches or scratches at the lower sides of door panels. In fact, I gradually gain more confidence with them on here or there

But I bother about even little dents on the body. Once my car gets any, I begin to think of how I can reclaim that part. In most cases, the repair needs paint job too, and the entire panel is recommended to be painted. I know it is a chance business to get the exact matching. I think the brand workshops are the best to do this, but that's a botheration again.

I usually go for dent repair, not immediately after each dent but once there are a couple of jobs to do or when there is some major dent in a very visible point.

So, voted for the option that says I bother but get the repair work done after a year or so.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 12:51   #70
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Voted: It bothers me, but I get everything fixed together after a year or so.

I try to club all dents and scratches in one trip to the garage. Top reason is cost. Getting a good job done costs money and with the kind of driving on our roads, it doesn't take long to get a new scratch from an unfriendly driver. The only exception to this personal rule is when a dent/scratch is deep and can cause rust/damage if not attended.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 13:00   #71
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Voted for the middle option, was surprised to see it was the most popular opinion so far too. My heart bleeds every time our car picks up a scratch - it’s nothing less than a personal injury, to me at least. Especially with my OCD, but with time I think a little bit more rationally. These little mistakes / accidents do happen, and that’s the way of the physical world. We just got to ‘deal with it’.

Last edited by TheHelix0202 : 2nd May 2020 at 13:01.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 18:08   #72
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Voted for the third option.

Dents and visible scratches do bother me a lot more than paint blemishes or panel gaps. I try to get dents repaired ASAP, but I am okay waiting for scratches and wait a little more for paint blemishes.

Avoiding such dents and scratches is close to impossible travelling our roads. I've tried to make my peace with it. Making that peace is quite challenging when the car is new though.
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Old 2nd May 2020, 18:55   #73
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

First scratch/dent sure hurt me the most. Since then, I’ve started to live with them unless it’s a major eye sore. Usually get them buffed off during my annual visit to a detailer or get them repainted (touch up) at the service centre.

Recent highway trip causality when a stick or something of that sorts dented the cars bonnet and the headlight unit (got the service centre guys to just do a touch up to avoid any further rusting as the entire paint was wiped off):
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How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?-0d3f34a76f074cf18c989162aeba8ae8.jpeg  

How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?-2afa4e0304f948c1b61a8a9653d4bd61.jpeg  

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Old 2nd May 2020, 19:38   #74
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

Dent's scratches everything bothered me, and I used to try getting it fixed right away. Over time, I've made peace with it, and have ignored it completely. Used to drive the car daily and realized, no matter how much you keep it safe, there's another moron of a motorist on the road who is impatient, feels extreme affection and sticks to your car, people who walk by swaying their bags and other things they hold, a dog who loves the cold top to sleep on.
After years of having the car, I have pretty much given up on keeping the looks/aesthetics of the car in good shape.
Other stuff, mechanical and all that, is maintained extremely well. This baby still drives and feels as good as it was years ago.
She's 12 years this November, still has the bumpers she came with. Everything (except the tyres) are what came with her, in 2008. Nothing changed, and I think, that itself is an achievement. (Oh wait, the tail light was changed cause mom had a reversing incident that scrapped the entire back portion which made me realize, my parents have done all the damage on the car, with multiple such incidents over the years.

I plan on keeping it until the 15-year mark, probably after that if the Government allows me to. Will have her re-painted and all shiny new then, right now, I don't see it practical to get her in top shape in the looks department.

Last edited by GranvilleDsouza : 2nd May 2020 at 19:39.
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Old 3rd May 2020, 11:30   #75
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Re: How much do you care about scratches / dents, panel gaps & minor fit / finish issues?

I remember by dad making a big deal out of a small dent in my first used car - I did not know why back then. I was barely getting out of jeans, T shirt and worn out converse to formal wear.

Now a wrinkle bothers me when I step out, an unclean or unkept vehicle - unacceptable.
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