Dents & Dings. Do you care?

What to do to keep your car looking and running like new, inside and out.

You car has just been dinged/dented. How much do you care?

My life now has no meaning. Time to end it all.
1
10%
Time to sell the car and get a new one.
0
No votes
I'll get it fixed immediately and will sue the pants off whoever did it.
0
No votes
It'll get fixed.
6
60%
Meh. Whatever.
2
20%
I don't give a rat's ass. Couldn't care less.
1
10%
I made those dents.
0
No votes
My goal in life is to see how many dings and dents I could possibly accumulate.
0
No votes
Demolition Derby, anyone?
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 10

User avatar
six
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 4674
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:45 pm
Cars: 2015 Chevrolet SS 6MT
Location: California, U.S.

Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by six »

I came across this being asked elsewhere, so I'm curious to as how you guys feel about getting your car dinged or dented during the course of its life... This isn't about how to fix dents or whether you can fix them or not. It's about how you feel about them, deep down, emotionally. Reach inside your soul, and pick an answer :P

For me, I don't care. Like I said before, as long as the car performs the same and is not defaced, I don't care what happens to it.
Image
2015 Heron White Chevrolet SS Sedan 6MT
IMBoring25
Moderator
Posts: 3418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2003 5:01 pm
Location: OK, USA

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by IMBoring25 »

I drive the truck when I'm concerned about slings and arrows. It's one of the reasons I bought it. That doesn't mean I deliberately park it where it will get further beaten up (and it's in better shape now than when I bought it), but it's the one that wouldn't sting.
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by theholycow »

With me it depends on the vehicle and its situation.

My car is butt-ugly and needs loads of body work that I'll probably never get done. Most of it is from age and the dents that my elderly grandparents put in before I had it. There is one dent from a tree branch falling on it...I was bummed about that, I grieved for it, I considered claiming it on my insurance, then through the magic of being lazy I just got used to it.

My truck is kinda beat-up. It's had a long, hard life. I would lament dents and dings only in so far as I thought they would further cause people to judge me and treat me differently.

When I had my VW it was a lease and I was totally paranoid. I didn't want to be paying through the nose for that crap when I turned it in.
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
User avatar
AHTOXA
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 14693
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:31 pm
Cars: '19 4RUNNER TRD ORP
Location: Irving, TX

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by AHTOXA »

Meh. I take care and park the car out of the way in public lots, under awnings and far away from everyone at work. As a result, I have no door dings or parking lot dings. I take care to avoid them at all cost.

However, I piece of hard plastic hit my lower front bumper on the highway going about 70 mph. Made a small dent. Whatever, I got used to it. I also accidentally opened my rear door into a small pole under my parking awning. It was a bummer because the inner edge of the door barely caught it when swung open. As a result there's a very small scrape on the paint that's done to the inner door edge, which you cannot see from the outside with the door closed. I got over it pretty quickly.
'19 Toyota 4Runner TRD ORP
'12 Suzuki V-Strom 650
User avatar
Shadow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 3384
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:51 am
Location: New York

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by Shadow »

I purposely park out in the back forty just to avoid door dings from inconsiderate people. So far, no dings on my Audi. If I get one, it will be removed via paintless dent removal. Those guys do awesome work.
Image
Rope-Pusher
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 11607
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:44 pm
Cars: '08 Jeep Liberty
Location: Greater Detroit Area

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

If I can't see it from the driver's seat, it's not there.

That being the case, I got ANOTHER windshield chip today. That did kinda bother me.
'08 Jeep Liberty 6-Speed MT - "Last of the Mohicans"
tankinbeans
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 4029
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 9:04 pm
Cars: 17 Mazda6 To, 18 Mazda3 i
Location: Shakopee, MN

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by tankinbeans »

I don't have any dents or dings, but I do have a couple surface scratches and paint chips coming off of the bonnet. It's in the area where my careless friend likes to set things. I catch him taking the shit off my car, but never putting it on my car and he's like a really annoying puppy. If I don't catch him in the act of putting shit on my car, I can't scold him.

That being said, I am not too hyper about the minor surface blemishes because a car is meant to be driven and a certain amount of wear and tear is to be expected. If I worked myself into a lather every time something minor happened to my car I'd have a kitty heart attack. I do my best to minimize damage, but won't go overboard.
17 Mazda6 Touring
18 Mazda3 iSport
InlinePaul wrote:The driving force of new fangled features to sell more cars [is to] cater to the masses' abject laziness!
Image
User avatar
4onthefloor
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1360
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:21 pm
Cars: '17 WRX, '07 Impreza
Location: London, ON for now

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by 4onthefloor »

I recently aquired a rather large dent in my front fender. I'd really love to get it fixed, but that would conflict with my utter cheapness.

They wanted $560 to fix it........$560!
Two pedals, two feet, too easy.

Car: 2007 Impreza 2.5i Special Edition
http://www.standardshift.com/forum/view ... 32&t=13230
User avatar
ClutchFork
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1935
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:55 pm
Cars: 2008 Fusion 2.3L manual
Location: Detroit MI

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by ClutchFork »

4onthefloor wrote:I recently aquired a rather large dent in my front fender. I'd really love to get it fixed, but that would conflict with my utter cheapness.

They wanted $560 to fix it........$560!
No way would I pay that. Can you get around behind it and smack it so it pops out some? Won't be perfect but better a small dent than a big dent.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by theholycow »

Word.

You might be able to acquire a fender from a junkyard, and even paint it to match if it doesn't match already, for like $200.

Ok I checked car-part.com. Drivers side or passenger?
Drivers: $75 Abe's Auto Recycling Can-ON(Bowmanville) E-mail 1-888-355-5666
Passenger: $150 Plazek Auto Recyclers Can-ON(Caistor-Centre) Request_Quote 1-905-957-8111

If you just hand them the fender off the car, how much is a body shop gonna charge to paint it? $100?
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
ClutchDisc
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 755
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:50 pm
Cars: 2009 Mazda 5 2.3L 5MT
Location: Detroit area

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by ClutchDisc »

It's the passenger side, I just checked the thread that he posted the pictures in.
09 Mazda 5 2.3 5-speed manual 171k
11 Subaru Forester auto :( 113k
92 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed manual 151k
User avatar
theholycow
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 16021
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:36 pm
Cars: '80 Buick LeSabre 4.1 5MT
Location: Glocester, RI
Contact:

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by theholycow »

I just checked again and now Abe's lists the passenger side one too. Stock number 00029003.
1980 Buick LeSabre 4.1L 5MT

Put your car in your sig!

Learn to launch/FAQs/lugging/misused terms: meta-sig
watkins wrote:Humans have rear-biased AWD. Cows have 4WD
User avatar
4onthefloor
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1360
Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:21 pm
Cars: '17 WRX, '07 Impreza
Location: London, ON for now

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by 4onthefloor »

theholycow wrote:I just checked again and now Abe's lists the passenger side one too. Stock number 00029003.
Ballin'. Bowmanville is a bit of a drive, but it still might be worth it. Could also see if they would ship it.

It also depends on what they would charge to paint it.


Thanks guys!
Two pedals, two feet, too easy.

Car: 2007 Impreza 2.5i Special Edition
http://www.standardshift.com/forum/view ... 32&t=13230
User avatar
Tups
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 2229
Joined: Sun May 03, 2009 4:37 am
Location: Suomi Finland Perkele

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by Tups »

None of my cars is in a condition where I wouldn't mind about dents.
2007 Ford Focus ST225
1982 Ford Escort Mk3
Rope-Pusher
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 11607
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:44 pm
Cars: '08 Jeep Liberty
Location: Greater Detroit Area

Re: Dents & Dings. Do you care?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Tups wrote:None of my cars is in a condition where I wouldn't mind about dents.
Golfballs have dents and it makes them go farther!
'08 Jeep Liberty 6-Speed MT - "Last of the Mohicans"
Post Reply