# To the asshole who dented my car today **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 23, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010 "2005-12-23T21:00:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/21 "2005-12-28T16:59:22Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > Shit happens indeed, but the asshole shoulda left a note. Period. > > Is there some kind of unwritten law these days, that no matter how valid the rant, somewhere down the line a whiner like liberty3701 here comes in to tell the OP to grow up? Damn. Did I tell him to grow up? no. Did I say that the asshole should have left a note? Yes. Did I whine? No. All I’m saying is: It’s just a car. Cars on roads get dented. Be pissed off about the fact that the guy didn’t leave a note, but don’t drive a fancy car expecting it to look brand new forever. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/22 "2005-12-28T17:02:36Z")
Well I just popped in to tell you that 2 weeks ago, I was just as pissed for the opposite reason. I was driving in my apartment parking lot, maybe 3-4 MPH but neglected to allow for the skating rink that the lot had become and slid straight into some Mitsubishi rear bumper. Scraped and made a tiny cracked it. My front bumper was crunched pretty bad. This is a royal pain because I had a fender-bender already this year and I’m cringing to report it lest they raise my rates. I cursed my incompetance but dammit! I left a note with my name and cel phone number. The owner called me and said not to worry about it, he thought it was too small a ding it was not worth the trouble. A relief but I was quite prepared to take responsiblity for my actions, I’m sorry that did not happen with the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Faruiza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@Faruiza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faruiza)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/23 "2005-12-28T17:17:45Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > Fuck that noise. > Is there some kind of unwritten law these days, that no matter how valid the rant, somewhere down the line a whiner like liberty3701 here comes in to tell the OP to grow up? Damn. Yes. I hereby dub it, “Saint’s Law”. The odds of a “saint” who never gets angry or has any issues in life entering a thread to tell the OP of a rant to: A. Get a life, B. Calm the fuck down, it’s not the end of the world, or C. There are people worse off than you, (appendix: Starving in Ethiopia, Huddling in the cold with nothing, Being killed in the streets for nothing, etc.) are directly proportional to the validity of the rant. IANA Scientist or mathematician, but I’ll bet the theory plays out correctly. Fuck. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/24 "2005-12-28T18:11:47Z")
> [@Cherry2000](#): > > **Johnny L.A.** , you have **got** to post pictures of the MGB when it’s finally finished. It sounds absolutely beautiful. Oh, you can count on that! [People are probably hearing about it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=309613), but there will be photos when I get it. 😉 > [@liberty3701](#): > > Y’know, if you’re so concerned about getting a dent in your car, maybe you shouldn’t drive it. Shit happens. The person was wrong for not leaving a note, but if you’re going to get that upset, leave it at home. In August 2003 I bought a brand new 2002 [Yamaha YZF-R1](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/r1.jpg). At my going-away party **Shayna** noticed a crack in the fairing. I didn’t find out until the day before I left that a neighbour kid did it. It happened when I was at work. My R1 was parked in the back of my parking space in the carport. The kid, 15 and unlicensed, was allowed to relocate his mom’s car. Apparently he had a habit of ‘hot-rodding’ in the small driveway area. He backed into my parking space at high speed and hit the bike. He left me a note at my door, urging the neighbours not to tell me what happened as he was going to ‘man up’ and leave me the note; but he looked at the bike (which was covered) and didn’t see the crack. So he took back the note. I never did get the $285 from him for that piece of plastic. And he got mad at the maintenance guy for telling me who did it. :mad: Yeah, cars get dinged. But it seems to happen in some areas more often than others. L.A… traffic is bad. But I see a larger percentage of damaged cars here in the rural PNW than I did down there. The joke around here is that you’re not a true Washingtonian until your car’s windscreen is cracked. So I’d expect people not to care about other people’s property here. A guy rolled backwards into me at a stop light yesterday. My first Porsche was dinged in a K-Mart lot. Probably serves me right for parking there, and in a small town. But my motorcycle was damaged _in my carport!_ Leaving it home is not a guaranteed solution. I am very careful not to ding other people’s cars. I see no reason why others should not afford me the same consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/25 "2005-12-28T18:53:49Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I am very careful not to ding other people’s cars. I see no reason why others should not afford me the same consideration. Agreed. I do not drive a new car, nor is it impressive to others, but dammit I am paying for it, it was dentless when I bought it, and I DO NOT think it is asking too much to expect assholes who cannot drive/park to: A) avoid hitting my car with their door when they get out of their car. If they dont care about their car, fine…but RESPECT my property. Key words here…IT IS AVOIDABLE, SO AVOID IT. B) leave a damn note if you hit a parked car. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/26 "2005-12-28T19:33:49Z")
Last month, someone “dinged” my brand new car by changing lanes into it. I feel your pain. (I did get their insurance info though.) Was it on the driver’s side or the passenger’s? Mine is on the passenger’s and I can forget it exists most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/27 "2005-12-28T22:46:20Z")
Timely article in the _Sydney Morning Herald_ this morning (if article goes to later registration, username and password both ‘gdope’). It’s Australian data, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the US is very similar, give or take: [In cark park crashes inaction speaks louder than words](http://smh.com.au/news/national/in-car-park-crashes-inaction-speaks-louder-than-words/2005/12/28/1135732641926.html) > [@](#): > > WHILE most drivers in NSW and Queensland say they would leave a note if they hit a parked car, half of them do not, research by NRMA Insurance has found. > > _{snip}_ > > The survey, by Woolcott Research for NRMA Insurance, was not done in other states. > > But a national survey conducted earlier this year by AAMI found only 12 per cent of drivers would leave a note. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/28 "2005-12-29T01:49:25Z")
> [@liberty3701](#): > > Did I tell him to grow up? no. Did I say that the asshole should have left a note? Yes. Did I whine? No. > > All I’m saying is: It’s just a car. Cars on roads get dented. Be pissed off about the fact that the guy didn’t leave a note, but don’t drive a fancy car expecting it to look brand new forever. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: So you obviously have a problem with someone having something nice and expecting other people not to trash it for them. And I wouldn’t think that the uh…“fancy-ness” or non-fancy-ness of someone’s property would have a damn thing to do with the fact that other people should be considerate and act responsibly. (And for what it’s worth, this isn’t a “ding”…it’s about $500 worth of damage). When I paid my membership fee for this board the home page promised “Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks”. Glad to see that I am getting my money’s worth. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/29 "2005-12-29T08:55:45Z")
> [@liberty3701](#): > > All I’m saying is: It’s just a car. Cars on roads get dented. Be pissed off about the fact that the guy didn’t leave a note, but don’t drive a fancy car expecting it to look brand new forever. Oh, I understand a car is just a car. Mine’s got a few dents in it from other people banging their doors into the sides. Doesn’t help that it’s a fairly large car in a city not really meant for anything bigger than a Mini. Doesn’t help that the Italians who designed it dislike ugly protection strips on doors. And yet, while I realise that the car has a better chance of staying in shape if I buy a house with a garage outside of town instead of it being parked on the streets in Amsterdams, it pisses me off to no end to find a new dent in it. Each and every time. Why? Because if I inadvertedly damaged another person’s car, I’d leave a fucking note, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that of others. I’ll accept the inevitability that cars won’t look showroom new forever. What I don’t accept is assholes who don’t take responsibility for their own actions, especially when those actions cost others money. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/30 "2005-12-29T15:27:10Z")
> [@](#): > > When you leave a 6 inch dent in the door of someone’s brand new Mustang (temp tags still on it, even), it is customary to leave a note or your insurance information. Um, you do realize that it’s customary to leave a note if you hit ANY car, whether it’s a '79 Pinto or a '06 Mustang, no matter if it has temp tags, vanity tags or rusty tags which are barely hanging on, right? My husband bought a used car in November of last year. Two people have hit him since. One was in his parking garage when some asswipe backed into his left rear quarter panel and left without leaving a note; the other was just last week in broad daylight while he was sitting at a red light. Some 17 year old high school student slammed into the back of him while chatting on her cell phone. Not only did she not receive a citation from the nice police officer (how one hits another person who is at a dead stop without breaking any laws is beyond me) but we later found out that the insurance card she produced was for a policy that had lapsed due to non-payment. So we’ve had to absorb $2000 for repairs for two accidents that were not our fault, not to mention the hassle of getting a loaner car, obtaining estimates, etc. The girl has promised to pay us back but I’m not holding my breath. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/31 "2005-12-29T16:33:13Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > So we’ve had to absorb $2000 for repairs for two accidents that were not our fault, not to mention the hassle of getting a loaner car, obtaining estimates, etc. The girl has promised to pay us back but I’m not holding my breath. I would teach her a valuable life lesson involving a civil suit. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/32 "2005-12-29T16:44:51Z")
This happened to me when I’d had my car a week. You know these things eventually happen, but you just hope to enjoy your perfect, brand-new car for…well, more than 7 days at least! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/33 "2005-12-29T16:45:34Z")
I was rear ended a week after buying my Toyota pickup. He was driving an uninsured 74 Cadillac and had no driver’s license. My insurance payed all but the $500 deductable and I sued the loser in small claims court for that. The same day I served the writ of garnishment to his bank and got my money back, my insurance company served the jerk the paperwork to sue him for their expenses. My judgement was for $721, he had $740 in the bank when I cleaned it out. The day he hit me he basically told me to fuck off, there was nothing I could do to him. When I gave him his satisfaction of judgment paperwork, he was crying like a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/34 "2005-12-29T17:03:29Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Um, you do realize that it’s customary to leave a note if you hit ANY car, whether it’s a '79 Pinto or a '06 Mustang, no matter if it has temp tags, vanity tags or rusty tags which are barely hanging on, right? Exactly! Damn straight you should leave a note…no matter the condition of the vehicle. If it wasn’t yours and you damaged it, take responsibility and make it right. **PunditLisa** , I really hope you and your husband get things cleared up with that last accident. And I hope your husband wasn’t injured. If the girl was 17, aren’t her parents still liable for any damage she causes? And I don’t know about OH, but here driving without insurance is a traffic misdemeanor. There would definitely be penalties involved. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/35 "2005-12-29T17:39:38Z")
> [@Cherry2000](#): > > **PunditLisa** , I really hope you and your husband get things cleared up with that last accident. And I hope your husband wasn’t injured. If the girl was 17, aren’t her parents still liable for any damage she causes? And I don’t know about OH, but here driving without insurance is a traffic misdemeanor. There would definitely be penalties involved. IANAL, I am not in Ohio, #include “disclaimer.h”, et cetera. [It is illegal to drive in Ohio without insurance](http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/financial_responsibility/fr_requirements.htm). In California, you can get in trouble with the law if you are hit by an uninsured motorist and fail to report it to the DMV (don’t know if that’s the case in Ohio). ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/36 "2005-12-29T21:11:57Z")
I bumped into a guy once, leaving a tiny, hardly noticeable dent, and left a note. He got back to me, and presented me with two estimates for $500, which I promptly paid him. Everything hunky-dory. The jackass never used the money to fix his car; the dent was still there two years later. Once I gave the cheque to him, it was his money to do with as he pleased, don’t get me wrong. I’d fulfilled my obligation to him for damaging his property. But, boy, was I ticked that he didn’t fix his car with it… ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/37 "2005-12-29T22:29:55Z")
> [@Cherry2000](#): > > :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: > > When I paid my membership fee for this board the home page promised “Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks”. Glad to see that I am getting my money’s worth. 😉 Call me a dipstick if you like, but I’m not the one willing to waste hundreds of dollars, yes, _hundreds_ of dollars, on what my car _looks_ like. Does it still run? Yes? Then what is your problem? Do you know how ridiculous you all sound to those of us that do not worship automobiles? It didn’t even cross your mind to leave the dent there, did it? You \*have \*to pay for it? Fools and their money, my friend. You know what, someone took a key and scratched my favorite ball-point pen the other day. I mean, now it doesn’t look as nice. Well, now I guess I’ll _have_ to pay the repair man 40 dollars to smooth out the stainless steel. Waaaaaaait a minute… look at that! It still writes the same! Even though it is not as pretty, it still writes all right! Glory be, it’s a miracle! My pen worshipping had blinded me, but, oh, how the scales have fallen from my eyes! …How my pen looks … doesn’t affect … how it writes. I must spread the news! I know it’s not polite to mock another’s religion, but car worship? The last run-in I had with one of you people was frightening indeed: I was in a parking lot and I had parked too close to another car. Trying to repark, I accidentally scraped the car I was too close to. Out came the driver (he was waiting to pick up his girlfriend), and was visibly upset. He wasn’t that angry, I guess, but he \*was \*upset. It was a new and sporty car, you see. I got out and offered to pay for any damage, and we exchanged our insurance info, all would be okay. Now here comes the scary part: as we were leaving, he says, “sorry about getting upset. I just got this car, and I’m sure you can understand, It’s my _baby_.” :eek: He cared about his car! No, he really cared about it! It would ruin his day if his car got scraped! I pity that man. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/38 "2005-12-29T22:48:57Z")
> [@liberty3701](#): > > I’m not the one willing to waste hundreds of dollars, yes, _hundreds_ of dollars, on what my car _looks_ like. People have different priorities in life. Why does it make you so angry that someone values their car more than you value yours? It in no way affects your life. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/39 "2005-12-29T23:04:12Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > People have different priorities in life. Why does it make you so angry that someone values their car more than you value yours? It in no way affects your life. I’m not angry. Why do you assume I have a car? They value how their car looks, not for what good it can bring them (ie, transportation). This is not a difference in magnitude, this is a difference in type. I assert that valuing a car in this manner is against reason. (It also happens to be against Stoicism, Buddhism, and Christianity, to name a few). Why did you write your post? What I think in no way affects your life. …lousy Sophist… ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010/40 "2005-12-29T23:10:23Z")
> [@liberty3701](#): > > I’m not angry. That is, if I seemed angry or confrontational, it is probably because Cherry directly insulted me. (end of post 28) [hijack]On second thought, how is one to interpret "dipstick 😉 "? Insult or not? Is it not like saying, “Jerk, oh just kidding!”[/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-asshole-who-dented-my-car-today/337010.md?page=3)