A new car is a magnet for danger, post your stories

[graviongr]

Ok so we've all got our brand new Mazda's, we're being careful as possible with them, but it seems like danger is attracted to it like a magnet. Here's a few of my stories within the first 3 months of ownership.

Danger #1.

About 3 weeks in, I'm merging from highway 270 on to highway 170. It's a 2 lane exit, that merges into one lane. I merge onto highway 170 and start to merge into the single lane, wouldn't I know it, luck (or unluck) has me merge behind a truck hauling foilage debris (a tree trimmer), and a couple of orange construction barrels. Literally 1 second after I think to myself "I need to get out from behind this truck in case his branches fly off his truck."... he loses one of his orange contruction barrels and it comes flying towards my car. I can't do anything to swerve at this point unless I want to hit another car or run myself off the road, so my only other choice was to decelerate, I didn't want to slam on my brakes because that might cause someone to rearend me. So "SMACK"... smash into the barrel.

The truck pulls over, aware he lost his barrel, but no idea that he just let his carelessnes smash into my 3 week new car. So I pull over, look at the car, luckily everything seems ok except my license plate is bent on one corner. I walk back 300 feet and talk to the guy. He offers no apology or anything, I say "Whatever, have a nice day pal, be more careful in the future won't you. Try securing your barrels next time, yeah?"

Danger #2.

So this is about 7 weeks in. I'm again merging to get on the highway heading to work, this time starting from my local area, merging on to highway 70. As fate would have it, I am forced to merge behind a dump truck. Again, no sooner than I say "I need to get out from behind this dump truck in case something flies off of his truck." (As a rule, I -always- get out from behind people towing anything, hauling anything in a pickup truck, or dump trucks and semi trucks, because of this.)... so as soon as I look to the left lane to try and merge out, a giant dirt clod / rock flies off of his truck, now keep in mind this thing was huge, and at first I thought it was headed for my windshield, I was like "Noooooooooo." in slow motion. It luckily missed the windshield and went to the roof and I hear an insanely loud "CUHTHWACK-DURNK". The thing was probably slightly larger than a softball.

The entire trip to work I'm just fearing the worst, it's all I can think about, I can't concentrate on my morning show on the radio or hardly pay attention to traffic now. When I get to work, it wasn't as bad as I feared, but there was a pretty deep and long gouge in the roof. I went to the dealer the next week and bought some touch up paint in Mica Black for $10. I have yet to apply it though. The scratch is now rusty.

Danger #3
This one isn't too bad, but just annoying, happend 2 weeks ago. I am going out to shop with some friends, I park in the lot away from the majority of vehicles. After a couple hours I come back to find a nice chrome shopping cart scraped and resting against the driver side door. Upon thoroughly close inspection, there is a (very) minor scratch. I waxed the car next week and the scratch is not noticible anymore. But it still pissed me off that someone was so lazy and careless to not even return their cart. For the record, I -always- return my carts to the little cart return corral's, I don't mind walking an extra 50 feet, big deal.

And one last thing barely worth mentioning, a rock flew off of a semi trailer tire and smashed into my windshield and startled the living hell out of me, luckily no cracks or nicks became of it. It's happened to me in my other vehicles, but it's pretty rare and I was irritated that it happened so close to new vehicle ownership.

Anyone else got some crazy stories to share?

 

[ViPeR689]

At least your car is still smiling

 

[NathanR]

My wife and I bought a 1999 Sentra a while ago. It was an SE Limited Edition with the SR20de engine. I had been searching for one in good condition for FOREVER. We finally found one about 6 hours away in the mountain area of N.C. We went out, bought it and drove it back home. On I-40, just inside Greensboro, we were in some pretty heavy traffic. There was an S-10 pickup one car ahead of us, when all of the sudden I saw these tiny glass shards come flying at the car ahead of me, and then at me. It looked like a giant crystal chandelier hand exploded all over the highway and the pieces peppered the front of our (new to us) car. It kinda scared the crap out of us, but we weren't TOO concerened about it. We end up pulling over for gas a bit later and check out the front of the car. It turns out there was actually a box of nuts/bolts sitting on the back bumper of the truck and it fell off and sent several hundred of them exploding all over the road. There must have been about 50 little nicks/gouges all over the front bumper, hood, front driver's quarter panel, and rooof of our car. Sucked too because the car was FLAWLESS. Apparently it just looked like glass because it was getting dark and our headlights shined off the metal pieces.

 

[Average Joe]

Dude, you ever hear of police ? They will make out an accident report, and you get paid from the insurance company for any damages done to you from falling debris from careless people. In my state, if you don't clean the snow off your car, and a chunk of ice falls off and hits somebody, you are liable for the damage....Don't just walk away, get the tag number and call....

 

[Mazdaboysp23]

I would def call the cops!! It's a new car and stupid people need to be liable for well, being stupid!!!

 

[graviongr]

Well here's yet another one. Was down visiting my brother, and there is only street parking. And it's not like it's a crowded street, there's plenty of room.

But some idiot backed into my car. Looked like they had some kind of tow hitch or something, because the front license plate was crumpled into an inverse pyramid. Bent the license plate bracket too.

Of course it was a hit and run, no note, no anything. Just smashed into my car and drove away. Luckily the damage to the front fascia did not seem bad at all. I took the license plate off and hammered it as straight as I could, took the screws out of the bracket and put them back in straight again. Tried to pull the bracket back to something resembling symetry. Doesn't look too bad but you can tell something hit it.

Sigh.

 

[Newf]

brand new 99 Honda Accord V6 coupe at the time. Picked it up supper time. Drove to store to get some stuff, came out, someone side swiped it in the parking lot. Never had the car for 3 hours for god sakes. From passenger door right to end of rear bumper, tons of scratches. Luckily it wasn't deep enough to require painting, and wet sanded out most of it. I never seen wet sanding work so well until this happened, it was amazing.

2001 Mazda MP3. First week, parked at wally mart, last parking lot, furthest away from door, not a car in sight. Typical, I came out after being in store for not 10 mins, and sure enough, a cart was slammed into the side of it. Where the cart came from I have no idea as I was on the upper most hill of the lot. Rear quarter panel was dented, and not worth getting fixed. only mark that I ever got on that car. Only minor damage but still.

2003.5 MSP - Took the car off of the truck after it was delivered to dealer. Got in, turned the key, stereo flipped over and was DOA. No biggie. Decided to take car for test drive before signing....was out 10 mins tops, grabbbed a nail right through the sidewall of tire. Got that fixed up. Took car home. Still had the mp3 at this time, so the next day I left the new MSP home. Came home after work, someone stole every chrome cap off of my tire valves. Replaced them, gone again a week later. Never bothered again.

MY MS6. Drove to another province to get it, came back via ferry, bad weather, seen moose etc. Not a problem. Gets home to the house, woman goes to let her sister in the car to show it to her, she opens the door and slams it into a concrete step she parked to close to. Luckily it was only the plastic skirt on the door that got nailed.

 

[GTXT23]

My 2010 Mazda3 S-GT HB is getting babied like nobodys biz but of course I park in a spot and leave ample room for the 1970 pick-up truck in front to move out if he needs to and NOT hit my bumper . I come back 2 minutes later and the truck is GONE. Damn I thought how is that possible - I inspect the bumper and yep the very point of the nose was hit and he dented it as it lined up perfectly with that beautiful crease. Man I was out to kill. Then I park in a lot that has a circular path around the parked cars and IM on the end , well gone 10 minutes and another IDIOT cut the turn to tight , shaved the paint off the bumper side next too the fog light and dented the fender , which poped out the minute I massaged it , but still needed a dent removal guy and $100 to get it squared away . screw the scrapes as the majority was his white paint and when I cleaned it the marks werent so bad . but the point --people dont like seeing you and your new car --kind pisses em off so they gain some twisted pleasure by damaging your hard earned possesion --one thing here though ...just dont let me catch you . I just want to catch em one time --once---I live in the Bay Area of California and parking is tight nearly everywhere hence jack-a$%ess galore. I have seem bumpers that have literally NO PAINT left at all !!! fortunately at work ---I have plenty of room and ...ahem its a Mazda dealer and also have a garage at home ...but these two things happend in the first month !!!

 

[XspeedyD]

2nd day i had my ms3 this dumb girl hits her door into mine with her butt as she leaned to get something out of her car. i was still in the car. she dented the door and left pretty big scrape marks, some down to the metal. damage was near 800 bucks and she paid for all of it.

 

[nate0123]

Within the first week of buying my brand new Protege ES in 2002 someone pulled a hit-and-run in a parking lot, scraped down the entire side of the car. Both driver's side doors had to be reskinned. I don't think I still have the pictures, but it was gut-wrenching.

Within the first week of buying the new 2010 3S GT, well it wasn't as bad as the Protege, but we got a big ol' ding in the rear QP from someone's door.

Those are the only new cars I've bought. But you're right. It's never long before the "newness" is beat out of them.

 

[fateexceeds]

Quoted from my thread about my accident in my new 3s:

"I was stopped at a traffic light behind a yellow school bus, and the driver of the bus decided to back up into my car! She claims another driver was trying to turn left onto the road we were on and was yelling at her to back up, so she did. Why she listened, and how she managed not to see me, is just unbelievable. The road is slightly declined, so by the time I shifted into reverse and started backing up the hill, it was too late. The flying M was like a bullseye - the bumper, hood, and grille are smashed, and while the headlights are miraculously intact, they are pushed in a bit."

At the time, I had the car for a little over a month, and the first payment wasn't even due yet.

 

[GTXT23]

Farging Bastages

 

[TheSleeper]

the third day of getting the my 2010 3s 5-door, my dad pulls a little quick into a steep-steep driveways and scrapes the car under both fog lamps, away from view, but still bugs me knowing its there. and then last night my dad tells me to pull closer to a curb while i really dont want to and so i cautiously follow as he keeps leading me closer and then i here a scrape and now i have chip in my brand new yoko tires aaaand my rim is scratched -__- i vow to not drive the car for a few days

 

[nate0123]

the third day of getting the my 2010 3s 5-door, my dad pulls a little quick into a steep-steep driveways and scrapes the car under both fog lamps, away from view, but still bugs me knowing its there. and then last night my dad tells me to pull closer to a curb while i really dont want to and so i cautiously follow as he keeps leading me closer and then i here a scrape and now i have chip in my brand new yoko tires aaaand my rim is scratched -__- i vow to not drive the car for a few days

dude ... mirrors!?!

 

[Sean2010]

wasn't too too new...but still obviously recent....

11k worth of damage

 

[amaudio]

I didn't even have my plates yet and some idiot hit my right rear backing out of a parking space.