My first collision...

Nazbit

Nazbit

Nazbit

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Joined
11 Dec 2004
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3,871
....was about an hour ago, with the wall in a multistory car park.

Been driving about 7 months now, using my mums car, 1.8 mk3 mondeo. Having never been in a multistory before, I thought I would be capable as long as I just took things slowly.

I did just that, yet somehow clipped the very edge of the bumper where it meets the wheelarch on the passenger side.

Its a scuff, no dent, bumper is perfectly secure, it happened at very low speed but I think its probably too deep for the dealer to buff out, probably going to be a new bumper.

Im just very annoyed with myself really, then ofcourse I had to come home and tell the parents that I had damaged the car, my mum (whos car it is remeber) was fine about it as no one was hurt and its only a bit of paint, my dad however wasnt quite so sympathetic although he did admit its one of the narrowest multistorys he has been on.

Just really annoyed with myself more than anything, thought I would come and vent my anger as I know how much you people wanted to know :p

If the post is packed full of spelling mistakes, then I apologise, im just so ****** off. :mad:
 
It appears to be plastic thankfully, its going to be a respray at least, but Im starting to suspect that it may need replacing all together.

My dad loves cars and has never had an accident that was his fault (even one this small) in 35 years of driving, just feel like i've let him down really, sooo annoyed with myself.

I was going to order a punchbag the day before yesterday....why the hell didnt I? :mad:
 
We all do it sometimes, i have banged my first car quite a few times during the first 6 or so months of driving. I wouldnt beat yourself up about it just happens and you learn from it in the future. Glad not too much damage was caused.

thedazman
 
Kamerad said:
It's not the easiest car to manouver. Visibility is pretty poor as you can't see where the front and back of the car ends :(
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Thats very true, but after a while you learn to judge it I suppose, and I thought I was clean away, something about driving the car inside a building must have changed my perception :p

Either that or Im just an idiot.
 
Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes every now and again, and you haven't hurt anyone :)

When you get right down to it a car is just a car.
 
It's pretty much standard for new drivers to do something like this.

Infact I did exactly the same as you, albeit it in a Micra a week or so after passing my test.

Luckily the bumpers are solid black plastic so it didn't really notice. Also the car was worth about 10p so it wasn't a big deal either.

It's why I recommend getting a cheapo crappy car for 6 months to begin with though.
 
Plastic bumpers are quite easy to repair, even if they are badly cracked. If it's just a scuff then it'll need filling, sanding and painting but it shouldn't be too expensive.
 
Nazbit said:
I
My dad loves cars and has never had an accident that was his fault (even one this small) in 35 years of driving, just feel like i've let him down really, sooo annoyed with myself.
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Yeah, same here - it was my mum's car and she's never had an accident that was her fault in 32 years of driving :( Felt so guilty, especially when I saw the bill :(
 
blueboy2001 said:
Plastic bumpers are quite easy to repair, even if they are badly cracked. If it's just a scuff then it'll need filling, sanding and painting but it shouldn't be too expensive.
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I hope so, I'll post a pic of the damage later, a scuff is all I can describe it as really. Fingers crosed they can just smooth it out or buff it down or something, although my dad will not take it anywhere but the main ford dealer, and I fear they may screw him for a new one even if it doesnt need it.

robmiller said:
Yeah, same here - it was my mum's car and she's never had an accident that was her fault in 32 years of driving :( Felt so guilty, especially when I saw the bill :(
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Yer, Oh well, you live and learn eh, everyones perfectly safe and it is at the end of the day, as gilly says, just a car.
 
The best bumper repair jobs I've seen have been from small back street bodyshops who do them day in day out. Such a job would cost about £100 for cash round here, a Ford dealer will be considerably more expensive.
 
I wouldn't worry too much if I was you. A lot of people have far worse first collisions than that. When you start driving it is just a matter of time before something is going to happen. I remember when I had my first ding, was a relief in a strange way to get it out the way, made me more confident driver afterwards.

Was the car park privately run or was it a council one? I go to a private car park in town quite often, and you can tell that they are going all out for profit. You need to turn your lights on when you go in to see properly, and spaces are smaller than normal, two 4x4 can't really park next to each other. Easy place to damage your car, hence why a lot of the walls have marks on them.
 
Yer the car park is privatley run, and my dad even admitted its one of the narrowest hes ever been in.

The ramps are covered in marks and scrapes and its only about 5 years old, the walls are trashed.

Well its over now, ill probably take it around a few places during the week and get some quotes, although my dad will insist on the ford dealer I imagine.

On the plus side ive just booked 8 days in majorca with 4 mates leaving a week today :p
 
Multistoreys are the worst!!

The one local to us in Telford is great, slanted spaces and loads of room with round external ramps.

Newcastle-under-lyme though is terrible, i was driving forward into a space a while a go and the g/f told me to watch out for the metal strip. I thought she meant the big pipe but there was a large chunk of metal stick out of the floor about 12 inches high and 2 inces across. Thankfully i listened to her and stopped!
 
I've done the same thing!!! but one side of the front bumper on my dads E-Class inset into the car!! The repair work was over a grand.. He has never let me drive it since then :( :o
Lucky his no claims were protected and excess was only £50...

This happened in Eurocarparks in Nottingham, which has got to be one of the worst car parks in the WORLD. It was really stupid of me to take a Eclass into that **** hole in the first place.

No swearing even hidden. FF.
 
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Had my first collision after 7 months as well, must be that time i guess, drove into the back of a chav and wrote off his 'blingin' saxo, my car needed a new bonnet and a set of headlights.
 
Gilly said:
Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes every now and again, and you haven't hurt anyone :)

When you get right down to it a car is just a car.
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Spot on. Its only money.

Normally these things happen when you are in a hurry, kerbing alloys for example. Real shame that you were taking care, Ive been in numerous multistoreys that Ive hated driving up and down, one down by the Quayside in Newcastle the other day. I always cringe when I see the different colours pof paint scratched down the concrete on each corner.
 
Chips Away are good for that kind of thing... Some silly bint put a massive set of scrapes in the bumper of my mums new Honda Accord last year (about a week after she bought it!) and Chips Away did a superb job- you honestly could not tell that it had ever been touched! It cost about £120 for them to do that and a few stone chips- Definatley reccommended. :)
 
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