[Tracer]

You know, I can handle scratches and scuff marks but dents pi$$ me off.

This is the 2nd winter I have had my car and I just got another ding near the front edge of my hood this week. I have 3 now. I got my first one when something came off a logging truck I was behind last year.. made a hell of a bang (I flinched!) and I later found a small dimple near the edge of the hood. I thought I hit a bird as it was a big black object about the size of a pine cone.. I was surprised to see such a small dent --I was expecting larger.

Last week I saw a truck in an oncoming lane fling a rock up into the air and I knew instantly it was going to hit me so I punched the gas! It hit my roof above my head just behind the glass trim and made a very small chip in the paint -hardly noticeable.

This morning I got up and went to my car and found my 2nd and 3rd dent, and this time it's "huge" ..it took a chip of paint off about half the size of a dime and a fairly impressive dent inwards. I have no idea when this occured but I do know that it happened sometime between friday after work (6pm) and this morning (Sat 11am). Another smaller dent I discovered during a closer examination and I believe I got this one a few months ago, but not sure.

Now, let me explain that I am totally anal about my car! I park in an enclosure with not one, but FOUR security cameras and where by chance 2 other Honda Civic owners park on either side of me and are almost, but not quite, as anal about door dings etc.. heheh! I am one of those types that physically examines the outside of the car closely -everytime- I go to drive it, no matter where I am. I have even cataloged the few scratches and paint chips when and where I got them since day one. I even park at the farthest edge of mall parking lots away and up-hill from shopping carts and pedestrian walkways. I have had some on going "issues" with an ex-wife's boyfriend (interestingly who is a body mechanic) and this past year I discovered a nail in my tire, so my paranoia has been at an all-time high ever since. I have various monitoring device(s) in place, one of which I reviewed today and nothing is captured.

I am now giving serious considerations on buying one of those half bras for my car (Coupe LX) because I have never had something this bad occur in all my years. I am accumulating very small rock chips which is to be expected over time and was considering this year on getting the hood repainted and coated, but now I have to with such a big chip taken out. But I am wondering if dings can be removed/filled in easily..?? Or is it something that I am stuck with unless I change the entire hood (which I would consider if it means being rid of dings).

Argh..! I'm still puzzled that I never heard a thing as all I did was drive home after work and park the car in a secluded parking lot. I should have heard it happen while driving judging by the size of it. I think I need a hug! :banghead:

 

[kuad]

dude i was driving home from work and i started to hear like sand hitting the car and i see this flatbed with all sorts of rocks flying off of it! one scraped the front fender and left some scratches! i was able to remove some of them with scratch-x. why the F*** dont these bastards clean off their trucks? it could have smashed a window easily!

 

[Tracer]

Oh yeah, I have always made it a habit to drive well back from the vehicle ahead of me, especially trucks.

About 6 years ago I was driving along a highway just outside Calgary when a dumptruck in the on-coming lane was driving with its load of gravel exposed (a big no-no regulation wise). Just as we passed several rocks bounced off the windshield causing us to flinch in our seats because it sounded like they were coming straight thru the windshield!, at the same time we heard 2 loud bangs and the sound of glass breaking. I asked my wife if that was us... so we pulled over and I got out and checked.. sure enough, the drivers side headlight was smashed out ('94 Pontiac Sunbird.. ugh!). I quickly high tailed it back and managed to catch up with the dump truck. As soon as he pulled over I explained what happened and not surprisingly he immediately tried denying it. I remained diplomatic (after all, its not the end of the world) and said we could pursue this in another manner if he so wished. He ended up giving me a business card and the trucking company later reimbursed us for the cost of the headlight without any real difficulties or attitude.

Last year I got a scuff in the paint on the drivers side door just behind the front left wheel well of my new Civic while driving down a gravel logging road. A white Western Forest Products 1/2 ton truck was driving straight down the center of the road, and although its wide enough for two semi-trucks to pass this guy felt he didn't have to move over (a common trait amongst these guys here on Vancouver Island). I went to the right as far as I dared without going off the edge. Unfortunately, there was a small log in the road and although I -just- missed it, he did not and it flew up and banged into my door. Dammit! Funny thing was, after it bounced off my door it went straight up and back into his truck and I heard it hit with a loud bang! He fishtailed when he hit his brakes, I just kept going. Hehheh! The [email protected] I got most of the scuff buffed out by a professional.

 

[strutking]

=[ /

 

[07mugencivic]

i just washed my car......i have a lot of chips in the front of the car now.....

 

[kuad]

wow!.....

 

[kuad]

what do you guys do with the paint chips? just live with them? bra? 3m clear bra?
I HATE THOSE PESKY CHIPS!!!!!

 

[12Bravo]

I got a ding on the leading edge of my hood this past summer on one of the many road trips we made, a little less then half an inch long and deep enough to actually gouge the paint. Dealerships body shop estimates about $300 to repair it, which sucks because I think I could buy a new hood and have it painted for about that... Anyway, I immediately made the $60 investment in a weathertech stone/bug deflector... In my opinion it is infinately better then a bra because it doesn't rub against the car and it protects the leading edge as well as most of the hood from flying debris.

Here it is at Weathertech.com

 

[Tracer]

I'm going to get an estimate done on my hood sometime next week when I get a chance. A guy I work with is a Civic fanatic with body work experience, and he too recommended the deflector like the one you mention, 12Bravo. And by looking at the illustration on that webpage it would have protected my hood and it actually doesn't look bad either.

 

[12Bravo]

Nah, it actually looks pretty sharp... Especially on NHBP, you can hardly see it anyway

 

[Tracer]

I just got a new set of tires put onto my LX Coupe today. I put 86,021 kms on the original BFG's. New ones are Michellin Primacy 91H speedrating. I hopped in the car and while waiting for it to warm up I noticed what I thought was a drop of water on the windshield just below the RH wiper blade. I gave the wipers a flick and oh no! dammit! I got a crack in my windshield too! A closer examination shows a rock impact in the dark area just above the hood, and a 8 or 9 cm crack has just begun to travel. I think i'm going to go to Icky-Bicky on this one and go for the hood too.

Damn.. been a rough winter on the girl!