[rm_arjuna]

Don't worry and get bogged down with these experiences. All these are sort of right of passage in polishing your driving skills. I started driving late when i was around 33 years in 2008, my driving instructor was a veteran with close to 30+ years experience, yet after getting my license i was very skeptical and afraid to drive alone.

So we hired a driver since we already bought a pre owned excellent condition car, i had 4 mishaps all while my driver was next to me. Finally decided to ditch the driver after almost 1.5 years and decided to take the plunge of driving alone. Touchwood from then till now i have driven close to 1.5 lacs kms without any incident. Above all i jumped from a Getz to scorpio within a year of driving alone.
Below are my incidents and i also used to rush to get them repaired, painted and spend endless hours every weekend detailing my car.
1) Hit a stationary city bus while trying to overtake, losing my left headlamp & OVRM

2) while taking a fast turn, couldn't try on time and put my car in a small ditch. Lost my front bumper.

3) In an incline couldn't hold half clutch and car drifted behind hitting a garabage truck, lost the boot door and back bumper.

4) while parking in our apartment ended up scratching both front & back doors.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by tilt

Trend Automobiles is the place you're thinking of. Dinesh is the owner, good fellow. No shenanigans, does a good job, honest, does not overcharge etc. Phone number is *+91 99005 61111‬.

Cheers

Exactly right, and thanks.

I’ve had my esteem bang into the pillars in our car park, straight from the showroom.

My Innova had to run over a branch of tree that just fell off, on my return from Karwar leaving good damages to the bumper and fender, this was in the first month.

These are unavoidable and thankfully, these days, the regrets don’t last beyond a day.

[Tgo]

Without giving you advise on how you can become a good driver, I would say someone so much in love with the car automatically finds ways and means to keep the car in top shape.

So you’ll know what to do even if it means avoiding certain areas/ time of the day / what and whom to be allowed in the car or being more cautious etc…

All first time car owners face this sometime or the other. I did too.

Make use of the insurance. It’s there to make your ownership experience stress free. ASCs these days do a good and near factory repair job as far as exterior finish is concerned.

[Emvi]

Anticipation is the key to safe driving. Better anticipation can lead to fewer driving errors on the road.

Yes, I always suggest used and relatively smaller cars for beginners. Now that you have bought a new car, try not to dwell on your purchase decision much and move on. Your disquiet is understandable. Bangalore traffic is chaotic to say the least. Although I am not a Bangalore resident, I keep visiting Bangalore a few times a year. When I do, I drive quite a lot in the city traffic. Each time I revisit, I am able to clearly notice the increase in vehicular density. Resident Bangaloreans probably might not be able to notice the difference much. My observation is, haphazard lane switching by motorists contributes for a major chunk of road accidents(particularly minor). It is always good not to switch lanes frequently as far as possible. However, it is not an easy job keeping a vehicle absolutely scratch/dent free in Bangalore traffic condition. A good percentage of motorists(and pedestrians to an extent) in Bangalore seem to believe in "SURVIVAL of the FASTEST" and "me FIRST" philosophy. In such a situation, good fortune is what we all need and can hope for.

Drive safe

[AKSarkar1]

Reminds me of my situation when I first started driving. I started 'properly' using my father's Red VW Polo in around 2012 which was his pride.

Mumbai roads being Mumbai roads throw certain curveballs at you that you can't even imagine. From being hit by a 'haatgaadiwaala' and totaling my left rear-lights to hitting a tempowala (my fault) we have all been there. For the first one year when I was learning to drive, my father used to get the car repaired every 6 months since new dents and dings were a bi-weekly affair.

Learning how to drive will only teach you the basics of how to operate your car. In India, you need to know how to operate the road (since roads are a tool too) this is only something that comes with experience and manifests itself in the form of dents.

This is only normal and it is a matter of time before you start driving like a pro. As many others said, we all are still learning to drive regardless of the years we have driven. So don't stress and enjoy this phase too!

[Chanakya]

OK. Beat this if you can!
I'm a first generation entrepreneur. Me and my business partner, a school mate of mine, started our firm in 1993. Two freshly minted enginners, wanting to make it big. After a long struggle of almost eight years, we were ready to buy our first cars. First as in not our first cars but first cars our families had ever owned!
We book two Matiz, same color and specs and on the day of the delivery, after the pooja, full family in tow, we both are ready to drive home. I drive out of the showroom and get on to the road, hoping to see my partner in my rear view mirror. Nope! He had driven it out of the showroom and straight into an electric pole. While we laugh at it today, that day we learned the real meaning of the phrase-'soul crushing' !

[vredesbyrd]

Congratulations on the Rapid. It's a nice car indeed.

Some dings and dongs will usually happen on a new car if it's your first.
I remember toppling some idiot's scooty 2 days after I bought my Superb (so much skill for a first car).

But anyway, as you spend more time with it, you'll get used to the dimensions. I seriously miss the front parking sensors I had in the Superb.

Now, coming to your concern, this is the first problem:

Originally Posted by sen2693

All was going well until this month I had to move to Bangalore.

I know, little can be done about the issue, so here's some tips to survive the city with the worst traffic:

- Play it safe. Keep lots of gap between you and the lead vehicle. You never know when they try to save a biker or a cabbie and end up brake-checking you

- Ignore pressure. Yes, they will honk, they will be extremely abusive and will have no consideration. You just have to ignore them. Just ignore people in general. Helps in Bangalore

- Worry less. Near-misses are a daily affair in Bangalore. I used to have a 3km one-way route to office. At least 3-5 near misses on daily basis. I am a very sedated driver. You can imagine the rest. Best is, put on some nice music, helps you ignore the lawless motorists whose only goal is to do damage

- Extra margin. This is an expansion of point 1. Always try to keep extra space. People will maneuver without consideration, especially near signals or super tight places like BTM and so. That extra margin helps

- Leave a green light slowly. Good chance that some fool will jump the signal. Look left and right as if you were crossing the road on foot. Saved me getting t-boned by a police car jumping the signal

- Last but not the least, don't let the horrible traffic and roads of Bangalore ruin driving for you. Karnataka is a beautiful state with lovely places within an arm's reach. You won't find such horrible traffic outside of the city (except when you're returning from Mysuru on a sunday evening/night).

- Take some time off and hit Manipal, Coorg, Kabaneri, Gokarna and Chickmagalur. Nice roads, lots of wind and great people. Also, very little traffic.

Drive hard (no! not inside Bangalore!) and cheers!

[sgm]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Did not know where else to go about this, so here I am. Mods please remove or move as it seems fit. Just needed a place to rant.

As time progresses, you will be much better driver and these are just the initial hick ups. Yielding to other vehicles is the secret in a busy and congested place. Just like others admire your wonderful car, you have to admire and respect even a humble the cyclist, leave enough space and give way to safeguard your car.

The first dent, is always a tough pill to swallow, especially if you have taken all the possible care. Learn to make peace and enjoy your driving experience. Most of the people are accommodating and careful but you never know when a rash guy is next to you.

Enjoy your car and wishing you lots of happy miles

[snappysam]

Dear buddy dents and small mishaps can happen all the while. Not just when you are just learning to drive. A small incident I'd like to mention is that several years ago when my car was just 1 month old, a speeding rickshaw crashed into the rear of my parked car on New Year's Eve. Caused considerable damage too. It stressed me to no small extent as I too could not bear to look at my damaged new car.
Since it was Jan 1 next day, the ASC was closed. Guess what! by the end of next day, I did not even see the dent and damage to my car. Actually waited for 2 more days before getting it to ASC. Since then, I try not to stress over these small mishaps.
Enjoy your drive.

[Zen Av8r]

Dear sen2693, as would be evident by now, most of us in this forum have "been there and done that". Don't let this get you and definitely don't stop driving or using your car. Confidence lost now will be difficult to build up later. Continue driving and build up your confidence along with experience. Remember that the dents and scratches on your car happened because of your limited experience and definitely not because of your unsafe driving habits. There's a big difference in both. The dents and scratches can be done up and the car made to look beautiful anytime later.

Enjoy the car that stole your heart. Wishing you many miles of safe driving.

[Manublr]

I definitely understand what it feels like.
Just yesterday, I was taking my Amaze out and it grazed badly against the gate pillar. Resulted in bad scratches on the front left bumper. Was devastated - It is a relatively new car under 2 years. Could not keep my thoughts away from this for a long time. A little while later, when I checked my BP, it was at 160/110. At that point, decided to put an end to that chain of thought.
Second service is coming up soon; so will get it repainted during that. Will leave it at that for now

[Big Smoke]

Just chill, man.

Don't mind my words, but fact is, "shit happens", as Tom Hanks said.
The principal reason you are upset is because you have a brand new car, which is your first car, and it got damaged because of someone else's fault. Guess what? 90% accidents of a good driver is because of someone else's fault.

You'll end up with all sorts of scratches, dings, dents etc while driving through lanes in your initial days. Only one advice: be more prudent & vigilant the next time, everytime. There's no formula to fix it.

I learnt driving in my parent's cars (2 years ago only). So while practicing, it was always like I was under an unspoken threat: "You dare not damage the car, kid." So I was always more than 100% careful, despite learning to drive in narrow lanes itself. No main roads. I think that really shaped my driving skills, and till now (touchwood) I've not had any major scratches, dings yet. Only once, I brushed against a small metal pole (which tapped my front fender very slightly), and once I reversed into the wall (slightly), which caused no damage to the bumper, because it was a Maruti's bumper

And guess what? Few months ago this happened to my brand new 3 month old car-





My car was parked in its usual parking spot. In the evening, a 5 yr old kid came, did some graffiti on the door with a stone chip, and went back. Now how do you deal with that?

[gasinveins]

Don't worry. This is all part of driving. I also own a Rapid, and I was brake checked by a Pickup truck driver, and I slammed my front into him. That dented my confidence heavily. The front was repaired, including headlights, radiator, bumper and hood. I had to spend a quite after the insurance claims.

I got the vehicle ready in a week and a half, and within the next three days, I was hit back by an Omni at high speed when I was waiting in the signal which the Omni driver was completely at fault. I had to spend again after insurance which completely dented my confidence.

After I got it repaired and picked up my confidence, Within a month, A group of guys in a Ciaz slammed into my back when I slowed down for a speed breaker in a diversion lane, and they entered the diversion lane without reducing the speed. The ciaz suffered damages and mine was a bumper dent which I got fixed and painted. My confidence was really dented. This all happened within 3000kms for me.

I still drive confidently and calculate everything and give enough bandwidth or gaps to other drivers so that I'm unaffected by their poor decisions or skills. If I see a vehicle trying to overtake, I give the space immediately when I can. I don't honk at slow two-wheelers in narrow lanes, give time for cyclists to clear the path and made my driving style more disciplined with a few more things.

I kept the bumper dent scratches at it is and didn't paint it.

[Azalactone]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Claimed insurance for the bonnet, bumper incident but the door incident is fresh. My SA advised me against going to the insurance again for this new dent as am only 2 months into the insurance period and if anything happens again in future in same period then i will be able to claim only 50% insurance.

Dear Sen2693,

Sorry to hear about your ordeal.

If the dent is not so bad then don't repair it. Believe me i have done the mistake of painting my car for minor dents and i regret it do this day. In last 5.5 years I have spent approx Rs 75,000/- on minor dent/scratch repairs since i was new to "Car ownership". My father had adviced me not to do that but i was just adamant because i wanted to see my car in pristine/showroom condition always.

The worst mistake one can do is to repaint the bumpers. You see in a factory painted bumper the clearcoat, paint etc is there right on top of the solid black bumper. This is why when it is hit you will see a scrape off which looks black as the black bumper area is exposed.

When the bumper is repaired by the use of PUTTY and the repainted it forms a weak solid layer between the black bumper and the paint, clearcoat etc which is why the area even though looks new looses its strength and the paint will crack the moment it is hit.

See, no matter how much they claim the FNGs or service centres cannot ever match the factory paint of the car. Because in the factory the car is painted by robots in a precise manner.

I may be wrong but as far as i have observed, factory paint never cracks even after being hit multiple times. But in a re-painted vehicle especially the bumpers, the paint will crack as soon as it is hit because by using PUTTY its strength is gone.

My advice is to only repaint the dented area only if it is a major dent and is looking really bad. Else leave it.

Believe me living with a minor dent is better than spending huge amounts of cash and regretting later.

[Sridhar C E]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Should have started with a second hand car. Am really worried if I should carry on driving or not.

Bangalore traffic is very typical of what's happening in most cities that have seen unplanned growth. That and lack of respect for the fellow motorist.

Even the most experienced drivers are exasperated when it comes to driving in Bangalore. All it needs is tremendous patience, my friend. You will get used to it as long as you can keep your cool. Over a period of time, I am sure you will become a defensive driver and learnt to anticipate.

So don't feel too bad. If it is any consolation, let me tell you what happened a day after I bought my latest car- A Ciaz. On the 2nd day with my new car, I headed out to the dealership to wrap up a few loose ends. I was on a side road, parallel to the Ring road at Pratham motors. The traffic was crawling and I was chilled out, listening to my favorite music. A cyclist who wanted to to overtake me on the left, came too close to my car and left a deep, long scratch as a token of his "affection". I felt like murdering him!!

So after the first dent or scratch, believe me, you will become less sensitive. But really, don't worry too much- you will get used to this city's horrible traffic.