[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.

After learning to drive for 6-7 months pre lockdown and a bit mid lockdown, I bought a Skoda Rapid in April'21 being confident on my driving skills and because there was a need to own a car now. Owning a vehicle (and that too a Skoda) is a very personal thing for me. I would so many times stop and admire how good the car looked from the front.

All was going well until this month I had to move to Bangalore. I have found it very difficult to drive in traffic here and in the 1 week since I have been here - I got brake checked by a mini truck in traffic, causing damage to my bonnet hood, bumper and grill (to be fair I was also guilty of following him closely on a slope, but the traffic from rear and the pressure to clear the traffic light junction to avoid blocking other cars was stressing me out). And then again today I got a long scratch and a dent in my rear side door after I had a squeeze through a very busy market area. This has really thrown me off a lot. Makes me question my driving skills and whether I deserve to own a car or not. It has been a very depressing few days. The very-tight-slope-with-perpendicular-turns on my way to the parking of my new apartment does not help either.

Should have started with a second hand car. Am really worried if I should carry on driving or not. It is the traffic, the slope-y roads and the tight spaces that is a nightmare for me. My 200km drive from my village to Bangalore consisting of both state and national highways was smooth. I even drove in a much smaller city in Tamil Nadu called Salem and came out damage free. But past week has dented all that confidence. Can't bear to look at my car like this.

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.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Am really worried if I should carry on driving or not.

Even the best and most careful driver will have small accidents in our cities, minor bumps, scratches, dings. It is inevitable. Your driving will improve with time, but city traffic will keep increasing and you cannot control other drivers. The only way to completely protect your car is to never take it out (but then it will develop other issues!) but what is the point of owning a car then.

Now you can choose to be practical and leave minor dents and scratches for some time till it makes sense to get them all removed/buffed/fixed at once, every few years. Or you can obsess about each new spot or scratch and let it affect you mentally. I'd recommend the first approach.

[RavSam]

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.

Hey bro! Relax. To be frank I had my share of incidences too and I do stress about it. But th me frequency has now lessened. If it helps you then let me share you my story.

My car is my family's first car. I wanted it to be special and went against the tide of buying used car and learning on it. I took the plunge and bought the shiny Nexa Blue Ignis Zeta AMT on 27th Dec, 2021

Here are few of my incidents:

1. 31st Dec,2020 - Just when I thought 2020 was getting over, on the 4th day of my ownership at 8 am, a bike crashed onto the front right wheel cladding of my car and broke it. My car was at 5kmph and taking sharp left and he came downhill from a blind spot. None of my occupants saw him. No damage to him, only his foot peg got minor scratch. This made me so intensely depressed and I cursed myself for bringing out my car.

2. I left my car covered and under observation of my family as I left for mumbai for a month for some important work. They didn't use to drive but start the car once a week. When I returned, the underbonnet insulation was eaten and a nest made inside the bonnet may be by rats or squirrel. There was a skeleton of the baby and wiper wire was chewed off and the insulation was stuffed at lots of places. Cursed myself for not taking care of the car.

3. I was zooming down a ghat at reasonable speed (not fast) and a freaking tree twig protruded out of nowhere giving a long minor but visible scratch from the orvm to the rear door handle. That sound just horrified me till few days

4. The day after Tauktae storm, I was taking out my car from the parking lot and everyone in my family was directing me to get it out. Usually I used to do it without any help. But since the storm created a mess they were trying to help (which made me understand "too many cooks spoil the broth") and my front bumper underside scratched a step of a house. Very few but 1-2 deep scratches, I cursed myself and was thinking about it the entire time I was driving till Ot reached home.

5. Just yesterday afternoon there was a huge wind which moved my entire car cover and dumped it on the antenna bending it by curving. What could I freaking due about that! It was even tied down. If it wasn't then it would have floated away and didn't bend it

6. Yesterday I saw a scratch on the rear left door which made me question the Suzuki's paint quality. My car is covered and that scratch came out of nowhere!

My friend told me, that he had his fare share of accidents and incidents on his scooter. Yes the scooter costs way less but a pain is a pain. Yet, he enjoyed every moment of riding it.

My other friend told me that if I just keep thinking about all this stuff, I won't be able to enjoy it. It's a car afterall. No matter how much attachment we have with it, it's not indestructible. We have to live with it, forget it, move on and enjoy the moment.

Yes, I am not completely beyond this and even now I do keep crying over tiny things happening to my car but I also see my family getting irritated by my behaviour regarding this.

To conclude, things beyond our control will happen. Do I doubt my driving ability? After first few incidents, no! Under very very tricky situations? Sometimes!

Should have I bought a used car? Yes. Do I regret buying a new one? Hell No! I love my car. I love looking back at it when parked. I apologize to her for giving her battle scars. I enjoy every moment with it and we both cry together while filling fuel.

So, don't be depressed. One life. Your car isn't going to be in some museum so you better enjoy the time with it. Going further more incidents happen which make us forget the past ones. Live a little!

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by sen2693

This has really thrown me off a lot. Makes me question my driving skills and whether I deserve to own a car or not. It has been a very depressing few days.

Would it have helped if you had braked in time but the vehicle following you, had bumped into your boot? Or, you parked your car perfectly in the same busy market but some other passing truck/bike had swiped into your door? Or someone walking past had used the key in their pocket onto your car bonnet (probably to say "I was here!")?

Your driving is in your control and you can slowly improve upon it. But you might still come across scenarios where you pay in spite of not being at fault. Hence, we have insurance.

The very-tight-slope-with-perpendicular-turns on my way to the parking of my new apartment does not help either.

It is matter of getting used to. Asks for someone's help for the first few days to navigate you through the tight spot, until you form an idea of where/when/how much you need to turn.

Check if there's an option to swap your parking spot with someone else.

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

I have suggested this to most of my friends. Some agreed while some others wanted a new car only. One with the new cars had similar incidents and few heartburns, in the first couple of years. But insurance took care of the repairs, they loved their new cars and today, they're very good drivers.

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.

Check your insurance policy if it has a cap on the number of claims in year. If it does, then listen to your SA for now. But during the next renewal, buy a policy which doesn't have such caps.

You can also club few damages together and repair it in one go.

[androdev]

Ha ha, reminded me of my earlier days of driving! My first real car was a black Octavia (Laura it was called back then) and I was either washing and waxing it or taking it to the workshop to get the fender benders repaired. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Just enjoy and have a blast with your car. You will overcome this fear very soon and will learn to drive without such incidents. Maintain safe distance (on all sides) and always yield to other vehicles if you love your car - don't worry about fairness & right of way, etc. Enjoy some good music instead of getting frustrated about idiots on the road.

[Kosfactor]

You are blessed to have arrived in Bangalore at a time when traffic is at its lowest in the last decade and a half at least. So you haven't seen nothing yet.

Slow down, make it a habit to be the smoothest driver, the one who knows what`s happening all around, the one who can predict what`s happening ahead and be at the right place at the right time.

As a new driver, you should really be looking at improving your driving, enjoying the process of driving to places than worrying about the car itself as you can always repair the car to like new condition , but the lost time is forever.

[SmartCat]

Dull colors like White/Silver/Grey hide dents well. Choose one of these three colors the next time you buy a new car!

For now, try to avoid "main roads" as much as possible on your regular commute. Use low density residential roads instead.

[amit_purohit20]

Ships are safe in harbour but they are not meant for that.

If you use a car the car its going to have usage scars. The probability of getting a scar increases with a new driver but as you get experienced it would reduce.

A car is a thing so if it gets damaged one will obviously feel bad but don't take it to heart.

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by sen2693

I bought a Skoda Rapid in April'21 being confident on my driving skills

I got brake checked by a mini truck in traffic, causing damage to my bonnet hood, bumper and grill

It takes time to acquire driving skills. A good driver knows how to analyse the traffic picture and knows his limitations. A drivers licence in your pocket does not equal to driving skills. It takes about 100,000 km behind the wheel to make a safe driver.

He is considerate and can empathise with other road users and knows that no one is faultless. He does not rush but takes his time in traffic. He is not affected by the driver behind him flashing his lights to speed him up when he follow the speed limit.

Keep your distance to the car in front and look for dangers around you and not his brake lights. With so little experience keep at least 5 seconds behind. This can be reduced to a minumum 3 seconds as you gain a lot more experience. Longer on slippery roads.

This way you wont need to brake suddenly. These 3 seconds will give you just about enough time to brake safely without surprising the car behind you.

Always look as far ahead as possible when you drive to spot dangers before they surprise you. Try this and you will be surprised.

Reckless driving does not show a good driver but considerate driving does.

[anjan_c2007]

Would suggest you not to get disheartened by the happenings. These are very common occurrences for both new as well as the not so new drivers and their cars. Around 2000, my friend wanted to buy a M 800, SB 308 and a 1996 example in the Neptune Blue shade, owned single handedly by a doctor was advertised. We went and took a test drive. The car was fully OK. But while inspecting the bodyline we could spot a horizontal, scrape through dent on the outer side of the front passenger door. We asked the doctor about it. He said that when new, the car rubbed against a moving handcart and that he allowed it to remain as a beauty spot without removing it. Many of us get scared by such dents. To see numerous such live examples of cars with countless dents one needs to visit Kolkata. Most of the Ambassador taxis and also many private cars have dents and dents all over.

Back to the topic, I would suggest you to also rest your car twice or thrice a week and use public transport, including Ola/ Uber as an alternative. Bangalore traffic is really a pain, mostly during rush hours in crowded areas for both the driver and the car.

[gischethans]

Most of us who are first-generation car owners in the family have been through this, especially the "it hurts" part. Thought of sharing two incidents that happened with me. As I posted with pictures in this forum to seek advise, adding links if that can help you feel better.

1. We bought our first car (a pre-worshipped) a year ago and the first damage came when I got rear-ended (Need advice after Accident) for no fault of mine. Kept asking myself what could I have done to avoid it for a few days after the incident. Used insurance in this case.
2. A few months later after driving a few 1000 kms, thought I became good at driving. Was thinking exactly in your lines - I have driven through narrow roads enroute few places, made few uphill starts without rollback etc. I wasn't over-confident but fairly sure that I won't damage the car badly. Then this happened (All about car dent repair & painting - Processes, methods & tools). Here while I was suggested insurance, went to an FNG and spent nearly 10k - didn't want to be the bad guy in front of insurance company despite having a comprehensive cover.

Since then minor incidents like breaking the mud flap after an underbody hit in a concrete road which dipped suddenly have happened but I am slowly learning to forgive myself. I would say many are lucky to have zero-incident driving for years only to be hit by a major one at some point or some are completely lucky throughout. So like many suggested, learn to make peace with dents and enjoy the driving. We will emerge better drivers in the years to come.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Makes me question my driving skills and whether I deserve to own a car or not. It has been a very depressing few days. The very-tight-slope-with-perpendicular-turns on my way to the parking of my new apartment does not help either.

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

No need to be depressed. I’ve been driving for 8 years now and feel I’m still finessing the art of driving. It’s a continuous process. You will always encounter challenging situations. It’s good to stay humble while driving IMO.

Dents and scratches can always be fixed. Our previous car (2010 Dzire) had one visit at least every year to MASS. It literally became a learner car for me and my brother and every panel had been dinged by the 9th year. Pretty sure ICICI Lombard didn’t make a single penny insuring our car.

WRT cars, me and dad have only one philosophy, as long as no one is hurt it’s a non issue. Cars can be fixed, not lives. No need to beat yourself up.

As far as your driving skill is concerned, maybe yes you need some more mileage to get rid of any errors and get better at handling pressure situations. My two cents would be to get hold of an expert driver and have weekly sessions with him for a month or two. That would give you a lot of confidence.

Drive safe and wishing you a lot of happy miles!

[2000rpm]

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.

Chill bro. This is your HENCE PROVED moment.

Hence proved, that you are a petrol head

I face similar sleepless nights when my car develops an issue. Look at the kinda cars I have owned and imagine the sleepless nights I might have spent.

A simple way, is to go and fix your car, trust me the depression will go away. Do it from a good denting-painting shop, a poor job will guarantee more sleepless nights.

[haisaikat]

First 3 years of your driving be prepared to welcome the dents and scratches those are marks of a new driver and bound to happen in busy cities, you should be thankful that in Bengaluru you do not have rickshaws. But if you chose to withstand and learn based on these close encounters, after 3 years you will become an expert precision driver, mark my words who would not only know where the wheels are landing but also be able to anticipate other drivers on the road better.

Remember that big accidents happen from expert drivers only out of their over confidence. Novices only remain limited to dents and bruises.

Do not worry about the dents and scratches, if required repair them after 2-3 years. But make sure you have a insurance that has lesser fine prints unlike the one you seem to have now which will pay only 50% for recurring claims.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Can't bear to look at my car like this.

First of all, you are not alone .

It only means you love your car! I am a middle aged person, and still, I am extremely bothered about scratches and dents and what not. In the process, I have developed some DIY expertise over the years, to treat daily life damages and restore them as far as possible. Maybe you could read up DIY scratch repair threads or whatever.

Having said this, get used to it. This is India, and it does hurt a lot especially when the car is new. Your driving skills will only improve if you drive even more, and in a relaxed manner. If you are not in the habit yet, play a soothing music on the ICE. Just faint, above the ambient, your preferred music; not the cacophony of the radio jockeys. It helps to drive sedately. Once again, it is perfectly OK to feel sad about the car being dented. Just wait out, before subsequent repairs to get gradually used to the experience.

And yes, get a better insurance company!

Cheer up!!