To ask if you are a scratch-prone driver?

[moutonfou]

I've never run into another car or anything but parking is my weakness. My car is full of scratches where I've grazed various posts/barriers/pillars etc in car parks - and I've done another tonight. Gutted as I was being really careful - looked in mirrors and behind from all angles, moved out slowly, but crunched into a low bollard that was out of sight (and that I think was actually really poorly placed but oh well).

If anybody else suffers from this malady, how have you managed to overcome it? It makes me really scared to get a new car, especially on finance. I couldn't bear to scratch what I don't even own yet. But I'm starting to get embarrassed driving what I have!

@topnotes I got an s60 a couple of months ago and struggle to reverse or parallel park it. It's like a fucking tank. Hope you're doing better than I am.

OP I think you should get some parking sensors or a couple of extra lessons. What kind of car do you have?

I would never get a new car because I am scratch prone too and it wouldn't be worth the stress. Never hit another car but driving down local country roads always get scratched by branches having to get out the way of aggressive drivers who should have pulled in a bit. Also don't want to have to worry about other people accidentally brushing against car with doors and bags every time we park like some people seem to have to do.

I'll keep you company op! I have scratches and dents on all four wings of my car. It's awful and I feel embarrassed driving my car around. Like you though, it's from scraping pillars and posts and not other cars. I know how each of them were done (2 x reversing in a stressed hurry into our old drive and catching the open gate which had blown a bit more closed than usual, 1 x reversing into our current very narrow drive when we just moved in, 1x scraping past low wooden post reversing out of parking space on holiday). I hate it because I actually pride myself on good spatial awareness and had years of scratch free driving. I do take even greater care because of all those scratches. But I'm aware how I'm probably perceived by others on this thread (and my DH!)

park assist is great

Oh dear, you really should try to be more careful and learn how big your car is.

Failing that, get a qashqai, they have 360 degree cameras, a revelation in parking, especially in tight spaces! Not that I really needed them, but I love having them.

If this is happening often, have you considered getting a few refresher lessons just focusing on parking your car?

On the first day of a new job I drove my work car and managed to scrape along one side on a gatepost. I was mortified.

In this car I have scrapes where an uninsured car hit me, and where an ambulance did.

I also work in a rural area with a lot of lanes and I have little scratches from branches.

Are you sitting up high enough? That makes a difference.

Question but do you live on the street where parking is tight? I used to hate parallel parking do I have to do it every day (terraced Street when I was at the University). Now I'm brilliant at it, if I say so myself. It's just a skill that takes practice.
Don't get a new car until you've learnt it.

Thanks everyone, I should say by frequently I mean about once a year over the 5 year life of my car, not like daily! And i don't mean to make excuses but it's things like - going into a horribly tight space by a pillar in a multi-storey that I probably shouldn't have and then not being able to get out. Or yesterday's was a low down bollard that was completely out of sight and I forgot about like another poster. I'm honestly not careless, in a busy car park like Tesco I am constantly checking for children and stopping and checking again.

The car is a small hatchback and I've had it 5 years so I couldn't be any more familiar with it or aware of its size! Honestly not sure what the problem is.

I think you're right that parking sensors might be worth it for the next car.

What kind of car is it? Do you think it's just to big for you?
When I took my last car to trade in, it was 12 years old, I'd had it for 7, and the showroom chap was amazed that it was scratch free.
I do have awesome spacial awareness though, and it was a small hatchback.
I'd be pretty worried if i suddenly started hitting lots of things.
.

Ah, x-post, sorry!

boombooms have you had your eyes tested? Vision can change a lot over 30 years, maybe yours has altered a bit? Mine changed each time I was pregnant, for example.

I agree, you need a refresher lesson.
let the instructor show you how to use the mirrors correctly.

and go and have an eye test. you might need (new) glasses!

I'm like you - it's always low bollards or weird high curbs that I can't see. Hubby paid to have our car fitted with beepers - literally two hours later I'd discovered gap in beeper radar and scratched against a low wall with a sudden weird bend! Never scratched another other car when parking - just mine! I have put off buying a new car for years for the same reason but I'm taking the plunge this year.

In a way I think it's easier when other cars are around. Other cars are really visible - it's for that reason I've never hit one. If I'm reversing out of a space with another car either side, I can really easily keep them in view and navigate between them.

I think it's when you're on a completely empty car park (as I was yesterday), that you see nothing around, start to manoeuvre thinking you've got the whole space, and forget about the random bollard hidden out of sight...

Have parking sensors added. They can be done as aftermarket. I think the set I saw was about £140.

Some people just don't have good spatial awareness and / or can't compute small space manoeuvres, even though they're fine in normal driving situations.

Yep - you can buy sensors separately and add them to your car. Google it x

Arghhhhhh someone scraped my car last year, cost them £450 to put right,parking sensors sound a good idea! She was concentrating very hard on not hitting a flashy expensive car and instead went into mine

I've got a brand new car and I think it would help you. It's got a camera at the back where you can see the whole road. It's got parking sensors both front and back that flash and beep. It has a warning if you're driving too close to a car in front. And it parallel parks itself so there's no hitting the kerb.

You'd have to be a complete numpty to scrape or hit anything in my car!

Get some idiot parking sensors!

I have parking sensors, I still reversed in to a non-visible bollard a few months ago and caused shitloads of damage. :(

My car is covered is scratches. I live in the countryside and it's endless pebbles, branches, etc etc.

I have an old banger so it doesn't matter.

You need a rear parking camera sensors that just beep are ridiculously over cautious. I can't get in our out if my friends drive without them going nuts both sides, and you'd never get into an in-street parking space in this city without the rear one going max volume.