To think that alloys are easy to scrape?

[iLoveSundaysMe]

Or is just me?

Had to squeeze around a car that was badly parked/sticking out into road on the right. On the left was an uneven curb with stones on, drove very slowly and tightly round car slowly but manage to scrape a section of my back left alloy on the uneven kerb. Couldn’t go up on kerb as it had stones on.

Only had it a week!!!! Brand new car

Whilst it could be argued that I couldn’t do anything about this incident I scraped the alloys on my old car quite a few times but it had very low profiles and my husband did it a few times too.

These are huge tyres so more sturdy but am I destined to always blooming wreck them?

Nervous as it’s new but how do I avoid such situations in future?

Just me then....

All cars get scraped here from driving down narrow lanes and having to hedge your car quite often. Happily, no-one gives a toss!
It might be a bit annoying but the car still goes, doesn't it?

I know but it’s brand-new (it’s a company car) and very, very expensive and have to give it back after 2 years.

I can get it sorted but it’s pricey and it knocks my confidence.

You think there are advanced courses for alloys?

I can’t say I find them particularly easy to scrape actually. Don’t think I’ve ever done it in 20yrs driving. That said I don’t do much kerbside parking so that’s maybe why.

Not sure how you could have avoided it in the situation you describe. Do you mean the verge had big rocks on the prevent people parking on it? I’d have probably turned around and gone another way 😂

Queue of traffic behind me, I had right of way, the oncoming car, instead of waiting, nipped out and squeezed into tight gap on the right with his back end sticking a 3rd into my lane, so I had to go past him.

There was a raised drain and stones and I assessed that I couldn’t get up on kerb without scraping my bodywork. So I tried to skirt it and must have clipped back alloy on raised drain.

19 inch low profile tyres and alloys were a nightmare, 20 inch alloys on my 4x4 no problem.

I had the 19 inch alloys at the same time as newborn so lack of sleep may have been a factor too!

Oh god, my alloys are absolutely buggered from all my kerb scraping! I think they scratch really easily. I've given up caring though obviously you can't OP if you have to give the car back. We had a mobile company come out to repair them when we were selling our old car, it wasn't horrendously expensive at all.

Same situation as @FuzzyCustard here. That’s why I bought an old banger of a car - too many narrow roads and overhanging trees!

You can buy things to put on your alloys that doesn't detract from the look but protects them from scrapes. Someone at our work has them. They were not expensive

Stick some bubble wrap to them. It would look fairly stupid but the popping of the wrap would tell you you were too close to the kerb!

(Sorry, I am being sarky but your post reminds me why I feel fine about being too poor to ever have a new car!)

I scraped ours. DH insisted on getting it fixed and it coat about 80 quid. Then I scraped one again.

DH hasn't noticed yet

Don't get them sorted until just before you return the car!

Don’t worry fuzzy. I thought the bubble wrap sounded ideal

I don’t want to come across as defensive but my current lifestyle is a million miles away from where I started in life and is probably why I get upset when I cause damage to inanimate objects (particularly expensive ones)

I will always worry about money.

If you kerb the car, even when parking, in a driving test you will be failed!

That said, many of us have done it. They can be refurbished quite cheaply. Look up local repairers on line it usually costs between £30 and £70 depending on the damage.

You can also get insurance for alloy wheel scrapes.

One thing to consider though is if the scape caused any damage to your tyres. If it has you should get them checked, remember they are keeping you safe.

There are some tyres (premium brands) that stick out a bit to help prevent kerbing.

My circumstances have changed recently too (but for very bad reasons) so I understand where you are coming from.
But having an 11 year old car is therefore a good thing (as long as it keeps going) as I am beyond worrying about it! I lost a wheel trim in a pothole last winter and bought an odd one. I shall call it quirky!

I have those tyres, it’s going up cost 120 to repair as they’re diamond cut.

Out of interest, in a test, what should I have done? I physically couldn’t get up on kerb. No one could have moved?

I always do it but my car is 10yrs old and alloys were scratched when I got it.

Right. Apparently, you can get gatoralloys? They’re a strip that goes around the alloy and get knocked instead of the alloy edge.

I think I might have these put on.

I still don’t know what I can do to avoid it entirely. If it’s my driving style, bad judgment I’d like to learn how to gauge things better...

I just went out and checked out every parked car ALL of them had some damage to the hub caps or alloys....

I suppose if you had to go up on the kerb to get past the other car was causing an obstruction.

20/20 hindsight here. Could you have stopped, done a turn in the road and found another route where you would not have needed to illegally drive on the pavement?

I got mine covered in an alloy trim. It cost £100 for four. Looks fine. Has already saved me hundreds on silly tiny village lanes where people seem to enjoy parking in most awkward spots. I'll try find a link.

Also - they pop on and off so won't damage company car at all.

Oh OP. I'm a tit for not RTFT. Gator alloys is what I have. They're great. I've got a reasonably snazzy car and they don't make it look shit (imo).

Good luck! A scrape or bump knocks everyone's confidence I think.

I didn’t go up onto the kerb, I think it just clipped the raised drain or a something.

I was in moving traffic, my right of way. queue behind me, so no chance of turning, or reversing, absolutely no options.

The car blocking me (on the opposite side of the road) had jumped forward past a few parked cars in his side and squeezed into the next gap between more parked cars and didn’t fit so his back end was sticking out into my lane quite a bit.

He could have reversed back down the road I guess? But I’d have had to get out and tell him to, plus he’d have to reverse a long way past parked cars.

I think a thinner car would have been ok or I could have passed him more tightly but was worried about scraping his or my car.

They only scratch that easily if you hit things I think! I only rarely hit a kerb so it possible to have a minimum of scratches - they'll never be pristine after thousands of miles.

If you can afford it, you could try an advanced driving course and/or time on a skid pan. It will give you more awareness of where your car is and how to get out of tricky situations more easily. I think you'll be amazed at what you would learn and how much you could improve.

if you can't afford it, would your company pay for a course maybe?

I hate them but DH showed me if I slow down and then turn wheel sharply onto kerb it does less damage than the gradual raise I was doing. Counter intuitive but it seems to work!

Where I live you can’t avoid kerb mounting to avoid collisions.