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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Snow on cars

215 replies

PerfectlyPortioned · 08/02/2021 11:04

We live next door to a playground that's covered in thick snow this morning. Lots of kids playing in it. A mother was standing watching her kids scraping all the snow off our 2 cars to make snowballs (parked in our drive which is open to the road) and I asked her (perfectly nicely) not to incase the cars get scratched. She looked at me like I was totally mad. Didn't want to be a killjoy but they are new cars (and on our drive).... I genuinely don't think I would let my kids do that....

WIBU?

OP posts:

Candyapple49 · 08/02/2021 12:23

Dust can be made up with tiny bits of grit , which although tiny has sharp edges .
I once put a bucket in my bonnet while I was washing my car . The tiny bits of dirt on the base of the bucket scratched my car .

TheFairyCaravan · 08/02/2021 12:23

This thread is batshit. The way people are falling over themselves to justify this is ridiculous.

YANBU at all @PerfectlyPortioned. DH would have been really annoyed. Neither of our cars are scratched, despite being driven regularly down the roads. He’s really into cars so looks after them well. They shouldn’t have been on your drive and certainly shouldn’t have been touching your cars

AnaisNun · 08/02/2021 12:24

No, I tell DS not to do this - the cars are somebody's property, and although it's not in itself a big deal, it's just a bit disrespectful - like going into someone's garden, or sitting on their doorstep.

Llioed · 08/02/2021 12:25

YANBU! I can’t believe the number of people saying they think it’s ok!
I wouldn’t be ok with this. The parent needs to teach her children not to touch other peoples’ property, including walking into someone’s drive to touch their car.

redcarbluecar · 08/02/2021 12:27

I don't think I'd worry that much about scratching, but they had no right to go onto your drive.

ToffeePennie · 08/02/2021 12:28

My car is on the road, DH is driveway. I don’t give a monkeys if the kids scrape snow off my car - that’s why it’s on the road, it has dings and dents and stuff all over. It doesn’t matter to me.
My husbands brand new number plate Skoda with all the fancy ass branding and shit - hell yeah I’ll be fuming, literally because it’s a works vehicle and he cannot show up to some of his sites with a single scratch, because that would reflect badly on the company. Which is why it’s on our drive behind our fence, where random kids can’t get to it.
If you’re concerned about children scratching your cars, is there any way to fence in your driveway? Or are the cars on the road and liable to get dinged anyway?

Sparklingbrook · 08/02/2021 12:29

OP maybe you should have let them into your back garden too-it's only snow. And maybe given them your sledge. Who cares?

UrAWizHarry · 08/02/2021 12:30

Just like bins people are weirdly precious about their cars. I wouldn't let my kids do it but I wouldn't really care if someone did it to my car.

pistachioglace · 08/02/2021 12:30

@Inthevirtualwaitingroom

As a teenager i got in big trouble writing in the dirt on someone's car.

OK, own up - what did you really write?!

AndreaMartelsCoat · 08/02/2021 12:32

If you’re concerned about children scratching your cars, is there any way to fence in your driveway?

I'm becoming far too invested in this furlough is turning me in to a loon but why is it the OP's responsibility to protect the car? Should it not be the responsibility of the parent to teach the child it's an unacceptable thing to do?

Sparklingbrook · 08/02/2021 12:33

@UrAWizHarry

Just like bins people are weirdly precious about their cars. I wouldn't let my kids do it but I wouldn't really care if someone did it to my car.

Yes because bins and cars are comparable aren't they?

En0laGay · 08/02/2021 12:33

@Xenia

They trespassed on to your land. I wonder if she would like you to tramp into her garden unannounced! Also potential criminal damage. Put the car engines on and melt it all.

Are you a lawyer?

Sparklingbrook · 08/02/2021 12:34

@AndreaMartelsCoat

If you’re concerned about children scratching your cars, is there any way to fence in your driveway?

You posted what I was thinking.

I think it's obvious from this thread who allows their little darlings to run about doing whatever they like.

Nanny0gg · 08/02/2021 12:35

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

YABU

That’s incredibly precious even for MN!

You don't mind randoms in your garden, leaning all over your car then?

Snowrabbit · 08/02/2021 12:36

Of course YANBU. They shouldn't be touching your cars. So entitled to think that would be ok and you have no right to not like it!

Keratinsmooth · 08/02/2021 12:37

Can you set the alarm off on your car? I would if so.

They shouldn’t be on your drive touching your property. Yanbu

Thedarknightsarelifting · 08/02/2021 12:37

YANBU at all

Sparklingbrook · 08/02/2021 12:38

@Keratinsmooth

Can you set the alarm off on your car? I would if so.

They shouldn’t be on your drive touching your property. Yanbu

Can you imagine? 'Your car alarm startled my child and they slipped and banged their head on your car so I'll be claiming compensation'.

dgirluk · 08/02/2021 12:39

YANBU. My car paint is so stupidly soft that if you use a wash cloth on it, it scratches. I have to be so careful with it. Scraping snow off, scraping the ice crystals etc., would almost certainly scratch it. The dealer's already paid a lot of £ twice to sort it out, it would be gutting to have it ruined again !

MerylStropp · 08/02/2021 12:40

Take a bucket of snow upstairs and throw your own snowballs at them out of an upstairs window. That'll learn 'em!

HoppingPavlova · 08/02/2021 12:45

Can’t believe posters saying OP should fence off the drive etc. what about a bit of parental responsibility not allowing your kids to enter other people’s property uninvited? Once upon a time this would have been standard, these days if little Anna or Mike want to go zooming around someone’s garden or driveway then the darlings should not be constrained and everyone else who can’t see how courageous/spirited/independent they are is the problem.

Keratinsmooth · 08/02/2021 12:45

I don’t people of any age should be touching other people’s cars. What would you do if the alarm went off?

ToffeePennie · 08/02/2021 12:45

Yeah I can see your point, it’s just that because my husbands car is so precious we have taken great lengths to protect it, even from our own children!
I wouldn’t dream of letting my children go near anyone else’s car, but in our village, off road parking is at a premium, so you struggle if you own more than one car, which is why you tend to get the older, more knackered cars on the street.

JenIsAGem · 08/02/2021 12:47

@SofiaMichelle

On my word! No, of course they shouldn't be scraping snow off a stranger's car!

What if they scratched it with a stud on a cuff or a fastener on a glove, or something???

I know that on MN many think a car is just a mobile skip to transport DCs and associated detritus around in, but for other people in the real world a car is often their pride and joy and scratches can cost a fortune to repair, let alone being unsightly and devaluing.

Would people think it's ok for a stranger's children to go into someone else's garden and build a snowman?

This 👏🏻

KevinSausage · 08/02/2021 12:49

Not being unreasonable at all - have had a car bonnet scratched by the metal popper on a kids coat sleeve when they have been doing exactly that, I was fuming

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