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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:

PollyGray · 08/02/2021 12:51

I thought O@PerfectlyPortioned was going to complain about drivers who don't clear the snow off their cars before driving off . I hate driving behind people who don't clear the snow off the car, it flies off and into the windscreen of the car behind. So I'd quite like someone to take it off my car for me.

YAB a bit U.

WaxOnFeckOff · 08/02/2021 12:51

I can't believe that more than a hundred people/a quarter of the votes (so far) think you are unreasonable.

I8toys · 08/02/2021 12:52

YANBU - Can't believe people think its okay. Its on your driveway not on the road and still I would not let kids do it. They need to be educated on the boundaries of other people's property and that some would not like their cars being messed with.

DinosaurDigestive · 08/02/2021 12:52

YANBU

I wouldn't be happy at all with this especially what you said about zips from jacket on it!

Mine have always been taught to never touch someone else's car. Including snow. It's bad manners and rude especially with the mother being there!

Dinnafashyersel · 08/02/2021 12:54

I never let DC touch anyone's car not even mine unless under close supervision. That's about protecting them not the car. Same with dogs, horses etc.

I assume all those precious about their cars never park obstructing pavements or drive merrily splashing through puddles and ruining pedestrians' clothing etc.

VinylDetective · 08/02/2021 12:58

[quote TowandaForever]@24butfeeling80

But how does writing with your finger on dust scratch a car?![/quote]
It doesn’t unless they’re painting cars with icing these days. If the paint on a car can’t stand up to that - and a lot worse - it’s not fit for purpose.

Trespass is another matter, I’d be pissed off about them coming on to the drive though. Not enough to say anything, I’d just roll my eyes.

SunshineCake · 08/02/2021 12:59

YANBU. I'm sure there are other sources of snow. She's touching your property. Can't believe anyone thinks it's ok but I expect they are trying to be what they think is cool.

CleverCatty · 08/02/2021 13:03

Definitely not unreasonable.

The poster who said they might have done this when younger (whether you knew this was ok or not is a moot point!) is correct - yes probably a few of us as kids grabbed snow etc from a car (if we weren't caught) and maybe on a driveway too.

But in this case - it's a parenting issue - the mother shouldn't have let her DC touch your car or come onto the driveway to do so, bad parenting skills and not teaching her DC respect for others property. I'd be willing to bet she's the same sort of parent who'd let her DC chuck rubbish into your garden too.

On another totally pouty side - yes, it's 'your and your families snow too!'

CleverCatty · 08/02/2021 13:05

@SunshineCake

YANBU. I'm sure there are other sources of snow. She's touching your property. Can't believe anyone thinks it's ok but I expect they are trying to be what they think is cool.

28% think it's ok.

Are these the PFB parents who think it's ok to let little Madison etc run up to your table in a pub etc in non Covid 19 times and scream loudly in your face, because 'it's what kids do innit?!'.

surreymum89 · 08/02/2021 13:06

How do you all get snow off your cars in general? Would this not scratch it too then?

Blondiney · 08/02/2021 13:07

YANBU. So many arseholes around at the moment with a colossal sense of entitlement.

peak2021 · 08/02/2021 13:08

YANBU because they are parked on your drive. Parents should not be encouraging or condoning trespassing.

Confusedandshaken · 08/02/2021 13:12

We live on a cul de sac with no fences or hedges to the front gardens. I've just sat at my desk just the front window and watched the little kids over the road do exactly that to the cars on our drive. They also scooped up a lot of snow from our lawn when it was running short elsewhere. It was an absolute pleasure to watch them having such innocent fun and brought back happy memories of my own DC.

I can see that if we lived in a place where it was often snowy that this could be annoying but we live in SE England. We get days where kids play out in the snow very rarely. I'm not going to begrudge them 'my' snow or my space or worry about a few possible scratches on my car.

ParkheadParadise · 08/02/2021 13:13

I wouldn't let dd do that to someone's car esp on their driveway.
We are lucky to have a large driveway and expensive cars. If someone came in the driveway to remove snow i'd be pissed off. If the cars were on the street I would imagine it's something kids do.

PatchworkElmer · 08/02/2021 13:14

YANBU. It’s your driveway and your car. They shouldn’t have be on our drive, they shouldn’t be touching your car. My 4 year old understands this for goodness sake.

rosesinmygarden · 08/02/2021 13:15

I've had my car scratched by kids doing this.
They must have had zips or something metal on their coats and they were leaning over the car to get the snow so their coats (and zips) were sliding all over the paintwork.

I was furious as they'd walked up our drive to do it. The parents gave me a mouthful. Entitled, selfish idiots.

MeepyMupp · 08/02/2021 13:18

If my car was parked on the road , it wouldn't bother me as long as they were careful and not clamouring on my car and pulling at windscreen wipers etc. I would be pissed off about it if my car was on my drive as it shows complete lack of respect on the parents part about other peoples premises and older kids should know better if not with their parents to just walk onto someone's drive.

BottegaBish · 08/02/2021 13:18

@24butfeeling80 I work in this very niche industry so I would have gone bonkers!

bendmeoverbackwards · 08/02/2021 13:21

They shouldn't have been on your driveway.

If the car was parked on the street then no problem.

I've never understood people being so precious about their cars; cars get scratched. If you're so fussy about yours, leave it at home.

firstimemamma · 08/02/2021 13:22

Yanbu. I had children ask me in the street if I had a car they could get snow off. DP and I share a car and he had it for work so it had to be a no but otherwise I would've said yes in a heartbeat. The children in your op aren't being shown boundaries by their mum.

Sparklingbrook · 08/02/2021 13:24

I've never understood people being so precious about their cars; cars get scratched. If you're so fussy about yours, leave it at home

Which is exactly where OP's was!

JustFrustrated · 08/02/2021 13:26

I'd be really cross. My drive. My car. Don't touch. Also pisses me off when people think it's okay to use my car as a leaning post/open their doors into it.

And to the pp - in 6 years of driving, averaging 150 miles a day, I have never once obstructed a pavement/parked so another car struggles/parked illegally or splashed or in any way made a pedestrians life miserable.

Its not even that I spend that long looking after my car (had it valeted in December and not cleaned it since). But other people don't get to determine the risk of damage to my/my tolerance for risk.

How dare any one assume they do?
Also, you have no idea the dangers possibly waiting on someone else's driveway.... Mine today had lots of covered wooden planks - they got delivered and then more snow landed and they got covered. You'd trip and sprain and ankle if you didn't know they were there (which you wouldn't cause you couldn't see any hint until I moved them) so who's responsible there? Me cause it's my private land? Fuck right off

OpenShop · 08/02/2021 13:26

Was trying to think how I'd respond if my sons did this. I'd tell them to leave the cars alone, and go and pick up snow elsewhere. I think I'd be worried about them inadvertently scratching the cars. They don't mean any harm but touching other people's property is a no-go in my books.

I don't want to be held accountable for damages. So I think you were not BU.

EspressoExpresso · 08/02/2021 13:28

@MintyMabel

Your cars will be way more scratched by just driving down the road than from someone taking snow off them.

I'd have been pissed off that kids came on to my drive to do anything, but wouldn't have been worried that my car was scratched. They should be taught boundaries.

Do you live in the Sahara?

Daphnise · 08/02/2021 13:28

Typical mother, thinking it's OK for her wonderful children to go onto another's property and interfere with cars.

YANBU!

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