Snow on cars

[PerfectlyPortioned]

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?

I wonder what some of those who think OP is being U would think if I decided to wander onto their drive and lean against their car bonnet and watch the world go by for a short while? I'd wear head to toe cashmere if that helps ...

YANBU

@Elai1978

In which case it clearly isn’t fit for purpose. Why would you paint something that spends most of its life outside with a substance that scratches if you wash it? It’s bonkers.

I suggest you complain to every car and automotive paint maker then. Google “swirl marks”.

There’s no point in complaining, is there? You must admit though that having a surface on a car that’s more delicate than your kitchen units is insane.

YANBU
Parents need to teach kids about boundaries and personal property. Let her get snow off her own cars in her own drive.

If it's just a parked car you're being unreasonable

Peoples cars are often the second most expensive thing they own and I sure, they have every right to make them no go areas to strangers.

Insure (not I sure)

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

YABU

That’s incredibly precious even for MN!

so its ok for kids to come on your property and potentially damage your property?

@Wearywithteens

The ‘you are being precious’ people worry me - do they have no boundaries? Are children just allowed to go on anyone’s property and do whatever they like because they’re children and they’re ‘only playing’? Do they think the world revolves around them and nobody else matters apart from their precious offspring? So entitled...

In answer to your questions - Yes.

I don't know if Covid has brought this out more, and it's not just in relation to children.

I wonder if it's because we have so little control in our lives at present, people take it upon themselves, where they can, to do just what the hell they like with no thought or consequence for anyone or anything else.

I don't know if Covid has brought this out more, and it's not just in relation to children

I don’t think it’s Covid related, I think it’s been going this way for a while. So many kids are treated like little emperors and nobody ever says no to them. You’re right it’s not just children, there’s a general sense of entitlement there never used to be.

I suppose it the jacket sleeve had a metal zip it could cause a scratch, but soft gloves are no issue for me.

No one I know would dream of going on to someone else's land and taking anything whether water, snow, rocks, apples, plants. It is a weird idea people might think it is okay for children do to that - there might be man traps or the car could be wired to electrocute intruders and all sorts!
You risk the life of your child and are a bad parent if you imply your children are free to trespass.

Gloves and sleeves can have metal on them. Car is parked on a private driveway.

Take snow off fences, walls, pillar boxes, railings, cable boxes, not other people’s cars.

I wouldn't be happy either, as the grit that would be on there before the snow fell can scratch the cars if the snow is scraped up - for the same reason we don't use car mitts on them when we wash them, until the cars have been properly hosed down.

Yeah don't touch my car. Especially as it's often not my car but one I've brought home from work that's £££

Oh jeez! Life's too short to be such a misery guts. I have a brand new car sitting on the road (no off street parking) and I don't give a damn. The last thing I'd be doing is inspecting it for snowball related scratches.

I wouldn't personally encourage my kids to go onto peoples private driveways but I'd also not waste my life worrying about such ingress onto my property.

Just because someone doesn't care about their own car doesn't give the right to anyone to touch other people's car.

Teaching your kids manners and basic respect is everything but a waste of time.

I have a neighbour who doesn't worry about their car at all - in a recent storm, in the early morning, their full big toppled over and dented their wing. I happened to see it, so went out and shifted their bin away in the thumping rain. I left it to a more civilised time to let him know he had a big dent in his wing. He said he wasn't bothered - it was his works car and it gets replaced annually. So no bill for him.

Maybe that why some people are so easy going about such an expensive purchase being potentially or actually damaged.

Well this thread is proof why we have so many entitled fuckers in the world. "My child will do as they please" attitude.

What happened to RESPECT and respecting people's property.....where does it end??

YANBU!

there might be man traps

I think you’ll find those have been illegal for at least a century @Xenia! 🤣

I don't give a shit about gardens and flowers etc, but I sure as hell wouldn't think it's ok for DCs to walk over someone else's garden and kick the heads of the flowers etc.

And that would be far less important because it would all grow back, not potentially cost someone money to repair.

Have some respect for people's cars, for god's sake.

I was raised to never touch another's car. Would not be happy to have kids pawing at mine; I take very good care of it.

@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?

Exactly.

@AlwaysLatte

I wouldn't be happy either, as the grit that would be on there before the snow fell can scratch the cars if the snow is scraped up - for the same reason we don't use car mitts on them when we wash them, until the cars have been properly hosed down.

Very true. I can't believe more people don't realize this.

So, so tired of entitled parents and children.

I have a brand new car sitting on the road (no off street parking) and I don't give a damn. The last thing I'd be doing is inspecting it for snowball related scratches

But you must realise that not everyone's in such a fortunate position that they are either at no risk of being hit with a bill for scratches or are rich enough to write off a repair bill or loss in value that could be hundreds of pounds or more?

When I drove a company car, I had to pay for any damage unless it happened while I was using it for work. The same goes for anyone who has a car on lease or PCP, or has a hire car in their possession for any reason. You have to keep them in pretty much perfect condition or else you may be hit with repair bills that you might not be able to afford.

Or some people like to take good care of the expensive things they have worked hard to buy.

YANBU, damn cheek.