Strange Habits of Car Lovers

[Sam Dinkar]

Those of us who love our cars NEVER give its keys to others.


Why?


Because those 'others' will 100% not treat our cars in the same way as we treat them.


Those TAIndians who agree with me, raise your hands.


Wow, so many hands ! Alright, please put your hands down.


So what are the things that we do to take care of our cars that the 'others' would otherwise find strange?



Here's some of the things that I do:


1. Leave for office early so that no one occupies the parking slot under the lone tree that is there in the premises ("Saaaar, why do you come soooo early everyday?").

2. Blow the window beadings with air from my mouth before opening the door so that no dust enters the car when I open the door.

3. Get inside bum first, with both legs dangling outside the car, bang both heels together (Nazi salute style) to get rid of shoe dust and only then pull both feet inside.

4. Switch off the ac in peak traffic, even though it makes me and the occupants sweat like a ("you let us sweat like this just so that there is no load put on your engine...huhhh?")

5. Keep a different cloth for wiping the bonnet. Keep a different cloth for wiping the Bumper. Keep a different cloth for wiping the windows. Keep a different cloth for wiping the tyres. Keep a different cloth for wiping the alloys. Keep a different cloth for wiping the boot. Keep a different cloth for wiping the interiors.......("Oh my God...so many rags!!")

6. Refuse to take the car out again once it has been parked for the day.

7. Wash the car and polish it even though it's raining outside ("Oi, why are you doing this, it will get dirty again the moment you take it outside").

8. Not giving lift to a stranded colleague because it's raining and he is wet and if he gets in.......

9. Never rolling down the windows, irrespective of the weather. Never. Ever. ("Yaar...why don't you roll down the windows and let the air in?")

10. Not switching on too many electrical accessories simultaneously ("Why can't we have both the stereo and the ac switched on at the same time?")

11. Idle the engine for a minute before starting off ("Oh, c'mon...what are you waiting for???")

12. Slow down to almost zero speed while moving over a wet road to avoid dirty splashes on the car.

13. Not taking the car out during peak traffic to avoid scratches ("It's so hot...why are we taking the bike when we can take the car?")

14. Give a you-come-one-centimeter-closer to-my-car-and-I'll-whup-you look to that biker who is maneuvering his bike frantically at a red traffic light.

15. Use the spotless white handkerchief to remove that small, almost invisible speck of dust on the dashboard.

16. NEVER allowing anyone to eat anything inside the car ("man, you're so mean!").

17. Put that packet of samosas in the boot to avoid any smell inside the car.

18. Wash and dry the just - replaced spare wheel before putting it inside the boot.

19. Polish the window beadings with dashboard shiner ("huhhh....what are you doinggggg?")

20. Keep staring at the just washed-and polished car without a worry in the world.

21. Refuse to keep a car wash guy ("why do have to wash the car yourself everyday?").


and many many more.


So, what are the things that you do?

 

[type-r]

22. No ONE drives my car except me.
23. no touching of exterior as it may lead to finger prints.

 

[XaerO]

24. Curse and shout at the guards at office/malls who slam the doors and dicky's after checking. <Big Issue in my life>

 

[SOOZ_PUNTO]

25. Keep enough distance from other vehicles when I am in traffic, even though people put horns a lot.

 

[Iron Rock]

Nice thread, and thanks Sam for making us all feel like freaks , i could personally relate to a lot of this.

26. Strictly no to valet parking and do it urself even if u have to walk back a mile.

27. When u park in a parking lot look for a newish car(hopefully these drivers are more careful while opening doors) parked on one side and a wall or pillar the other side

28. Standby the car all the time while its at the service centre( and discreetly check the mechanic's knowledge to be sure ).

 

[raj_5004]

Totally agree with all the points. Infact my family & friends hate me for this!

 

[arungn]

Egjactly..everything said above is true in my case and anybody who knows me hate me for these "quirks". Some more frm my side...

29. Ladies keep your bangles and rings to yourself, dont scratch up the paint/interiors.

30. Jack up the car only after placing a thick chunk of rubber on the jack seat.
...30-a. Never allow puncture wala to remove/tighten bolts or jack up the car.

31. Kids need to be locked in place, pan chewers/ciggy smokers/drunks with potential to you know what...no entry.

32. Keeping the exterior as dusty as possible (laziness/water shortage) so that no one dare touch/lean on it.

33. No wiping dry dirt/dust, only water wash.

34. Driving real close to a wall or the median so that bikers will not try and sqeeze thru.

35. Let everyone out in an open space before parking at a tight spot, to avoid nasty scratches on the door edge.
...35-a. Holding doors of other cars so they dont touch mine during their ingress/egress.

 

[Highway Ranger]

I may be like a fish out of water in this thread.....

But, I would give lift to a friend when it is raining...

I would put the AC on if it is hot, even in traffic jams.

Park my car at the first available slot in my office multilevel parking lot.

On a pleasant day, if I am driving slow, I would roll down the window to feel some fresh air. (provided it is not in thick traffic and the air is not polluted.)

I will enjoy the music and the AC at the same time.

I have a guy who washes my car every day.

Sometimes on long journey we eat packed food inside the car, parked under some tree.

BTW. That does not mean that my car is fully dented up and dirty. It is well maintained, neat and clean.

I buy my cars for my comfort in commuting/traveling. I see no point in making me and my family uncomfortable by using the bike and keeping the AC car parked in the parking lot, just because of peak traffic.

Of course, I also try to avoid peak hour traffic, if possible.

 

[Vishwas]

Very nice thread dedicated by a TAIin to TAIin, good job!

36: Never allow people to fold their legs and sit inside my car(That's when my wierd relatives sit by passing weird comments on us)

37: Never let anyone to change the music tracks when i am inside the my car, be it my dad or my sis.

38: Will wash it only when i take it outside(selfish)

 

[amiti]

I also agree to all your points mentioned. My wife always says, car is your first love and I am second .

 

[autosafari]

I wash my car myself everyday.

AC is on full time whether the car is running or standstill.

Slow down when there is dirt or water ahead to avoid dirt splashing and also to avoid dirt splashing on pedestrians.

Avoid the tyres running over cow dung even if that means a zig zag drive. (only if the road is relatively empty)

Always keep a safe distance from bikes and autos and other vehicles.

After parking, go round the car once and check whether parking is perfect.

Ensure space for the other car to open doors and also ensure I am not blocking anybody else.

 

[Prads]

Well nice write up Sam another brilliant one from you

Well i wash my car myself every 3 odd days once depending on how dirty it is & separate cloth for glass,wiping the body & drying the exterior & i wipe in straight lines & start from roof first & go all the way step by step,but rarely my workers do it with me watching every step.

I usually do a 15 sec warm-up as soon as getting into car by which time i would have selected music track,buckled up,removed wallet/house keys/cellphone from pockets & kept them in there respective places in my car.

Ac is on always except when idle & windows are lowered 5 odd min before i get into the car so there will be some fresh air,i do put windows down when i go on some traffic free roads for a few sec so air is replenished.I keep window up as music is playing loud usually & am a privacy freak.

The area around my car(apartment parking) can be wet sometimes from a car wash or other so i walk up to the car with a newspaper & place it on the floor mat & get in bum first tap my shoes to drip off water(i like my shoes ) & place them on the paper,i do this during rainy days also.

I hesitate from giving my car to other people cos till date all accidents & damages on my car have happened when other people were driving it,in my hands i have had only my mirrors hitting pedestrians/2wheelers/Cabs & floor of the car scraping the potholes/speed breakers,but a few months ago got a small damage on my car front lip thanks to a rock a construction worker threw in front of my car while he was digging,but i am still happy about myself since i have been driving since 2002(9th std) & thoroughly from 2007 & no slow poke.

But i must admit i have started ignoring the scratches on my cars as its unavoidable when car is parked & cursed idiots want to do designs on the car & i have 4 dogs(will be 6 soon) who welcome us home by running there paws all over the door & bonnet(they are very smart they look through the front windshield if the sides are tinted),but becomes a prob when we arrive in other people cars especially the expensive ones.But still better than my neighbor who had 14 odd dogs once upon a time !

I slot it into first gear always before starting off even if i have to reverse out of parking spot.

Overall i want clean interiors & flawless mechanical's from my car(clutch,engine smoothness,brake balance,etc),my car service bills are quite expensive cos i have parts usually changed before the intervals arrive.


I must have some more car related weird habits but cant remember them all.

 

['venom']

39: fix any damage on car immediately.

 

[raj_5004]

^^^ True. I have spent thousands on my car just for fixing minor scratches!

 

[bunty]

40 . Female drivers? [Sorry]