You've only had your nice shiny new car for a few months and some twit does a tiny bit of damage to it, for instance puts a small scratch in your door in a car park.

Do you go through all the pain of making a claim and getting your car fixed, or do you shrug your shoulders and decide you don't want your insurance record ruined? The problem is every time you look at your car from then on, all you can see is that tiny little scratch. Suddenly your nice shiny car no longer seems so special.

To compensate for this physcological dent, I suggest a small compulsory payment from the guilty parties' insurance, which you may only claim once per vehicle.
-- the_knights_of_ni, Sep 30 2003

It'll buff out. http://www.ebiblete.../images/twreck2.jpg
[Amos Kito, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

Rather that getting other people's insurance companies involved (and what if they scratched your car and you didn't see them?), I think this should be organised by the vehicle manufacturer.
When you discover the first scratch, email the chassis number (for a unique ID) and a photo of the scratch to the manufacturer, and they will send you a really nice box of chocolates.
-- hippo, Sep 30 2003


And if you get three matching symbols on the first three scratches, do you win the jackpot?
-- DrCurry, Sep 30 2003


Elaborating on [hippo's] addendum, this could be done my incorporating a small locked box in the car itself, which opens to reveal a delectable prize after the car receives it inaugural scratch. Rather than chocolate, I think brandy would be more appropriate, as extra motivation to prolong the time to scratch, and thus improve the quality of the brandy.
-- bungston, Sep 30 2003


The scratcher should also be given a bonus. (That is, both scratchee and scratcher are paid off from other auto insurance owners' pooled premiums).

Now everyone will be going down the street looking for completely unscratched cars to scratch. Fun!
-- phundug, Sep 30 2003


//looking for completely unscratched cars//

"You scratch my Buick, I'll scratch yours" ?
-- Amos Kito, Sep 30 2003


"You scratch my Buick, I'll f***ing kill you!"
-- DrCurry, Sep 30 2003


The chocolates and the brandy are going in the right direction. I'd suggest a three step programme:

1) Send a grief counsellor and trained paint restorer around to try to polish out the scratch and tell you that it'll all be fine in the end.
2) Give you a voucher for a meal at a good restaurant.
3) Return in a week and threaten to put a bigger scratch down the side if you don't get over it.

(+) It's amazing how annoying that first little scratch to a new car can be.
-- st3f, Oct 01 2003


I only buy pre-scratched cars. I like to keep my life low-stress.
-- half, Oct 01 2003


Scratch'n sniff paint. Mmmm cherry.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 01 2003


Fishbone, to feed your shrubbery!
-- Freefall, Oct 01 2003


Is it a fishbone from a herring?
-- the_knights_of_ni, Oct 07 2003



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