Someone walked 100' up my driveway, past my house, and took the leaper off my X300 leaving a dent. I'd only had it two months.

A bodyshop welded the hole shut and repainted the hood/bonnet for $400CAD. I preferred the leaperless look though some people asked me where it was. In fact, I always preferred the Daimler grill without leaper to the Jaguar ones with where they were offered on the same model, especially the Mk II. The Series XJ6s look fantastic with a Daimler grill and rear plinth.

 

Never heard of him, Greg, or the song! However, YouTube has everything. And I was only little at the time anyway!!

But what would I do with all my 'spare time' if I wasn't keeping it clean?!
Besides. You know how kitties like being stroked; they purrrrrr...
(';')

 

Well he is Canadian. That song got a lot of air time here!

Do you wax Nix too?

 

I parked in the shopping centre today to pick my daughter up from work,returned to my car to find some goose (not a blue one) had used the right rear of my car as a parking guide.
Why do some people park by feel.

 

Nooo! Sorry dude. I think this post was bad luck for you!

damn so it was a scratch though not a dent?

thats suck man. Yeah i think sometimes people close their eyes and hope for the best lol!

Im glad the Goose wasnt blue lol

 

Oh, Man, Clarke, I'm sorry about that!!

NOW do you see why I park WAAAYYY out away from Everyone else, NOT in the nearest or most convenient spot, NOR anywhere close to a cart corral?!

AND I park in such a way that people feel they have to pay attention or THEIR car might get dinged; while waiting for the Jag club at McDonald's recently for example, where you chided me for not being exactly straight and centered within the lines.

I watched as one of the locals in a jacked up 4x4 pulled in next to Nix and proceeded *Very* carefully and respectfully, as far away as possible and still within her lines.

That was all the vindication I needed.
(';')

 

Never washed nor waxed her, Greg. There are so many rubber leaks I would be afraid to turn the hose on her, although when we first saw the car there were water spots on the hood/bonnet where the PO had neglected to draw a chamois across when he washed her up for our visit (not to mention water stains on the headliner around the "sun roof"). They're almost not visible by now, 11 months later, but that gave me a lesson.

I tried a California Car Duster (it wasn't dirty enough to wash, just dusty from sitting in the garage), but I won't do that ever again!! It scratched the clear coat!

So I perused the car finish isle at WalMart and found Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer, "The missing link between wash and wax" and some Really Soft microfiber clean/polishing cloths, and thought, it couldn't possibly be as bad as the duster was!

Meguiar's claim to remove tree sap, bug juice, bird poop, road dust and grime. If I work at it, and it's only a small spot, it will even remove road tar!!

I don't take her out in the rain, she's kept in the garage unless I'm behind the wheel, so she only gets dusty, or occasionally bombed by a passing bird and a face full of bugs this time of year. Meguiar's deals with all that in Fine manner.

Nix gets a bath with Meguiar's about twice a week. She smells so nice afterward, and she smiles and purrs.......
(';')

 

Oh how lucky to live in such an environment. I suppose I chose to live amongst the messy trees. Not the snow though, I didn't choose that. Actually it's the salt that keeps my cars off the road so much of the year. Maybe when I retire I shall pack up my little collection and head off to a sunnier place. I don't need a big house, just a huge garage.

 

Lucky I had to work the last 4 days,haven't had time to put the water pump back in yet.
So I was driving the Mazda 3

 

!! That's not parking by feel in my world, Clarke, that's hit and run! I don't think it will buff out either!

It looks like a few more days before you get to that water pump! Aren'tcha glad you weren't driving Fireball that day!!
(';')

 

I left a note on the offenders car,as two people who saw it happen left me notes with their phone numbers.
I said I had 2 witness statements and photos of their car parked next to mine with the damage on both(wouldn't you move your car if you weren't going to fess up). Said I would report to police if they didn't ring me.
Anyway,insurance claim is in on their insurance,but can't get it for repair for a couple of weeks.
Yes,lucky the water pump wasn't back in yet. But it won't change my view on where I park though.

 

Going to the repairers tomorrow.
They said empty glove box,console and boot and make sure car is totally free of all personal items....
My answer was "don't you trust your staff?".
Her answer was "it is for your own protection".
So I said I'll take my chances,(with photographic back up). If you are a reputable repairer recommended by the offending persons insurer I should be able to leave my stuff in the car.
My insurer lets me choose my repairer,or use their recommended one. This company wouldn't even let me get a quote from my chosen repairer,so I forced there hand and they are picking up and dropping off the car after the repair.
I told them I can't waste my time running around after them when my preferred repairer is 800 metres away. So I get to stay home on my 5 days off at home while they run around with my(wifes) car.

 

ha ha ha. stick it to em Clarke!

yeah that sounds odd about them making you empty out your glove box. They mustnt trust their staff much!

 

They say it's for your protection, Clarke, but really they're covering their own back sides. Consider:

Someone with less integrity than you have takes their car in for repairs and leaves everything in the car, not having been advised to remove all personal items. There's nothing of much worth in there so the shop owners are not concerned.

When the car owner retrieves the car s/he makes a Huge fuss claiming a very valuable item was left in the car and now it's gone. Accusations fly around, threats of litigation are bandied about until the shop owner caves and offers money (maybe LOTS of it) to keep peace and professional reputation. Of course they would never tell you about that if it happened to them or one of their friends.

Once bitten twice shy, as the saying goes, and said shop owner vows never to allow that to happen again. Hence the 'new' shop requirement to remove ALL personal belongings from any car to be worked on in that shop, anything left in the car after this advisory is ignored is no longer the responsibility of the shop, the owner or the staff.

Ya sorta hafta be a jaded resident of the most litigious state in the civilized world (California) to think along those lines but I can see that exact scenario happening.
(';')

 

Or they don't trust the customer to not make a false claim about what was in the car.

Not everyone is honest, unfortunately.
(';')

 

I never thought about from that point of view, I had it set in mind he must think he has light fingered staff.

 

10.12pm, just got a text from the nightshift supervisor at repairer. Car will be delivered at 7 am tomorrow.
It was only picked up at 7.30am today,I'm assuming the paint will still be wet!
Although they did have the parts in already and had the paint code,maybe they already had the new bumper painted before the car was there, so it may have been just a R&R job.

Thought I might get a couple of days to get the wife driving the XJ6,but she will have her car back before she needs a car.

 

WOW!! That's FAST service!
Night shift you say! They must be doing a "land office" business to do that. I don't think ANY shop in Merca runs a night shift.
(';')

 

LnrB has it right on protection. Bailment is a legal term. In this case, one bails his/her car to the shop to repair for a fee. that is a bailment for hire. That shop virtually guarantees the return of the car as they received it. repair issue set aside. But, they had the opportunity to accept or decline the acceptance of the bailment. Not worth the risk.


So, as to the contents of the boot or cubby or glove compartment or all of them. Not worth the risk of accepting the duty. Suppose it was a diamond encrusted necklace, a Rollex, an expensive Nikon. No pay for that!!!


And, oh yeah, there are those that claim the loss of expensive and probably non-existant items from a bailee.


In my former career, my employer insured a large chain of parking garages in nearby SF. Some garages were park yourself with the disclaimer on the ticket. Space lease only, no bailment. But, some were valet parking. That complicated things. That was a bailment. Customer entitled to get car back unscathed. But, the ticket limited the bailment to the car, not its contents.


Fun at times, as some of the stuff claimed could not have fitted in the boot/trunk.
Big fuss when that stuff came up. One included the lawyer son of a famed old time SF lawyer. He claimed not to understand bailments. I suggested he consult with his pop, Mel Belli!!!


During my college years I worked at a full service station. It included car washes. Texas water contained a lot of minerals and spotted badly if not properly dried. No detergents used, merely plenty of water and a well worn chamois. Then the car was wiped with better chamois, windows included in and out. Properly done with a clean moist chamois, all went well, no scratching.


I've found that my leaf blower dries my cars very nicely. Easier and no scuffing.


As to water spots, the local water is quite free of the minerals and is not prone to spotting.


No washing at present, drought thing.


Carl

 

Huge shop with 4 or 5 booths,they put through 40 to 50 cars a day(so they say). Guarantee you will have car back in 3 working days if it drivable when they get it,guessing they just replace and paint on those ones instead of repair.
I asked if they could touch up a spot about the size of coin on the roof where bat shot ate the paint. They said,no we only do insurance work for two companys.
They run 24 hours,6 days a week. Never knew places like this exist.