Some of you may remember I had the rear-quarter repaired (badly) on my Coupe early this year after a collision with my friend's Isuzu Trooper...well it was never sorted properly but then one of our company cars hit my car whilst parked at work about 2 months ago leaving tramlines all the way down the drivers door and (other) rear quarter...my Boss was very good about it and said he'd pay for the full repair no probs, so I booked it in to another bodyshop that came highly recommended by a friend. While it was in there I ended up having both rear quaters, boot lid, roof, front bumper, both doors & bonnet done so everything matched and shined nicely (I paid the extra of course). Picked it up about 3 weeks ago but when I got home I noticed a 'new' dent on the drivers door and a number of areas of orange-peel so took it back...the guy was fine about it, apologised for the dent (said it must have been one of his lads) and he'd sort it, and give the whole car another polish. This took another week but since picking her up again about 2 weeks ago looking nice and shiny with no 'new' dents or orange peel I've already had:

1. A minor dent & white scuff on the passenger door from (presumably) another car (within 24 hours of collecting her).

2. Several fine but not easily polished-out scratches along the rear-quarter due to some kind of grit which has randomly contaminated my wash bucket.

3. Today in a car-park, despite parking her WAY out of the way near NOBODY somebody has managed to bump into the front-bumper, crazy-paving the paint across a 6 inch patch and chipping off a strip about 6mm x 30mm right on the front corner next to the number-plate.

I've also looked at my oil-cooler pipes recently and they're not looking too great, but replacements are scarce to say the least!

This is all adding up to a disheartening head-ache after thinking I'd have her back in TOP condition and I'm really wondering if it's worth the hassle? :crazy

I LOVE the look and performance of the car but with one thing or another it seems like such an uphill struggle to keep her even half way towards being top nick and something I can be proud of polishing every week without thinking "that scratch/dent needs doing". I never had a single mark or dent on my Punto GT or Uno Turbo from other cars in many years of ownership so what is it about my Coupe that attracts such things? Is it just bad luck or something else?

C'mon guys, I know people have experienced worse but I need to help here to persuade me it's worth all the hassle!

nah, the amount of morons out there has nothing to do with what car YOU are driving believe me. Just enjoy the car and don't worry, be happy

I felt like you do not so long back when some t***er went down the side of my car and made a hash of the rear quarter panel,but after getting it sorted out and servicing her and a good polish all's well with the world again.
Get it how it should be and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about

Its just bad luck.

The coupe is a strong magnet for such things

but every car has little dings and scratches, you do notice them more on a coop.

i've given up on having a nice shiney dent free coupe

I've given up on mine entirely now!

it's red isn't it? give it to carlt to chop mate, they're all bad luck...

seriously, i've been through the same with a full respray in january and now it looks like it's been kicked to death. these cars seem to attract the mindless moron minority who for some reason want to park next to you despite there being 500 spaces free elsewhere...

just learn to live with it, smile and drive it like you should....

I agree re the body work - mines 10 years old and despite how hard you try it's showing its age and you have to shrug it off. More important is sorting out the pipes - they go and you're in deep sh*t. Last time I looked Alternative Autos had them plus cooler for £220 Also check Carlt as I've just sourced a set from him at a greatly reduced price

I think "buyers" need to read posts like this when there biwildered why a 10 year old Coupe has say a 5mm scratch here and there and stone chips

They think generally its owner negligence, when it isnt, far from it.

Its going the way that any tidy LOW MILEAGE dog will sell, V-car knackered whatever, the only real priorities are MILEAGE and bodywork. Is that down to perhaps the fact buyers carnt see past that, or is that all they can see? Is it because people carnt appreciate how good mechanically a car may be because they aren't mechanically minded but can spot body defects and speedo readings a mile off??? Tis why soooo many people buy shitters im afraid to say.

There's way too much emphasis on bodywork on these in my opinion, if people went for sorted mechanicals and just good bodywork people wouldn't have half the problems they do.

People seem to think when they get there perfect car it wont ever get marked and they are the perfect owner. The most obsessed idiot who bought my old one off blue 16v went to the extreme of how many stone chips are on it carl? proper over the top, couldn't fault it but was still pulling a face at chips etc etc. 6 days later the car got keyed to buggery.

Now with my own cars, i enjoy them as they are hence how my yellow plus looks at the moment, then a month before i sell them they go for a full re-paint. Then there as buyers bizarrely expect them to look and ive been able to enjoy the car without been disheartened at every chance.

Its impossible to keep them perfect for long.

I wouldn't worry, im sure its better than most, you should honestly see the state of some people's cars, usually those who claim there perfect. People here would be horrified if they saw some of them.

Unfortunately you're fighting against the change in society, since the 80's ethos that Thatcherism pushed so hard. (Something along the lines of: It doesn't matter about anyone else, just think about yourself, and yourself only, etc).

Part of the ripple effect of that ethos, are (a)those who drive ENORMOUS 4x4's, knowing they really can't fit them in parking spaces, without taking up two, or causing minor damage to the vehicles around them, (b) the mums (and dads) in there people carriers having a similar issue with parking and spaces, (c) the young upstarts (boy or girl) in there standard, or slightly sporty hatchback, who just don't care - banging there door against the cars car next to them.

I have two cars only because people cannot be trusted with the simplest of care around other peoples property. The Coupe is used when I know I'm visiting friends and family who have a drive space so I can leave the car "safely". The Bravo is used all other times. And although the Bravo's a nice car, it's already developed the scars of being parked in carparks, even though I've only had it about 2 months.

As for mechanical issues, yes there are some. But there are also those recognised specialists who are good value, who are recommended on here all the time. And when you look at the running costs for the Coupe, against most other performance cars, it's pretty good. Particularly when you bare in mind just how good they really are from styling to performance!

I can't beleive someone is blaming Thatcher for this!

Something about Coupes makes owners real obssessive about condition.

There's also a bit of a "mine Coop's cleaner/ nicer/ brighter" than yours, too, definitely. Some owners on here love to think there's is "the best" etc.

Put the same scratch/ blemish on most other cars and the same owner wouldn't flinch an inch. Dunno why.

on a side note, imagine the extra business a supermarket would generate if they made their car park spaces 2ft wider, just for the sake of a bit of extra land

seriously, if its 10pm and there are only 12 cars in the car park then TAKE UP TWO SPACES!

They like to feel there more than an unreliable 4k on average Fiat.

Ouch! LOL

Yeh Yeh been through that too, the Peek meat was the funniest, people rubbing the marks on my nanna knowing ive not yet painted it, making stupid comments. So i had a good look at there cars, yeh there shiny, yeh there cleaner, and yeh they didnt like hearing quarter panels had been migged on & x-members were replaced.

The so claimed mintest car there wasn't aware and still isnt that he has a 16v back panel in his 20vt

There's more to condition than the average eye can see.

LOL! I'd never let you near mine. I'd be in floods.....!

Yeh well people like to think there clever with snide comments, two can play that game.

Pick stupid faults with mine to make yourself feel better and you get a free real insight into your own car.

Priceless. Kin ell, you're scary

Please note that comment doesn't apply to alot of people, just the no money concourse "Ferrari" hunters that are appearing as there getting cheaper.

For what it's worth, I have a nice big vertical dent and scrape in the side of the Monaro now where someone has let their door swing out and hit the side of me at maximum momentum. It was parked near the beach on a windy day, therefore covered in fine sand, and the muppet then must have decided to see how bad the damage (s)he'd caused, so they rubbed all around the dent in a perfect circular motion. In the sand.

I've been told a dentman won't get it out and with the paintwork needed it's probably an £800 job.

Pisses you off immensely on any car, but on one that is under a year old and on which you spent more than you've ever spent in one go in your life (including house deposits) it really does sting. Sometimes I wonder why I sold that old Passat snotter - but then I remember what it was like to drive

Someone did the carpark idiocy trick to me AGAIN recently - I went to Lakeside, during the working day, all quiet there but I still parked about 3 car parks away from the entrance. Probably 200 spaces in there occupied by about 10 cars. When I got back, Mondeo-Muppet was parked right up alongside me. I confess, I really was tempted to whack the side of it, just to teach him not to be such a tit.

Thanks guys, some soothing words from you and a nights sleep has made me feel better about it all, and on the plus side the gearbox oil change (with Slick 50 Gearbox Treatment thrown in) has made the gear change MUCH slicker (pardon the pun). *tryingtobepositive*

I do have a habit of being a perfectionist so that and the fact I now own what I consider to be my 'best' car ever and the ultimate Fiat I guess I'm hyper-sensitive to any blemishes and near-obsessed with her condition.

As Carl says, it's seemingly impossible to keep them perfect and some are a LOT worse (saw one once belonging to a Tesco employee and it spent all day every day in the Tesco customer car-park, suffice to say it was severly battered on almost every panel!)

I guess I've gotta do my best to protect her, such as parking her as far out of the way or in as large a space as possible but accept that even then the aforementioned Mondeo Muppet will occasionally spoil my day, then every year get all dings & marks sorted at my local bodyshop (who are very keenly priced, which helps). When I'm moved house later this year/early next year and have a bigger drive/garage then maybe I can consider a Bravo or something for every day use and keep the Coupe for Sunday-best?

Mechanically it's well sorted as I look after that aspect very well myself, and indeed the oil pipes will be done asap even if it costs silly dollar...got any decent ones Carl??

P.S. Bad luck on the Monaro Cappo, that's a lot of dough's worth to be getting molested by Mr/Mrs Idontgiveashit

I sure do, frequently! GF thinks it's silly though

Yeah, and then you get the holier-than-thou mob (and that's just on here) berating you for doing it.

If I was one degree closer to being a Meldrew clone (not difficult!) I might print off a sign to put in the window at car parks: "When you stop denting my car, I'll stop taking up two spaces".

lol I always park out of the way too. What amuses the wife though is as we walk the 500 yards across the car park we pass Porsches, Jags, Audis, Mercs all parked amongst the mondeos

There was even a Ferrari parked two wheels up on the kerb at Tesco

The Mrs thinks coop owners are nutters

You've made me think twice about getting a £2k+ paint job on mine now.

The only way it'll ever stay dent/ding free would be to use it as a weekend car and get every little blemish seen to as soon as I notice it.

But where's the fun in driving it every now and again?

I got a diesel runabout to use as an everyday car; I drove it for the first week , since then it's been parked up in the drive and the coupe gets driven every day.

I've had a dink in the bonnet lip for two years and I still haven't got around to having it done - mainly cos it means doing nearly the whole bonnet.

I've got a friend who always does a good job and once a year I ask him what I can get done for about £300. Its usually enough to keep it looking 95% ok.

I'm surprised your holding random damage against the Coop. Wouldn't this have happened whichever car you were in? I thought you might be moaning about repetitive failures.

My Accord has picked up just as many dents and chips as the Coop over the same couple of years. I guess the difference is, I don't care much for this in the Accord, I kinda accept it, and I suspect would-be buyers wouldn't care much either (but that will be taxi drivers I reckon!).

Isn't the real problem that you live in Peterborough? I've been unfortunate to live there twice. They call it "Posh" for short... and the contradiction starts with the name. Fccuking dirt hole! The place should be nuked. (offence intended! ) I've live in about 10 different towns. Posh is just scum.

btw, don't blame maggie for the self self self attitude. She was just playhing the game strictly to Capitalism's needs. Blame the system, not the slaves to it, initially anyway!