1,600 miles, one door ding, and one mirror scratch later.

"mazda616" (mazda616)
06/04/2016 at 17:04 • Filed to: Mazda6

We are home and so is the car. And I’m never taking it on another long trip again. I thought my car OCD could handle it. Wrong.

Oh well. Averaged 32 MPG the whole time and I’ll get the ding fixed soon.

Picture at an Alabama rest stop:

New ding I did today (watch out for the concrete barriers by gas pumps):

Left home with 6,400-ish miles.

Just over 8,000 now.

DISCUSSION (26)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:14

My Dad’s truck fell victim to those concrete poles. I had to do surgery on it in the parking lot for it to close. I hate the wind.

TheRealBicycleBuck > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:16

Those bollards are real bastards. They are usually set too low to see in your mirrors. I hit one with the passenger’s side of my mom’s car trying to back away from a gas pump. On a trip. 1,300 miles from home. My mom taught me important lessons on the value of patience and forgiveness on that trip.

MossInTheUSA > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:18

My wife and I drove from Grand Rapids to Chicago 2 days after we picked up her brand new CX-5. Someone (presumably driving a white car) rubbed along the driver’s side rear quarter panel while it was parked on the street.

I did NOT enjoy coming out of my sister’s place to see that.

E90M3 > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:23

Maybe that’s why BMW puts the fuel door on the opposite side of the pump so you don’t hit it with your door. I did the same thing with my Explorer when I was like 18.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:30

At least the people in your town aren’t fucknuts that can suck a choad because they hit cars hard enough to gouge into the actual plastic of the front bumper, and then run.

mazda616 > TheRealBicycleBuck
06/04/2016 at 17:40

Yeah, I went to get out of the car and opened the door and “thud.” I just sat there for a second after that.

My Paintless Dent Repair guy will fix it no problem but he is beyond backed up right now because of a hailstorm we had a few weeks ago. He said it'll be a month before he can get to mine.

mazda616 > MossInTheUSA
06/04/2016 at 17:41

That sucks. My wife backed our CX-5 into a fence when it was still pretty new but I wasn’t as upset since it wasn’t mine. Haha.

Today, I went to get out of the car and opened the door and “thud.” I just sat there for a second after that.

My Paintless Dent Repair guy will fix it no problem but he is beyond backed up right now because of a hailstorm we had a few weeks ago. He said it’ll be a month before he can get to mine.

mazda616 > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
06/04/2016 at 17:41

Damn, yeah that sucks.

Yeah, I went to get out of the car and opened the door and “thud.” I just sat there for a second after that.

My Paintless Dent Repair guy will fix it no problem but he is beyond backed up right now because of a hailstorm we had a few weeks ago. He said it’ll be a month before he can get to mine.

mazda616 > E90M3
06/04/2016 at 17:41

Yeah, I went to get out of the car and opened the door and “thud.” I just sat there for a second after that.

My Paintless Dent Repair guy will fix it no problem but he is beyond backed up right now because of a hailstorm we had a few weeks ago. He said it’ll be a month before he can get to mine.

mazda616 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
06/04/2016 at 17:41

Yeah, I went to get out of the car and opened the door and “thud.” I just sat there for a second after that.

My Paintless Dent Repair guy will fix it no problem but he is beyond backed up right now because of a hailstorm we had a few weeks ago. He said it’ll be a month before he can get to mine.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:43

At least that’s reasonably fixable. Trying to blend ruby pearl paint is a huge PITA. It’s only three model years old, FFS!

E90M3 > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:46

We had a hail storm that hit San Antonio like almost 2 months ago, at least both my cars were covered.

Rico > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:56

Maybe some spatial awareness exercises with the car could help you a bit. You could use some cones to work on it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 17:57

I feel your pain.

My first experience with PDR was the day after I bought my car. Door ding in the church parking lot on the day I bought it.

mazda616 > Rico
06/04/2016 at 17:58

Sigh. It's true. I'm a dunce, that's for sure.

Rico > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 18:02

Not a dunce, it was an accident but it’s something you can practice to improve trust me. It’s like teaching a new driver how to park between the lines they have to practice their spatial awareness so they can aim the car.

mazda616 > Rico
06/04/2016 at 18:05

That could be an issue because this car is noticeably larger than the previous car I drove for 6 years (a Mazda3).

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 18:11

I just put a little scratch on my door the other day. Even on my worn 31 year-old car, it’s now all I can see when I walk up to it. If I owned your car, that ding on your 6 would put me in a coma

Rico > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 18:11

You went compact to midsize, big difference. My mom has a 2016 CRV and anytime I drive it its huge compared to my C300, I don't know where the rear is and if it didn't have a camera I would be lost.

mazda616 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
06/04/2016 at 18:19

Yeah. It's killing me. I just have to keep telling myself it'll get fixed.

His Stigness > E90M3
06/04/2016 at 19:22

The Germans actually do it so if you run out of gas you can fill it up without your ass sticking out in traffic.

E90M3 > His Stigness
06/04/2016 at 19:26

That’s so German

His Stigness > E90M3
06/04/2016 at 20:11

Yup.

Chasaboo > mazda616
06/04/2016 at 23:24

Perhaps you should put what you have in perspective. It is not a priceless Duesenberg.

mazda616 > Chasaboo
06/04/2016 at 23:46

Man, I bet a 579 mile trip in a Duesenberg would’ve been fun! Hot, though, without A/C. I think me buying a brand new car was just a mistake to start with. I know how much it cost and how hard I work to afford it and the other things I have (house). So, I want it and the other things as nice as possible for as long as possible.

That, and when something happens that is my fault, regardless, it hurts my already non-existent self-esteem and gives me the inferiority complex something fierce.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > mazda616
06/05/2016 at 01:27

How do you locate a good one of those guys? I have a tiny spot like that on my car from some aggressive tar removal that I want taken out, I just don't know who to trust or what it'll cost.