Semi-shared car etiquette 

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish) 12/02/2016 at 11:14 • Filed to: Work rant

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My job is delivering auto parts, and my company has a small fleet of terrible little hatchbacks. Someone less terrible than others, and seniority gets you preferred cars. “My” car is a 2015 Yaris. I say mine because I drive it Monday to Friday, Saturday is the only day someone else drives it. I sometimes leave empty coffee cups in the car when it slips my mind, but overall I keep my car the cleanest out of everyone. Every Monday, I come back to radio presets changed, my pens stolen, used tissues and random garbage on the floor and seats, my box in the back gone, which I keep to put parts in. There’s usually a new door ding or scuffed bumper too. It drives me up the fucking wall.

Why is it so hard for people to leave things as they found them? Yesterday I went home early, at about 1pm. Someone felt the need to switch to my car for not even half the day, apparently. I already find that selfish, changing someone’s mirrors and seating position just so you can have a nicer car for a few hours. But they also changed all my radio presets, and turned the car off with the volume absolutely cranked. I see that as just being an inconsiderate dick. What do you think, am I being unreasonable in my expectations when it comes to semi-shared work vehicles?

Gullwing for your time

Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 11:22

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The turning the car off with the radio cranked seems like perhaps someone is intentionally effing with you. Perhaps because they know it will get to you? IDK, seems like something more than generic asshattery.

vicali > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 11:35

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Somebody is screwing with you. Obviously they’ve noticed you keep a clean car and think it’s hilarious to mess with you.

Of course, two can play that game..

Thomas Donohue > Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer 12/02/2016 at 11:39

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Yeah, that sounds like someone has a beef with you. Have you ever mentioned it or complained about the condition of your car to those at work? Someone may be aware this bugs you, and is doing it on purpose to further F with you.

May not be the case, but changing all the presets and cranking the volume on the radio is not something that was done without premeditation.

(meant to reply to the OP)

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 11:53

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When I was driving for a parts store yeah I really like driving the newer, better, car, in this case a 2015 Micra that was an absolute hoot. But if not I would always just drive the ancient POS Echo because it was almost as much of a hoot, except more so because no one gave a shit about it, it wasn’t branded with our store logos, and management actively wanted it to die so corporate would let them replace it, all of which, when coupled with the necessity of getting parts to shops on-time, meant I was actively encouraged to hoon it all day at work. Everyone else refused to drive it because it was such a piece of shit, more fun for me I guess.

Chrandallkri > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 11:57

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While I think it’s 1000% they’re messing with you, I think you’re being a little unreasonable for a shared vehicle. If it’s the best one available, someone is going to use it when you’re not around. And while seniority is nice to have, it’s a slightly asshattish to lord it over everyone ALL the time. You’re almost asking to be messed with.

I would try a little Russian roulette style where you randomly change which car to take each day so there’s no guarantee that they messed with the one you’re taking or ‘accidentally’ keep the keys to ‘your’ car every once in a while if your boss won’t chew you out.

Nice Gullwing btw

E90M3 > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 11:59

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Pull the fuse for the radio.

gmctavish needs more space > Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer 12/02/2016 at 12:10

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It could be, I don’t think my coworkers are that shitty, but it’s entirely possible.

gmctavish needs more space > Thomas Donohue 12/02/2016 at 12:11

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I have complained about it, so it could be that. Knowing the people I work with, im leaning towards total obliviousness though, none of them seem to be shitty people for the sake of being shitty

Tazio, Count Fouroff > vicali 12/02/2016 at 12:12

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Agreed about leaving things as found! A common courtesy, now sadly less common.

I personally might sneak a peek in the mirror...the Managing Partner has convinced me that those of us who’re anal about cars can be overbearing even when we mean not to. Just my 02 cents, hope it’s of help :)

Kind regards

d15b > vicali 12/02/2016 at 12:12

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Glitter!

gmctavish needs more space > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/02/2016 at 12:15

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We have an old Yaris that the managers just want dead. It’s past 420k kms or so, and still don’t die even with people actively trying to kill it

gmctavish needs more space > Chrandallkri 12/02/2016 at 12:18

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Oh I don’t try and lord seniority over anyone, the manager just decided a while back that the nicest cars went to those with the most seniority, and who kept them the cleanest. There are only two of us capable of keeping cars clean, so they gave us the nicest cars. Everyone else has their cars they use every day so it would be pretty weird to change cars, otherwise that could work

gmctavish needs more space > Chrandallkri 12/02/2016 at 12:28

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I think you’re quite possibly right about them messing with me, but they also might just be that oblivious. Other drivers are often blasting music, and they can’t keep their cars clean, so I guess they don’t behave any differently when they’re not using their usual car

Chrandallkri > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 12:33

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OK, sounds fair. Also sounds like the manager might be open to limiting access to ‘your’ car when you’re not around. Good luck!

DynamicWeight > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 13:04

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Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity

No one is fucking with you. This is how people use and leave cars all the time. I am a clean person, but in my personal car, I don’t clean everything out all the time. Usually once a week or so I’ll empty out all the little receipts and bits of paper and such while getting gas or something. And leaving the volume up? I do that all the time. It creeps up louder and louder as I’m driving because driving is loud and I’m into the music. Then when I get out I don’t really think about it.

Door dings? It’s a shared car. No one cares about parking it nicely.

Pens, like lighters, are something that people grab and totally forget about. Go buy a box of forty and put it in the glovebox. When I buy a new box of pens, I walk around to all my cars, the garage and every room in the house and put them everywhere.

Otherwise, I feel for you man. I, too, get really annoyed by selfish stupid behavior. My roommate is a slob and the little things drive me up the fucking wall. The littlest one that bugs me is every time he uses the bathroom the bath mat is askew. How in the fuck do you even do that???

fintail > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 13:09

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Leave a vaguely threatening passive-aggressive post-it message on the steering wheel hub when you park it.

gmctavish needs more space > DynamicWeight 12/02/2016 at 13:22

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You sir, are the most correct. All excellent points

gmctavish needs more space > fintail 12/02/2016 at 13:22

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Actually already did that for the Saturday drivers. It unsurprisingly didn’t work

fintail > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 13:29

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Then make it more threatening :)

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 14:34

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I think the Echo had around 280k when I left. For the most part until I started driving it got relegated to the teenaged evening and weekend drivers, and has the scars to prove it. It didn’t accumulate as many miles because everyone else refused to drive it. I think they decided I would be the one most likely to kill it (from overly aggressive driving) when I made the “round-the-world” run in 45 minutes at rush hour in a heavy snowstorm when a “quick” run from the other drivers usually took an hour on a good day. Our chain had three stores in Stoon, and that run meant we started at our location, made a pickup at the second, and dropped off at the third, before returning home, which would effectively complete an entire lap around the city. Without snow or traffic I could usually do it in about 35 minutes, so I’m not sure why the other drivers needed almost twice that.

I mean there was the one guy who insisted it was faster to take convoluted winding stop sign and traffic avoiding routes that you could maybe hit 60km/h on between braking hard for corners instead of just getting onto Circle Drive and doing 90km/h without slowing down the whole way. I knew why he took longer to get places, he was a good, reliable, driver who never took personal side-trips, unfortunately he was also stupid, and actually got forced to resign for sexual harassment issues (explain that to your wife.) It’s the other drivers who insisted they also stuck to circle drive that I wonder about.

DynamicWeight > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 14:41

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Ah well thank you for saying so. I’m always a little nervous leaving a comment disagreeing with OP, but I, too happen to be a fastidious person. So I know the rage that comes from dealing with other’s inability to pick up after themselves. I have to constantly remind myself they aren’t doing it on purpose. They’re just thoughtless. In a way I envy them. I have to work so much harder to be relaxed.

gmctavish needs more space > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/02/2016 at 15:11

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Haha damn, that was a rollercoaster of a comment

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > gmctavish needs more space 12/02/2016 at 16:04

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I think I lost my original point somewhere in there. I couldn’t remember what it was so I just kept writing. And then hit publish...

Nauraushaun > gmctavish needs more space 12/05/2016 at 03:34

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You shouldn’t complain about seat/mirror adjustments, it’s a safety thing.

gmctavish needs more space > Nauraushaun 12/05/2016 at 09:13

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I know, but taking my car and changing everything to suit them, when they already have their own car with everything adjusted for them, isn’t a safety thing. It’s just selfish. I should’ve worded that whole rant better