[lateshow]

My loaded X3 and first BMW with only 2000 miles on the ODO is no longer new. My wife decided to back it into her aunt's car on Saturday. The bumper is scratched and dented near the tailpipes. The cameras and screaming proximity sensors weren't quite enough. I'm thinking about duct taping a small person to the rear tailgate with a 2-way radio. Maybe that will do the trick.

Taking it to the dealership this morning to get an estimate. It's only a car....blah blah blah, but can't a guy have something nice for a few months?

[Radioactive]

Originally Posted by lateshow

My loaded X3 and first BMW with only 2000 miles on the ODO is no longer new. My wife decided to back it into her aunt's car on Saturday. The bumper is scratched and dented near the tailpipes. The cameras and screaming proximity sensors weren't quite enough. I'm thinking about duct taping a small person to the rear tailgate with a 2-way radio. Maybe that will do the trick.

Taking it to the dealership this morning to get an estimate. It's only a car....blah blah blah, but can't a guy have something nice for a few months?

It must be something about Space Gray. It doesn't attract dirt, only other cars! I did the same thing on Friday. My wife parked a rental car behind and to the side of me. I jumped in the car, looking in the opposite mirror. I didn't even think of another car behind me and crunch! Damage is only a couple of little nicks, but it feels like the car is totaled. Good thing I have a good bumper guy.

[Beyu]

Sorry to hear that Lateshow, it's a bad feeling to scratch your car, I myself dinged my driver side mirror within the 1st week.

After that experience I now back up as if there aren't any sensors or camera and go back to sticking my head out the window. This is the best advice I could give you as all these extra gadgets are nice but they should be used to give you a better view of your surroundings when mirrors can't and not to be used to supplement them.

Also I'm curious how your wife damaged the car, did she think she had more room than she thought when using the camera or did she have a blind spot and hit the driver's side near the tailpipes at an angle?

[sfax]

Originally Posted by Radioactive

It must be something about Space Gray. It doesn't attract dirt, only other cars! I did the same thing on Friday. My wife parked a rental car behind and to the side of me. I jumped in the car, looking in the opposite mirror. I didn't even think of another car behind me and crunch! Damage is only a couple of little nicks, but it feels like the car is totaled. Good thing I have a good bumper guy.

I think this was the wife's fault as well.

I'm expecting the first damage any time soon. The last car was reversed into a stationary car in a car park 3 months after it was delivered. That one didn't have PDC though....

[Harplayr]

Originally Posted by Beyu

Sorry to hear that Lateshow, it's a bad feeling to scratch your car, I myself dinged my driver side mirror within the 1st week.

After that experience I now back up as if there aren't any sensors or camera and go back to sticking my head out the window. This is the best advice I could give you as all these extra gadgets are nice but they should be used to give you a better view of your surroundings when mirrors can't and not to be used to supplement them.

Also I'm curious how your wife damaged the car, did she think she had more room than she thought when using the camera or did she have a blind spot and hit the driver's side near the tailpipes at an angle?

Yup, all the gizmos in the world don’t replace turning your head around and taking a look.

That being said, I can’t imagine why she didn’t look around with all the beeping from the sensors.

[Beyu]

Originally Posted by Harplayr

That being said, I can’t imagine why she didn’t look around with all the beeping from the sensors.

That's funny that you mentioned that, perhaps she's like my step father. He drives a Toyota Sienna with parking sensors and always waits for the car to beep rapidly before stopping.

I was riding with him last week and we were reversing into a sloped driveway with a car behind us, I looked behind to see how much room he had and told him to stop soon but naturally he wanted to wait until his sensors beeped. After inching a bit more he decided to park and when popping on the E-break noticed that his sensors were turned off, we had a good laugh...

[inamik75]

I wish the X3 u could only order reverse cameras the pdc I find very annoying and distracting and easily get damaged by small fenders which r inevitable

[Mako]

This is why I really don't want to spend $50,000 on a car for my wife. She has already shown she can't take care of a car, 2 accidents in 3 years, one of them was like $30K in damage between both cars (her car should have been totaled, Audi A4, but I think the repair shop took teh insurance for a ride, came in with a $14K estimate, and it ended up being $20K which would have been over the "totaled breaking point", but then the repair shop would have lost the business if they told them that up front). Anyway, the LR2 we have now has chips, scratches, dings all over the thing, paint on the inside of her doors is actually comical, can't even imagine how many cars she has hit when opening her doors (she hit mine in about 6 different spots in the garage, can't wait to get a 3 car garage and make her park a space away!).

The X3 will be my baby even though its her car, and I will hate to see it abused, which is why I am really thinking of getting her the Mini Countryman and buying the X3M for myself in 1-2 years, she can do whatever she wants to the countryman.

[lateshow]

Originally Posted by Beyu

Sorry to hear that Lateshow, it's a bad feeling to scratch your car, I myself dinged my driver side mirror within the 1st week.

After that experience I now back up as if there aren't any sensors or camera and go back to sticking my head out the window. This is the best advice I could give you as all these extra gadgets are nice but they should be used to give you a better view of your surroundings when mirrors can't and not to be used to supplement them.

Also I'm curious how your wife damaged the car, did she think she had more room than she thought when using the camera or did she have a blind spot and hit the driver's side near the tailpipes at an angle?

I reversed the next day from the same spot and it's really pretty clear in the camera view. She didn't look over her left shoulder, which was where the car was parked. She was reversing left out of the driveway, so why she wouldn't have looked over that should I have no clue. She says she was distracted by people talking to her. Also of note, the passenger claims she heard to beeping until after they hit. Either she was going really fast, it's BS, or there was a dead spot in the sensor. I find that hard to believe since she actually hit the car dead on sensor.

[lateshow]

Originally Posted by Mako

The X3 will be my baby even though its her car, and I will hate to see it abused, which is why I am really thinking of getting her the Mini Countryman and buying the X3M for myself in 1-2 years, she can do whatever she wants to the countryman.

Same here, but it's our only car as we are city folks. Makes me wish I would have bought myself a 335i or 1M and then get her a 10 yr old Civic to street park and abuse. Next time I'll seriously consider that.

[Filski]

He he... Some of these stories sound like payback, to take some of the shine off 'the other woman' in your lives.

[skier219]

Heh, I guess I'm not the only one who gets more door dings in the garage at home than when parking at the grocery... Next house will definitely have a three car garage and there will be his and hers sides separated by a tractor in the middle....

[Mako]

Wow the same day I post to this thread I come home and my wife is crying about our LR2. She said someone must have side swiped her while she was parked, the whole passenger side is scraped and there is a major dent by the rear door. Looking at the damage I can't figure out what happened, one of those things you just had to see it I guess. Well I guess at least another $1000 in repairs on my wife's car. I would have died if this was a new X3. Probably not worth claiming either since insurance will sky rocket or drop us. I want to get her a beater so bad but my kids ride in it!

[sblove]

Where did you all find your wives??! I am by far one of the pickiest individuals of most anyone I know. My shoes all have their shoe bags, my purses are all stuffed and in their cloth bags, my desk is organized like none other, and my biggest pet peeve is my car! I will happily hold a week-long session in sunny SoCal for all the wives that need some "training" when it comes to driving and car maintenance. Taking offers now

But in all seriousness: I definitely understand the frustration. I would be frustrated too if my X3 was mishandled. However, as many guys have their "car babies," many women have other "babies," such as their shoe collection, their purse collection, their hats, their clothes, the kitchen cabinets, etc. Take a deep breath, relax, and don't let her anywhere near the car ;-)

[Radioactive]

You'll try to train my wife? I've been trying for 24 years. Good Luck

This one was my fault and I'll take full responsibility. I live on two acres and gated, so I'm use to no one in the driveway. I just ask her to park in another spot so I could keep my incompetence going.

[X3buyerScotland]

There's a PhD in there for someone looking at typical male and female journeys & incidents. My wife refuses to drive my car, mainly because she will always be distracted by the kids or other factors that don't apply to me, like (sadly) hair for instance. I think we need a gong that says "You are home / nearly home now keep focus til the engine stops" as lots of stupid stuff occurs near your own drive. My favourite is the insurance report of the guy who said "In error I drove into my neighbour's drive and crashed into a tree I don't have".

[XB101]

I get a chuckle out of this. My colleagues tell me stories about their wives hitting railings etc in their garages. I guess if the ladies are receptive about driving a smaller or less expensive car then that would be just dandy.