November 2015

Chips and dents on your vehicle won’t affect the way it runs but they can be unsightly, lower value, make it harder to sell and in the case of deeper chips or scratches, could even lead to rust or further problems.

Even if you are always really careful with your car, sometimes scratches appear without you even knowing how they happened.

Some dents, chips and scratches are unavoidable but you can minimise the likelihood that your car will sustain damage. Here are some of the ways that damage can occur:

• Accidents – This is probably the way that most damage happens and can be anything from a minor prang to major damage. Sometimes accidents happen through no fault of your own but make sure that you are always driving carefully with your attention on the road, within speed limits, in accordance to driving/road conditions and never, ever drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol or whilst using a mobile phone.
• Collisions whilst reversing – Scratches to the rear of a vehicle are very common. These could be caused by hitting a post, bollard, tree, fence, another car or even a toy left on the driveway by your children! Always be aware of your surroundings while reversing or parking and check your blind spots.
• Weather – We are generally quite lucky with our weather in the UK but we still get extreme weather from time to time. Conditions to be watchful of include hail which can cause dents if the hail stones are large enough, rust from excessive moisture or fading from exposure to excessive sunlight. The other thing to consider is driving conditions in different types of weather such as slippery roads in snow, ice or heavy rain, poor visibility in fog, rain or snow and that really awkward point in the late summer around 4pm when the sun shines straight in your eyes!
• Rocks and Pebbles – This isn’t quite as common in towns as it is in the country but if you are driving on loose stones or dirt, or there are rocks or other debris on the road, these things can easily get whipped up and hit your car.
• Car Parks – We’ve all parked in a car park, gone to do our shopping and then come back to find a scratch or dent that someone has kindly left on our car. You will never be able to avoid this completely but always park considerately and not too close to another car. Be careful when opening your doors so that you don’t hit the car next to you and be careful when walking past another car particularly if you are pushing a trolley. If everyone was to take this much care in car parks, our cars would be much safer!
• Trees and Bushes – Try to avoid parking under trees if possible, especially if objects are likely to fall on your car such as conkers, acorns or fruit. Also be aware on country lanes as sometimes bushes are not trimmed back as much as they should be so it is easy to end up with a scratch from a stray twig. As we are getting closer to Christmas, be careful of transporting your Christmas tree on the roof as the needles can cause lots of scratches. Make sure you cover the roof first with a thick blanket or tarpaulin.

If you do end up with any chips, scratches or dents on your car though it isn’t the end of the world. Contact us as we are always happy to help. At ChipsAway Ipswich, we offer same day repairs at the fraction of the cost of a large body shop. If you are in the Suffolk Coastal area we can even offer collection and delivery of your car, or the use of our courtesy car subject to a small additional charge and availability.