He's going to lean on your car-car show nightmares

[Bob]

No horror stories on mine but I was at a show one time and a 70 Charger parked beside mine and the guy took off. This was one beautiful car and detailed to the max. I seen a women coming down the lane with 3 Tasmanian Devils (boys) eating french fries smothered in about 6 gallons of ketchup. Yep, they went straight to this guys 70 and plastered there ketchup covered hands all over the car saying how cool it was. I told the lady if the guy sees what they did be prepared for some corrective action. She quickly took her little devils and went 2 lanes over.
The guy came back about 2 hours later after the ketchup baked in the sun and he had a fit. Later on I pointed out the culprits and he took off in hot pursuit. I don't know what happened next but sure am glad I was not there for the outcome.

[Foreman72]

man all these stories are going to give me nightmares... i've always been really freaked out about some mindless person, either accidentally or purposely, causing damage to my car (when its done of course, any damage right now would just blend right in  )

[Cooter]

Car show people are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, but let something like the above mentioned happen and They will break sh*tty in a New york minute...I hear war stories all the time at car shows from the other guys/gals there and I make it a point to "Bring up" the War stories when I see one start to do something we are BOTH gonna regret, and speak very loudly...This usually gets them to thinking it might not be a good idea to "touch" my car....."Foreman72", Don't worry threads like this only bring mention of the Bad things at car shows..There are PLENTY of good stories to tell as well...

[ChgrSteve67]

I've been to more than a few cars shows and have seen the good the bad and the ugly.

99.8% of people enjoy and respect the cars orthers feel its just a used car lot.

The worst I ever saw was a guy pick his son (about 5 years old) and stand him on the hood of someones car then back up to take a picture of the kid standing on the car.  Lucky for him the owner was not around.

[twodko]

This is a subject at the forefront of my mind at every show the Mrs. and I attend. We are members of a mopar club and try to park together. Sometimes happens, sometimes not.
I have no reservations telling someone LOUDLY to keep their FxxKing hands off my car in nicer language of course. The club even had signs printed for us in both english and spanish........that just made them get closer to read the sign! WTF
Then there's always the polluting members of the gene pool who wants to fight because they're "tough". I always carry a small tool kit in the trunk which includes a hammer. What am I going to do, pull out the hammer and add some devits to his head...no. When we go to shows we're around many other cars whose owners have put in as much work, pride and money as I've put in mine. I'd dearly love putting some major hurt on these "throw away people" but not around my car or anyones elses car. It is respect, something these lowlifes can't even spell much less display.

OK, I'm done ranting.

Tom

[69chargerrt440]

I hate it when people put there hands on your car. It is commen sense that the car it over a $30,000 car so KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF!! My 69 Charger is Black and you can tell if someone touched it.

[BlueSS454]

With General Lees this problem is completely off the chart.  

A few nicely-finished GL replicas have actually been repainted or sold off after the owner discovered how bad the problem really is. 

Big time.  I took mine to the Fall Ocean City, MD cruise last year.  On Friday morning during the boardwalk parade, i was approached by one of the show organizers to put the car in John Schneider's booth while he was there signing things.  I thought that was pretty cool until I was about 2 hours into it and a huge mass of people were all over the place leaning towards, eating/drinking around, touching...you name it, they did it.  I was all over that car like a hawk keeping an eye on it.  That was the only time I was kinda on edge when I've had it out.  Any other place I've taken it, I haven't really had that problem..at least around here.

[68blue]

Never thought about this aspect of car shows. With all the time and money I have in this thing now having some sloppy ignorant fool damage it would not produce a pleasent response.

[charger_cody]

I'm going to hire a body guard for my car. 

Because I WILL kill someone if harm is done to it. So if your gonna screw with my car you better hope i'm not looking cause I WILL make a scene.

Cody

[Mike DC]

Big time.  I took mine to the Fall Ocean City, MD cruise last year.  On Friday morning during the boardwalk parade, i was approached by one of the show organizers to put the car in John Schneider's booth while he was there signing things.  I thought that was pretty cool until I was about 2 hours into it and a huge mass of people were all over the place leaning towards, eating/drinking around, touching...you name it, they did it.  I was all over that car like a hawk keeping an eye on it.  That was the only time I was kinda on edge when I've had it out.  Any other place I've taken it, I haven't really had that problem..at least around here.

I think I made it less than a year trying to preserve my first GL's finish.  Anybody who keeps a GL really nicely-finished and still drives it in public has me impressed.  

Even if other people weren't being too rough I can't keep babying a General Lee forever myself.  It's like having a hot GF that won't let you touch her.   Have gravel, will do donuts.  
 
 

[rustafarian]

I use my tried and true line at cars shows when I get the famous response after I've jumped on somebody for touching my sh*t...
They usually say things like "Well, if you didn't want your car "Enjoyed" you should have never brought it out the garage"

And my reply..."How would you feel if I reached out and felt up your wife? I mean, afterall, if you didn't want anybody "Enjoying" her, you shoulda never brought her out the house!"

That's a good one,  but could backfire in a major way if they're swingers and she's a wombat.....

[BlueSS454]

I think I made it less than a year trying to preserve my first GL's finish.  Anybody who keeps a GL really nicely-finished and still drives it in public has me impressed.  

Even if other people weren't being too rough I can't keep babying a General Lee forever myself.  It's like having a hot GF that won't let you touch her.   Have gravel, will do donuts.  
 
 

Normally I would say this...but mine is one of the nicer ones out of the ones I've seen.  I do my best to keep it as clean as possible.  I drive it quite a bit, I just don't really take it to car shows that often.  Actually, I don't really bother with cars shows much anymore.  It kinda wore off.  I like getting a group of friends together and going for a drive somewhere much better.  I drove it to work twice this month already and took it out for an 80 mile round trip cruise on Sunday.  I built it for me to enjoy.  I don't baby it either...I hammer on it and now I'm waiting for the wet ground to dry up so I can take it back on some of the dirt roads around here and get some pics

[chargergirl]

Garlits a few years back...woman was grumbling about how an owner had overreacted when her baby stroller barely dinged the paint...yep show car. I said did you offer to pay her for a repaint...she said "no...insurance will cover that...Besides she yelled at me that now she had no chance of winning"...My reaction was where's you car? Picked up my keys...walked out to where she pointed and put one out, made a big display at choosing the right one...the woman started to yell at me...I said what's the big deal insurance will pay for it...your not in a show...man are you over reacting to such a minor thing...I never even touched your car and your flipping out. Now go offer to pay for the scratch repair. She did, I thought her husband was going to faint when he heard the price that it would cost to "just paint the door". Oh...I saw the "scratch" and had spoke to the owner the day it happened...sometimes it's great to defend from the sideline.

[Black Charger]

Garlits a few years back...woman was grumbling about how an owner had overreacted when her baby stroller barely dinged the paint...yep show car. I said did you offer to pay her for a repaint...she said "no...insurance will cover that...Besides she yelled at me that now she had no chance of winning"...My reaction was where's you car? Picked up my keys...walked out to where she pointed and put one out, made a big display at choosing the right one...the woman started to yell at me...I said what's the big deal insurance will pay for it...your not in a show...man are you over reacting to such a minor thing...I never even touched your car and your flipping out. Now go offer to pay for the scratch repair. She did, I thought her husband was going to faint when he heard the price that it would cost to "just paint the door". Oh...I saw the "scratch" and had spoke to the owner the day it happened...sometimes it's great to defend from the sideline.

That is AWESOME! One of the best stories I have read. I wish more people would defend a car owner when an inconsiderate clod scratches their prized ride.

Note to self: If someone leans on my car again, I hope that chargergirl is around to straighten them out!

[ChgrSteve67]

I was displaying my car at a show when dad and his two sons came over to check out my car and one of the sons set his soda can down on the fender.

dad flipped out and jumped on his sons ass for setting the can down and leaving a moisture ring.
dad started looking around asking who the owner of the car was.
I said its mine.
He asked if I had something to wipe the car down and I said yes and not to worry about it.
He then told his son to go apologise to that man and ask him again for something to clean that fender with before it leaves a mark.

I gave the boy a towel and cleaner.

Dad came over to me, apologised again and told me sometimes he has to remind then how to treat other peoples property.

I thanked him for looking out for the participants cars.

[bill440rt]

Generally speaking, very young children simply don't know any better. They can be attracted to the shiny paint, the big wheels and tires, their reflection in the chrome, almost anything. Of course they are going to want to reach out & touch it.
I do not blame the children, but the lack of common sense from the PARENTS is what bothers me. I remember being at a small local cruise a long time ago, a guy was there with his 427 Vette. A man placed his kid right on the sidepipe so Jr. could get a better look at the interior. The Vette owner screamed, not at the kid, but at the parent.
I've been bringing my son out to shows since he was 2, he's now 5. I constructively & encouragingly teach him each time we're out about the pride & value of other participant's cars. I want him to feel good about going to a car show, not fear. It's the other nimrod parents that let their kids ride around on bikes & scooters, with soda & ice cream making a gooey mess on my fender that irks me.

While I'm at it, watch out for the other participants that are there with folding chairs & umbrellas, or EZ-Ups that aren't properly staked down. Even other car owners sometimes don't know any better (RARE, but it does happen). A few years back I was attending a large east coast Mopar show. A guy walked away from his car, leaving his lawn chair with an umbrella LEFT OPEN on his chair. Wind came, & blew the umbrella clear across the lot right into a freshly restored black HP2 Belvedere & put a nice ding in the door. The sh*t definitely hit the fan after that.

[694spdRT]

Worst I ever witnessed was at a local Mopar show a couple years ago. A vendor was trying to sell some kind of mini bike or moped. Someone thought a test ride was in order and proceeded to drive right between my dad's car and the one next to it barely missing both. A short time later he smashed into someones nice 3rg gen Charger one row over.  I am not sure how it ended up but it did cause quite a scene. 

[oldcarnut]

I remember being at a small local cruise a long time ago, a guy was there with his 427 Vette. A man placed his kid right on the sidepipe so Jr. could get a better look at the interior.
While I'm at it, watch out for the other participants that are there with folding chairs & umbrellas, or EZ-Ups that aren't properly staked down. Even other car owners sometimes don't know any better (RARE, but it does happen). A few years back I was attending a large east coast Mopar show. A guy walked away from his car, leaving his lawn chair with an umbrella LEFT OPEN on his chair. Wind came, & blew the umbrella clear across the lot right into a freshly restored black HP2 Belvedere & put a nice ding in the door. The sh*t definitely hit the fan after that.

The Ford below was the worst car I ever had for leaving alone in public whether it be a car show or at the store.  People and their kids were always trying to stand up on the running boards to look in or for pictures of themselves.  Some would put their kids in the rumble seat. I came out one day from the parts store and found 2 overweight Mexican women leaning and posing on the fender while their friend stood back in the parking lot to take a pic.  None of them spoke English but I guess the expression I had was enough to send them off in a hurry into the van they had. I don't have it anymore partly being from the nervousness of leaving it alone while trying to enjoy the the rest of the shows myself.   Like the chair, I saw an untied canopy fly across 2 cars and settle on another after an unexpected wind gust.  I have many times let people sit inside my cars to take pics (after checking for things in the back pocket) when they ask.  That doesn't bother me especially after I see the smile that comes with it.  The keys words being when they ask.

[Mr.Woolery]

The worst I've seen happened at a car show in 2004.  Some unsupervised kid was hauling/dragging a plastic cooler across the lot, and got tired.  The kid seemed to think it would be okay to lift the cooler up and put it on on the hood of a black car with a custom flame paintjob.  He didn't place it there gingerly, rather he plopped in onto the hood and pushed it into place so it wouldn't slide off.  The cooler and all the rocks stuck to the bottom of it thoroughly ruined the paintjob on the hood.  He was clueless about doing anything wrong when angrily confronted, too.  The parents got an earful.

I've also caught a late teen-early 20-something guy sitting in one of my cars at a carshow (not my Mopar, but my exotic).  I really let him have it drill instructor style....he nearly shat himself.  Under other circumstances, if he'd asked I would've happily let him sit in it.  But sitting in it without permission?  We was lucky I didn't break his nose.

[superduperbee]

I was at the Detroit Autorama, my wife is about to take a picture of my daughter next to one of the cars, when this guy asks if she'd like her picture taken sitting inside the car. She said "cool"! The guy opened the door, she got in, my wife snapped the picture, said "thanks". then the guy says " No problem, It's not my car."

[devilgear]

I put my 73 Charger in a show last year sponcered by a church done the street from my house.Now my car is not finished, or 100K like some of the cars there but so what.The Pastor came by to talk with me and we chatted about my car and such.Then as hes leaving he starts tapping on my fenders with an empty water bottle...I was like WTF? Before I could say something he left...Then a little later at the same show I was talking with a local MOPAR guy a few yards away when I look over and see someone sitting on the hood of my car.The front end of my ride sits low so maybe it was inviting to him..I ran over and I could not belive how stupid people are...He saw me comin and beat it...Damn people are F'N STUPID...

[Back N Black]

If car shows are such a pain in the ass, what is the point of sitting there all day worrying about your car? Personally, i have never had a car to take to a show and now i'm not to sure if i want to.

[Black Charger]

If car shows are such a pain in the ass, what is the point of sitting there all day worrying about your car? Personally, i have never had a car to take to a show and now i'm not to sure if i want to.

The sad thing is, it's not just car shows you have to worry about. Simply having a nice ride that attracts attention is enough to bring out the inconsiderate dingbats in droves, regardless of where you park it.

[694spdRT]

Things can happen anywhere really. I went to pick up a former girlfriend at her house back in high school with my '68 Charger after I had it painted. As soon as I pulled in the driveway her big black lab jumped up on the drivers fender and hood.  It left claw marks down the side of the fender that are still there.  She didn't think it was a big deal at all.

[ACUDANUT]

Things can happen anywhere really. I went to pick up a former girlfriend at her house back in high school with my '68 Charger after I had it painted. As soon as I pulled in the driveway her big black lab jumped up on the drivers fender and hood.  It left claw marks down the side of the fender that are still there.  She didn't think it was a big deal at all.

I bet you didn't even want a piece that night.