40 Examples Of When Owning A Car Became An Exhausting Experience

By Arvyn B

This article was originally published on bettermanly

Driving a car can be a real challenge sometimes. You need to keep an eye on many things to keep yourself out of danger on the road. Luckily, for most of us, this stress is nothing too serious, and we make it to our destinations with our cars intact. Unfortunately, we found a few car owners who were not so lucky! Almost all of them had something terrible happen to them that resulted in an accident and sometimes, they ended up completely totaling their vehicle. Sometimes, this is because of human error, and other times, it is just a freak accident. Whatever the reason, the only thing that was left to do was enlighten the internet on what can happen out there on the road. Hopefully, we can all avoid anything on this list from happening to us!

Wheelless Driving

This is definitely one of the worst things that we can imagine happening when we are driving. This unfortunate car owner was driving along when, all of a sudden, the axle that keeps the car’s wheels in place came straight off!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

We’re not too sure what you can do in this situation, apart from trying to pull over to the side of the road and calling for help. It looks like they were lucky because it happened on a quiet street. Imagine if this occurred on a busy highway!

Fiesta Lame

Thankfully, this incident is not dangerous – just hilarious. The user was about to get into their car when they realized that the letter ‘F’ had seemingly fallen off the car’s name. They were previously driving a Ford Fiesta Flame…

Image courtesy of Mildlyinteresting/Reddit

…but it turned into a Ford Fiesta Lame instead! They managed to find the missing letter, so it just takes some glue to fix this mistake. They probably won’t need an expensive trip to the mechanic, which is always a plus.

Snowplow Scratch

Nobody likes to drive on a snowy day. The road conditions are harsh, and it is pretty challenging to see anything, too. Unfortunately for this user, they had one more thing to worry about – a snowplow that scratched their car door.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

Honestly, ‘scratched’ is a bit of an understatement. The snowplow took a massive chunk out of their vehicle like it was a can opener! We are not too sure what happened next, but we imagine the user was shocked to wake up to this.

Bothersome bear

If you ever see a bear near your house or car, you should do anything you can to stay away. They are pretty fearsome animals. Luckily, this user was sound asleep when a bear chose to do some investigating on their car.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

It must have been a pretty hefty bear – just look at that huge dent on the top! The good thing is that the bear was on top of the car instead of inside it. Just imagine the damage he could have made!

Wicked Wasps

Wasps are terrifying enough during the summer when you are trying to have a picnic. Unlike bees, their one goal seems to be hunting and stinging anyone they come across. Now, imagine a nest attached to your car door handle!

Image courtesy of trypophobia/Reddit

If this happened to us, we would just give up on this car and write it off. It is bad enough dealing with a nest on your car, but one that is living on the door handle? We would have to call an exterminator for this one.

Sweet Ride

Of course, dealing with insects on the outside of your car is a nightmare. But what about having this kind of problem inside your car? This user’s poor friend accidentally spilled a gallon jar of honey in the front seat of the car. Take a look!

Image courtesy of newsbomb.gr

We are not even sure where to begin cleaning up a huge mess like that. You need to clean up this kind of mess quickly because ants and other bugs will come crawling and swarming the second they smell this sweet nectar.

Troublesome Ticket

It is a fact – nobody enjoys getting a speeding ticket. Obviously, there is a good reason why they exist. But we just can’t understand the reasons behind this user’s ticket. They weren’t even driving their car when the officer issued this ticket!

Image courtesty of mildlyinfuriating/Reddit

Their car was being towed away when an automatic speeding camera snapped a picture. However, a problem like this is not too difficult to solve. It was probably the flatbed truck’s driver who was responsible for the ticket, in all honesty.

Close that window!

Back to the icy weather now, and we feel so sorry for this user’s neighbor. It was a snowy night, and they left their car windows open. The result? A very cold car interior – look at how the snow accumulated inside their car!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

Typically, this would be a pretty beautiful sight. But in reality, something like this is extremely difficult and time-consuming to clean up. You can try to turn up the heat to melt the ice, but your car will be left very damp.

Not so nice

There is definitely a story behind this next picture – we just wonder what it is! We think that this driver recently got divorced. Their ex-partner decided to leave a ‘delightful’ message on their car as a form of revenge.

Image courtesy of ebaumsworld.com

Or perhaps it is because of the hack job that this driver made by parking their car. It is not even within the lanes! Either way, the result is definitely one angry driver and an expensive call to the insurance company.

Paint job

Here is another photo with a story. This user was trying to park his car in his garage after a long day at work when he hit an unopened can of white enamel paint that was left on the garage floor. Take a look at this picture and witness the shocking results!

Image courtesy of daves-not-here/Reddit

What is even worse is that it was a blisteringly hot day, so they had their windows wide open. The paint splashed inside the car as well as all over the outside! Maybe they can pretend it’s the latest car trend – splashed paint job.

Crazy Catfish

Any cat owners will be familiar with their felines bringing home some special ‘treats.’ By treats, we mean dead animals. Now, imagine that your ‘cat’ is actually a bird, and your ‘home’ is really your car – what a mess!

Image courtesy of justinator5/Reddit

That is exactly what happened to this unfortunate user (even though he doesn’t look so sad about it). They were happily driving along when a bird flying above dropped a catfish right in the middle of his windshield! Thankfully, there were no injuries, aside from the catfish.

Dangerous Drive

Sometimes, it is nice to just go for a relaxing drive around town to let go of any stress you feel and to calm yourself down. But after looking at this photo, we don’t think there is anything too relaxing about this drive!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

It is not too clear what exactly happened here – all we know is that this person was just driving along when an arrow got stuck right in the center of their door. We guess you could call this a ‘drive-by shooting,’ just a very ancient one.

Paint Problem

Here is a heads-up for anyone who decides to give their fence a makeover: make sure that you only paint the fence! This unfortunate user’s neighbor decided to give their fence a makeover, and the results were pretty shocking.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

The neighbor splashed paint all over their car! Obviously, it could be a lot worse, as it seems to only be some specks – but a lot of them. Hopefully, the neighbor offered to repaint it since it is only fair.

Concrete Evidence

Here is another unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This user spent some time detailing his car earlier in the day and drove underneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, New York. The construction crew was working at the time…

Image courtesy of babalove/Reddit

…and they dumped a bucket of concrete water right over this user’s vehicle! We cannot even begin to imagine how angry they must be. The worst part of this is that they just happened to have their sunroof open at the time!

Not very helpful…

We would all love to have a helping hand cleaning our cars because sometimes it can be a real chore. Even so, we think we would probably skip on taking the help from this little girl, who wanted to help her dad.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

But instead of washing the car with water and a sponge, she used a rock instead! We can’t fault her enthusiasm, as it is clear that she was really only trying to help. Still, we hope someone taught her correctly after this incident!

Seatbelt Struggles

This problem is pretty unique. This user was trying to untangle the passenger belt when it suddenly popped out of his hand. Somehow, the belt fastened itself under the parking brake and didn’t budge. The owner was at a loss of what to do.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

The only way he could get it undone was to call for help from a tow truck to come and assist him. We are not sure why they didn’t try to cut it in half, but that’s another story.

Shoot for the Stars

This story is equally impressive as it is awful. The user went to a nearby event, which involved launching a pumpkin 900 feet into the sky. We’re guessing they forgot the law of physics and that what goes up must come down!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

The pumpkin shot straight through the window of the car, leaving this huge dent behind! At least it is a pretty funny story to tell the insurance company. “Hi, I’m making a claim. Someone shot a pumpkin at my car.”

Helping out another

There is a saying that “no good deed goes unpunished,” which basically means that doing kind things for others can sometimes cause bad things to happen. This picture is the perfect example! The user borrowed their neighbor’s truck for a bit.

Image courtesy of market-marker/Reddit

They decided to fill it up afterward as the tank was almost empty. And now we know why – there was another wasp nest hiding right behind the door to the gas cap! Well, after all, it does say “caution” on the fuel cap…

Suspicious Stealing

Thieves are always terrible, no matter what they are trying to get. But, we can kind of understand why someone would steal a car. You can sell it and, in return, gain a hefty amount of cash for it. But the doors?!

Image courtesy of yaplakel.com

There would be no rhyme nor reason behind this theft unless it were an act of revenge. This user’s neighbor woke up to find that someone had stolen their car’s doors and nothing else. We have so many questions – namely, why and how did this happen?

Problematic pothole

Potholes are an absolute disaster to run into no matter which road you find them on. Looking at this picture, we have to say that the highway is probably the worst place to encounter them. This user was going 70mph at the time.

Image courtesy of dailylolpics.com

They went straight over a pothole, which ended up causing their car tire to develop a massive bulge in it. We guess that is one lesson learned – never drive over a pothole this fast unless you want a tire pimple!

Check the label!

Here is another lesson for anyone who drives – make sure you check what you are putting into your car before you start pouring. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for this individual who thought they were putting oil inside.

Image courtesy of kumahair/Imgur

In reality, they were filling it up with one-and-a-half gallons of windshield washer! The results, as you can see in the picture, were absolutely disastrous! There is no saving a car that has this much trouble. What a tragedy!

Drive-by Painting

If you ever had a question about life being unfair, this picture is a prime example of this. This user’s dad parked his brand new car proudly on the side of the road after having it for only two weeks.

Image courtesy of GenericException/Reddit

Unfortunately for him, a garbage truck drove past his car and spat out paint all over it! Well, it is either that or a flock of birds just decided to go to the toilet on his car at the same time instead.

A lucky escape

This one is not as bad as some of the others on the list. This driver was pulling into a car parking lot with a hefty trailer. The barrier closed just before the trailer got through, leaving them stuck in the middle!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

However, this could have gone down a lot worse. The trailer could have been cut in half by the barrier, or they could have been literally trapped. Thankfully, the solution was just a quick call to the attendant on duty.

Secret spider

We have already seen not one but TWO wasp nests inside someone’s car. You might be asking yourself, what could be worse than that? Well, this picture comes close, for starters – imagine coming across a gigantic spider hidden inside your car instead!

Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Luckily for this user, they witnessed the whole thing happen to someone else when they were stopped at a red light. They were unsure whether they should tell the driver about it. We would definitely let them know so they could burn the whole car instead!

Truck Trouble

Now it is time for another lesson learned the hard way – don’t ever leave your keys inside a vehicle if you can’t get back inside again. And especially not if it is an armored truck you’re dealing with! This picture is hilarious.

Image courtesy of wellthatsucks/Reddit

There are probably many different solutions that they should have tried instead of forcing their way through the windshield. They could have just called their boss for an extra key! We guess they were too embarrassed.

Absolute destruction

There really is a first time for everything judging by this photo. This user had recently woken up and had sand in their eyes when they went to open their car door in the morning. They opened it, just not how they meant to!

Image courtesy of The Chive/Reddit

Either this user is the Incredible Hulk, or they have some other kind of superpower. Just how on earth did they rip the door clean from the frame?! We are not even sure what to do in this situation.

Locked…out?

Another unfortunate case of being locked out of the car. Or should we say locked in? This driver somehow managed to trap their car keys locked inside their trunk in the little groove on the door. It’s quite an achievement!

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

Still, this is certainly an achievement that we would hate to run into. We can only imagine how frustrating this situation must be, knowing that the solution to the problem is so close and yet so far away at the same time.

Ford Feeder

Just what is it with trash trucks driving past and dumping their waste everywhere! This is another sad driver who suffered the same fate as many others on this list. This time, the culprit was a rotten potato slurry.

Image courtesy of Dixo0118/Reddit

At this point, we think there is no point in trying to salvage the car. After all, the mess ended up being smeared everywhere, and we imagine that the smell was pretty unbearable, too. Another lesson learned – keep your windows rolled up!

Free tire?

There are plenty of ways of getting an extra tire for your car, but this one is definitely on the extreme side. This McLaren was sitting inside a dealership when a truck came screeching past as one of its wheels flew off.

Image courtesy of Wellthatsucks/Reddit

We guess that they should look on the bright side – they got a free spare tire for the car now! It is pretty amazing how the tire landed perfectly on top of the vehicle, smack dab in the middle.

First Tank Fiasco

Whenever you first get a car, you feel like you need to be extra careful with driving it, just in case of an accident. We think that this user should have been a little more cautious when they were taking it for a spin!

Image courtesy of Doddleboddlle/Reddit

This was their wife’s new car, and they were going for a ride when they managed to drive over a pair of pliers. The car was still on its first gas tank, and the pliers went straight through the tire! Talk about unfortunate.

Beach blues

Taking your car to the beach is such an underrated luxury. You can just pull right up with your boat and set sail. Unfortunately, it looks like the driver in this picture parked a little too close to the shore!

Image courtesy of ebaumsworld.com

Word to the wise – make sure that you keep your vehicle away from high tide, or you might find yourself in the same situation. You can definitely drive onto the beach, but you will face some difficulties getting off it!

Tire thief

Here’s another case of bizarre car theft. This time, it was not the doors that the thieves stole, but the wheels instead! That’s not the worst part, either. This car is a brand new C8 model from Corvette made in 2020.

Image courtesy of autoweek.com

When this strange robbery happened, the car was not even for sale yet – the driver managed to get the vehicle beforehand. We are confident they regretted this decision soon after, but we wonder what that particular thief wanted with the tires.

Water, water everywhere

Another piece of advice for anyone living in a cold place like Minneapolis, similar to this driver. Keep any liquids out of the car. This user learned this piece of advice the hard way, as their bottle of sparkling water exploded in winter.

Image courtesy of ghrarhg/Reddit

The result was frozen water everywhere! Thankfully, this probably will not take too long to clean up after they turn the heat up. Just imagine the mess if they had left an entire case of sparkling water inside instead!

Double trouble

We have already seen a few people who have made the mistake of losing their car keys inside their car. Now, imagine you dropped your keys inside a water drain instead like this user. And that’s not even the worst part!

Image courtesy of Zarthere/Reddit

They parked their car right on the well! Of course, they could try the old “magnet on a string” technique to try and get the keys back up again. But how do you move the car in the first place?!

Cut Convertible

This picture is just cruel, and we feel nothing but sympathy for the user. They accidentally left their convertible unlocked, and some horrible individual decided to cut open the top. They stole a few things that were left inside.

Image courtesy of Captain_Awesom/Reddit

Soon after, it started raining, and all the water got inside. If that’s not enough, just a few hours later, the user was fired from their job, too. What a serious case of bad luck! We hope they’re better now.

Trouble above

So far, we have learned to keep our windows closed when driving and to stay clear of any trash trucks. But now, it seems that keeping your car inside the car park is not a safe way to go either!

Image courtesy of jrabone/Reddit

Directly above this user’s car, workers were laying fresh tarmac down on the floor. We are not sure how, but it managed to drip through, right onto the car. There really is no easy way to clean this off.

Teed off

Golf is another sport that people do to relax since it’s relatively low-stakes and there is not a lot of physical activity involved. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it stress-free, as this unlucky driver found out when returning to their car!

Image courtesy of jb9723/Reddit

We do have to admire the accuracy of this shot. It flew straight into the rearview mirror! We guess that you could take it as some kind of souvenir for their first time playing TopGolf. We would skip it if this is the case!

One of these is not the same…

We have another lesson to add to the list of what we have learned already. It is a basic one this time, but a lesson we would all do well to remember. Don’t forget to put on your parking brake!

Image courtesy of penguinpush/Reddit

This user’s friend lives right next to a car dealership and accidentally left their car going. It started to roll by itself and into the car lot next door! It’s pretty remarkable how the car fits almost perfectly apart from the color.

Rock rage

You have heard of road rage, now get ready for… rock rage?! We have absolutely no idea how someone managed to get their car into this situation, but it happened. We are not surprised that they ditched their vehicle.

Image courtesy of ifunny.co

Either they were driving very fast or intended to end up on this rock, suspended a meter in the air. They left the car behind for the Nevada Highway Patrol to find and tweet a picture about the unfortunate situation.

Close your door

This picture helps put in place another tip for any driver. Keep your door closed before you use an electronic parking machine, or you might end up like this unfortunate driver. Their car door is half inside and half outside the electronic deck!

Image courtesy of tightsomewhere/Reddit

However, it is not their fault. This parking system should have had some kind of sensor or safety program to prevent anything like this from happening. On the bright side, at least it’s a car and not someone’s leg!

Make a choice

This user had a tough call to make in this picture. They were getting out of the car before an exam when they shut the door behind them. They did not realize that the keys swung along with it, too!

Image courtesy of dre224/Reddit

Honestly, it’s probably best to just go and do the exam, then deal with this unfortunate situation after you’re done. After all, if the keys are stuck inside the car, then you are not in any danger of it being stolen.

New paint job?

Getting a new paint job for your car can be really expensive, but this user managed to find a cheap and easy way to do it. A truck accidentally dumped a tank full of white paint all over the road!

Image courtesy of TAS8008/Reddit

Of course, we don’t particularly like the color that they have chosen. White is so 90s! It is a pretty funny story either way, and we hope that the driver saw the funny side of things instead of being angry.

Too little, too late

Timing is everything when you are driving, and apparently when you go to the car wash as well. This user decided to pre-pay a series of monthly car washes for up to a year. They went for their first wash…

Image courtesy of ultraprismic/Reddit

…only to find that the building had been demolished, with no view of a car wash in sight! This is truly such an unfortunate case of timing, and we hope that this user somehow managed to get a refund.

Wedding Woes

The day that you get married is supposed to be the best day of your life. It is the first day of your forever with your spouse, and it should be filled with joy. Unfortunately, that is not what happened to this couple!

Image courtesy of gybe/Reddit

They were taking a stroll in their old beetle down the highway when the car suddenly broke down, causing them to pull over. Luckily, they got out before it burst into flames! We really hope the rest of their marriage was not this dramatic.