car show etiquette 101 what's your horror story?

[daves70]

I'M STAYING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JimCuda]

Daves70, I say go, just be smart and be prepared for anything.

Bring some chairs, one for you and a buddy. Why? Unless you have a can to pee in or want to sit around for hours by yourself it is always good to have a buddy catch your back.

Make some signs stating "LOOK But Don't Touch", place them on your wipers and windows.

Roll up the windows and lock the doors. This keeps sticky hands and less than respectful people out of your ride.

Unless you have a more than great looking engine bay that wants to be seen, leave your hood closed. If you want to leave your hood open, you may consider taking off your fender tag or using non-standard screws to hold it down. Staying within eye shot of people hanging around your engine bay too long and/or removing any quick disconnect items. (Don't forget the signs "Look but don't touch"

And for you more proactive people a bat sit'n right next to your chair in plain site always is good insurance! 

NE1 else got anything to add that might work for them?

[Oldschool]

And for you more proactive people a bat sit'n right next to your chair in plain site always is good insurance! 
NE1 else got anything to add that might work for them?

Glock 9mm...........       

[JimCuda]

Da Uzi .9mm ...

[Prowler Orange Challenger]

Nah just bring an M16.

[4Cruizn]

I think the ropes around the car aren't too bad of an idea at this point!   

[Rev-It-Up]

I think the ropes around the car aren't too bad of an idea at this point!   

After Pixie read this, she said that is exactly what she wants to do!   It's really been fun watching her whole attitude grow about these cars after all the works she's put into it.  She was mortified reading this thread!  

[whitesatinmopar]

  Not to worry Pixie, it's just a little paint and buffing, that is after the blood of the numb nuts has been washed away from the rest of the car. Just when they are bent over leaning on the fender, you quietly walk up and give them a little jolt from a taser gun right in the ole ass cheeks, then when they fall backward you accidently step on their grotesque featured face ! 

[chevyconvert]

The people that do these things to our cars are NOT car people. They don't know what all the fuss is about.
These are the same people that either get a new car, and don't take care of it because they're gonna trade it in on a new one in a few years, or drive a piece of $hit so it doesn't matter.
Forget show cars, I won't touch any part of someones regular dailey driver except for the inside/outside door handles. People get out of cars and just sling the doors shut with whatever there hand (rings and all) lands on.
Don't even get me going on slammin' the doors 

And finally, non-car people raise non-car kids.
 

[Ghost]

And finally, non-car people raise non-car kids.
 

Not true, my parents aren't really car people.

[Rev-It-Up]

So how do car people educate non-car people on acceptable behaviour around cars?  Maybe clubs need to hand out flyers or have a sign where people walk in.    Sounds like there are things that can be done to help the general public learn something.  I'm sure we'll still have the folks who are just downright rude and think everything in life is set out for their own purposes, but for the most part, I believe people are just ignorant of what is not acceptable.

[chevyconvert]

  signs make sense

Not true, my parents aren't really car people.

ok then..non-car kids have non-car parents 

[ChallengerHK]

The people that do these things to our cars are NOT car people.

I agree with this completely, and frequently they're good people who mean no harm and just don't get it. I went to a show recently with my friends (a couple) and the guy's cousin. We stopped to look at a 57 Ford convertible and the cousin walked up and put her hands on the door. I winced, and then later I took her aside and explained that one generally does not touch a car at a show. She was genuininely sorry, and a little ticked at me that I hadn't explained this to her beforehand.

Similarly, while my buddy let me keep my car in his garage (free of charge, for close to ten years), his father used the car as a storage shelf and the garage as a dog- and cat- hotel when their animals were scared of storms. At one point I watched him, while he was changing the oil in his truck, take the empty oil cans and set them on my freshly painted hood. In his 80+ years of life, all vehicles were farm vehicles, and while you might enjoy driving one particular ride more than another, the point of a car was to be tranportation and a means to haul things. The condition of the paint was just not a concern.

[Ravage]

My parents were'nt car people but my brother and me were always respectful of others ,we were just raised right I guess.People that do those things are asshats in general ,not just with cars.I was at one show where a group of kids kept getting run off for riding bikes around the cars ,it was explained to them that they were welcome but the bikes were not ,they still kept riding through though.When they got tired of that they went and got their RC cars and drove them around the show.

When I bought my car the owner had the fender tag with the title ,he said one perspective buyer tried to pry it off when he wasn't looking.I been scared to put it back on.There realy are some messed up characters out there.

[snowymountainman]

Didn't happen at a car show, more of a cross country cruise thing. 

My buddy Chuck is a fairly wealthy man and he had always wanted a Shelby Cobra.  He could never find the 427S/C that he wanted so he did the next best thing.  He contacted Carrol Shelby and had his Las Vegas shop build him one exactly like the original.  Just the aluminum body OPTION cost $60,000!!

So we decided to go for a cruise and end up at the top of Lamoille canyon with his cobra and my convertible cuda.  While we are there a few people walk over and are admiring the cars (mostly his) and this lady says, I want a picture next to the car.  Chuck had headed off to the restrooms so I was watching the car.  She jumps up onto the fender to sit there.  I nearly fainted and told her to get her ass off there.  She didn't understand.  When I explained what had happened, Chuck just shook his head and told me a few others.

The last show he had attended, a guy walked up and asked him if it was an aluminum body.  Chuck told him it was and the guy decided that the best way to tell was to beat on the hood with his knuckles twice.  Chuck had to leave the show because he was soo pissed.  I don't blame him.