Bad Advice for Borrowed-Car Mishaps

CARS.COM — As long as there have been cars, there have been car-borrowing mishaps. Returning a car to your parent, friend or significant other with a brand-new scratch is the stuff of nightmares, but for the not-so-scrupulous among us, that's where the artful cover-up comes in. The below tweets demonstrate that a little creativity goes a long way when covering up dings — and that there's no problem a well-placed bumper sticker can't fix.

We hope it goes without saying … but we're gonna say it anyway: Don't try this at home, boys and girls.

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Whether it's a Honda Odyssey or a Porsche 911, borrowing a car is a high-stakes situation, and the sinking feeling that comes with denting a car that doesn't belong to you is not one you're likely to forget. This Twitter user sums up the feeling:

Once the deed is done, consider your options. You can:

1) Try to fix the dent or scratch.

2) Cover it and pretend it didn't happen.

3) Come clean.

Running away and starting a new life in South America is also an option but not necessarily recommended (although we hear Machu Picchu is lovely this time of year).

There are products out there that get rid of small dings, but when you're in a bind, there's apparently a plunger method for dents, and home remedies like toothpaste and shoe polish for buffing out a scratch. Or, if the car is white, White-Out has been shown to do the (dirty) trick:

If the scratch or dent isn't going anywhere, it's time to get really creative. Hopefully, the owner's anger that you scratched their car will be placated by your endearing cover-up attempt.

Here are some examples of the classic bumper sticker cover-up:

If you're artistically inclined, perhaps you might show the owner that you're really sorry with a hand-painted car mural. After all, every dent is an opportunity for artistic expression:

If all else fails, Mother Nature herself might just intervene on your behalf:

If you opt instead to take the high road and choose to come clean instead of covering up, be sure to soften the blow with gifts and/or flattery. Even if you don't have a mishap, showing your gratitude to the car's owner by filling up the tank is always a good call.