A Man Keeps Putting My Wipers up at My Car Park

I have been parking at a carpark spot for about 8 years. It is a car park for residents nearby and also for certain businesses for work. I am a resident.

Recently there is a guy who keeps putting my wipers up every time he gets his car as well. He also parks nearby my car park spot. I think he works around the area because he wears a uniform, and I can tell from the time he comes and goes. I don't know what his problem is. My dashcam has caught him putting my wipers up on 3 separate occasions. He walks up to my car, puts wipers up then walks away, nothing else. Only does it to my car. I don't think he knows I have a dashcam recording him on parking mode.

What should I do?

Poll Options

  • 353
    Confront him privately when he gets his car and find out what his problem is.
  • 63
    Go to his workplace and complain to his work that he keeps doing this to my car.
  • 7
    Park somewhere else.
  • 26
    Report to the police.
  • 7
    Keep quiet. Only reveal I have dashcam recording him when he does real damage to my car.
  • 14
    Others, please comment.
  • 47
    Note with screenshot on my windscreen. (added after reading comments)

Comments

    • +3

      What was his reason? I can't think of any logical explanation except to mess with people.

      • +1

        My situation slightly different, there was money involved too.

    • +2

      This sounds like a fantasy, not an actual event..

      • yeah - game theory at best

        • +8

          he beg for mercy and then everybody they clapping

          girl want to kiss me

          she not my sister

    • I hope you buy a new toothbrush every day

  • +13

    Create a QR code that links to this thread and put it on your windshield, would love to hear his side of things.

    • I like this idea. Include a title and text link incase they can't use the QR code.

  • +7

    Maybe he thought it's his mate's car?

  • +2

    Does he flip any other car's wipers or just yours? O^O

    • +2

      Only mine

  • +8

    Just leave a note: please, complete your job and wash all the windows…

  • +2

    Did you know you can get screenshots of video footage, and print it out poster size?

    I suggest printing an image and putting it up inside your windscreen so when he does it again he knows you know, and now he knows.

  • +3

    attach your car battery to the wipers

  • +1

    Can you explain what happens before and after he lifts your wipers, in the footage? Does he approach your car directly and walk away? Does he do the same to other cars?

    • he comes up to my car lifts wipers up, then walks away to his car and drives off. He only does it to my car.

      • +3

        Does he do it gently or as if he is annoyed (shaking head, yanking, rough)?

        I wonder if he is trying to signal something to you or to direct your attention to your vehicle - headlights or interior light left on, fuel tank open, ATF/coolant on the ground, etc.

  • Or…. make a print from video and add: Warning!!! THIEF!!!

    and put in somewhere in the carpark to be visible.

  • +1

    He must want your parking spot

  • +1

    do it to his car when his not looking

  • Do you never (rarely) move your car?

  • +3

    Did you get your car second hand?
    My friends and I would do this if we saw each other's cars parked when we hadn't planned to meet up. Was a little bit of fun for us to keep the other guessing who else was at the same carpark until we met up next time.

  • +3

    Put them up yourself , see if he puts them down .

    • Put them up yourself , (with a coating of black shoe polish, on the rubbers) see if he puts them down

      • Then you forget you applied black shoe polish and coat your windows with them next time you use the wipers.

        • Worth it to see old mate interferer, wipe black shit on his white flares and tacky Hawaiian shirt.

  • +4

    OzBargain can win this for you.
    With 1 or 2 trusted OzBargainers we can stake him out. Follow him to work, check out where he buys lunch, fuel & his office location.
    Then, every time he leaves his car we send in our ninja to put his wipers up.
    Keep doing this for a couple of days & he’ll freak out.
    If you’re near me I’m happy to volunteer….

    • +1

      Did you just open the OzBargain Stakeout Department?

      • Ozbargain Payback Dept.

  • Smear some grease/Vaseline/excrement on one of the wiper arms.

  • +1

    Switch the red with black on your car battery next time

  • Bro checks the passive aggressive vibe though.

  • -4

    There should be a poll option for "do nothing, who cares"

  • +1

    He does not like you parking there for some reason, putting up your wipers is better than getting your car keyed or other damage. It would be hard to know why in a car park unless that spot is disputed.

    This happened to me twice in a certain spot on a street when commuting, I stopped parking there.
    I think the reason was because it was near a retirement village and my exhaust was LOUD, I can understand how annoying that would be, you could hear me coming a 1km away.
    That was my guess.
    I did get the exhaust fixed.

  • -6

    @OP, are you a hot female that the guy putting your wipers up could be childishly playing a joke in order to get to know you?

  • +2

    I would find out where he parks, then go out his wipers up. Having a dashcam filming his reaction would be priceless.

  • It is a car park for residents nearby and also for certain businesses for work

    1) Ummm, so are there any posted signs saying it's a public or private (ie. residents only) carpark ?
    2) If private (residents only) carpark then maybe it's a hint not to park there?
    3) If you're a resident, drop a note to the body corporate telling them you're a resident and tell them (aka "whitelist") your rego no.

    Can't recall ever seeing a private carpark that also allows certain businesses to park as well …

  • +2

    Print out his photo as a wanted poster and leave it around the car park, on your widescreen and maybe his. Doubt he would do it again and saves confronting him.

  • +3

    What should I do?

    Post the video of the incident.

  • +2

    Ask him out on a date. He's trying to get to know you

  • +3

    Perhaps he wants to send out a signal that he finds you cute and wants to ask you out, but is waiting for you to make the first move

  • I do this all the time - especially if it’s a Toyota Crown.
    If I disliked someones parking or thought they were a shit driver I wouldn’t think they are smart enough to get a hint from the wipers being up and I’d put a note in the most clear, basic english I could so they would understand.

  • Easy. Superglue your wipers to your windscreen. Record his attempts to lift them. Post a series of videos to YouTube. Profit.

  • +1

    I voted for you to confront the person. Given the state of the world however, you'll probably get stabbed or something. The only bright side of that is you'll have something nontrivial to concern yourself with.

  • Put a picture of your dick on the dashboard.

    • "His dick" is the one lifting the wipers

  • +5

    I'm putting money on a case of mistaken car identity, he probably thinks your car belongs to a mate/coworker of his, and he sees it as a fun harmless little prank.

    On the other hand some people just like to watch the world burn, this seems like a pretty "harmless" way to drive someone insane, you might have just be chosen at a random.

    Or maybe his a spy trying to signal someone to his handlers? You just keep happening to park in the spot the handlers have designated. Try parking a different car in the spot see if if he still does it.

    That last one isn't serious. Just have polite conversation with the person and/or note on the car, it should clear it all up.

  • +1

    Kinda disappointed that I read this far without noticing a link to the video :(

  • Time for a new car. Requirement being the wipers cannot be left up.. check out the i30 sedan. N model if you like it a bit more sporty.
    Not only can THE MAN no longer leave your wipers up but its a new car for you and an unknown car to THE MAN.

  • Other / Comment - Beat the oigevald out of him.

  • +1

    Pull the wipers up on his mrs

  • +1

    Not sure where you are OP. Some places where it gets hot, and left in the sun could cause the wiper blades to turn hard which reduce the life of the blades. At least that's the theory.

    Many years ago, we had this little tool that we buy as attachment to life the wiper just 2-4 cm up so the wiper blade won't touch the windscreen until you turn on the wiper to wipe the glass. If I get back to Malaysia, it's something that can be bought from Car accessories store. i haven't seen it online however.

    If you are in places where wiper can get hot under to sun, maybe that's what the person is trying to do. He does it for himself, and for you.

  • Superglue the wipers down. Make an awesome dashcam video fir youtube!

  • -1

    Are you sure you can park there? Just because you have parked there for 8 years doesn't make it your spot. I think he believes it's his spot.

    • Putting the wipers up is not a way to tell the op that it's not op's spot.

  • +1

    Print out a photo of yourself giving a thumbs up and put it on his windshield

  • +1

    U may be a resident, and have a parking spot.. but are u actually parking in your designated parking spot? This has also happened in our complex, and a resident who has recently moved in with 2 garages, but only 1 car, decides to park in another resident’s spot. So perhaps the offender believes you’re parking in a spot thats not designated to you.

    • "So perhaps the offender believes you’re parking in a spot thats not designated to you."
      So we need a plan where the OP can find out if this is the case.> "remotely".

  • The person isn't a certain Melbourne footballer ?

  • +2

    No idea why, but we used to do something similar to a colleagues car as a (lame) joke. Kinda happened once and the joke kept going.

    Maybe this guy's been told the wrong car as a joke too.

    Either way - just ask!

  • Let him keep doing it. Just leave a note and scourer and ask him to clean the blade edges each time he wants to lift up your wipers.

  • +2

    Put your wipers up before he does.

  • Some people just like to watch the world burn? (Chaotic, basically harmless fun for him?)

  • +1

    Don't tell him about the dash cam!

    If there's a particular time you notice he's doing it, be there when he does it again and confront him the moment he touches your car.
    Ask him why he's touching your car, and why he repeatedly does so (recording the interaction with your phone).

    The embarrassment of being caught AND FILMED DOING SO should be enough to scare him away. If not and he's adamant he's 'doing god's work', then at least you know who you're dealing with. Your action after that point will be based on his reaction to you 'catching him in the act'.

    Another option is to silently watch him doing it from afar, and trace him back to his car.
    Then, randomly do it to his car. Not straight after… make it random, but do it.

  • +4

    I reckon he mistakes your car for someone he knows. My cousin's do it all the time with my car

    • +2

      I bet it's this

  • +1

    Get a screenshot and bring to his work place to ask why they’re having a beef with you.

  • +1

    step 1. run an electrical wire from one of the wipers to the positive terminal on your battery.
    step 2. upload dashcam video to YT dashcams australia

  • +1

    Do it to his car.

  • Lift the wipers up on every car in the car park except his. He'll be too scared to do it again.

  • May be you over took him on the road and now his feeling is hurt.

  • +1

    It's such a random thing, it's just inconveniencing you I hope.

    When you do confront him, my guess is going to be 'You're facing west and your wipers are going to melt in the afternoon' something weird like that

  • Sleep in the car one day and then peekaboo him.

    or just ask him what in tarnation he is doing and if he'd like it if someone was putting up his wind screen wipers every so often.

  • +6

    Where’s the update, don’t you know this is my entertainment for the Christmas break!

  • Let his tyres down.

  • Jut go put his windscreen wipers up too.

    Or come to the car part with your wipers up already.

  • +3

    Contront them while wearing an adult nappy and say that you have gone "boom boom" and ask them to change your nappy.

  • Used to park in my mates visitors car park in Spring Hill (Brisbane inner city). Would only go over there three times a week max and maybe overnight till about 11am max. Someone in the complex assumed I was staying nearby and using that car park. Got to my car one day and it had a note talking about Visitors parking blah blah. Whoever did that used half a bostik/ glue stick for there note. Stuff did not come out easily. They also let out my front tyres and being a noob driver, drove on it puncturing one. Guessing you should just monitor in case it escalates to property damage.

  • Liquid ricin on your wiper blades, The Jackal style.

    • Rice and beans?

  • Maybe he likes you and that's his way of flirting. Approach him and give him your number.

  • +2

    Bikies

  • +6

    What should I do?

    Provide updates.

  • +1

    i wanna see the video

  • +1

    Are you female? Does he looks like introvert? Maybe he is rating you this way.
    Don't do the mistake of lifting his car's wiper up, if you don't see it feasible. He may take it otherwise.

  • +1

    After parking your car put one wiper up, leave other wiper down, each day alternate the wiper put up. See if he has a reaction to it. Could be an interesting social experiment.

    • +2

      Will be great if OP can invite us on the spot. Will be a treat to watch.

      • +2

        Yes a deeply engaged & enthralled audience, holding up score cards as the wiper molester does his thing, followed by a celebratory Mexican wave and ending with a sundowner/OP sponsored snagger sizzle.

  • +1

    Print all the comments out from this thread, and put it under his wipers. Make a little note saying you haven’t yet decided which course of action to take, but it could be any one of the suggestions above 😁

  • Does he think your car is a mates car or something?

  • +1

    Please update us if you do ever find out why he is doing it.

    • +1

      Don't put your house on it

  • +1

    He probably thinks you're a random taking advantage of free parking. Confront him rather than leaving a note.

    Even if he says sorry, just ask him to think about his actions next time.

    He probably thinks he's in the right. I'd want to stamp it out before this escalates

  • +2

    You do the same with his wipers. Even worse lift up the rear wipers as well.

  • When parking there in future, lift your wipers up and leave them up. When you return, drop them down for driving away. Will confuse the hell out of him.

  • +1

    Reminds me of a work mate who would draw dicks on our other mates dirty car. The guy snapped and went to HR to find out who was doing it. Unintentional official warning time

  • Wiper arms aren't designed to be lifted for that many cycles. It's not something that normally gets done vs the actual wipe cycle. So strength/wear in that area will be compromised.

    I'd tuck an invoice invoice for new wiper arms and a letter of demand under mofos wipers.

  • +2

    Go to butcher. Get a sheeps nut sack, remove a cod, place it on wiper blade with note,
    "YOU'RE NEXT"

    Better still, do it on his car

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