@Chayan:
See buddy,if you have caught the culprit then it's best to make him/his boss pay for it. Rest I think this may get covered into insurance too(if you find the other person backing-off) by showing it a minor accidental repair(You will have to think of a good story of how it happened).
BTW, it looks like you people care the car very much because if I'd have been at your place then I'd haven't given a damn to such scratches etc(My car had some of them and they all got repaired in one visit). I just leave the place without thinking what and how it happened!!
So kudos to your love for your car..
@TSIVipul: No offence taken buddy. The fact that you devote time to contribute to this forum and help out other members prove that you are a car lover at heart. Whether the car is bought with your earned money, gifted or inherited is secondary.
I think maintaining/caring for your ride is a pre-requisite not only because there is a emotional attachment (which is there anyway) but for other reasons as well. I can list a few that are on top of my mind:
1) This has to do with the first rule of the car - "Respect a man's car, and the man will respect you". Next time you see a well maintained car (can be anything -- say a Nano), go to the owner and appreciate his efforts put on maintenance. You will be rewarded back with respect.
2) Say while on your road to office you accidentally bump into a 'khatara' car with scratches/dent all over. Your bump might have caused a new scratch none the less, the owner will have very little to say to you as his car already has countless more. You will be more worried about what damage was there to your car.
Compare this with a similar situation where you accidentally bump into a well maintained car. In the latter case, you will be sorry no doubt for your own but also for the damage to the other car which you have caused. The other person would also be in a morally superior position to ask for compensation.
There was a behavioural study done in the US, where they parked a brand new vehicle in a rough neighbourhood and monitored it from a distance. For the first couple of days, no one touched the car. People took cursory glances but nothing more. After 4 days, one morning they noticed that the wheels were gone and the car rested on bricks. Rest of the car was OK. But within another 1 day, the car had been stripped off completely and only the shell remained.
The lesson learnt is that once we know that any item is not cared for (or a weakness exists), people will take advantage of it. This is very true for India. The same people will behave differently in a Airport lounge to when they are at a railway station.
3) Third and not the last reason is that your car defines who you are. Just like you attire, shoes, watch or your pen. Just as your clean your clothes and polish your shoes, why would the car be any different. Ultimately its protecting you from external dangers forming a cocoon around you when you are on the road. Its not something the people travelling on foot have.
And off-course there is a emotional aspect - we all love our cars. We visit showrooms, read reviews, take test drives just to select the right one, or in many cases the right one to select us.