Redditor theonewithneeds1 is a 27-year-old guy who was reluctant to let his girlfriend’s sister borrow his new car so she could take her kids to a holiday event.
After much convincing from the sister, he finally relented and allowed them to use the car.
Unfortunately, the car was not returned in the condition he had hoped, and when he dealt with the consequences accordingly, he was accused of being “harsh.”
So he visited the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit and asked:
“AITA for saying my car cleaning is my girlfriends Christmas gift?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained how the car got messy in the first place.Â
“So last weekend my girlfriend Taylor (26 Female) asked me if she could borrow my car to take her sister and her two kids to the zoo for a Christmas lights event.”
“I just got a brand new car and wanted to keep it pristine so I said no. But she kept insisting, saying hers is too small and she will make sure nothing happens.”
“I finally agree and they go to the zoo. The next morning when I get in my car to go to work my car is a mess. It smells like throw up.”
“There are food crumbs everywhere. I had to drive with the window down to my office to avoid throwing up because of the smell.”
“I text Taylor to ask what happened. She said one of the kids got sick. I told her that she needs to clean it up. Well two days go by and she still hasn’t cleaned it up.”
“I worked from home thankfully those days so I didn’t have to drive anywhere. She would come home late from work (she’s a nurse) and would say she’s too tired etc.”
“I kept telling her that I need to use my car. Taylor kept blowing it off. Finally I had to just take it to a place to get detailed.”
“It cost me a good amount of money to get it cleaned. I told Taylor that her sister needed to pay me for this.”
“She refused to allow me to ask her sister for this. So I said fine, my car getting detailed is your Christmas present then.”
“I took back all the gifts I had bought for Taylor to cover the cost of the cleaning. She’s saying this is unfair and I’m being harsh. AITA?”
Strangers online were asked to declare one of the following:
- NTA – Not the A**hole
- YTA – You’re the A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everybody Sucks Here
Many Redditors thought the OP was not the a**hole in the situation.
“NTA I would have returned the gf as well.” – Tkote420
“I’m a lady and agree with this. If my kid trashed someone’s car and threw up in it I’d be calling detailing places myself!” – MorphicMinx
“I literally cannot fathom allowing vomit to soak in and dry and ferment in my partners new car that I BEGGED FOR AND PROMISED TO LET NOTHING HAPPEN TO, without dealing with all of the clean up on my own.”
“Gf is a major a**hole, has proven to be untrustworthy and slapped you in the face with the favor you granted her. THEN….hang on let me check my notes…ah, she refused to even pay for or ask for the money so someone else could clean it up and op wouldn’t be out money for her fuck up.”
“RUN NOW BEFORE YOU FORGET THE STING OF THIS ANAL EXPLORATION SHE JUST GAVE YOU!!!” – SufficientWay3663
“The idea of letting someone get into a car uncleaned that a person has gotten sick in is so repulsive to me, I actually question her sense here.”
“And to act like her gifts are more important than her clear neglect of her responsibility after hounding him for the car? Ugh, detail the whole ass relationship at this point.” – BVBnCFCinORF
“NTA. She damaged your property, and refused to do anything to fix it.” – Mysterious-Tea-7218
“NTA since she wasn’t getting it done, also she is an AH for not telling you about the problem when it happened and letting you discover it for yourself. Gross.” – DelurkingtoComment
“NTA – red flags! That’s so disrespectful to not clean up after yourself. I definitely wouldnt let her use your car again.” – SpaceCrazyArtist
“NTA. She made a promise she couldn’t keep, so she needs to pay for it somehow, or take care of it ASAP. She wasn’t.”
“Frankly, the whole situation, depending on the attitude I was getting from the other person, would be enough to end things…but I don’t deal at all well with bio-waste stink of any sort, so that’s MY issue!” – bloodfeier
“Hell no! NTA”
“Your car was brand new and you clearly did not want to lend it.”
“Kid throws up in it but your girlfriend and sister did not clean it (who does that!)”
“Neither your girlfriend nor her sister told you/ admitted what happened. What they thought you would not notice?”
“Vomit aside, your car was full of crumbs and rubbish. Clearly your girlfriend let everyone eat in your brand new car.”
“Girlfriend did not even remove the rubbish.”
“Girlfriend had no intention of ever cleaning your car.”
“Red flags 🚩 are showering from the sky like confetti. If your girlfriend treats your precious (to you, not her) new car like this, how does she treat you?!”
“Normal people would NOT have let anyone eat in your car, would have been mortified and apologetic about a child throwing up in it, and made sure they cleaned it up immediately and taken it for a professional clean if the smell persisted.”
“If your girlfriend was truely exhausted, she would have at a minimum told you about it, apologised, removed the rubbish, and made a plan to get it clean.”
“No apologies and a don’t give a sh*t attitude = do you really want to be with that person? What does it say about her?”
“Good luck. Hope that new car feel isn’t ruined for you, as no doubt you worked hard to buy the car. 🤗” – ScaredMembership6542
Overall, Redditors remained repulsed over the fact that someone vomited inside his car and no effort was made to cover up the lingering odor of the bile.
Redditors also expressed concern for the OP’s relationship, citing the girlfriend’s complicity in the mess indicated red flags.