piclistguy

We all know this is common problem. People in parking lots, often squeezing into spots that are much too tight for their vehicle, recklessly open their door without looking and slam their door into your nice luxury car. Chipping the paint and/or adding a ding to your car. It mostly happens when away from your car, but on occasion you may be sitting in your car when someone slams a door into the side of your vehicle. The person either pretends they didn't do anything or at best apologizes but denies doing any damage.

Can you do anything when you witness such an event to hold the other vehicle owner accountable? Even it was the passenger not the owner who dinged your car? It seems like taking pictures wouldn't be sufficient because its still hard to prove the other vehicle in the picture did the damage to your car.

Just wondering if anyone else was ever in such a situation and how you handled it.

OC 335d

Happened to me in the past.

I demanded to see their insurance/DL. If they didn't provide it I would have taken pics immediately. They settled it in a fair cash sum though.

piclistguy

sure, but what can you prove with taking pictures on the spot? How can these pictures prove it was the car next to yours that caused the damange?

dunnojack

really nothing you can do short of doing some CSI chit, analyzing paint transfer and stuff

best way to deal with it is to park far away and get some walking exercise.


it's usually the fat lazy negligent people who park up close to the building and ding your doors.

lamar411

I just give them the stare, no point wasting energy trying to explain what they did to your car.

TwiBlueG35

I don't know how to deal with this also.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Does insurance cover stuff like this in case they end up slightly denting your door or causing a heavy scratch that's through the clearcoat?

JessePS

Hasn't happened yet, if it does and they don't say ****. I'll just slash their tires when they aren't looking.

pavelekPL

+1

KA8

iTrader: (1)

Nothing much you can do. Since I drive my Kia as a work van I don't care where I park. Then I'm slightly more careful where I park with my ML. When it comes to my Z though I'm crazy **** where I park. In fact I avoid all shopping malls now haha.

hwy1isf

iTrader: (1)

Happened with one of my Vettes at a shopping mall a few years ago and I always park far away to avoid other cars, but 2 young people in a econo box managed to find me out by myself and parked right next to me. A guy driving and a girl in the passenger side, she opened the door and smacked my car and just smiled and said oops, and they walked away giggling, well and I had already purchased a valve stem remover on the recommendation from a vette club member, so after they left I got out check the side of my car found a little nick, then knelt down and removed one of their stems.

It is a inexpensive repair but a valuable lesson for stupid people.

Valve stem removers can be purchased at auto parts bicycle shops and many other locations.

mmarshall

Happened to me once when I actually saw it......but it was a friend of mine (a guy from my church I played softball with years ago) so, of course, I took it quietly and didn't make a big deal out of it, especially since it wasn't deliberate, just carelessness.

This is why I often b**ch, in my car reviews, about automakers that are too cheap to put on simple body-side mouldings...but, of course, simply having mouldings alone is no guarantee of paint-protection. It depends on the location/height of the moulding itself, how thick it is, and the shape of the door-edge that is opened toward it.....a protruding part of the door edge, in the right spot, can chip the paint above or below the moulding itself.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Like others have said - park the hell away from everyone and walk a bit further.

mmarshall

Probably not for the smallest scratches/dings, but, yes, they usually would for the more noticeable ones.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Chip for a chip for people who don't say "sorry" about it and give me a dirty look. Paint stripper for people who yell at me or deliberately kick my car after (happened twice). Nothing for anyone who apologizes or looks like they are sorry for it.

I park hella far from people though so they really have to try hard to do anything to me.