So I know all of us have nice cars that we take pride in, that we like to keep looking nice over the years. I know for daily drivers that can sometimes be tough, especially if you live up north or in really congested cities with no parking or really tight garages and tight street spots.

Anyways, when you enter a parking lot, what are the things you look for???

#1 for me is grade and buggies in the lot. Is there any damn way I can park uphill from the store, any way I can park to avoid buggies left haphazardly in the parking lot, I'm always thinking these things can take on a mind of their own, gravity takes effect, they slam into my car at 20mph. **** runs downhill, if I'm parked at the top of the hill, wayward buggies don't hit me.

#2 is there an island I can park next to??? this usually shields me from buggies and door dings from one side. Usually you can sneak right up the curb and leave a good 2 to 5 feet from the car/space next to you, where if they park in the lines there is no possible way they can ding you. Plus usually if you park on the far side of the island there are like 10-20 empty spaces on the other side that those idiots can go park in.

#3 In parking garages, its always safer to park in a space next to a pole, pull your car as close as possible to the pole, that creates more space on the other side for the other morons who might ding your door or run into you pulling in. I always try to back into parking spaces in a garage if that is feasible.

#4 If I am absolutely forced to park on the street, I make sure its a spot marked with lines and a good 2-3' between the cars(not much of a problem in Nashville). If its somewhere I know street parking is the only option, I drive my truck with its chrome bumpers, if they take a hit, it doesn't matter, if it leaves a mark, well then its character. Aftermarket bumpers are like $150 for a new front or rear, so it isn't a huge loss if somebody mildly dings me.

 

me too!

 

I am on the wagon.

I have gotten into the habit of parking far away, curbed on one side, for about 11 years now. Prior to Dec. 2006, I didn't do that, figuring it was not really in my control. I remember 2 incidents, a utility truck clipping my rear left door of my then 3 y.o. Maxima, and then a child in a Tahoe doing the same on the same door. The first time I freaked out, removed my door panel, and found it's not that easy to DIY PDR at home. Called a PDR guy, and he could not fix it either, saying it's on the curved top edge of the door. I actually adjusted my sideview to try to avoid looking at the dent.

So, after 11 yrs. on the road, my BMW 335i coupe has zero dings on the sides (a dang acorn fell during a storm, and dinged the roof, but most will never find it). It actually had 2 PDRs, and it was like a miracle. One was in the lower left corner of the front driver's door, usually not doable (I have been told within 1" of an edge is not doable). PDR tech told me BMW and MB are easy to fix, the metal is elastic and has a memory. Can't get the same results on some Asian cars (I wonder if it will work on Lexus).

I follow the curb the car and walk a great distance even with loaners, and rentals. My friends say who cares about a loaner or rental, you can return it with a ding the size of a quarter?

I met my relatives for dinner while on business in Toronto, and I had a 2018 Murano with 7xx miles. You should have seen the parking spaces at this strip mall on Don Mills. I don't think the spaces were even big enough for cars to park next to each other and to be able to open their doors more than 1/3 of the way. Even with the rental, I felt this is a bad situation, I can't imagine if I had to park like that with my own cars.

Last Sat. we went to Costco, and it was so packed due to the upcoming NFC game, I had no choice but to park the LS next to a mini van and a SUV. Needless to say, I was in a big hurry to make our purchases and get the **** out of dodge! My LS may be a 2006, but it has only 2 tiny dings, that most except me would not be able to find.

I love cars. I don't want a ding on mine, and I don't want to ding yours either. But I know that in reality, this means parking at the furthest possible spot, with an island to one side. There are a few very isolated incidents, that when I did that, I would come out to find another car right up against me, I thought, antagonizing me. Human nature.

Oh yeah, if you like your car, avoid driving to preschool if you can. Someone scraped my wife's SUV two weeks ago, long black rubbery mark. And this is not the first incident, parents have been warned by the director about previous ones and illegal parking. I bet it was that 20-something in the MB G mobile, she seems really careless and in a hurry! dang!

The marks all came out with the clay bar and cleaner wax. There is a tiny convex ding that my wife could not find, so she said she's ok with it. But it really bothered her when she saw the long black mark.

 

All good suggestions, Aron.........and I follow those myself.

I'd also add:

#5.....watch what kind of trees you park under....and what time of year it is. Pine, maple, and some evergreen trees can drip ***** of sticky, corrosive sap and/or hard cones, Oak trees drop ding-producing acorns from late August into October, and Walnut trees (some of the worst) can drop large wants that produce major dings and dents. Walnut trees can sometimes be identified by big green ***** that surround the nuts. Old decrepit trees, of course, are a hazard from falling branches....particularly during high winds.

#6. If possible, try not to park near where kids regularly ride bikes, skateboards, roller-skates, scooters, etc....., or where people regularly carry loads out to the trash-dumpsters. They are scratches and dings just waiting to happen.

 

Watch out if you park near mulch. When it has not been changed every year, artillery fungus grows and shoots spores up to 20' in the air. This leaves little black dots on cars which smear into a mess when removed (defies logic)...on houses power washing does not remove the spores..

 

just park in a car bubble and ride a bike to work...

 

over the holidays I parked in a parking garage for about 2 weeks -- I parked so damn close to a pole I had to get out of the passenger side (shoulda backed in I guess )
When I got back into town and picked up the car some idiot had smashed into the right rear damaging the tail light and bumper I got a replacement tail light for $40 on Ebay, snapped the bumper back into place, polished/sanded most of the scratches out then used http://www.automotivetouchup.com/?A=...20touch%20up_e to re-spray the deep scratch marks. (this was on a 2010 Focus Focus beater).

 

When my BMW was brand spanking new, I went to BJs Warehouse, where it's a little dangerous with carts all over etc. So I parked as far away as possible from the entrance. Wouldn't you know, this yellow rag top 350Z parks right next to me? Huh?! Then I thought about it, my pass side is curbed, and he parks to my left, and is by himself. In reality, I think his logic is that my car is the equivalent of a curb--I would not ding his pass. side, because I don't want my car dinged as demonstrated by it's being so far away at the end....we can only do so much, but walking is good for us anyway, so park far away...

 

See video for scenarios where you still get duped after practicing the defensive parking act.

 

That was awesome. As mentioned, it has happened to me several times, and I really do think it's a "spoiler," wants such a reaction. Somehow, I'm not really sure if I would want to meet up with this guy in a parking lot. If you want to know what I mean, I consider Mike Milbury to be the old school "tough," and I'd rather fight someone much younger, who is all talk lol

 

See the red rectangle thats how i park i have had bad experiences parking normally people slamming into the rear of my car, car has been vandalized with the word "kike" scratched into my paint so i hate parking lots and always try to park in front of a business so a camera is on my car and the car is out of the way from everyone else and it will take someone going out of there way to damage my vehicle.

 

That's ridiculous, don't know what to say, we live in a time when it's better to take the high road and avoid esclation. But not always

One time and I've told this story before, this dude that won an Emmy (for being a ****), tells me not to park my car across from his house. He's got like a Porsche, BMW, Ford Expedition and trailer, Infiniti full sized suv, BMW 635. Oh yeah, the way he said it was don't park there if you like your car. So I slammed it into R and parked right where he said not to, and he was dropping the F bomb this and that in front of his then toddler, maybe 4 or 5. When I got the LS430 I heard him from his house, "Oh I told you it was that guy."

Know how you fix these types? Say hi to their wives, and see how they're normal and friendly in return. Then you know it's him, not you. I'm insured, just wish I had the dash cam if he ever tried to pull anything. I doubt it, because 2 houses down they have like 5 cars, and park 2 of them in the above area where he told me not to park.

 

 

 

That's exactly where I park every day at work. 20-30% of the car will be in the striped area. I often come back to find some ******** parked on or slightly over the line on the other side. Thankfully there is still enough room so that I don't get hit, but such behavior form others justifies why I park like a douche.