Just in time

Our cars are a significant investment (if they can be called investment at all.). How far will u go to protect against door dings?

Just saw the car below.

ATXGT3

That guy is an idiot. I park out far if need be, but do this stupid stuff and you will come back to a keyed car.

mdkim

It's only a Maserati...it's not like he's protecting it from depreciating .

nlpamg

I try to park far, park by a wall or divider and it STILL doesn't work.

For example, I parked in the very, very back of the mall, with NO ONE around and literally 50 empty spaces all around.

Some kid in a GTI decides to mark RIGHT next to me. I come out of the mall and I see him taking pics and checking out the car, but he could have parked a spot away and done the same thing... Annoying. Pic is attached.

I want to try something like this: http://www.doorshox.com/car-door-dings.htm but I fear that it's an invitation to test the product and that someone will try to test it and go too far...

Agreed.

SamFromTX

EXACTLY!!
Also, if I have to park next to a car, I check out the edges of their doors, to see if there are chips in the paint or not. Chips indicate a carless individual so I move.

ipse dixit

I've seen people do that in LA with the i8.

But that has less to do with door dings and more with needing room to open those scissor doors.

montoya

I just don't park it if I can't see it. Simple- it's not a car I use to go shopping. Restaurant yes, malls no.

Money2536

In my house we call DFZ: "Dent-Free Zone parking" It basically means that we are going to be walking...far.

armbar

I walk as far as need be.

I'll always try to get a parking space on the right. Every car has a driver, not everyone has a passenger. Reduces the odds slightly.

consolidated

The world is never safe from eee-diots. Like this good Pana owner, parked between two concrete walls in a structured garage. What could possibly go wrong... Driver was a drunk female, going fast enough to blow the airbags. Here first words were "I don't want there to be any problems".

This was posted on my thread on an M3 board after someone backed into my M3 on a Saturday morning, parked in an empty lot, not a car in sight, bluebird sky.

MaxLTV

I put clear bra on doors. It helps against small dings and scrapes when someone leans their door against your car. Also, at work, a good strategy is parking on the end spot in such a way that there are no cars on the passenger side. This makes the car next to you face you with a passenger door, and most people come to work without passengers, so no one to ding my car. Finally, in my experience, brighter color helps a lot. People just more aware around bright cars. My bright blue BMW 335 had less than quarter of dings my black M3 over a similar time period.

djcxxx

The guy in the Maserati may avoid a door ding and get keyed instead. Just asking for trouble by taking up two spaces or parking at a 45 degree angle over two spaces, etc. I detest door dings, I inevitably obsess over them and their size magnifies in my imagination. That's why I drive my G35 beater for anything involving a parking lot.

rockitman

I don't park/leave my car unattended for very long, if ever. If I need to run errands, I use the Cayenne.

bronson7

I will never park at the mall or any large busy parking lot, not a chance.

bichito

Never ever park next to a car with a child seat! Or a least on your side.... I have seen too many moms push the door as far as they can to get the kid in/out.