When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
If you park in BFE (and have to walk for miles as a result) and another car magically appears next to you isn't that person likely to be a car enthusiast?
About 95% of the time yes in my R8s case but the rusted and dented early 2000s Camry I walked out to recently next to my R8 not so much. There does tend to be another VAG car near me most times. With the far spots at malls you get the employees a good amount of the time. Folks may be enthusiasts but do they always know how to park straight and are their passengers as good about their door swings. Granted I haven't been hit by anything but would still like to be able to open my door fully with my far out parking... so a note to the universe... if you are going to park next to me do it on the passenger side.
I park mine at the grocery store, mall, Wal-mart, parking garages, etc., all the time. I park at the end far away from other cars, though...always. The exercise is good for me!
+1. Exercise is good and it gives you extra time to admire on the walk back. In the end it's just a car. If I don't take it to the normal places when will I drive it?
+1. Exercise is good and it gives you extra time to admire on the walk back. In the end it's just a car. If I don't take it to the normal places when will I drive it?
I was overprotective of my previous Corvette (C6) and I didn't like to drive it where I had to park near the masses for fear of it getting dented. So I wound up not driving it as much as I wanted to and worried more about it than I should have. I only put 16k miles on it over 8 years. (Having young kids after I bought it as well as taking mass transit also impacted my driving.)(
I am not making that mistake this time. Sure, I park it away from other cars and near islands but I am going to DRIVE this car as much as I can and enjoy it! If something happens....I can always get it fixed if need be...
I agree, in the end it is just a car. It won't be the last one I ever own, too.
In my area the width of parking spaces has increased substantially at malls, grocery stores, etc. in the past 10 - 15 years. So door dings aren't nearly as common as they were in the "ole" days. Nevertheless I must confess that I try to find a parking space in the area where there are fewer parked cars.
My wife on the other hand will always seek a parking space as close as possible to the entrance of where she shops. Moreover, the car she drives, an Audi S8 is not exactly an economy car. Concern about door dings may be more of a male trait, since I can't recall any of my female friends parking their luxury cars in remote parking spots to minimize the possibility of a door dings.
Man, what car lover's Shangri-la do you live in? I have seen exactly the opposite in the last 15-20 in Atlanta. Every builder tries to maximize space usage, etc. Parking spots are smaller than ever around me.
i just had to park in a public lot.......question. i had a simple dent on the front cover of my car. the dealer is telling me that i have to replace the front bumper, which is fine, but that in order to match the paint on the new bumper that they have to spray the aluminum side panel by the wheels and the hood with new paint. Basically repainting parts of the car to match the bumper bcse they supposedly can't match otherwise. I have a 2014 991 blue color cabrio. dark blue color - nothing special....normal dark blue. is the dealership telling me the truth. can't they just match the color on the new bumper versus having to respray the aluminum side panels and hood?
i just had to park in a public lot.......question. i had a simple dent on the front cover of my car. the dealer is telling me that i have to replace the front bumper, which is fine, but that in order to match the paint on the new bumper that they have to spray the aluminum side panel by the wheels and the hood with new paint. Basically repainting parts of the car to match the bumper bcse they supposedly can't match otherwise. I have a 2014 991 blue color cabrio. dark blue color - nothing special....normal dark blue. is the dealership telling me the truth. can't they just match the color on the new bumper versus having to respray the aluminum side panels and hood?
My experience has been that they usually paint at least part of the adjacent panels in order to "feather" in the color match as they can never perfectly match the paint. If you're painting an entirely new bumper, you may be ok with a slight color mismatch that may only be noticeable to you since you know it's not original and been painted.
The guy who has been doing the body/paint restoration on my 356 has told me that some paints are more difficult than others to work with on plastic bumpers, in order to get a good match with steel or aluminum panels. I don't know if it's something in the paint or the drying times are different for plastic and metal. However, I do believe that the really talented painters would not have to shoot entire adjacent panels.
My biggest concern when I'm driving is that so many people around here are paying very little attention to the cars in front of them, or anywhere near them for that matter. Getting rear-ended in a 911 is never going to end well.
As for parking at malls, I try to park in East Jesus or BFE. I agree that sometimes I'll find a car right next to mine, but usually it's another enthusiast's car, parked carefully. I have a handicapped veteran plate on my new GTS, but unless I'm having a really bad day I never use the handicapped spaces because usually I can manage to walk without a lot of trouble. My old bod is rather f....-up, but people like Freeman are the ones we should save the spaces for. I'm just thrilled that I can still walk fairly well. I genuinely believe Freeman would trade just about anything to be able to walk without so much pain.
I agree that sometimes I'll find a car right next to mine, but usually it's another enthusiast's car, parked carefully.
Yes, you are right. The modus operandi should be this: park your Porsche beside other enthusiasts' cars or other expensive cars like a Mercedes or a Bimmer, whose owners will be careful when they open the door; don't park beside an old American car with long doors. This modus operandi has worked rather nicely for my C4S: no door dings at all. I park my C4S even at bars and clubs, not just at malls and supermarkets. But I never use a parking valet.
I agree. I would think that nowadays it would be easy to match paint. Dealers are know to embellish to get deeper into your pockets. Also, you may be able to go to PDR guy and get that dent pushed out and then try to buff out the paint.
Nope never park at malls, or usually any place I can't see my car. I have a Golf when I need to go to the mall or anyplace else. When we go for a weekend ride it is sometimes tough finding a place to eat.
i just had to park in a public lot.......question. i had a simple dent on the front cover of my car. the dealer is telling me that i have to replace the front bumper, which is fine, but that in order to match the paint on the new bumper that they have to spray the aluminum side panel by the wheels and the hood with new paint.
And another thing, Porsche dealerships rarely, if ever, have a body shop and a paint shop on site. They farm it out, and take a cut of the action. I agree with you, I'd want a new bumper cover too (if PDR can't pop it back). Post your location and ask a Rennlister for a high-end paint shop recommendation.
Yes, you are right. The modus operandi should be this: park your Porsche beside other enthusiasts' cars or other expensive cars like a Mercedes or a Bimmer, whose owners will be careful when they open the door; don't park beside an old American car with long doors. This modus operandi has worked rather nicely for my C4S: no door dings at all. I park my C4S even at bars and clubs, not just at malls and supermarkets. But I never use a parking valet.
06-25-2015, 01:41 AM
