billco

I'm curious to know how you guys deal with your car when traveling. If you were on a road trip, would you prefer to use a car cover for the over night stay at a hotel, or just leave your car exposed? Do you feel covering your car offers any level of protection against minor vandalism? What did you do with your Porsche the last time you spent the night on the road?

MJones

Having done 3 Xcountry Road Trips in the 997 of 4,500+mi each, I just drive the car till I feel like it's time to rest.

No fancy hotels, just Best Westerns, nor a car cover, no problems.

Did a number of road trips in the 996 as well, no problems.

I've driven on all sort of road and in all weather conditions.

Just get out, see the country, and drive!!

Dariof

Wish I had something for my new P-car. I just drove the car back to Vegas after purchasing it in Ohio. I stayed the last night of the trip in Denver. When I woke up the next morning and went out to the car to load my luggage, I found a big dent by the passenger side window. No door could have hit it. It was either done on purpose, or by someone with luggage on their shoulder hitting it walking by.

I had the dent removed as much as possible by this outfit that pops out dents, but because of the location, could not get enough leverage on it to completely remove it. To remove it completely, it has to be done by a body shop and the entire quarter panel re-painted and blended. The cost---approximately $1,500.00.

Needless to say I wasn't too happy when I saw the dent, and although now I am somewhat pacified, I know I will have to spend the 1.5K sooner or later.

Deanski

When I went to Wildwood, NJ for vacation I brought with me a car cover and door defenders for under the cover. Worked very well. Since the cover was just your "Covercraft" type it did not draw too much attention.

Door defenders can be purchased here: Door Defender You can get them in colors as well.

Deanski

djantlive

u will have to clean the car b4 putting on the cover. i would pick a safe lot and just park it. if you really want to use a cover, bring a detail spray with you.

Deanski

Yes, you have to keep it clean pripor to a cover. I use both a QD, but prior to the QD, I use a MF mop looking device to get the most of the dust off and trapped. Then I spray with a QD and wipe. Less chance of marring. Never cover it if it's wet!

Deanski

OCBen

Sorry to hear that Dario.

If you'll recall that was exactly a scenario I had spelled out for you as a possibility in driving the car home versus shipping it:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showpost...1&postcount=25

The possibility of tired travelers parking next to you and hauling out their luggage and accidentally dinging your car as a result was something I visualized as a real possibility. Sorry it actually happened to you. Hope you do get it repaired to your satisfaction.

colonel

I checked Door defenders. Looks like it only offers very limited protections. It needs to protect front and rear fender, bumpers, etc, and depends on the height, shopping carts can cause dings as well. I went to Walmart over the weekend with my other car and came back with a ding in the rear quarter fender. I don't know how people could have hit it. It was really frustrating. Outside parking is really a harzard. It's risky.

Dariof

Thanks, Ben.

I knew it would evenutally happen from just driving the car. I have not owned a car that didn't get some kind of road chip or door ding from being on the road (or parking in a parking lot). But I would have wanted it to happen later than sooner.

It is very difficult to spot, but I know it's there. That is why I will get it fixed one of these days.

mastiffdog

I feel bad for you Dariof, I know how excited you are with the car and followed your trip thread closely, you were having a great time. I strongly recommend pay the $1500 and getting it fixed professionally, then put it behind you and go enjoy the car.

I had seriously contemplated driving my turbo back from the dealer I bought it from, nearly a 2000 mile trip. But I decided not to in the end and have it professional shipped in an enclosed trailer. Just didn't want to take any chances.

OCBen

Having it happen to you later after you've owned it a while is easier to take since we know things like this eventually happen. But on a brand new car, you'd like to enjoy it for a little while before **** happens. That was the point I was trying to make in recommending shipping.

I know first hand how it sucks to have a new car damaged and having it worked on in a body shop. Happened to me after just a couple of months of ownership. Went throught the excruciating option selection process and then the long, long wait process just to get exactly what I wanted. And there it was being dismantled at the body shop and being handled like any other car awaiting body work, knowing it was no longer new from that point forward, after such a short time of ownership. Broke my heart. But oh well, **** happens.

Take it to a quality shop and they should make it good as new, and you'll soon forget it ever happened.

THPorsche

Ben, did you wash it before taking it to the body shop? It looked so damn clean.

OCBen

Yep, and I specifically told them not to wash or detail it after doing the work, that I would wash it myself when I got it back.

Dariof

Ben:

I didn't actually want to get into the whole story, but oh well.

I don't think anyone hit the car, even though I know I said that earlier for ease of explanation.

I parked with the passenger side of the vehicle (where the dent was) next to a wall, and behind me was another wall. This means no traffic (foot or vehicular) could walk or drive past my vehicle. It also means that on the Px side, there would not be any vehicles driving by, and someone would most likely not be walking there either (again, side and back walls).

I think the buddy I took with me may have done it, although I can't know for sure and hate even thinking this. I know this sounds awful, but it is the only logical conclusion I can come to. He was taking his stuff out of that side of the car (Px) and he may have accidentally dropped a bag or his camera case on the top edge of the vehicle where the dent is. Again, if he did do it, I doubt he even knew.

No way was it vandalism. When people vandalize cars, they fu*k them up...like a good kick to the side of the door or a nice healthy key job. I know this for a fact, and anyone that has been vandalized will attest to this. They don't leave a little tiny dent the size of a 1/2 of a dime on the upper portion of the rear quarter panel just to the rear of the front window.

It was not a rock that hit the vehicle. There were absolutley no transfer marks of any kind, and besides, I had just washed the vehicle a hundred miles prior to parking it, and the dent was not there at that time. If a rock hit after washing it and prior to parking it (I was driving on the freeway for the 100 miles), I would have heard it. A rock hitting a vehicle, especially right next to the window is easily heard.

It should also be noted that I parked at the hotel at approx 12:30 AM, and the parking lot was empty and silent. I got the last room according to the hotel manager, and my room overlooked my car and the parking lot. It wasn't like a lot of people were in the parking lot at a fully-occupied hotel at that time of night. In fact, I didn't see anyone. I also checked my vehicle several times throughout the evening from my room. I never saw anyone around when I did check, although I was not constantly looking at my car.

The repair guy, who has been repairing these for 22 years, and is a Porsche owner, said there is no way it was a rock, but rather it was a hard object of some kind.... like a golf ball. I asked him if a suitcase roller wheel would do it, and he said absolutley. He also said whatever caused it was dropped straight down, as the dent went down towards the grounds, not at an angle as if it were struck by something. I saw this as well.

Now, my buddy did not have a suitcase with hard rollers. But he had a back pack with a hard object of some kind at the bottom (I checked). He also had a camera in a case with a long strap...this would do it as well. It would be like dropping your encased cell phone right at that location....for sure it would cause a dent.

As I say, I feel terrible even suggesting this, but because of how and where I parked, a dent with absolutely no transfer (rock or otherwise) at all, the direction of the dent, the repair guy saying it was not a rock or vandalism, the time of night I parked there, and my buddy taking his stuff from that side of the car, I don't know what else could have happened.

I hope I am wrong, and I certainly hope if my buddy was responsible, he did not know it.

uzj100

I was broken into in NM on a X country--no dents, "just" a smashed driver's side window and stolen items. "Smart" guys as they took only my digital camera, not my 35mm, in additon to dirty clothes--leaving my clean ones untouched! Had to drive a ways to get the window replaced and it was cold!

Would like to be driving an 18 wheeler with lousy brakes, on a wet road, and have these perps step into a poorly lit crosswalk