Group buy in the works!
Magnetic Car Door Protectors
Racer
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 301
Likes: 13
The only door ding in my new BMW coupe was from the rear door in an SUV. It hit the car about 4 inches below the bottom the side window, and put a crease in the metal.
Nothing can protect you from the rear door of the typical SUV.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 23
From: Colorado
That's exactly my point. Seeing how about 50% of the cars these days are SUV's, I think this product is not only dumb and OCD...but useless. I also agree with Edgy that by having this product on your car you're just calling out people to damage it.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: Santa Cruz
This thread makes me laugh at myself! I don't want to look obsessive, but . . .
I've been known to cancel a stop at the grocery or the bank when there is no ABSOLUTELY safe space!
Just drive home. Pick up the Honda. Run the errand.
I've been known to cancel a stop at the grocery or the bank when there is no ABSOLUTELY safe space!
Just drive home. Pick up the Honda. Run the errand.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 74
From: North Carolina
I did the same thing this week. Went to the Wachovia Bank closest to my office, couldn't find a decent (safe) place to park, turned around and went back to office. I stopped at a different branch on way home that always has good parking. I hate door dings.
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Three Wheelin'
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,434
Likes: 1
From: on the waterfront, Kobe, Japan
Given a number of recent posts illustrating the desires of Porsche owners to protect their cars, I thought that it was time to share my usage experiences with Doordefender Magnetic Car Door Protectors (see http://www.doordefender.com/).
Doordefenders are most easily described as magnet-backed, rubber bumpers, covered primarily in an all-weather fabric, with felt material covering the magnet side. Two of these bumpers are linked by a plastic-covered metal cable, providing protection for one side of a vehicle. Each Doordefender includes a security tether to aid in theft prevention (I removed these as I am not concerned with theft in the areas where I park my car). Multiple colors are available.
As you can see in the first photograph, Doordefenders provide excellent coverage on the Porsche 911, extending just beyond the length of its doors. I find that twisting the metal cable that connects the two pieces, as illustrated in the second photograph, ensures that the cable keeps its distance from the paint and it also provides a clean look.
The padding of Doordefenders is robust, providing a high degree of protection from typical parking lot impacts. The magnets are powerful, requiring a bit of heft to remove mounted Doordefenders; however, placement is easy. The felt material that covers the magnet side seems to prevent abrasions effectively.
When I’m placing or removing Doordefenders, passersby will often stop to inquire. It seems that many are desirous of better vehicle door protection. From a distance, I’ve had the opportunity to observe those parking next to my Porsche when equipped with Doordefenders and, interestingly, they seem to be more attentive to careful entry and exit from their vehicles.
As I am very selective with where I park my Porsche, I do not have the need to use Doordefenders on a daily basis. Instead, I carry these in the luggage compartment and deploy them when I have no choice other than to park in areas that are not as Porsche-friendly as I would prefer.
As for storage, Doordefenders fit nicely across the bottom of the luggage compartment, as illustrated in the third photograph. If you use a SCHILD liner, as I do, be advised that a similar fit is not possible due to space restrictions. Users of SCHILD liners perhaps will best be served by first placing the Doordefenders across the bottom of the luggage compartment and then placing the liner on top.
I am impressed with the performance of Doordefenders and believe that the product represents a useful solution for cars that are not equipped with body side moldings. I hope this helps my fellow Rennlist members who are looking for ways to better protect their Porsches.
Doordefenders are most easily described as magnet-backed, rubber bumpers, covered primarily in an all-weather fabric, with felt material covering the magnet side. Two of these bumpers are linked by a plastic-covered metal cable, providing protection for one side of a vehicle. Each Doordefender includes a security tether to aid in theft prevention (I removed these as I am not concerned with theft in the areas where I park my car). Multiple colors are available.
As you can see in the first photograph, Doordefenders provide excellent coverage on the Porsche 911, extending just beyond the length of its doors. I find that twisting the metal cable that connects the two pieces, as illustrated in the second photograph, ensures that the cable keeps its distance from the paint and it also provides a clean look.
The padding of Doordefenders is robust, providing a high degree of protection from typical parking lot impacts. The magnets are powerful, requiring a bit of heft to remove mounted Doordefenders; however, placement is easy. The felt material that covers the magnet side seems to prevent abrasions effectively.
When I’m placing or removing Doordefenders, passersby will often stop to inquire. It seems that many are desirous of better vehicle door protection. From a distance, I’ve had the opportunity to observe those parking next to my Porsche when equipped with Doordefenders and, interestingly, they seem to be more attentive to careful entry and exit from their vehicles.
As I am very selective with where I park my Porsche, I do not have the need to use Doordefenders on a daily basis. Instead, I carry these in the luggage compartment and deploy them when I have no choice other than to park in areas that are not as Porsche-friendly as I would prefer.
As for storage, Doordefenders fit nicely across the bottom of the luggage compartment, as illustrated in the third photograph. If you use a SCHILD liner, as I do, be advised that a similar fit is not possible due to space restrictions. Users of SCHILD liners perhaps will best be served by first placing the Doordefenders across the bottom of the luggage compartment and then placing the liner on top.
I am impressed with the performance of Doordefenders and believe that the product represents a useful solution for cars that are not equipped with body side moldings. I hope this helps my fellow Rennlist members who are looking for ways to better protect their Porsches.
porsch1july2009.jpg
porscheC.jpg
for info - this company (british) testing a new product now
http://www.carband.co.uk/
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
Rennlist Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 624
Likes: 21
From: Orange County, Ca.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 15
For the two car garage situation I did something like this with a 1 1/2 inch thick piece of stiff styrofoam insulation like they have at Home Depot.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,429
Likes: 15
From: Southern California
That's okay. You probably can't help it.
Looks like a great product to me. My wife has several diamond rings that each cost considerably less than -- to be fair-- the price difference alone between ordinary cars and our Porsche. Why is it obsessive to take care of the car with reasonable measures that are no more problem than those she uses to protect her rings? Or would it also be 'OCD' to take off her rings when she's doing things that might damage them?
We park in disabled slots whenever one is available and we've still been dinged. To be honest, unless it's an ER trip or something else seriously urgent, we do as others have described. Come back another time or go somewhere a safe parking place is available.
I don't think it's going to increase the resentment of your car. People who resent fine cars feel that way with or without evidence that "you care". Any fool would guess you care, but I don't believe they ever bother to guess. It isn't that you care that pisses them off. It is that they care. They don't have a nice car, why should anybody else?
We've never encountered that attitude in our own town, but we did get keyed once in a place about fifty miles away when we wanted a weekend away for our 45th anniversary. Someone saw Cindy's NSX in a disabled slot and walked around keying every panel, one at a time. (Well, it would be hard to do them simultaneously I suppose, but it was certainly calculated and careful vandalism in the opinion of the deputy who responded.) That is certainly the kind of resentment we're discussing. "How dare they drive a car like that when they're disabled?" After the anger, and a couple of months of professional class negotiating, I finally arranged for the insurance company to give Cindy's car a new paint job using proper techniques for an exotic.
Life goes on. It's just a car either way, but the point is to take care of things that are important to you as long as the effort required doesn't interfere with taking care of the people important to you, who matter much more of course.
Cindy's rings each cost almost a month of our labor, and the price difference to own a Porsche is a couple of months labor at least. Is there some reason those of us who do care should feel guilty being concerned what happens to the fruit of all that labor? Only a jerk would think th... oh, yeah. You said. Sorry.
Gary
Looks like a great product to me. My wife has several diamond rings that each cost considerably less than -- to be fair-- the price difference alone between ordinary cars and our Porsche. Why is it obsessive to take care of the car with reasonable measures that are no more problem than those she uses to protect her rings? Or would it also be 'OCD' to take off her rings when she's doing things that might damage them?
We park in disabled slots whenever one is available and we've still been dinged. To be honest, unless it's an ER trip or something else seriously urgent, we do as others have described. Come back another time or go somewhere a safe parking place is available.
I don't think it's going to increase the resentment of your car. People who resent fine cars feel that way with or without evidence that "you care". Any fool would guess you care, but I don't believe they ever bother to guess. It isn't that you care that pisses them off. It is that they care. They don't have a nice car, why should anybody else?
We've never encountered that attitude in our own town, but we did get keyed once in a place about fifty miles away when we wanted a weekend away for our 45th anniversary. Someone saw Cindy's NSX in a disabled slot and walked around keying every panel, one at a time. (Well, it would be hard to do them simultaneously I suppose, but it was certainly calculated and careful vandalism in the opinion of the deputy who responded.) That is certainly the kind of resentment we're discussing. "How dare they drive a car like that when they're disabled?" After the anger, and a couple of months of professional class negotiating, I finally arranged for the insurance company to give Cindy's car a new paint job using proper techniques for an exotic.
Life goes on. It's just a car either way, but the point is to take care of things that are important to you as long as the effort required doesn't interfere with taking care of the people important to you, who matter much more of course.
Cindy's rings each cost almost a month of our labor, and the price difference to own a Porsche is a couple of months labor at least. Is there some reason those of us who do care should feel guilty being concerned what happens to the fruit of all that labor? Only a jerk would think th... oh, yeah. You said. Sorry.
Gary