Door Dings!

[AZ08LexusES]

Everybody in this forum has at least one car/truck that they want to keep as pristine as possible. We all want to protect that investment. So, here are some interesting questions.

What do you do in order to avoid door dings?

What is the most ridiculous thing you have seen people do in order to avoid them? For instance, there are idiots that take up two parking spaces so nobody can get close to them.

How does it make you feel when you get that first one?

[RFeldes]

How I avoid dings...........Park away from others..I don't mind the walk. Actually I need it. ;)

Two spaces...asking for trouble like a key job.... :cries:

If I get one it ruins my Day.......Off to Mr. Dent Man...

[SW03ES]

Yep, I park away from others or in end spaces where I can get as far away from the other car as I can.

There's actually a whole website devoted to this lol, although I don't remember the site.

[Leadfoot]

I would recommend leaving the windows down enough that the barking rottwieler in the back prevents anyone from getting to close. Lots of people pass up parking next to a hungry dog.

[LEXIRX330]

Same as others. Stay as far away as possible. Park close as possible to the curbs. If you can angle the car a little. But defiantly do not take up two spots.

[Lexusfreak]

Same here......park out of the way & walk.....annoys the wife, but keep the car in good shape. :whistles: ;)

The odd time I get some moron that will go out of his/her way to park right next to me too. :chairshot:

[4.0 LS TECH]

ive spent alot of time removing dents from my car with dry ice. When i get it painted black, ill be parking far and doin the long walk like everyone else. unless i see a spot between 2 new lexus or mercedes or bmws. then ill park in between them. they seem to care about cars more than the people with the geo metro's, and lifted blazers.

[RFeldes]

4.0 the dry ice, I need more info on that, please. My cars seems to attract Pick up trucks and SUV's. Maybe I gotta let up on the Lip Gloss. ;)

[denslexusgx470]

I love this question. :D

First of all, park as far away as possible from other vehicles (like what others have mentioned). Usually that doesnt normally happen, so here are the next requirements I have.

1. The parking spot SHOULDNT be on a slope. Meaning if the road is on a hill or slope, I WILL NEVER PARK THERE because you never know if the car next to you is careless and would just let their door fall onto your car. I learned this from experience in Vegas back with the RX300 because the car next to me was a rental Malibu.

2. I park next to cars that have ENOUGH and AMPLE space between their doors and my car. I don't mind if I have to park really REALLY close to a wall as long as their doors are far away from me as possible.

3. I decide, from the condition of the cars next to me, if I can trust them if I leave my car there. Usually I would NEVER park next to any 2 door car because their doors are longer, but if it's a Ferrari F430 or CL500 that looks spotless, I don't mind. :P

4. CORNER SPOT! I try as much as possible to park on a corner spot! I don't care if I have to walk a mile just to get to where I'm going, as long as I know I wouldn't regret it. Once I get that corner spot, I park my car as CLOSEST possible to the curb, wall, fence, etc... (literally!)

5. IF it's a corner spot that has like a vacant space next to it (vacant but not a parking spot) I literally miss my spot and park a little into that vacant space so the car next to me (which is only one side) will have ample room even if they park really close to the line between their car and mine.

So far that's all I can remember. Usually I would have more requirements but I can't recall them right now until I encounter that situation again. :P

[nc211]

Murphy's Law rules this situation, at least for me. Every single freakin' car I've ever owned has always had a door ding, every one! New car, door ding within a month. Used car that's had them fixed, door ding within a month. No matter if I park in the middle of a field, door ding. I've actually watched one of my window shutters fly off the house, turn the corner of the carport and smack into the driver's door "hurricane Bertha 96'". I've had solid green pine cones fall from a tree, hit the gutter, bounce off the trash can and ding the passenger side door. My 4runner, had it a week, went to a buddy's wedding, he needed to back it out of his own driveway to let some other folks leave, and right into his neighbor's mailbox he went.

BUT, I have learned a very valuable lesson from all of this. If you fix the one, Karma is gonna' replace it. Fix it again, and she'll give you two. If you leave it alone, you won't get another one. Strange I know, but in the 18 years I've been driving, it's always been true. The first car I had, a 87 GTI, got hit on the driver's side by a freakin' suicidle bird, and put a tiny little ding, with it's beak.

[AZ08LexusES]

Good stuff, but during the holidays we may not have that luxury when parking lots are maxed out!

How about this, you make an effort to park away from everybody else, you get the last spot and and scoot over the line a little bit because there is empty space. You get all jazzed up about the great spot you were able to get until you get back to your car, and there is some big SUV like an Expedition or Suburban that parked real close to you, over the line? And you can hardly open your door all the way to get in? Has that happened to you?

[AZ08LexusES]

4.0 the dry ice, I need more info on that, please. My cars seems to attract Pick up trucks and SUV's. Maybe I gotta let up on the Lip Gloss. ;)

Yeah, more detail on the dry ice. What's that about?

[nc211]

Good stuff, but during the holidays we may not have that luxury when parking lots are maxed out!

How about this, you make an effort to park away from everybody else, you get the last spot and and scoot over the line a little bit because there is empty space. You get all jazzed up about the great spot you were able to get until you get back to your car, and there is some big SUV like an Expedition or Suburban that parked real close to you, over the line? And you can hardly open your door all the way to get in? Has that happened to you?

Yep, and it's well worth the tiny little paint chip on the edge of my door to let them have a nice little door ding to remember me by.

[LEXIRX330]

Good stuff, but during the holidays we may not have that luxury when parking lots are maxed out!

How about this, you make an effort to park away from everybody else, you get the last spot and and scoot over the line a little bit because there is empty space. You get all jazzed up about the great spot you were able to get until you get back to your car, and there is some big SUV like an Expedition or Suburban that parked real close to you, over the line? And you can hardly open your door all the way to get in? Has that happened to you?

Or...

How about when you find that perfect spot next to a nice car. But when you return there is someones 1982 3 tone chevette parked 1 foot away from you.

Or what I see more and more is these lazy a s s people that leave their shopping carts out in the middle of the lot. I mean you walk that far because you don't want your car damaged but you leave the cart right next to my car. WTF!

[denslexusgx470]

I get really irritated with shopping carts also! I park it in some isolated spot, and when i get back, there's a shopping cart right next to my car! What's worse, and almost got my car, was this one time at costco. I parked in a spot next to the ramp, and some kid, from across the street, decides to just push the cart as hard as he can, trying to shoot it thru the ramp! He did manage to make it, but what if he didnt? MY CAR'S THE VICTIM.. :chairshot:

Sometimes we just have to be easy on car care.. I think the more we become meticulous, the more the damages, dings, or scratches come to us. <_<

[eatingupblacktop]

NC you crack me up. But I know about Murphy's Law. I was coming out of a grocery store when spotted a wayward shopping cart speeding towards my car. It was really windy that day and someone left the cart out in the middle of the lot. It wasn't there when I parked, and I parked half way across the lot. Got there just in time. But Murphy's Law still got me. Had to go back and pick up my groceries.

When the wife wants to go shopping (always during the busiest time), I drop her off then come back to pick her up. When I go on my own, I do like the everyone else here, park as far away as I can find and I try to do it off hours when the lot's almost empty.

[4.0 LS TECH]

Yeah, the dry Ice. It works. It works good. Takes practice though.

Copy And Paste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AZoN0c6lI...feature=related

Warning! Dry Ice Will Burn You. Wear Gloves, And Safty Glasses. It would Hurt If a Chunk Of It Hit Your Eye.

Also dont do it if the paint is hot from sitting in the sun. Could cause the paint to crack(on older cars). best time to do it is after the car has been sitting in about 80-90 degree shade.

It works great on hail dings. if you ever get hail damage, go and claim your insurance. Then tell them you want to do the repair, some states you can do this. Then they give you like a 2thousand dollar check cause thats what they estimate the damage. then get dry ice and fix it yourself for cheap. and come out a bit ahead. I used to hear of people doing it all the time when i worked for state farm insurance.

[AZ08LexusES]

It works great on hail dings. if you ever get hail damage, go and claim your insurance. Then tell them you want to do the repair, some states you can do this. Then they give you like a 2thousand dollar check cause thats what they estimate the damage. then get dry ice and fix it yourself for cheap. and come out a bit ahead. I used to hear of people doing it all the time when i worked for state farm insurance.

Thanks about the tip, I had a car with hail damage that I never got fixed. But had I known! Hopefully I will not need it, but you never know.

[AZ08LexusES]

Or what I see more and more is these lazy a s s people that leave their shopping carts out in the middle of the lot. I mean you walk that far because you don't want your car damaged but you leave the cart right next to my car. WTF!

That's a funny WTF, made me laugh. That's one reason I always return my cart to a safe place, you never know when Karma might bite you in the rear!

[AZ08LexusES]

In looking at the dry ice method, I ran accross another method that seems interesting. It sometimes does not work, but it might be worth a shot. You can use a blow dryer and a compressed air can. Anybody try that?

[4.0 LS TECH]

In looking at the dry ice method, I ran accross another method that seems interesting. It sometimes does not work, but it might be worth a shot. You can use a blow dryer and a compressed air can. Anybody try that?

Yeah I know what your talking about to. Ive tried it, and it works as well. The compressed air is the stuff you use to clean computer keyboards with. turn the can upside down and you can freeze things. The reason i listed the dry ice method is, They both work well, but if you have more than one ding. it takes several arosol cans to do the job that one chunk of dry ice can do. Those cans are expensive as well, you dont want to have to buy 10 of those to do 12 dents. But if you have only one dent, then the arosol is a bit more convienient. Just try both or whichever, and stick with what works best for you.