I am writing this thread as away of letting off some steam. My wife has just come back from our local supermarket with a dent the size of the Grand Canyon in her door and missing the corresponding area of paint. The cause? Some mindless moron who cannot acomplish the simple task of opening a car door, without smashing it into the adjacent car. This is more than your average scuff, it's actually creased the door skin. How I would love to find the person responsible. They would probably wonder what all the fuss was about.
I feel better already.
|
|
From all of us who have been there, had that done to us, heartfelt commiserations. Seeing as its Sunday, it's appropriate to remind ourselves "Let us do unto others as they would do unto us". Now all we have to do in this case is to think of how!
|
Yes,I'm keeping a look out for a French car over here that I can reverse my Land Rover into (acciDENTally of course). This is payback for a dent I aquired in my Volvo whilst on holiday in France.
"Revenge is a dish best eaten cold".
|
I can understand why it happens in France. Last time I was there, I was in my car in a supermarket car park waiting fo it to open. Six cars in the whole of a car park with space for 100. Little old lady comes and parks 6" (sorry, 15centimetres) from my offide door.....so I had no choice but to move! No doubt she would have whacked her door open & tried to get out, as she of course was getting out of her offside.
Another time, I was standing by my car in another french supermarket (just a little hobby:-), in case you spot a pattern). Old boy comes along, swings car into parking space & clouts bumper hard enough for car to rock. Looked a bit nonplussed when I politely suggested he might take more care in future.
C'est la vie!
|
|
He probably thought they were called "bumpers" for this very purpose.
|
|
|
|
I can understand the frustration. As to people saying 'buy a banger' why should anyone have to buy a lesser quality just to prevent or lessen the impact of the damage done?
Unfortunately, the door incident is just another example of the jealous, 'couldn't care less, if I cannot have it neither can you' culture all too prevalent in the UK today.
I was once siting in my 6 month old car in the supermarket when one of these slobs parked next to me and proceeded to open his door into the side of my car with such force that the car shook.
I asked him to be careful and just got a load of abuse. That taught me never to park within 75 metres of a supermarket entrance. I now park away from the main doors because generally these slobs are too lazy to walk more than that distance between their car and the supermarket.
|
I was once siting in my 6 month old car in the supermarket when one of these slobs parked next to me and proceeded to open his door into the side of my car with such force that the car shook.
Who hasn't this happened to?
I have found another use for my key when this happens. It's a handy paint remover!! Whoops. well, its only fair isn't it. Slob dents my car, I test his paint for thickness to see if it matches his intelligence.
|
|
Welcome to your British motoring experience. All this and roundabouts too.
|
This is where cars with a rubber bumper strip along the door at the widest point come into their own.
More tips:
Try and park at the end of a row, and park right up to the edge, to give the maximum space between you and the next car.
Park next to someone who has only just arrived - if you are quick you will be out before they have finished shopping and return to scratch your car.
Never park next to a car with children in it.
Never park next to an old banger, or FWD.
Do park next to expensive shiny cars - they probably care about their paintwork too.
Park as far away from the checkout as possible - careless people cannot walk.
Never park near a trolley collection point.
|
The answer is have your supermarket stuff delivered. I've been using Internet deliveries for about a year now, and it's great. I haven't parked the car (and old but undented Citroen) in a supermarket carpark at all in that time. And I haven't paid the five pound delivery fee either, because there's always a special offer that pays it. Shopping in your living room with a glass of wine and music playing is far more pleasant all round.
Chris
|
|
|
This is where cars with a rubber bumper strip along the door at the widest point come into their own.
But if the offending door doesnt have a rub strip or has its widest point at a different height then it doesnt make any difference. My car has a matching vertical dent and paint mark from little old lady who not only used my door (with rubber bumper) as a door stop but also got in/out of the car several times to retreive items essential for shopping thus bouncing the car suspension and leaving a nice vertical line in car's paintwork...all while I was sitting in the car.
cheers
Ian
|
|
|
Agree with "The Watcher". There seems to be a jealous, greedy steak in the British nature. (Come to think of it, maybe that's why they have nothing if they have that mentality..feel better now with that thought.)
A particular obsession seems to be the age of your car. I have only EVER got car park dings and scrapes when my cars have been new. Strange but true. (No I don't stop noticing or caring once the car gets older.)
|
"There seems to be a jealous, greedy steak in the British nature."
Like: "Here I am stuck in this grotty flat in the middle of a grubby city totally dependent on disgusting public transport. Why should you be able to live in the country and drive in to work?"
|
|
I believe the best option is as one previous writer said to part in 2 spaces or park next to a nice new car (preferable not a rep type car i.e. vectreas or mondeos as they don't cars much about there new cars. For repairing the damage I recommend the suction pads type things that u see advertised in catalogues which seem to do a good job at removing most dents. It is a shame that people don't care more about other people?s cars new or old but that is the world we live in today. People are always jealous of what other people have and especially with new or expensive type cars are likely to damage what is your pride and joy, as they want to somehow prove that they are still better than you.
|
|
|
|
I've had some disapproving looks but so what
Me too! Parked in a disable parking space following an injury. BLokes gives me daggers.
I hop out on crutches & get a big reasuring smile.
WTF has it got to do with him either way? Is he the disabled police? Surely disabled spaces are for disabled people which is defined as someone with a disabled badge. If Cristopher Reeves turns up without an orange sticker he parks in a normal space. QED.
I hope his cam belt goes ping.
--
Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
|
Surely disabled spaces are for disabled people which is defined as someone with a disabled badge.
It is indeed. But you try telling people with kids that though. They think because their parent bays are full up outside the supermarket, it entitles them to use the disabled bays instead!!
|
Parent and toddler bays are just another ploy by the supermarkets to grab another sector of business. Makes the parents feel good (special treatment, nice and close to the store) so they keep returning.
Although I wouldn't use one out of sympathy for people saddled with family, I completely disagree with the principle of them.
Disabled toilets are a different matter....they are roomy, comfortable, usually the only toilet with paper, soap etc and no queue. Why do people stare at me when I walk out of one? No-one else was using it, why shouldn't I? Can't think of a motoring link so keep your replies brief...
|
Parent and toddler bays are just another ploy by the supermarkets to grab another sector of business. Makes the parents feel good (special treatment, nice and close to the store) so they keep returning.
Have to disagree with you a bit on this and in fact am all in favour of these bays as it saves more scratches on cars than you would possibly imagine. Having used them myself to get the kid in the pram, I could well imagine the carnage that would be caused if parents tried to get their kids sorted out when jammed up against another car.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My philosophy is that these nuisances are a fact of life. you try to minimise them but if they happen, let it be. don't let stress of this kind shorten your life.
People spend more money on their homes and cars than they do on their own self. Look after no.1 - it is the dents and scrathces of life that are more important.
0.1%
PS: less than 0.1% of UK's adults spend more on their health than they do on their cars.
|
My philosophy is that these nuisances are a fact of life. you try to minimise them but if they happen, let it be. don't let stress of this kind shorten your life.
>>
Very true, and we ought to try and remember that.
After all, cars are the only expensive items that people expect to be able to leave lying around outside and not get stolen or damaged. If someone left an antique, or his wallet in a parking space and it got damaged, you'd say, serve him right. So what's so special about cars? Why do we paint and polish them so carefully, and then leave them lying around in vulnerable places? Why does it matter if a car is dented, or has scruffy paintwork?
Even boats, which can be much more expensive than cars, get bashed and scraped, and people largely accept that as a fact of life.
Cars seem to have become elevated to the status of gods, rather than just being useful old carts for getting around in.
Discuss
|
Why does it matter if a car is dented, or has scruffy paintwork?
Because it affects the resale value.
|
>> Why does it matter if a car is dented, or has scruffy >> paintwork? Because it affects the resale value.
Not if you buy it ready dented and scruffy.
|
Not if you buy it ready dented and scruffy.
Ah ha!! You're the phantom supermarket door dinger then. Dent everyone's cars, then buy them at a knock down price :o)
|
>> Not if you buy it ready dented and scruffy. Ah ha!! You're the phantom supermarket door dinger then. Dent everyone's cars, then buy them at a knock down price :o)
>
Good idea. Or I place a sticker advertising my while- you- wait dent removal service.
I get as mad as anyone about senseless and careless scratches and dents- but sometimes I do think, if I didn't care so much, it wouldn't matter so much, and then I'd have less worry and would probably live longer.
|
Since most people are lazy, and the first spaces to be filled are those nearest the entrance, it follows that the last spaces to be filled are those furthest away.
So I tend to go straight for the far end of a car park, usually find plenty of space, and save more than enough time to compensate for the slightly longer walk, while other drivers spend several minutes waiting or driving round hoping for a nearer space.
On the subject of parking in parent/child spaces, I must say (as a parent) that I get particularly annoyed by the selfish people who park in them without children. As has been mentioned already, the point of these wider spaces is so that you can safely open the door that little bit wider while you fumble about with the child seat.
I suggested to staff in my local Tesco that the way around the problem would be to site the parent/child spaces a long way from the entrance, so that the lazy g*ts wouldn't use them; but they found a more ingenious solution: after extending and refitting the store, they also relaid the car park, and guess what? Now there are *no* parent/child spaces!
I'm thinking of producing some home-made stickers, with the words "Tesco Lazy Club" on them...
|
|
|
|
It might be worrying about stuff that keeps us alive.
|
|
|
|
|
>> Why does it matter if a car is dented, or has scruffy >> paintwork? Because it affects the resale value.
When buying and looking after a car, remember the old saying "Penny Wise - Pound Foolish".
I am sure Toad will start a new thread on today's headline news about car depreciation, but here is a sample from the Which Survey (which shows that you can't beat buying a 3 year old Omega - you get a very good bargain to start with and then can forget about dents & scratches)
"Luxury cars:
Worst - Vauxhall Omega 2.6 V6 Elite (lost 75%)
Best - Mercedes S-class 280 and the Lexus GS300 3.0 (kept 50% of their value)"
|
|
|
|
Why do we paint and polish them so carefully, and then leave them lying around..........
Why do they paint Audis (in fact, why do they paint them "aluminium"?!?!?!?), and why was the deLorean knocked for not being painted and so showing up fingermarks on the polished metalwork?
Don't know if they still produce it, but there was a US steelworks that produced a steel alloy that "rusted" in the same way as non ferrous metals, ie with a dense water and air proof coating.
Built AND clad their head office with it.
Now why don't they use that with cars, or at least commercials (I know the Italians did some early experimental work on this, but without cracking the air/waterproof angle!;-)
|
|
|
|
|
