Parallel Parking boo-boo

Rick-Anderson · #1 07-07-2005, 05:41 PM

If there is one thing I can’t do, it’s parallel park. They are repaving the parking lot where I live so I didn’t have access to my garage. So I had to parallel park my MINI on the street today and... SCRAPE... I curbed two of my rims.

Ladidah · #2 07-07-2005, 07:11 PM

I parallel park a lot (college student, and parking at school isn't the greatest) and I consider myself good at it. I still curbed the alloys on my Jetta earlier this year. I bookmarked this fix-it page in case I boo boo the MINI. Maybe you could try to do it yourself?

kenchan · #3 07-07-2005, 07:17 PM

ouch.

Rick-Anderson · #4 07-07-2005, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladidah

I parallel park a lot (college student, and parking at school isn't the greatest) and I consider myself good at it. I still curbed the alloys on my Jetta earlier this year. I bookmarked this fix-it page in case I boo boo the MINI. Maybe you could try to do it yourself?

Thanks for the link. I just found the Wurth wheel paint here: http://www.myminiparts.com/proddetai...3847b70f5def5f

I am going to give it a try!

dr_doogie_md · #5 07-08-2005, 07:16 AM

ouch! I'm no good at parallel parking, I just never do it. Practice makes perfect. I'll hold on to that link too, thanks Ladidah

mdsbrain · #6 07-08-2005, 08:19 AM

Any idea of what color or paint to use to touch up a gray/anthracite scratched R99 wheel?

The Short Bus · #7 07-08-2005, 08:30 AM

I went over to someone's house the other day where everyone that lives there has to parallel on the street. I've never done it in my mini, and i found an opening between an expedition, and an escort. I actually got it an inch or two away from the curb, lined up perfect my first try! I've never really tried to parallel park before, so i was really excited. I spent the whole time i was there looking out the window at my parking job.

Now, i guarantee you that since it went to my head, i'll never be able to park like that again.

Moskito · #8 07-08-2005, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick-Anderson

If there is one thing I can’t do, it’s parallel park. They are repaving the parking lot where I live so I didn’t have access to my garage. So I had to parallel park my MINI on the street today and... SCRAPE... I curbed two of my Hamman’s pretty badly. I am so mad - first I bend one when a POS truck dropped some junk on the freeway, now this!

And now the wheel repair place told me that they can't match the color.

Sorry to hear that.

I have scraped my wheels on my MCoupe after about 3 months even though I am a pretty good parallel parker and I just about was ready to cry then. I never was able to really fix them to look as good as new, but I still love the car just the same.
On my MCS I am getting black wheels, so in case something happens a magic marker should do it. :-)
H

MMC # 141

JCW Driver · #9 07-08-2005, 09:00 AM

There are mobile wheel refinishing services who can fix that for you. Much like the mobile dent removal services you can hire, they come to you, and fix it while you are at work or wherever you want.

Or you can go to a place like this:

http://www.fixrim.com/

You're in the OC, and they have a location in LA.

ururk · #10 07-08-2005, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladidah

I parallel park a lot (college student, and parking at school isn't the greatest) and I consider myself good at it. I still curbed the alloys on my Jetta earlier this year.

Ever get keyed? I'm also a college student, and am a bit concerned that my MINI will get keyed.

dr_doogie_md · #11 07-08-2005, 12:37 PM

Most states do require parallel parking, as did mine when I took the test. I blew threw it no problem back then, but that's cause I had regularly practiced. I quickly forgot those skills though cause I just never needed to parallel park.

lotsie · #12 07-08-2005, 02:25 PM

I'm pretty good at it, but I find most spaces are big enough I can just pull right in

.

That said, I hate parking lots, and I'm willing to walk a bit.

**Donna/Mike** · #13 07-08-2005, 03:43 PM

Bummer....I hate parallel parking too....but I can do it a lot better in my MINI than our Durango....sorry to hear this.....

Donna

02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven - burned up)
05' Cool Blue MCSC "Ariel"
05' HB/W MCS "Gizmo"

Darkness · #14 07-08-2005, 04:20 PM

Parellel parking is NOT difficult. Especially in a Mini. Go back to driving school.

hyobum · #15 07-08-2005, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ururk

Ever get keyed? I'm also a college student, and am a bit concerned that my MINI will get keyed.

A friend of mine who is in college got his one year old 330ci keyed AND egged..

I could just feel his pain as he was trying to clean the egg off..

Darkness · #16 07-08-2005, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyobum

A friend of mine who is in college got his one year old 330ci keyed AND egged..

I could just feel his pain as he was trying to clean the egg off..

This is why I have a van with rust and peeling paint to take to school. I only take my mini to school in the most extreme emergencies.

MINININ · #17 07-08-2005, 04:38 PM

Ok, I suck too. Here's what you do to prevent curbing your rims in the future. Go to Target or Walmart and buy the 1" round blind spot mirrors. Those will allow you to see the curb as you're backing up.

Rick-Anderson · #18 07-08-2005, 10:33 PM

I hate vandalism. My high school girlfriend and her father spent several years restoring an Austin Healey. Her mother passed away when she was 12 and she was an only child so this was kind of a father-daughter bonding thing. Anyway, they spent about four years on this car and I got involved near the end. It was absolutely gorgeous. The first day she drove it to school, some kids keyed it! They scribed “rich bitch” on the door and completely destroyed the multi-layer lacquer paint job with deep scratches on every single panel. Plus they kicked a few dents in it. I have no idea why somebody would do this - she had absolutely no enemies. But I’ve never seen a person so crushed. Two decades later, I still get extremely emotional when I think back to her reaction when she discovered it.

ururk · #19 07-09-2005, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkness

This is why I have a van with rust and peeling paint to take to school. I only take my mini to school in the most extreme emergencies.

Ah. That's what I drive now! I mean, the school (Univ of Mich) does have it's share of rich kids (ie, kids who's parents are doctors), but overall the cars range between really nice (merc, BMW) to really ratty (rusted piles of junk, duct tape) - my van is in between. I'm definitely NOT rich or affluent, but no one really can tell.

I don't think the lot I park in will put the MINI in danger, but I do worry! I was hoping for POSITIVE stories, not things that will make me worry my head off...maybe I should cancel my order

!

(ignore the last blasphemous comment)

Sorry for hijacking the thread!

John

doomsdaybob · #20 07-09-2005, 07:22 AM

Anyone catch 60minutes w/ Andy Rooney driving a Smart car around New York? He couldn't find a space to parallel park in so he backed it in between two SUV's perpendicular to the curb and it still cleared the street! You could probably get away w/ this if you could find two dually pickups end to end