I have had SOO Many people ding the doors of my Beetle because of selfish slamming of their own doors. So here's a funny story....

I was sitting and thinking, in my Beetle (I get my '08 OB/B MINI on Weds ), how enraged I will be seeing that very first ding in the door. JUST as I was thinking that....bam....the person who just pulled in next to me on my right hits my Beetle with their door!!!!!!
I get out ...her car is a BRAND NEW JUST OFF THE LOT BLACK LEXUS. The lady parked TOTALLY DIAGONALLY in her spot. She was terrified when she saw me get out, that's for sure. I said, "You just hit my car." She said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...my car is brand new." Yes, that's right...she told me she didn't MEAN to and wasn't embarrassed to tell me that she treats her BRAND NEW CAR that way. I said, "But you DID hit my door....and you should probably park correctly if your car is new, don't you think?" She said she was sorry and embarrassingly walked away. I'm selling my Beetle, and it was not that she hit the Beetle that bothered me, it was that she would have hit my MINI....WITH A BRAND NEW LEXUS. What sense does that make....and how am I to know that if she dinged my MINI I wouldn't have gone postal. I'm a bit worried. Any thoughts or experiences, anyone?

Sharon

 

if i was in the car when it got dinged, id have a notebook, pen, and camera out taking pictures and getting all necessary info for the repair. She shouldnt have walked away like that.

 

Park near no one, but never take more than one space. My '04 MCS does not have a single door ding because I have never wavered from that rule.

 

Can't help you with much input regarding door dings...

But I know quite a bit about going postal <g>.

(Good luck with your new mini though. When I order mine I'm
thinking of stocking up on rolls of bubble wrap <g>)

 

Exactly! I park my MINI as far from other cars as possible, even in the rain.

 

Stupid woman in several ways.....had it been me I would have given her brand new car the same treatment as she gave yours, since she walked off.....Give her lexus a nice big ding.....I always say that the golden rule works BOTH ways!

 

I've had probs like that happen when youre in the car when they hit you... Youre almost in shock that they do that with no consideration especially when they see you there. Ive tried parking far away, people just park next to you for some reason. Is there anyway of getting anywhere if you have their car info and they drive off?

 

Was there damage? I'd have asked for her driver's license, insurance company, address, etd. Treat it like any other damage someone does.

Some dumb--really dumb--older lady backed out of her space in a van, and took my 5-series mirror with it. I was in a beauty salon and a man came in and told me she was driving away. Thank heavens for the guy, because her path was clearly going to do more damage to my car. I finally convinced her to go forward to her original position, and aim differently. And yes, she did pay for the mirror.

 

Prevention is the secret...I'm just finishing year 3 with no dings!

First, of course, hunt for parking spots away from others.

If that is not possible, assume a majority of folks drive alone.

Find a spot where you are protected on your passenger side (by an end spot, wall, post, etc).

Your odds are better since your passenger side is safe and you have a lower chance of dual occupant cars pulling in next to you and risking your drivers door.

Of course, shopping malls, movie theaters, grocery stores tend to blow the one-driver theory. All bets are off-park far away or avoid them.

 

I always park far away from everyone and it never fails, I come out to someone parked on top of me. No door dings yet, but someone did scratch the lower part of my driver's door. I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm pretty sure it was my next door neighbor.

I was watching TV today and saw this... www.doordefender.com It seems like a bit of a hassle, but I'm considering it.

 

I agree, I never park near anyone. No dings on the mini, in fact I have no dings on my 8 year old Honda CR-V which still goes by that rule.

 

If you can't park far away, park near a curb. The mini is great for this, since it is small and the car in the next space over won't be able to swing its doors that far over.

 

Don't count on it. It helps, but those blessed two doors have a pretty good reach, especially in narrow spaces.

 

I really would have asked for her contact information or told her it will cost $150 to repair and ask her if she has the cash. Even if I didnt collect from her I would ask her. Maybe it will make her more careful next time.

 

$150! Hah! Probably a lot more than that if you have to paint the door. How bad was it?

 

If it were my MINI....I would have done all that, and more.

 

thanks....great advice!

 

Either that, or bright green spray paint. I heard that people who slam into other people's door like their cars sprayed with it. Just kidding....kinda.

 

That is what I would have done if it were my MINI...if not a door ding, then something to have her remember to park correctly

 

Thanks for the advice....and yes, most of my dings were from Aventura Mall here in FL!

 

Yes, it would be much more if you had to paint the door. But many of today's door dings can be massaged out from behind, as long as the paint is intact.

 

Honestly, since I am selling it next week I didn't even look...but more than that, was in way too much shock that I was JUST thinking about JUST that happening at the exact time it happened.

Actually, once someone rear-ended me and said, "oh, it's nothing...sorry!" So I told them I was a cop and that they'd better follow me to the nearest parking lot and give me their info. And they did

 

Have to remember that one! I got hit from behind once and the first thing the guy said was that "It is poor driving to stop so fast". At least I didnt hit the person in front of me who stopped fast also. I laughed and went to call the police.

 

The BEST part was.....he offered to have me go to HIS MECHANIC. Such a nice guy, huh?
I said, SUUUUUUUUUURE!!! But give me all your info anyway. Called his insurance company....who "mistakenly" gave him MY HOME PHONE NUMBER. He called to harrass me twice, saying he didn't want to get insurance involved ....so I called Prudential and threatened to do something about how unprofessional they were to give out my number. Then someone at Prudential apparently called HIM and threatened him to NOT call me anymore.

Needless to say, I had to get a NEW BUMPER!! As if his mechanic would have done that. I'm sure his mechanic would have been so kind as to offer me a rental too.

 

I got my first ding 2 weeks ago :( An SUV in a CostCo parking lot. I picked a great spot with plenty of space... but they still managed to ding my door AND my side mirror! No note, just and empty spot next to me.

I hate people