Some @#$%&^& kid just gave me my first door ding on my car, which is three weeks old. Apart from parking miles from the rabble, is there a way to prevent door dings? Some tough yet inconspicuous product that would stick to the side of my car and keep people from denting it? (Actually, preferably, would extend a wooden mallet and strike them repeatedly with it?)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lola'05 @ Jul 25 2006, 06:34 PM) [snapback]292324[/snapback]</div> I park in the far corner of a lot and walk. Better for the Prius and better for my health.
But sometimes you cannot park that far away- no parking left- Side moldings have really helped - the SUV's love to bang into everyone with their very tall doors. I also put the clear moldings I got from the dealer on the door edges- so I won't hit anything when I open my door.
Moldings, shmoldings. Like many others I babied my Prius. I took great steps to park apart, etc. Then, with 3,500 miles on the ODO, a raised pickup truck went speeding past me on the freeway, and ouch! His tire kicked up a small pebble, which, while traveling at near sonic speed, loudly put a small, but painfully noticeable chip and ding, smack dab in the middle of the drivers side door! Whateryagonnado? Oh well. I'm getting over it (and yes, I still park in the outer lot) :lol: By the way, did I say I love this car?
Mike, thanks for the hint. I'll look into those mouldings. When I first get a car I tend to park farther away, then over time I get lazy (or in a hurry) and park closer in. And sometimes you just have to squeeze yourself into a full lot. But I agree that distance is probably the best strategy.
Force field? Cloaking device? The "stuff" of science fiction, but wouldn't it be great to either disappear or simply raise the shields? Beam me up, Scotty! And yes, we love our car too!!!
Body moldings are your friend. Refer to this thread to install it yourself. $120 out the door and peace of mind is worth it.... I've tested them with both my Outback, and my buddies GMC Sonoma... They hit the molding square each time. You're never 100% covered, but why not cover yourself 80% of the time? http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=18837&st=0
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rfred @ Jul 26 2006, 07:16 PM) [snapback]292829[/snapback]</div> did someone just call me? lol... My gf always complain when I park all the way back in the mall parking lots...
What's funny is in my last car (1996 Integra), I used to be paranoid about dings and did every trick in the book to avoid them such as parking far away, and I still collected them like there was no tomorrow. I even had a 6" dent in my passenger door and a few that were down to the primer. In all, I had about 14 of them on the passenger side, and maybe 5 or 6 on the driver side. It seemed like no matter where I parked, I would come out and have cars parked on either side of me - even if there were a dozen or more empty spaces between my car and the mall. Ridiculous. With the Prius, I have taken a different, more relaxed approach and while I am always mindful of where & who I am parking next to, I no longer run to the last spot to avoid the possibility. Dings are gonna happen, regardless, and that is a fact of life. <_< So far, just over 3 months and no dings to report. Mind you I've had one bumper practically scraped off (and some license plate bolt tattoos in the back bumper), but at least the sheet metal is intact. Kevin (with fingers crossed and knocking on wood)
You are going to get dings, no question. But you can try to avoid 80% of them. I noticed my body molding had a slight dent in it today on the drivers side. 1 ding absorbed by the molding. The 120 bucks has already paid for itself!
NRA and Glock stickers all over your car work wonders at encouraging people to give your car a wide berth. Sprinkle some spent bullet casings on the dashboard too.
I usually park a little more diagonal in the parking lane and turn my front wheels in an effort to make the car look bigger than it actually is. So if I'm pulling into a left diagonal lane I have my left front wheel close to the left strip and my right rear wheel close to the right strip. It ususally forces the other driver to swing a little farther away when they try to park next to me. I don't know how else to project your car from someone that has no repect for other people's property.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ServoScanMan @ Jul 31 2006, 10:51 PM) [snapback]295520[/snapback]</div> Servo - I was trying to keep that 5 degree angle park a secret - curses! Nice bball court, too! Priusenvy- LOL- not sure how many Prius owners are going to be able to handle the NRA bumper sticker association, however, I have seen 2 Prius drivers smoking (tobacco) cigarettes, which is kind of rebellious..
Be aware when you park, get the side body moldings and then keep the number for a good dent doctor handy. While my car is getting the steering recall done today the dent doctor will also visit it and remove a small dent in the hood from an accorn falling from a tree onto the hood and puting a small dent in it. You juts have to stay on top of the dings when they occur. I (knocking on wood) still do not have any dings on the side of the car, and it is 20 months and 37K old.
