Ugh. First parking lot door ding on new jeep
03-22-2012, 09:14 PM
#21
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I bought my 2011 Rubicon in December of 2010. I had it about 3 weeks and pulled up in a parking lot, away from other vehicles, when 2 young guys pull up beside me in a old junker car and through their door into my jeep. I was pissed, I get out and hollar WTF. The driver starts laughing and I went ballistic..... I elbowed his back door window out and asked him if he thought that was funny... He got out of the car and we went to fists, I drove off with him laying in the parking lot...... Out cold!!! His friend was running down the parking lot...... I'm not a violent person and this is not my nature, had he not started laughing it would have never happened.... I felt terrible about what I had done, but sometimes people need to learn to respect other people's property..... Caulk it up to a life lesson learned.......
03-22-2012, 09:18 PM
#22
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My old YJ has a set of Iron Horse 3" tube step rails.
The outside edge has more scuffs and other cars paint
on it than scratches on the bottom from rocks.
I went so far to paint them as a warning to other drivers.
But still they insist to prove their doors are stronger than
my rails.....Silly Drivers.
I think for my new 2012 JKU I'm going to have to build
an exoskel for my rig. It's like oh there's a shiny new
vehicle...let's park near it...oops! I smacked my door...
hope no one saw me do that...ok...where else can I
park.
My brother did one better. He had a '80 Bronco and stuffed
44 inches of rubber under a 6" lift. I was there when some
nut-job in a Jag tried to cut him off... needless to say, but
the PO told my brother to keep moving and told the Jag
owner he hopes he learned a valuable lesson, and to never
stick the nose of his car under someone elses tires...
The outside edge has more scuffs and other cars paint
on it than scratches on the bottom from rocks.
I went so far to paint them as a warning to other drivers.
But still they insist to prove their doors are stronger than
my rails.....Silly Drivers.
I think for my new 2012 JKU I'm going to have to build
an exoskel for my rig. It's like oh there's a shiny new
vehicle...let's park near it...oops! I smacked my door...
hope no one saw me do that...ok...where else can I
park.
My brother did one better. He had a '80 Bronco and stuffed
44 inches of rubber under a 6" lift. I was there when some
nut-job in a Jag tried to cut him off... needless to say, but
the PO told my brother to keep moving and told the Jag
owner he hopes he learned a valuable lesson, and to never
stick the nose of his car under someone elses tires...
03-22-2012, 09:20 PM
#23
JK Enthusiast
You all will probably laugh at this but here is my parking lot theory.
First off I live in South Florida. Home of the snow birds, crack heads, and the Mr. Magoo types. There is a really good chance if you go to any shopping area here you will come out and find a dent in your door or a shopping cart smashed into the side of your car/truck. To try and combat this as much as possible I did a bunch of thinking and some watching to come up with my own little parking lot check list if you will. My better half laughed at me for a long time after coming up with this method that I have been using for the past two years or so, but now actually helps me find better spots.
1. First step. While pulling into a parking area make note of the wind direction. Check trees, flags etc to determine where it is coming from. You want to park facing the wind. The reasons for this are a few fold. First if it is a really windy day that little old granny opening her big door on the old buick can catch the wind and go smashing right into the side of your car. By parking into or facing the wind when she opens the door that wind actually acts to protect you from her door flying open rather then smashing it into your car. Shopping carts also dont blow up wind.
2. Park at the highest elevation in the lot that is near your intended parking area. This is a simple gravity issue. Shopping carts dont roll up hill
3. Park at an end of a parking row. First off this limits your exposure right away to a car only on one side. Also by parking not completely on center and more towards the end of the parking row you give yourself a little extra room for that one car that is next to you that might not be paying attention.
4. If you have no choice but to park in a spot between two cars in a parking spot, then it is best to plan how you park in that spot. The tactic I use is to pull in with a bias toward my drivers side in the parking spot at a slightly crooked angle. If you were looking at how I parked from the back it would look like I was pulling in aiming slightly for the far left corner instead of straight on with a bias for the whole car to the left side of the parking spot. You probably would think without thinking much about it that I parked crappy. There is however a very good reason for this. Most people first off drive around solo in their cars. This means that if you are playing the odds you are going to crowd the side that most likely people are not going to use. By moving over toward you driver side more you do just that. Ok so why the angle you say. Well doors are hinged at the front and swing out from the back. By pinching the parking spot on the front drivers side you open the area where a door might hit your drivers side while at the same time giving more room to the passenger side of your car as well. I know this sounds a bit out there but after you do it a bunch it becomes so second nature you dont even think about it until you park with new passenger and they look at you funny.
5. Another good potential spot is the first spot next to a handicapped spot, fire lane, etc. These typically are harder to find because they are many times closer to the front door of someplace. But they can be good because typically they are much wider then standard spots and most people would never use that much space. Parking next to a spot like this while gently parking right on the edge of almost going into the special spot is a great way to give youself a nice buffer around your spot.
Other ideas are parking next to nice cars, turning your wheels after you park, valet maybe even. It may sound a bit crazy, but I have found it really does work.
EDIT: Forgot a few things. NEVER park next to a two door coupe; The doors are much longer and can very easily make contact with the spacing of most parking areas. Never park near a drainage grate. There is a reason why the drainage grate is there-because it is the lowest nearby point. When going to a big shopping mall or large store look for the employee parking area. Two reasons for this. First off it is typically patrolled much more then any other area of a large shopping area, and employee parking ensures that people are not coming and going all the time. If you stop at a mall for an hour there is a very good chance if you park near employee parking that people next to you will never move because they are working. Ok enough for now Im sure there is a ton of them I am forgetting that I do naturally without thinking about it now.
First off I live in South Florida. Home of the snow birds, crack heads, and the Mr. Magoo types. There is a really good chance if you go to any shopping area here you will come out and find a dent in your door or a shopping cart smashed into the side of your car/truck. To try and combat this as much as possible I did a bunch of thinking and some watching to come up with my own little parking lot check list if you will. My better half laughed at me for a long time after coming up with this method that I have been using for the past two years or so, but now actually helps me find better spots.
1. First step. While pulling into a parking area make note of the wind direction. Check trees, flags etc to determine where it is coming from. You want to park facing the wind. The reasons for this are a few fold. First if it is a really windy day that little old granny opening her big door on the old buick can catch the wind and go smashing right into the side of your car. By parking into or facing the wind when she opens the door that wind actually acts to protect you from her door flying open rather then smashing it into your car. Shopping carts also dont blow up wind.
2. Park at the highest elevation in the lot that is near your intended parking area. This is a simple gravity issue. Shopping carts dont roll up hill
3. Park at an end of a parking row. First off this limits your exposure right away to a car only on one side. Also by parking not completely on center and more towards the end of the parking row you give yourself a little extra room for that one car that is next to you that might not be paying attention.
4. If you have no choice but to park in a spot between two cars in a parking spot, then it is best to plan how you park in that spot. The tactic I use is to pull in with a bias toward my drivers side in the parking spot at a slightly crooked angle. If you were looking at how I parked from the back it would look like I was pulling in aiming slightly for the far left corner instead of straight on with a bias for the whole car to the left side of the parking spot. You probably would think without thinking much about it that I parked crappy. There is however a very good reason for this. Most people first off drive around solo in their cars. This means that if you are playing the odds you are going to crowd the side that most likely people are not going to use. By moving over toward you driver side more you do just that. Ok so why the angle you say. Well doors are hinged at the front and swing out from the back. By pinching the parking spot on the front drivers side you open the area where a door might hit your drivers side while at the same time giving more room to the passenger side of your car as well. I know this sounds a bit out there but after you do it a bunch it becomes so second nature you dont even think about it until you park with new passenger and they look at you funny.
5. Another good potential spot is the first spot next to a handicapped spot, fire lane, etc. These typically are harder to find because they are many times closer to the front door of someplace. But they can be good because typically they are much wider then standard spots and most people would never use that much space. Parking next to a spot like this while gently parking right on the edge of almost going into the special spot is a great way to give youself a nice buffer around your spot.
Other ideas are parking next to nice cars, turning your wheels after you park, valet maybe even. It may sound a bit crazy, but I have found it really does work.
EDIT: Forgot a few things. NEVER park next to a two door coupe; The doors are much longer and can very easily make contact with the spacing of most parking areas. Never park near a drainage grate. There is a reason why the drainage grate is there-because it is the lowest nearby point. When going to a big shopping mall or large store look for the employee parking area. Two reasons for this. First off it is typically patrolled much more then any other area of a large shopping area, and employee parking ensures that people are not coming and going all the time. If you stop at a mall for an hour there is a very good chance if you park near employee parking that people next to you will never move because they are working. Ok enough for now Im sure there is a ton of them I am forgetting that I do naturally without thinking about it now.
Last edited by dognights; 03-22-2012 at 09:48 PM.
03-22-2012, 09:35 PM
#24
JK Freak
I have the Rugged Ridge side armor on my 4dr as well as a good amount of lift. No one has dinged my doors yet, but I know they have tried judging by the paint marks left on the powdercoat of my side armor.
03-22-2012, 09:36 PM
#25
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I usually park way out in the parking lot, my wife hates it, but I don't mind walking.... I'll have to try some of your parking theories out, sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this.....
03-23-2012, 12:23 AM
#26
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Rock sliders! I was sitting in my Jeep in a parking lot when a 25ish girl flung her door open and whacked the piss out of my slider. She saw it hit my slider and started cussing at my Jeep. I opened my door to get out. She was really embarrassed because she didn't know I was there. She then started asking me if I was ok that she hit my Jeep. I was only concerned for her door because it could barely close with the big dent it put in lip of her door. Needless to say, the scuff she left on my slider came off at carwash.
03-23-2012, 03:01 AM
#27
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I bought my 2011 Rubicon in December of 2010. I had it about 3 weeks and pulled up in a parking lot, away from other vehicles, when 2 young guys pull up beside me in a old junker car and through their door into my jeep. I was pissed, I get out and hollar WTF. The driver starts laughing and I went ballistic..... I elbowed his back door window out and asked him if he thought that was funny... He got out of the car and we went to fists, I drove off with him laying in the parking lot...... Out cold!!! His friend was running down the parking lot...... I'm not a violent person and this is not my nature, had he not started laughing it would have never happened.... I felt terrible about what I had done, but sometimes people need to learn to respect other people's property..... Caulk it up to a life lesson learned.......
Sometimes, you just have to give them a good talkin' to.
03-23-2012, 04:07 AM
#28
Super Moderator
I bought my 2011 Rubicon in December of 2010. I had it about 3 weeks and pulled up in a parking lot, away from other vehicles, when 2 young guys pull up beside me in a old junker car and through their door into my jeep. I was pissed, I get out and hollar WTF. The driver starts laughing and I went ballistic..... I elbowed his back door window out and asked him if he thought that was funny... He got out of the car and we went to fists, I drove off with him laying in the parking lot...... Out cold!!! His friend was running down the parking lot...... I'm not a violent person and this is not my nature, had he not started laughing it would have never happened.... I felt terrible about what I had done, but sometimes people need to learn to respect other people's property..... Caulk it up to a life lesson learned.......
I do most of the things people have mentioned to protect against this...I'm always in the last parking spot in the lot, only one side could be parked next to. Even after doing all that, one day at work, I was forced to park between 2 cars and wouldn't you know it....there's now a ding that stares at me every time I get into my Jeep. I'll be going to the paintless ding repair guy...but just one more thing added to my list of annoyances.
03-23-2012, 04:49 AM
#29
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Dognights. We think a lot the same. It drives my wife (of 38 years today) nuts. She says I go into a parking lot like I'm preparing for battle. In a way we are.
It drives my wife (of 38 years today) nuts. She says I go into a parking lot like I'm preparing for battle. In a way we are.
03-23-2012, 08:30 AM
#30
JK Freak
Actually, the sliders/side armor helps with more than just door dings. I was sitting in my Jeep the other day in the angle parking stall next to another vehicle. The girl gets in her car and goes to pull out, but makes a really sharp turn too quick and nearly takes out her front end on my side armor. Gotta love the armor!