[TiAg335i]

Lets discuss ways of parking strategically so no one dings up our doors.

I find the spaces too small and some idiot always finds a way to park too close to me, despite my effort to give him room to park so he can at least OPEN HIS DOOR...:mad:

[HyperM3]

This is a no-win battle. No matter how you try to park well between other cars, they always leave before you do. This lets some big ass SUV slide in right next to you.

Nice try but it aint gonna happen.

[Mr. BMW]

This subject has been beat to death on here. The only way to avoid door dings/scratches is to park somewhere that no one will park next to you.

Parking on end spots all the way against the curb sometimes works but then you have idiots that will park over your line to get close to you.

[DesiGUY]

Lets assume that the parking space available is between 2 cars(X & Y).
================================================== =============
Park your baby(B) such that: | X | B | Y |

B's driver side should be closer to X's Passenger side or farther from Y's driver side.
================================================== =============
Most of the time, there will be no passengers, and the passenger door will not be opened.

If you park that way you are decreasing the chances of dents or accidental scratches.

Lemme know if u got what im saying... if not, will try to explain graphically.

[TTG]

You can park on corner spots to elimiate exposure to other cars..... And I always pay attention not to park next to SUV's or coupes with huge doors..... But I am the guy whose car is all the way on the other side of the lot most of the time all by it self!

[Grumpy514]

Yah.............Ill be double parking everywhere I go. That way NOBODY can smash your door with theirs.


| X | B | Y |

Park directly in the middle of X-B . This way the other doors have more than enough kick room so they cant hit you.

Ive already marked off some places I will not be parking my car where I USE to park the car.

[ski360]

Just don't go anywhere, park it in your garage and walk everywhere!!!

[TTG]

Originally Posted by Grumpy514

Yah.............Ill be double parking everywhere I go. That way NOBODY can smash your door with theirs.

yeah, you usually end up getting keyed instead....especially if you manage that on a busy lot!

[TiAg335i]

Originally Posted by DesiGUY

Lets assume that the parking space available is between 2 cars(X & Y).
================================================== =============
Park your baby(B) such that: | X | B | Y |

B's driver side should be closer to X's Passenger side or farther from Y's driver side.
================================================== =============
Most of the time, there will be no passengers, and the passenger door will not be opened.

If you park that way you are decreasing the chances of dents or accidental scratches.

Lemme know if u got what im saying... if not, will try to explain graphically.

I get exactly what you're saying, and I do this nearly every time. However, some Joe Shmo in a beat up explorer will just decide to park as closer to you as he would like - it does happen sometimes.

I guess the parking in the corner idea is good, but those spots are few and far between.

And the double parking idea is just asking to get keyed, especially if you have BMW...

[wj4]

IMO there is no strategy, but rather pure luck.

My last car had the worst luck. Within a week of owning it, I had a nice crease on the door, too long to get it popped out. The car was black and in the 15 months of owning it, I had 2 white cars hit my rear bumper on 2 different occasions.

I have a friend who works at a local mall and his car is still flawless, even during the holiday season when parking lot is a mad house.

What kind of tick me off is that when you go to park your car in the back of the lot with 5 spots to the left and another 5 to the right of you...and you come back to see someone did a half effort job right next to you, lol.

There was a time where someone parked so close to my door that I couldn't get in. I had to go to the passenger's door, put the e-brake down, and push the car several feet so I can get enough room to go in the driver side. I left a note for the driver though, nothing mean, but just asked if he/she can take a couple of seconds to make sure the car is between the white lines indicated for the parking spot.

[JOYRIIDE1113]

Park far where no one will park and double park... Sure if you double park in conjested part of a parking lot, people will feel mad and key you, but if you double park far far away, chances are, no one will care. I live in Miami, and my cars have no dings.

My mother on the other hand parks whereever she finds appropriate and still doesn't have any dings. I'm too scared tot ake the chance.

Joy.

[canucklion]

+1, that'll just perpetuate the perception that BMW drivers are a-holes and get your car keyed in the process

Originally Posted by TTG

yeah, you usually end up getting keyed instead....especially if you manage that on a busy lot!

[JOYRIIDE1113]

Originally Posted by canucklion

+1, that'll just perpetuate the perception that BMW drivers are a-holes and get your car keyed in the process

Not if you park far away where you know it won't bother anyone....

I get angry when I see modded cars taking up two spaces in busy malls, but never when I see them taking two spaces far far away from anyone else.

[canucklion]

agreed, that's why I "+1" on his comment of "especially on a buy lot"

Originally Posted by JOYRIIDE1113

Not if you park far away where you know it won't bother anyone....

I get angry when I see modded cars taking up two spaces in busy malls, but never when I see them taking two spaces far far away from anyone else.

[RiXst3r]

I park out in the middle of a parking lot with plenty of empty spaces all the time, and one time when I came back, some rusted up nasty truck was parked less than 1 foot from my drivers side... obviously did it on purpose, I hate that...

Half the time you try and park to avoid people, a-holes that dont care about their cars park close to you just because they are haters.

[Zeiss]

Or... You can pay someone to watch your car

[SpdFreak]

Two tips: 1 - Park at the top of the hill (If the parking lot has one) this way no cart will roll down and hit your car, 2 - park away from all other cars, and when the situation arises that you can't park too far, park at an end spot where as one side of your car is near the curb or shrubs. This only leaves you with 1/2 the probability of your car getting touched.

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

This subject has been beat to death on here. The only way to avoid door dings/scratches is to park somewhere that no one will park next to you.

Parking on end spots all the way against the curb sometimes works but then you have idiots that will park over your line to get close to you.

I parked once at the end of a row, crowding just over the line (tires on the line) away from the other spaces only to come out and find someone about 14 inches from my car parked ON THE HASHMARKS!

[SP330]

Lol this reminds me of the time i parked my car at least 25 spaces away from everybody else in an empty space grid of 25 by 15 (spaces respectively), and this Saturn Ion out of approx. 375 empty spaces parks right next to my car.

Just park far away. There's no reason to be double parking in any case. A guy was flipping out at the local LAFitness because he double parked his Continental GT and it got keyed.(though far away from other vehicles)

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by Grumpy514

Yah.............Ill be double parking everywhere I go. That way NOBODY can smash your door with theirs.

Don't bet on it.

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by RiXst3r

I park out in the middle of a parking lot with plenty of empty spaces all the time, and one time when I came back, some rusted up nasty truck was parked less than 1 foot from my drivers side... obviously did it on purpose, I hate that...

Half the time you try and park to avoid people, a-holes that dont care about their cars park close to you just because they are haters.

I had a friend that split two spots out in the middle of B.F.E., no one anywhere nearby, only to return to find two D.F. parked inches away. One was pulled in forward on the left and one backed in on the right. They could each get out of their trucks. It was fortunate that he was very slim.

[musc]

I just park far far away from other cars, usually double parked. If i am going to the mall or walmart, or someplace crowded, I will just drive a POS car.