Where to park (WAS: Dings in the door...)

[Khan Klatt <khan@nw.verio.net>]

I have minimized the amount of dings I have been getting (got three in the
first six months, and none for the past year) of owning my car, and
attribute this lower incident rate for dings to the following reasons:

1. If possible, always park as far away as possible from the "popular"
parking spaces, and park in a spot where there is no one else parked next
to you.

(This is similar to going into a bathroom and picking the urinal where
there is no guy right next to you, for similar reasons ;)

Walking an extra dozen yards is a) good for you b) is sometimes faster than
driving for five minutes just to find the closest spot

2. If possible, park where there are no cars, no shopping carts or other
possibly mobile things around your car. While you can't guarantee another
car won't park next to you, your chances are better than parking next to
one or (worse) two or three cars around you (people might ding you from the
front too).

3. Never park in "compact" parking spots.

4. Never park in a spot that is adjacent to a beater (rusted out Pinto) an
older car with a GATE for a door (82 GTO), and avoid cars that might be
difficult to get out of with a partially opened door (4WD cars and certain
sportscars).

5. If you have to park next to a car, park to the right of a van or certain
sportscars. Generally speaking, minivans and sportscars only have one door
on the right side of the car. Minivan sliding doors are your paint job's
best friend.

6. Park next to a nice car who will want to avoid dings in his own car.
Mercedes, Porsche, Volvo, Lexus, or fellow VWers, etc. are good choices, as
are most new/expensive cars.

7. Park right next to an island. You know for sure at least that 1/2 of
your car is protected by parking next to an island. Also park as close as
possible to the curb of the island to give the other driver more swing in
his door, possibly even parking so close to the curb that the guy couldn't
hit your door if he tried.

8. Avoid parking next to "family" cars. Cars with baby seats in them are a
great car NOT to park next to, because generally parents need to open the
door 100% to easily fit the stroller, the baby bag, the baby itself, and
mommy in the front seat, etc. Also, avoid family cars and station wagons,
as spoiled little brats may be the primary way to describe the children in
these families, and the rugrats might open the door swiftly into your paint
job by accident or carelessness, and mommy and daddy might not even know
their rugrat did this, not to mention a note asking if they can pay for the
damage.

9. Park next to bikes if available. Harley drivers especially are quite
careful about their bikes, and want to keep them pristine. They'll
generally give you the same courtesy.

10. If you haven't already, get a clearcoat from the dealer, ASAP. Mine
cost $150, if I remember correctly, and is the best preventative
maintenance. Especially metallic paints, which scratch easily.

11. Take your SO/roommate/friend's car to the mall instead. :)

12. Cut off an arm or a leg, and apply for a handicap sticker. This is sort
of extreme, but if you value your paint job more than a body part, you
can't beat the spaciousness of a handicapped parking spot.

Every situation is different use your judgement to save your paint, and try
to stay observant to your environment to pick the safest location for your
car.

-Khan

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Khan Klatt <kklatt@nw.verio.net>                             Verio Northwest
Network Engineer                                    Bellingham Branch Office
Tel 800.591.2757 x 13                                    725 N. State Street
Fax 360.738.8315                                        Bellingham, WA 98225

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