Public parking.......not good...

Luster · 02-19-03, 10:53

My BIGGEST pet peeve of all time......parking lots.

I'm just blowing off some steam here.

I posted something similar regarding door-dings, but this is really about what can happen in parking lots.

I love to see my car, perfectly detailed, sitting all alone at the very back of a parking lot, a quarter-mile away from any other car!

IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY!

People with the "Jerry-Springer-Mentality" are constantly on the prowl for isolated gorgeous cars.

In those cases, here's what happens:

The offender spies the car, in all of its magnificent glory and does one or more of the following offensive acts:

a) Parks his dented, rusted-thru, salt-infested RAG within inches of your spectacular beauty.
b) Dumps a milk-shake on the ground right at your driver door.
c) Says with a gutteral Ozark accent, "He thinks he's so cool.........Well, Ah'll show HIM!"......then spits tobacco juice on you hood!
d) Possible key-ing
e) Probable door-ding
f) Boot kicks are very popular
g) The possiblities are endless for the jealous-at-heart! (vandalism abounds!)

Tips for avoiding such Low-Rent acts in BUSY parking lots:

1. If at all possible, never park at Wal-Mart or any grocery store.
2. If you have an alternate car, drive it to the store.
3. NEVER angle park over 2 spaces (draws attention to your car)
4. If you back in, your asking for trouble. (draws attention to your car)
5. Find some other nice cars in the parking lot and park near them. (rarely happens!)
6. Park near street lights.
7. Here's a good one.......(a tip from another thread).....park on the "up-hill" side of all parking lots (carts)!
8. Some buildings have side parking lots.......less traffic........pretty good bet for parking.
9. Under trees......not good. (sap and bird-bombs)
10. Keep a couple of MF towels and a bottle of QD in your car at all times! Birds have special training in locating detailed cars.
11. Although car covers are nice, in my opinion, you're asking for trouble if you use it in a public parking lot. I know a lady who found 2 smashed eggs under her car cover when she came out from the grocery store (she works there).
12. Never leave the sun-roof open or any window cracked.......cigarette butts and fast-food-trash always find their way to those spots.

Anything else?

Taxlady · 02-19-03, 11:11

I'm sure glad I live in the 'burbs of Montreal. I don't much like the 'burbs, but parking is usually not a big problem. People here are usually quite considerate about not giving door dings, etc. I guess the majority of people here care about their cars (not like Autopians, but some). I hope I haven't jinxed myself by typing this.

lalaland · 02-19-03, 12:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Taxlady
I'm sure glad I live in the 'burbs of Montreal. I don't much like the 'burbs, but parking is usually not a big problem. People here are usually quite considerate about not giving door dings, etc. I guess the majority of people here care about their cars (not like Autopians, but some). I hope I haven't jinxed myself by typing this.

Can't say I've had the same luck with parking in Montreal. In fact I recall no less than 7 incidents in 2 years where my cars, and cars of my family and friends got hit/scratched/keyed while parked.

All of this in and around West-Island, Laval and downtown.

Iconoclast · 02-19-03, 01:05

I got a door ding during the Christmas shopping season at the Mall. There were no empty areas to park, the lot was full. I took my chances and bam, door ding and some scratches.

I absolutely hate it when people park right next to you when you park very far away in an empty area. I'll be in the store looking out the window cursing like a madman when I notice it and people will look at me strange.

AMP01 · 02-19-03, 01:25

I park as far away from other cars as possible.

My wife always laughs at me and asks, "can we park any closer, I can't even see the store!" It is the only way I know to stay dent & scratch free as possible.

Cheers,
My Black 7 Series

IndigoGTI · 03-12-03, 01:19

Quote:

Originally posted by AMP99
I park as far away from other cars as possible.

My wife always laughs at me and asks, "can we park any closer, I can't even see the store!" It is the only way I know to stay dent & scratch free as possible.

Cheers,
My Black 7 Series

Same here, my wife thinks I'm nuts. I always try to park between expensive cars. I steer clear of Suburbans, Expeditions, minivans, etc. becasue I know some soccer mom or her kids are going to take out one of my mirrors with those doors. Whenever I take my younger brother or cousins somewhere, I always open the door for them.

2wheelsx2 · 03-12-03, 01:55

Parking beside expensive cars is not always the answer. Around here, the people who can afford the S-Class Mercedes, and the 7 series Bimmers don't seem to care about door dings. They just kick their door open, set the grocery bags on top of the trunk after after they set them on the ground etc. I try to park close to well taken care of cars, while still giving them lots of space.

jcattarulla · 03-12-03, 02:32

I try to park next to a van what has a sliding rear door- no dings. Those cargo vans usually only have one person in them, so parking on the passenger side is safe.

geekysteve · 03-12-03, 03:48

I can identify with this post completely, seeing as how I live at the bottom end of the Ozarks..."c" from above really hit close to home- seen it happen a few times.

I HATE parking anywhere here in Arkansas. No matter where I park, whenever I come out there's either:

a) A jacked-up Chevrolet (or Dodge) pick-up truck, 2 shocks per wheel, 14 KC Highlighters on the front bumper and "roll bar", tinted windows, windshield visor with more lights, and at least half-a-pound of original mud from every single off roading expedition ever sitting somewhere on the truck. If the bed is "open", it's guaranteed there's a 30-pack of Coors Light sitting in it, with some empties strewn about the bed.

b) A ratty, beat-to-crap S10 pick-up truck, lowered and primered, with some swap meet wheels and 10-foot CB whip antenna.

c) A mid 70's "beast" with bungee-corded bumper (which is often a 2x6 board), trunk that won't stay closed, ripped-up faux-fabric top, 1 hubcap, and every single worldly possession that the driver has stuffed in the back seat/front seat/open trunk.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Never fails that one of those three cars parks next to me when I'm at Wally World or Best Buy, or anywhere. My BMW was keyed about 3 weeks after I moved to AR (after 1+ years in WI without a problem), and my 337 has had soda dumped on it on more than one occasion (thank God that's all).

Time to move to a place where people don't brag about havin' indoor plumbin', and people don't make a family event out of going to the weekly dog auctions.

LowTech · 03-12-03, 04:49

Got a 2 inch scratch/ding in passenger side door last weekend.

My biggest problems are parking at the stadiums [stadia?](Pittsburgh). I can't recount the times over the years that I've had scratches, baked in spilled stuff and other things.

Even though I usually drive my Suburban to games, parking at stadiums still bothers me...

SYKER · 03-12-03, 05:05

You would really love parking here in Brooklyn NYC. F in trucks got my drivers side mirror twice.

Got the second truck, thanks to a neighbor.

LowTech · 03-12-03, 05:18

Like NY and Boston, Pittsburgh has a lot of narrow streets w/ on-street parallel parking meters. Right now, my truck has a cracked side mirror from just such a "close encounter."

I don't even want to go into what a garbage truck did to my legally parked (on street) S500 a few years ago.... Driver just drove off, tried to report it, but driver denied even being there....Oh well, guess that's why we have insurance...