The door dinged consulation thread

[TSiggs]

I'm very careful where I park normally, sometimes opting to park way out away from everyone. I took a chance yesterday at the sporting goods store. The spot looked big enough, the cars were both late model and it was 104 degrees outside. Coming back, the car to the left of me was gone and I had a nice big ding right in the middle of my door. The good news is, they took out a chunk of paint as well.

2500 miles and my first ding. Bastages! Thinking about getting it repaired since I was going to get a shop to remove the front license plate (fill the holes and repaint the bumper) anway. If it wasn't for the paint chip I'd not even bother.

Any other 09ers get their first ding yet? Any of you get it fixed? Feel free to share your misery or complain about peoples lack of respect/care for other peoples property...

[instantexpert]

I've already got a very small dimple in the passenger door and someone keyed the passenger rear quarter panel this weekend. Fortunately, as things go, it was a relatively minor keying. It upsets me but I live in the city. Past experience has shown that getting it fixed will be very quickly nullified by similar damage elsewhere. I'm not sure what to do about getting keyed but I do know that spending >$500 to get it fixed is a losing proposition for me.

[TSiggs]

Well, if it was just a dig I'd live with it...the paint chip is really an eyesore though. If the cost to get it fixed is absurd then I'm not going to do anything to fix it, but since I want to get my bumper resprayed anyway I'm hoping it won't cost that much.

[jeremyc74]

I've been lucky so far. I try to pay attention to where I park, but I leave my car at the airport pretty often, and there's just no way to know what's going to happen the entire week I'm gone.

People here in Evansville seem to be pretty decent about not damaging other people's stuff. I was in FL before I moved here and door dings were just a fact of life because so many people just don't give a rat's ass about anything.

[Mega Man]

This is why I pretty much use my car for work and back, and for fun drives. I use my GF's car when we're going somewhere where I have to actually park it.

However, a car is a car, and as you're all aware, sooner or later, a ding will occur.

[1013mm]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

This is why I pretty much use my car for work and back, and for fun drives. I use my GF's car when we're going somewhere where I have to actually park it.

However, a car is a car, and as you're all aware, sooner or later, a ding will occur.

yep.

[Midgad]

Had same thing happen to me!
Always trying to park away from other cars, the one time I dont...ding!
I called a company in Long Island called Dent Monster, within 30 minutes the ding was totally gone and only a really small scratch remains. (i can live with)
Was like $150 and they came to my place to do it.
I am sure they have some businesses like this in your area..
google dent repair in your area.

[sunking420]

I consistently park in Siberia. Almost 14,000 miles and none yet. But you know the day is coming where I park a football field away from the nearest car, someone parks next to me, and voila', Ding!!!!!!!!!!

[tbird]

That's always the way. Try to park in "Siberia", and you find that everyone else still wants to park next to you.....RIGHT NEXT to you......and then ding you.

We live in an "It's all about me, I don't care about you and your stuff" society. Bang that grocery shopping cart against someone's door, who cares, that's the mentality.

Thank God for my little cheapy commuter, it takes so much of those automobile beatings away, let alone a nice reduction in my automobile insurance. I highly recommend having a commuter car (where applicable) for this being one of the reasons.

[TSiggs]

Originally Posted by tbird

That's always the way. Try to park in "Siberia", and you find that everyone else still wants to park next to you.....RIGHT NEXT to you......and then ding you.

We live in an "It's all about me, I don't care about you and your stuff" society. Bang that grocery shopping cart against someone's door, who cares, that's the mentality.

Thank God for my little cheapy commuter, it takes so much of those automobile beatings away, let alone a nice reduction in my automobile insurance. I highly recommend having a commuter car (where applicable) for this being one of the reasons.

Haha, a fellow coworker and I were just talking about this today. What is with peoples pack mentality that causes them to want to park next to another car?! I can remember so many times when I'd park away from everyone only to come out of a store with my car totally surrounded even though there are plenty of other spots!

[cagekicker]

Originally Posted by TTaz02

sometimes i actually write down the tag #'s of the cars next to me just in case. i feel your pain

what is that going to do? you're wasting your time jotting down tags. local PD won't recall drivers to investigate your door dings or vehicle keying.

[cagekicker]

as a law enforcement officer i've seen my co-workers smash other officer's pov in our parking lot. in fact, we have a senior officer who is a serial door-banger. anybody is capable of this sin. just watch where you park, period.

[smpeck]

i always park away from other cars, with great success... just wanted to add a word of caution.

make sure you do not park your car at the bottom of a slight incline in a parking lot.

i parked my '07 328i in "siberia" at a home depot parking lot, not noticing my car was parked at the bottom of a slight incline. while i was shopping, a cart rolled all the way down the hill and slammed into the rear quarter panel. Not only a $700 repair, but then when i traded the car in they gave me grief and said the car had been wrecked so they would not give me a decent trade in value.

[ZedClever]

I am really ocd. I grew up poor, worked hard to have nice things and became obsessed with keeping everything mint. I am trying to learn to be more accepting of such things; I used to almost welcome such small blemishes because it allowed me to be less obsessed with the condition of whatever it was. Now I am doing pretty good at just enjoying the things I have and not worrying too much, beyond general good care, and I have to say I am much happier. The 1er being the nicest car I've ever had the pleasure of owning, has been even nicer since I'm not constantly worried about it's condition.

[TSiggs]

Originally Posted by ZedClever

I am really ocd. I grew up poor, worked hard to have nice things and became obsessed with keeping everything mint. I am trying to learn to be more accepting of such things; I used to almost welcome such small blemishes because it allowed me to be less obsessed with the condition of whatever it was. Now I am doing pretty good at just enjoying the things I have and not worrying too much, beyond general good care, and I have to say I am much happier. The 1er being the nicest car I've ever had the pleasure of owning, has been even nicer since I'm not constantly worried about it's condition.

You summed up what I've been thinking about the last few days haha. I was pretty bummed at first, but now I'm in the acceptance stage. I'll still explore my options on fixing it, but I might just let it go as a lesson learned.

[quality_sound]

You can do what I do. I usually try to park away from other cars or look for wide spots. There have been times where I'm away from other cars, some douche parks next to me and sure enough, ding. If the car is still there when I come back to my car, it gets a size 9 dent in it's matching panel and a note on the windshield to be more considerate of other people's property or some vindictive asshole like me will remind him the world doesn't revolve around them.

Sure it's over the top, but it makes me feel better.

[deamon32]

I feel your pain, I just recently discovered three very deep scratches and a very deep door ding. I am pretty pissed because I have no idea how or where it happened... but thats life I guess