As One Door Opens, Another One Dings
They are a car owner’s worst nightmare. Once you get past the kerfuffle of finding a parking space and manoeuvring safely into the spot, you then have to worry about what happens to your car while you are away. No amount of security, polishing, or finger crossing can protect you from that dreaded parking affliction – the door ding.
You can’t control other drivers, but there are some things you can do when parking to minimise the risk of door-on-door damage.
Choose Your Spot
The easiest way to avoid door dings is to ensure you aren’t vulnerable. Parking away from other vehicles, or in a corner space where you are only exposed on one side, allows you to reduce the odds of losing your paintwork. If you can, always parallel-park – this removes the risk of door dings altogether.
Our parking sensor kits can lend a helping hand if you’re not too confident with parallel parking. If you can’t find a space to parallel-park, avoid narrow spaces.
Avoid the Likely Suspects
Some vehicles are more likely to ding your doors than others. Park next to cars that have fewer doors – less chances of getting hit. Also notice the length of the car’s doors – if they stretch most of the length of the body, they will need to open further than shorter doors. Longer doors will also be heavier, increasing the chances of them swinging into your bodywork – and you can expect the ding to be deeper too.
Don’t park next to SUVs, as their doors are the perfect height for smacking into your side. Even if your car still has the decreasingly popular rubber moulding strips to protect it, the door height on SUVs means these will be little help.
Park Right
The way you park can improve your chances of leaving again scrape-free. Make sure your car is centred in the parking space, giving you the most room on each side to allow your neighbour’s doors to open. If possible, park on the passenger side of the neighbouring car, as the driver might be alone. Avoid cars with child seats – these often require doors to be opened fully to allow the parent to secure their child.
Don’t Ask For It
No one has any respect for a driver who parks their car over the line, at an odd angle, or taking up more than one parking space. They aren’t going to give a moment’s consideration to your car when opening their doors.
So what’s the golden rule of parking? The better your car is parked, the less likely you are to get damaged. These also ensure that you don’t ding anyone yourself!