How anal are you about parking spots and door dings?

[snellenr]

I share JMG's story (right down to the loss amount and length of time driving a rental Impala) -- while leaving my office I was T-boned by a Prius who was cutting through parking spaces in the parking structure. Parking away from other cars and was driving carefully within my lane didn't make any difference at all.

It's a car, after all, and shares the world with yammerheads -- just find a good body shop when (not if) it happens. In the meantime, enjoy the car.

Now, how about that moment when you see the rock fly off the truck in front of you and head for your windshield...

 

[FloridaGary]

Used to park far away, don't care so much anymore. No matter how careful you are, someone will eventually hit you. Had someone open their door right into my driver door the other day while I was still sitting in my car. To help minimize any damage, it's probably best to use PPF like Xpel. I know it has saved me from lots of rock chips and dings. Wish I would have done the entire car though cause now I'm finding scratches from places you wouldn't expect from people rubbing by with their bags and what not.

I owned my Infiniti G35 Coupe for 12 years before buying a Model S and in those 12 years, not one door ding. I am fanatical about where I park and it paid off. I hope to repeat that luck with my S. Prior to the G35, not so lucky.

 

[FloridaGary]

I have never worried about door dings in a parking lot. I just park wherever I want... I've done this for my entire life and I've never had a single door ding in any of my 30+ cars.

Olathe, KS has about 126k residents. Come to one of our major cities in Central or South Florida where several million people live and I'll bet you can find one sub-division with a population of 126k and most will not care if they hit your car while opening their doors. I love Florida, but the lack of respect for other people's property here amazes me.

 

[CHG-ON]

I have always been obsessed about parking and door dings. All the way back to my 1976 white Datsun B210. Dick Datsun, The White Shadow was his name. I am so used to it now that it is always automatic. It can still be a stessor when parking is bad. But a friend of mine used to say that I have "good parking karma", because I pretty much always am able to find a safe spot. 19 months in and not one door ding yet and very thankful for it. When people bitch, which is rare, I say accept my illness or I'd be happy to drop you off here.

I know that it's lame to love an inanimate object, but I really do have fun babying the car. It's my quiet time. Always has been.

 

[Burt Court]

I'm the OBNOXIOUS parker who uses 1 1/2 spaces, but way out in the far end of a parking lot...

 

[jlucero]

Im the OP, and i love all the comments! but of course i agree with most people here that door dings arent the fault of the driver!

even if you park far away, with no one else next to you, there is NO WAY you can prevent someone coming and parking right next to you 1 minute after you leave your car and dinging your door. you can be as careful as you want, but you cant control who approaches your car after you leave.

speaking of sad notes, has anyone been keyed due to jealousy? im constantly worried about haters who will do that. i was in LA body shop, and the body shop was working on Tony Hawks blacked out tesla that had a keying 360 around the car. they were repairing it due to haters keying his car. what a shame...

 

[ShotgunF15E]

It's in my blood. When my dad was teaching me how to drive, 40 years ago, he always said "when you are driving down Main Street, always lookout for the Doerflinger family".

I offer to drop my wife off in front of the store, restaurant, etc., then park in some other town or county.

Ha. I drop the SO off at the front door, take the car home and then Uber back to join her.....lol

 

[beantobe]

Now, how about that moment when you see the rock fly off the truck in front of you and head for your windshield...

Glass insurance to the rescue! Can't do without it in Arizona

 

[Naonak]

Glass insurance to the rescue! Can't do without it in Arizona

Speaking of that... anyone know how much a Tesla windshield costs?

 

[beantobe]

Olathe, KS has about 126k residents. Come to one of our major cities in Central or South Florida where several million people live and I'll bet you can find one sub-division with a population of 126k and most will not care if they hit your car while opening their doors. I love Florida, but the lack of respect for other people's property here amazes me.

When I lived in Boston, a city where parallel parking is as important as breathing, I grew accustomed to the "Boston bump." When someone squeezed in so tight they have to literally bump your car and stop when they get the haptic feedback from the jolt. I saw some nice cars out there that had these rubber mats they'd pull out of their trunk to lay over the back bumper for protection. Everyone else's bumpers were destroyed. I'd never drive anything nicer than my '97 civic there.

 

[thecloud]

I always try to park next to another Tesla if I see one in a parking lot, since I presume all Tesla owners are hyper-aware of the space around their cars, and so will be extra careful when opening the door on that side. Or some kind of wishful thinking like that.

 

[TaoJones]

Speaking of that... anyone know how much a Tesla windshield costs?

About $1600 out the door as quoted 6 months ago to a not happy 3-week old P owner at a SoCal SvC.

I was surprised as I thought they were closer to $1200. Maybe they're $1200 plus labor. Anyway, there must be aftermarket Model S windshields by now - at least for the pre-AP cars. Anyone? Anyone?

 

[BriansBucketList]

I've been driving over 50 years and owned about 10 cars. At 30+ cars, have you owned one for more than a few years ? Statistically, it shouldn't matter since you've been parking for how ever many years it takes to go through 30 cars. I have a 2006 Acura- flawless for 9 of its 10 years, then someone put a good sized dent in the driver side door. Acura uses pretty heavy gauge metal in the doors, so this looked like the proverbial "throw the door open" and worry about other people later, and I guess the first dent sort of "breaks in" the car. Mine is a lease, so I would prefer no dents.

In this area, there are a lot of strip malls with narrow spots, so if I never got a dent in any of my cars, I'd probably buy a lot more stock and gamble more.

Um... no. I'm not sure what part of "I've never had a single door ding in any of my 30+ cars" was unclear. Sorry you are unable to park without receiving door dings, but it's never been a problem for me and I don't cherry pick parking spaces. Just whatever is convenient and/or the closest to where I'm going. Maybe you should move somewhere that doesn't have a bunch of assholes living there.

 

[andyaycw]

I always try to park next to another Tesla if I see one in a parking lot, since I presume all Tesla owners are hyper-aware of the space around their cars, and so will be extra careful when opening the door on that side. Or some kind of wishful thinking like that.

Not a bad way of thinking, but word of caution: not all owners extend that same courtesy, even if they do see it's a fellow Tesla.

Few months back, I was the first car in the far left lane of a protected left turn intersection. Another Tesla pulls up to my right. When the light turns green we both proceed. Since I had the shorter turn radius, I'm slightly ahead when we complete our turns...I quickly realize I have to get over to the right lane (in front of the other Tesla) to make my next right turn. I signal...and instead of yielding to me (which wouldn't have been difficult as I was already ahead of her car), she guns it!

Guess there's no courtesy on the road, even between Tesla "family" members

 

[RogerHScott]

I always try to park next to another Tesla

Only someone from California, or possibly Norway, would say this. In the month that I've owned my Tesla
I have seen another on the road around here exactly once. And I've yet to encounter one parked.

 

[jlucero]

yea parking close to a tesla probably gives you beter odds....but how do you know a child wont open his door on his tesla into yours? i have pleaded with my 8 year old to please open the door carefully when they open the door, but 1/10 times they arent. kids!!!!

 

[mkspeedr]

About $1600 out the door as quoted 6 months ago to a not happy 3-week old P owner at a SoCal SvC.

I was surprised as I thought they were closer to $1200. Maybe they're $1200 plus labor. Anyway, there must be aftermarket Model S windshields by now - at least for the pre-AP cars. Anyone? Anyone?

My windshield was $1,400 a couple of months ago.

 

[TaoJones]

Only someone from California, or possibly Norway, would say this. In the month that I've owned my Tesla
I have seen another on the road around here exactly once. And I've yet to encounter one parked.

Heh. Funny you should mention. Here in SoCal, I've been approached twice, so far, by a total of 3 Norwegians. Each has been appreciative of being able to buy a Model S in Norway for as much as we pay here *or less* (note the ~10% CA sales tax and ~$750/year CA registration fee). The first fellow asked, "Where are all the Teslas?" Note that 3 had passed by in the half hour prior, and I've been surrounded once by 4 of them on Sunset Blvd. Quite impressive that Norway, an oil-dependent country to a large extent, leads the world in per capita ownership. That, and it's just plain cool to have an SC north of the Arctic Circle.

 

[Naonak]

I've been driving over 50 years and owned about 10 cars. At 30+ cars, have you owned one for more than a few years ? Statistically, it shouldn't matter since you've been parking for how ever many years it takes to go through 30 cars. I have a 2006 Acura- flawless for 9 of its 10 years, then someone put a good sized dent in the driver side door. Acura uses pretty heavy gauge metal in the doors, so this looked like the proverbial "throw the door open" and worry about other people later, and I guess the first dent sort of "breaks in" the car. Mine is a lease, so I would prefer no dents.

In this area, there are a lot of strip malls with narrow spots, so if I never got a dent in any of my cars, I'd probably buy a lot more stock and gamble more.

Yes, my daily driver prior to my P90D was a Diesel Jetta that I owned for 13 years. Not a single door ding on the car. The rub strip had some damage, but that was purely from my own failings when opening the door against a wall or bollard, not from someone else. The front end was pocked and chipped like the surface of the moon (see what I did there?), but after 260,000 miles and no protection on the front, that's to be expected. My typical length of vehicle ownership, discounting the Jetta, is about 3 years per car. I'm down to my lowest car count in years now, at 4 cars in the garage, as I just sold the Jetta, a '98 Supra and my KidTransporter, a Chevy Traverse.

Current door ding count:

P85 = 0
P90D = 0
S60 = 0
Exige S = 0

Total: 0

Collectively, the cars have about 180,000 miles on them currently. The Supra had 106,000 miles on it and the Traverse had 96,000 miles on it. I don't believe in garage queens or babying cars. If you buy a car, drive the sumbeech like it was meant to be driven. If you want a piece of garage art, buy a painting.

 

[thecloud]

yea parking close to a tesla probably gives you beter odds....but how do you know a child wont open his door on his tesla into yours? i have pleaded with my 8 year old to please open the door carefully when they open the door, but 1/10 times they arent. kids!!!!

Yes, even a careless adult can do that. Heck, they might be in a Model X and auto-open their front doors. Parking next to a minivan with sliding doors is probably a safer bet, I did say this was wishful thinking...