Parking lot Wars

[hondacare]

Since I have became a Auto Geek, I am more aware of where I park my car. Often avoiding those shopping cart corral stations. I also avoid parking next to badly maintained vehicles. Because if they don't care about theirs....then yours is the door dings. So I park in the "exercise zone" . A good walk never hurt nobody and its good for you. I think clean maintained car should have their own parking lot. So ..."Where do you park?"

[killrwheels@autogeek]

I remove all baskets from around where I am parking ... I try to do at least a two spots left and right and front check before walking into any store. Less chance of a ding from a cart boy or someone flying into a spot before seeing it.

[excalibur]

Originally Posted by hondacare

Since I have became a Auto Geek, I am more aware of where I park my car. Often avoiding those shopping cart corral stations. I also avoid parking next to badly maintained vehicles. Because if they don't care about theirs....then yours is the door dings. So I park in the "exercise zone" . A good walk never hurt nobody and its good for you. I think clean maintained car should have their own parking lot. So ..."Where do you park?"

In the most remote part of the parking lot there is usually, drop the wife off at the front door then go park, although half the time, invariably although there are 582 other parking spots, somebody will park next to me. I also try and take up two parking spots, and hope that doesnt tick someone off.

[timaishu]

I park as far back as I can. Or I will look for a spot at the end of an aisle where my car is on the right side of the second to last car. That way I can give myself more room parking a little bit over the line, and there is a less of a chance for dings because they might not have a passenger.

[mleun481]

I live in nyc and most of the time, its street parallel parking. For that, I use a rubber bumper protector for the rear. Its only for parking and don't drive with it, although many do. For the front, I have a thick front bumper protector. If I park in a lot, i use magnetic door protectors. I also try to park higher if the lot isn't flat for those runaway shopping carts. Oh, plus I park far away where most people won't want to walk that far.

[DaHen]

I try to find where other cars that are well detailed and taken care of park. Most of the time they pick out the highest point (uphill) in the parking lot. I join them but keep my distant by also parking one or two spaces from them.

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally Posted by killrwheels@autogeek

I remove all baskets from around where I am parking ... I try to do at least a two spots left and right and front check before walking into any store. Less chance of a ding from a cart boy or someone flying into a spot before seeing it.

I learned a hard lesson about this at Home Depot. I parked and there was a cart what I thought was a safe distance away in front of my car (parking lot is dead flat). While I was in the store a squall come up with half a tornado and when I went back outside, the cart was against my wheel arch in the back of the car and had put a nice ding right in the lip

Originally Posted by timaishu

I park as far back as I can. Or I will look for a spot at the end of an aisle where my car is on the right side of the second to last car. That way I can give myself more room parking a little bit over the line, and there is a less of a chance for dings because they might not have a passenger.

Yes, usually as far away as possible, next to an island or end of an aisle, a little over the line ("oh, I'm sorry officer, I didn't realize I was out of the space!"), so it's only possible to have another car on one side.

[T0RCH3D]

Originally Posted by timaishu

I park as far back as I can. Or I will look for a spot at the end of an aisle where my car is on the right side of the second to last car. That way I can give myself more room parking a little bit over the line, and there is a less of a chance for dings because they might not have a passenger.

This! It is the most effective way to avoid and knicks or car dings. Either park as far away as possible or to the passenger side of a car at the end of the parking aisle. Make sure if possible that you can only have a car park next you on one side, thus decreasing your chances of dings 50% right off the bat. There is no bulletproof method to avoiding this but it doesn't hurt to try. You park far away, where only one car can possibly hit you, you take too long in the store and another car pulls up and parks next to your car. Two kids are racing out of the car and their passenger side door opens and slams into your door.

[beantown]

It's pretty funny when people I am with look at me and say, "you sure you parked far enough away?" I'll take the comments any day over potential damage to my car.

When parking in large lots, such as Home Depot, Target, etc. I usually use these rules of thumb:

-If available, park far away from any other cars.
-Park next to a light post if possible (used as a "quasi buffer" on one side")
-If the ground is not flat, park at a high point; to avoid any rampant carts
-Avoid parking near Minivans or Large SUVs
-Outer perimeter spaces are your friend

In other locations, if parallel parking is the only option, park only at end spots.

[FanaticFan]

Only problem with parking near light posts? Bird bombers.