# Dang Door Dings!



## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Do door dings make you as mad as it does me! I always take care "NOT" to damage someone else's car when I'm opening my door, it really ticks me off when someone does it to me. I've had my current Cruze for about 1.5 years, for the first year I done great, not a mark, but in the past 6 months I've gotten 3 of them, two left small dents and one took the paint off! 
:disgust (1):​


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## Jukebox Juliet (Apr 4, 2014)

That is soooo frustrating, and I'm with you 100%

I basically baby my Cruze, and it doesn't help that it's the black granite paint (if anyone else has that paint on here -- is it just me or does that stuff seem like it's scratches extremely easily?)

Anyways, I purposely will try to park as far away from other cars as possible, or sometimes double park in the very back of the lot (yeah, I'm that person, or if it's somewhere with a full lot I will park with one "free" side... so in the end space or w/e. 

You'd think it would be preventative, but not always. My passenger side had a nasty job done on it :/ Dented the door and there was a huge white line down the side of the door that was 4" wide in some places. It just makes me wonder what the #$%! is wrong with people and if someone hit it that hard why wouldn't they look and see the damage they did and try to do the right thing?


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

I practically gave up. I baby all the cars I've owned, and always on the first week of owning it, i will find a scratch. My Cruze was black granite metallic....And boy oh boy... Every time i washed the car, I'd catch myself putting touch up paint.

I live in an apartment complex btw that will make any car freak, lose sleep. I've learned to live with it, and if i can park on a corner i will, if not oh well... The more i avoid it, the more i get it.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

I always look for new or well kept cars to park near, I figure they don't want dents either, so far so good.


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## Jukebox Juliet (Apr 4, 2014)

Aussie said:


> I always look for new or well kept cars to park near, I figure they don't want dents either, so far so good.


Haha, that's a good plan! Most of the time when I've parked far out in the lot and I come out of the store there will be some beautifully detailed Mercedes/BMW/Corvette etc. parked beside me (if the lot is full) or in an empty lot they'll be in the space directly across from me, or one space over (leaving a space between us). I honestly take that as a huge compliment for my Cruze.


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## Daryl (Nov 10, 2013)

Just had a door ding on my Cruze fixed over a week ago now. Car isn't even 6 months old! I turned it into insurance. A quarter size ding cost over $1200 to fix!

Sent from my Droid Ultra


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Jukebox Juliet said:


> Anyways, I purposely will try to park as far away from other cars as possible, or sometimes double park in the very back of the lot (yeah, I'm that person, or if it's somewhere with a full lot I will park with one "free" side... so in the end space or w/e.


I do the same thing.... My wife and daughter hate it! I tell them I'd rather walk a few extra steps than have my car torn up.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

I was over protective till things happened. 1st it was a chip over the 3m strip at the back doors, then dent in the hood from an acorn or something after that fingernail scratches in the door handle groove. One fall day a wild snow storm appeared and took down a few trees in the area. One of those trees got me from headlight to tail light when I drove by it. Since then it's not much an issue to me but I do wax often to not show the scratches as much.


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## Daryl (Nov 10, 2013)

Ouch

Sent from my Droid Ultra


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Its been repaired and actually I delayed that fender being repainted so I can show up to the Meet with my car and not a rental.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

I always try to find a end spot when I park so I can park on the slotted lines as well lol. It amazes me how many people cannot park..it is crazy! LOL


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## Jukebox Juliet (Apr 4, 2014)

trevor_geiger said:


> I always try to find a end spot when I park so I can park on the slotted lines as well lol. It amazes me how many people cannot park..it is crazy! LOL


As a woman, I'll just come out and say I don't trust other female/mom drivers at all, some are like me I'm sure, but most of them seem to be careless and their heads are someplace else. 

Also, the majority of elderly drivers.




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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

id rather send the wife in......im staying in the car!!! lolol, kidding.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

This happened about a week ago. I was in the walmart parking lot and noticed a nice new impala and next to it was parked a beater, the woman got out of the beater and flung her door open hard..hitting the car, pulls her door back in some realizing what she done wrong, then flings it open again! And the worse part is she was a heavier set woman so when she got out of her car the door was just rubbing the poor helpless impala. I thought to myself never mind..I don't need anything from here today and left. I was shocked.


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## karna68 (May 3, 2014)

Jukebox Juliet said:


> As a woman, I'll just come out and say I don't trust other female/mom drivers at all, some are like me I'm sure, but most of them seem to be careless and their heads are someplace else.
> 
> Also, the majority of elderly drivers.
> 
> ...


I'm a woman too and I totally agree with you! A lot of women drivers can be real idiots, gives us a bad name, lol!


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

trevor_geiger said:


> This happened about a week ago. I was in the walmart parking lot and noticed a nice new impala and next to it was parked a beater, the woman got out of the beater and flung her door open hard..hitting the car, pulls her door back in some realizing what she done wrong, then flings it open again! And the worse part is she was a heavier set woman so when she got out of her car the door was just rubbing the poor helpless impala. I thought to myself never mind..I don't need anything from here today and left. I was shocked.


Should have wrote down her license plate number and left a note on the Impala.



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## Jukebox Juliet (Apr 4, 2014)

trevor_geiger said:


> This happened about a week ago. I was in the walmart parking lot and noticed a nice new impala and next to it was parked a beater, the woman got out of the beater and flung her door open hard..hitting the car, pulls her door back in some realizing what she done wrong, then flings it open again! And the worse part is she was a heavier set woman so when she got out of her car the door was just rubbing the poor helpless impala. I thought to myself never mind..I don't need anything from here today and left. I was shocked.


That doesn't surprise me at all! It isn't always beaters though! My daughter goes to private school and many of the parents drive Range/Land Rovers and other big, expensive SUVs. In my previous car (a beater compared to all of theirs) I had 2-3 people slam their doors into me WHILE I WAS IN MY CAR. Another time someone parked their SUV over the line and into my parking space so there was only about 12" distance between their vehicle and mine. Now that I have the Cruze I park across the street. I learned very quickly that there's a big difference between people who are very particular about caring for their cars, and people who own new/expensive cars.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

I used to go by the "Park on the drivers side of an expensive car" rule but people seem no not care that their Benz or BMW 2 door is gonna hit something if you kick it open recklessly with their foot. I try to park halfway from door and far away when I can. When I parked far as possible away this happened 










Once cleaned up



















After a while and finding out how much it would cost I just used the touch up paint to cover that area up. If I don't tell you to look you will miss it. Don't think anyone seen it at the Meet on Friday.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

My bodyshop owner friend and I have 'Door ding/parking lot damage discussions from time to time.
In addition to being a shop owner, he's also a devout car nut like myself.

His conclusion: More than 60% of the cars out there are leased.....people that lease cars assume all cars are leased.
For the most part, folks who lease cars look at them as nothing more than a appliance of life that will be returned for another in 24 or 36 months.
Since they look at cars from this perspective, and look at yours the same way, they don't much G.A.S. since they already know they will likely pay a 'Wear and Tear fee' and consider it part of the program.....that means they figure you will also pay a 'Wear and Tear fee' and consider it part of the program as well.
So, BFD....I wacked your door.....you can wack mine too.

Unfortunatly for us enthusiastic clean/shiney/straight sheet metal freaks, the nitwits think we don't give a .....
So, we get wacked.....pissed....lose faith in our fellow man (kind) yada yada.

So, every time I park in an area where I think exposure to this mentality prevails.....which is most places, I will park out in know where land.....sometimes I find another nutcases car not too far from me upon return....I knowing there is more than one nut out there, thankfully.
Stealing two spaces is acceptable but don't forget that if you are too obvious, a near'r do well may show up with a key to let you know you were noticed......that person will leave a ten foot long greating card......jerk.

If windy, try to park facing into the wind. This way, the wind tends to keep anyone elses door from opening too far (as well as your own) and can prevent a hellacious wind driven ding.....often so deep it is considered a full fledged dent.

But, if windy, facing into the wind can help as long as you are not out in the open......ever seen a wind driven shopping cart nail a car? I swear those nasty things can see......One car out in the middle of knowhere and the cart heads straight for it.

If I can't find a spot that gives me some degree of comfort I give up for another time or day....I can't think of anything so important that it will make forget about the resultant damage that occured while picking that something up.

I try to shop while the rest of the world is having dinner.....or breakfast....try to time it when exposure is somewhat reduced.
Rush hour is a good time to shop....few want to go into a store....they just want to get home.

I'm not adverse to parking in a lot that is unused....a lot attached to a closed facility....the walk will do me good anyways and I can make effective purchasses better without fretting over who is bashing the car in now.

Knock on wood.....two years in with the Cruze and I dare say so far, so good......hope I didn't jinx myself too badly...I'll let ya'all know.

Anyways, think before you park....weather conditions, lot configuration.....stay uphill, upwind, be willing to just say the funk with it and come back.....you'll thank yourself while washing/waxing a mar free car.

Be careful out there,
Rob


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## LizzieCruze (Feb 17, 2014)

Good idea (parking near other well-kept cars). I also park as far away from other cars as possible. Not only is it good for the car, I get more exercise as well.


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## REDemption (Apr 17, 2014)

If its not the car door hitting my car than its the dreaded shopping cart. In another car I own I have had wind blow a shopping cart into my driver door causing a big dent!!! I have also seen people push their **** shopping cart in between cars bouncing like a pinball without a care in the world. How about the people who leave their cart NEXT to the cart corral but not in it. Or the people who just leave it outside their car and then leave. Or the people who..........sorry, just venting, these people just don't care about other people.


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## Jukebox Juliet (Apr 4, 2014)

VictoryRedCruzeLTZRS said:


> If its not the car door hitting my car than its the dreaded shopping cart. In another car I own I have had wind blow a shopping cart into my driver door causing a big dent!!! I have also seen people push their **** shopping cart in between cars bouncing like a pinball without a care in the world. How about the people who leave their cart NEXT to the cart corral but not in it. Or the people who just leave it outside their car and then leave. Or the people who..........sorry, just venting, these people just don't care about other people.


People who are too lazy and careless to push their carts back to the cart coral is one of my biggest pet peeves. I've actually seen stray carts running through the lot and chased after them to stop them from hitting someone's car, and if I see one sitting in a lot I will go return it. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes of my time to do. Again, the handful of times I have witnessed someone ditching a cart it's always a woman driving a minivan. Just sayin!


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## 99_XC600 (Feb 24, 2013)

I use these three rules when parking.

1. No Mini Vans or SUV's, Usually filled with kids who are jacked up on sugar and McNuggets 
2. No 2 Doors (Mustangs Camaro's). The doors are longer than most cars and will almost always run into some part of you car.
3. No Crown Vic, Grand Marquise, Town Cars, Older Cadillac's, Carprice's. These things are so long it've very rare that the driver get's it into the space in the first shot


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## REDemption (Apr 17, 2014)

99_XC600 said:


> I use these three rules when parking.
> 
> 1. No Mini Vans or SUV's, Usually filled with kids who are jacked up on sugar and McNuggets
> 2. No 2 Doors (Mustangs Camaro's). The doors are longer than most cars and will almost always run into some part of you car.
> 3. No Crown Vic, Grand Marquise, Town Cars, Older Cadillac's, Carprice's. These things are so long it've very rare that the driver get's it into the space in the first shot


Very good rules! I have my kids open their car doors very slowly wherever we are parked. I tell them that they don't want to ruin somebody elses car, let alone our own. So they are very mindful of their surroundings. However, not all parents care what their kids do, I have seen that plenty of times.


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## Ger8mm (Mar 13, 2014)

Door assassins, they get you every time man. I stick to curbs and the middle of no where but this opinion means absolutely nothing because a guy still ran into my rear bumper and drove off without a note.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

LizzieCruze said:


> Good idea (parking near other well-kept cars). I also park as far away from other cars as possible. Not only is it good for the car, I get more exercise as well.


When you see a BMW or Benz with 2 different color wheels(Front wheels are covered in layers upon layers of brake dust and backs are bright silver) stay away from them. They fall into that category of leasing described a page back. When you start seeing these cars at a great price after 3-4 years of ownership, beware of leased mentality.I literally seen a 7 series owner ding a charger and was like meh. If you had to guess he was in the front parking spots near the door. 



99_XC600 said:


> I use these three rules when parking.
> 
> 1. No Mini Vans or SUV's, Usually filled with kids who are jacked up on sugar and McNuggets
> 2. No 2 Doors (Mustangs Camaro's). The doors are longer than most cars and will almost always run into some part of you car.
> 3. No Crown Vic, Grand Marquise, Town Cars, Older Cadillac's, Carprice's. These things are so long it've very rare that the driver get's it into the space in the first shot


Hey! Marauder owners are exempt from this as they understand the value of a car that has only 19,000 units sold. I always backed up into parking spots with it because it's hard backing out with all that trunk. You have to clear soo much real estate to see cars coming in from the side with that 210 inch long torque boat. I miss staring down 2 miles of hood, even the f-150 hood doesn't look that long from the cab. How Viper owners do it, it amazes me.


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## 99_XC600 (Feb 24, 2013)

Merc6 said:


> Hey! Marauder owners are exempt from this as they understand the value of a car that has only 19,000 units sold. I always backed up into parking spots with it because it's hard backing out with all that trunk. You have to clear soo much real estate to see cars coming in from the side with that 210 inch long torque boat. I miss staring down 2 miles of hood, even the f-150 hood doesn't look that long from the cab. How Viper owners do it, it amazes me.



You have some Panther love..


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> Hey! Marauder owners are exempt from this as they understand the value of a car that has only 19,000 units sold. I always backed up into parking spots with it because it's hard backing out with all that trunk. You have to clear soo much real estate to see cars coming in from the side with that 210 inch long torque boat. I miss staring down 2 miles of hood, even the f-150 hood doesn't look that long from the cab. How Viper owners do it, it amazes me.


I even reverse the Cruze into parking spots as it makes getting out so much easier. Now my wife looks for a spot where you can drive through so she doesn't have to back out.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

> I basically baby my Cruze, and it doesn't help that it's the black granite paint (if anyone else has that paint on here -- is it just me or does that stuff seem like it's scratches extremely easily?)


 Agreed - about a year ago I had to jump start my GTO with my BGM ECO. Pulling up to the side of my GTO, very lightly brush by some evergreen trees and scratched the paint up on the passenger side.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

blk88verde said:


> Agreed - about a year ago I had to jump start my GTO with my BGM ECO. Pulling up to the side of my GTO, very lightly brush by some evergreen trees and scratched the paint up on the passenger side.


With BGM the wind will leave scratches...


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

All finishes are clearcoated......same product regardless of basecoat.

So, the marks that are visable on a black basecoat are almost invisable on any lighter color.
Darker the color, easier to see clearcoat scratches or marks.

Paint correction is a hobby of mine....that and having several cars that live the car show life.
One of them is a black 96 Impala SS.....lots of area to keep flawless......tough too, but not impossible.

Various colors have different amounts of basecoat applied, and different amounts of clearcoat.
The lighter the color, with white being lightest, the more basecoat applied, and less clearcoat required.
The inverse, black, has the least amount of basecoat but may have almost three times the mil thickness of clear as the white car required.

Thats why it easier to correct a black finish.....lotsa material to work with (remember, I am only correcting the clearcoat, never touching the basecoat)

Of course, as noted, with the black under the clear, any micro scratching sticks out like a sore thumb.

All this to say, they all mar the same.....dark colors show it better and require more effort to keep good looking.

Rob


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## cornbreesha (Apr 29, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> With BGM the wind will leave scratches...


 same goes for blue topaz metallic... ughhh


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