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parking rant
mk85 - 4/1/15 at 03:48 PM

Urlyer this year we decided to buy a nice 2nd car. We settled on a porsche booster it was up for 5th and got it for 4200. Low miles FPSH recent service and new coil packs. The body wasn't the best but the interior was mint and as I spend the time inside the car that's what matters to me.

Any way I popped to tesco yesterday and parked away from other cars at the far end and had to make a quick call. As am sitting there a woman pulls along side and opens the door right into mine. I get out and politely and sympathetically said " please can you be careful. I parked here to avoid having people open there door into the car"

The reply I got was " your flash enough to drive it you got the money to fix it"

I wouldn't mind but her new fiesta was probably not far of twice the cost of the boxster

I hate society


SCAR - 4/1/15 at 04:05 PM

Yes, and so you casually smack her in the teeth and all of a sudden your in the wrong! Society is so unfair.


Smoking Frog - 4/1/15 at 04:17 PM

You did well to control your rage. It's not so much what happened, a simple sorry would smooth things over. It's how the other person reacts that gets me. I would struggle in that situation.


Tazzzzman1 - 4/1/15 at 04:45 PM

Yes it really bugs me as well.
A couple of years ago bought the missus a nice shiney MX5. She did the same as you went to ASDA and parked furthest away to avoid any dents. Came back to the N/S being swiped by a white car/ van. Front wing, door, rear wing. Car park cameras were switched off.

1 week later at the cinema parked my new black sorento. Came back to a scabby yellow Fiesta parked next to me and a nice dent with yellow paint on my door . I was just a little upset and may have lost my cool a little and I lent out my car and properly bent his wiper blades away from the screen. May have been wrong but boy did I feel better at the time


joneh - 4/1/15 at 06:32 PM

I'd have asked for her insurance details and claimed.


SteveWalker - 4/1/15 at 06:41 PM

I bought a two year old car, in pristine condition and one week later was parked at Manchester Piccadilly Station to pick up my parents. Came out and found the nearside, rear door caved in. No sign of the offending vehicle and British Transport Police informed me that the CCTV was not working.

Some years later, I went to a retail park on a Sunday, but got the time wrong and arrived 15 minutes before the shops opened. I parked away from anything and sat waiting in the car, only to have a car pull up right next to me and for the driver to get out, move around to the passenger side and while fiddling with something through the passenger door, bang it into my car three times - he got told in no uncertain terms what I thought of him!

Once while leaving work early to pick my eldest son up from nursery, I got to my car and found that someone had parked way over his space and into mine - against the driver's door. Due to problems with my knees and the shape of the centre console, I was unable to get in on the passenger side and climb through. I contacted security, only to find that the driver had not registered his car with the company as required, so no-one could contact him. As I was now very last minute for getting back before the nursery was due to close, I decided to squeeze in through the driver's door, fully aware that doing so would force the edge of my door hard against the middle of his door and likely dent it - at that point I considered my need to leave immediately and his total lack of consideration when parking justified any damage I might cause.

Incidentally, my parents live on a fairly quiet crescent and have had three cars damaged while parked - all three by illegal drivers! One retired neighbour who shouldn't have been driving due to medication and who drove on the wrong side of the road; another due to retire neighbour who was an unaccompanied learner and again drove down the wrong side of the road; finally a milk-float driver who passed the car and then pulled in too early - it turned out that it was his brother's round, his brother had gone on holiday and he was not authorised to drive the milk-float or insured for it!


r1_pete - 4/1/15 at 07:38 PM

That's one advantage I find to running my L200, people avoid parking along side it, I frequently park between cars at supermarkets etc, and have the bay either side empty when I come back.....

Maybe people think 'Raging Bull' refers to the driving style


chrisxr2 - 4/1/15 at 07:39 PM

Me too.

quote:
Originally posted by joneh
I'd have asked for her insurance details and claimed.


Irony - 4/1/15 at 07:58 PM

Thats why I drive a a piece of crap. I like it best when I see a badly parked car that is over the lines in car park. I pull right next to them and make sure my car is bang between the lines. If they have parked badly enough they cannot get into their own drivers seat. Couple of times I've come back to my car and the person is waiting with arms folded and toe tapping. It's then I point out I am parked correctly!!

Or buy a battered Defender, dents make them cooler!


bart - 4/1/15 at 08:14 PM

I had a booster to. lovely car , same thing it was a dent magnet and like you I always parked away from every one else , and just like you say it was worth far less than the majority of cars in the car park.


macc man - 4/1/15 at 08:26 PM

My wife works at a private hospital and most of the dents on our cars come from 4x4 drivers who fling the doors open with no thought as to the damage they cause. One reason I refuse to buy a new car. I remember a time when cars had rubber or plastic door protectors on. Obviously they are no longer a cool accessory on modern cars. They cost pence but save a fortune in damage.


mk85 - 4/1/15 at 08:41 PM

We have been looking at a range rover sport the td6 budget upto 15k but just put of by crap like this.

I've got a real poo car I park anywhere and don't lock the only thing is I won't let my miss's get into it. The hhouse we have planned to buy we rreally need a decent 4x4.


neilp1 - 4/1/15 at 08:42 PM

I've had this happen to me twice in the last few months.
In McDonalds car park in the Tiger and someone reversed into me when I was inside McDonalds. Person decided not to hang around. Police were unable to get anything off the CCTV so I have to foot the bill myself.
Tonight daughter has just got in from her part-time job at JD sports only to tell me that someone has hit her car. wing, door and sill damage and they too decided they wouldn't hang around either. This is another cost that I could do without!!!


prawnabie - 4/1/15 at 09:45 PM

I was parked in my locost on the dover ferry when the guy infront of me opened his boot door (People carrier) and side stepped out of the way to let the contents of his poorly packed boot land on the nose of my car. Needless to say after he paused to look at the damage to my car and failed to say anything (I was sat in the car watching) I got out and pleasantly asked him what he was going to do to about the damage.

I can't tell you what he said, neither can i tell you what he said when he got back to his car after the crossing to find 1 long continuous scratch around the circumference of his car. Before you ask it wasn't me, but I did travel with 3 other kit cars and 4 bikes!!!


myke pocock - 4/1/15 at 10:41 PM

prawnabie, I think my Dad, bless his cotton socks, would have classed that as poetic justice!!!! Ha ha!!! Dont exactly know what it means but sounded good to me.


Scuzzle - 4/1/15 at 11:28 PM

You showed a lot of restraint, did they actually mark your car?, if they had marked my car and given me that reply I would have stuck the boot into their rear qtr panel. I had a Civic I had only just bought a couple of days before and when I parked in an Ikea car park and came back to the car someone with a red car had thrown their door open on it and put a foot long crease in the door.
It's true that the real trouble free motoring is when you own an old banger, £400 used to get you a great old car that would run great and be solid and roadworthy but you never had to worry about stuff like this.


mk85 - 4/1/15 at 11:36 PM

Hardly a mark or a dent in it tbh. If there was visible damage different story. I've had it loads over the years tbh. I had someone park right along side me in my daily shitter they had practically parked on the white line. And all i did was open the door aagainst there's with no force and sqezzed in but i had no choice.


motorcycle_mayhem - 5/1/15 at 11:26 AM

You can't take any action, it really is that simple. Any 'revenge' on the transgressor will result in the full weight of the law upon yourself. My direct experience on an insurance claim for 3rd party damage, is that you'll get a visit from the transgressor (and their associates) resulting in further damage to yourself or property. You'll also find out that they're not insured anyway.
A tyre slashing neighbour will have the 'right' to take such action against you and your vehicle, if his amenity is disturbed by your hobby. You have to put up with tremendous provocation in this wonderful society. The retired and those supported entirely by the State have been the worst things that I've had to endure.


Charlie_Zetec - 5/1/15 at 12:35 PM

For those that have commented on parking close to the white line of parking bays, I am an offender for this! But before you all criticise me, let me explain....

I used to drive a P38 Range Rover, and ironically borrowed one for the last month or so - definitely not the smallest of vehicles on the road. Parking spaces were often so tight that I used to park so that my passenger door was next to the passenger door of the person I was parking next to. I worked on the basis that if I could get out of the drivers side without any problems, then all was good. Passengers in the front of either vehicle could be let out before parking or picked up once out of the bay. I can't see the problem with that really!

However, I parked outside the local café recently, and took a phone call before exiting the vehicle. The guy next to me approached his new-ish Ford and pressed the unlock button on the fob - que electric mirrors folding out, just as he tried to walk between vehicles. Needless to say, he wasn't best impressed as having to fold his own mirror back in, and proceeded to forcefully (and purposefully, I might add) open his rear door onto the car, causing a dent and paint removal. I finished call and wound down the window, asking him why he'd done that, to which he replied " I needed to open the door and you were in the way". As he started his engine, I got out and took a picture of him in the car, including number plate. He swore at me saying I wasn't allowed to take his picture, but when I told him I would be forwarding it to my insurance company and the police as evidence for criminal damage and leaving the scene of an accident, he just swore at me more and sped off.

I won't actually be going to the old bill, but wanted to prove a point. Like someone has said, no respect any more for other peoples property, or their own! If it'd been my car, I'd have taken a very different angle on the whole thing....


jossey - 5/1/15 at 12:56 PM

Take her insurance details if she doesn't give you it contact the police.

Its still damage and criminal if she did it on purpose


BenB - 5/1/15 at 12:58 PM

Cars are quite wide for some parking spaces. Even worse if you've got to get a child out of a car seat because it means opening the door wide. Our local supermarket has parents+child spaces but it appears if you're bone idle and lazy but not quite fat enough to park in the disabled bays you can park there. Grrrrr.... Drives my bonkers. I'm sat in the car with a screaming kid waiting for a parent+child bay because they're all taken by people without children.......


Daddylonglegs - 5/1/15 at 02:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
I bought a two year old car, in pristine condition and one week later was parked at Manchester Piccadilly Station to pick up my parents. Came out and found the nearside, rear door caved in. No sign of the offending vehicle and British Transport Police informed me that the CCTV was not working.

Some years later, I went to a retail park on a Sunday, but got the time wrong and arrived 15 minutes before the shops opened. I parked away from anything and sat waiting in the car, only to have a car pull up right next to me and for the driver to get out, move around to the passenger side and while fiddling with something through the passenger door, bang it into my car three times - he got told in no uncertain terms what I thought of him!

Once while leaving work early to pick my eldest son up from nursery, I got to my car and found that someone had parked way over his space and into mine - against the driver's door. Due to problems with my knees and the shape of the centre console, I was unable to get in on the passenger side and climb through. I contacted security, only to find that the driver had not registered his car with the company as required, so no-one could contact him. As I was now very last minute for getting back before the nursery was due to close, I decided to squeeze in through the driver's door, fully aware that doing so would force the edge of my door hard against the middle of his door and likely dent it - at that point I considered my need to leave immediately and his total lack of consideration when parking justified any damage I might cause.

Incidentally, my parents live on a fairly quiet crescent and have had three cars damaged while parked - all three by illegal drivers! One retired neighbour who shouldn't have been driving due to medication and who drove on the wrong side of the road; another due to retire neighbour who was an unaccompanied learner and again drove down the wrong side of the road; finally a milk-float driver who passed the car and then pulled in too early - it turned out that it was his brother's round, his brother had gone on holiday and he was not authorised to drive the milk-float or insured for it!


Remind me never to lend you my car!!


SteveWalker - 5/1/15 at 02:35 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
I bought a two year old car, in pristine condition and one week later was parked at Manchester Piccadilly Station to pick up my parents. Came out and found the nearside, rear door caved in. No sign of the offending vehicle and British Transport Police informed me that the CCTV was not working.

Some years later, I went to a retail park on a Sunday, but got the time wrong and arrived 15 minutes before the shops opened. I parked away from anything and sat waiting in the car, only to have a car pull up right next to me and for the driver to get out, move around to the passenger side and while fiddling with something through the passenger door, bang it into my car three times - he got told in no uncertain terms what I thought of him!

Once while leaving work early to pick my eldest son up from nursery, I got to my car and found that someone had parked way over his space and into mine - against the driver's door. Due to problems with my knees and the shape of the centre console, I was unable to get in on the passenger side and climb through. I contacted security, only to find that the driver had not registered his car with the company as required, so no-one could contact him. As I was now very last minute for getting back before the nursery was due to close, I decided to squeeze in through the driver's door, fully aware that doing so would force the edge of my door hard against the middle of his door and likely dent it - at that point I considered my need to leave immediately and his total lack of consideration when parking justified any damage I might cause.

Incidentally, my parents live on a fairly quiet crescent and have had three cars damaged while parked - all three by illegal drivers! One retired neighbour who shouldn't have been driving due to medication and who drove on the wrong side of the road; another due to retire neighbour who was an unaccompanied learner and again drove down the wrong side of the road; finally a milk-float driver who passed the car and then pulled in too early - it turned out that it was his brother's round, his brother had gone on holiday and he was not authorised to drive the milk-float or insured for it!


Remind me never to lend you my car!!


Oh there's far more!

I've been run into the back of while stationary at a zebra, at a roundabout and at a 90° junction onto a dual carriageway - the first driver didn't see me, the second and third thought I was about to move off, but both times I could see a vehicle changing lanes that they couldn't.

My wife's previous car was hit three times while stationary (offside front wing each time) - the first parked overnight outside her sister's house, the second while she was sat in it with our two month old son, waiting for pickup time for his older brother from nursery and the third when she stopped to let an oncoming bus through, only for him to swing onto her side of the road and hit her! The bus driver then claimed that she'd been on his side and moving - at the time we didn't think to demand copies of his onboard video

The good news is that other than the bus one (which went 50:50 because of the driver's lies), none of us has ever had a single at fault claim!

[Edited on 5/1/15 by SteveWalker]


Ugg10 - 5/1/15 at 04:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by macc man
I remember a time when cars had rubber or plastic door protectors on. Obviously they are no longer a cool accessory on modern cars. They cost pence but save a fortune in damage.


Have you seen the new Citroen Cactus !


morcus - 6/1/15 at 08:40 PM

This is why I miss my Vectra with it's towing hook.

Like some others I also struggle to get into the car at times but I'm not quite disabled enough to have a badge and as a result aim to park on the end of a row if possible so I'll have the extra space. What really pisses me off is when having done this and parked right up against a bush or wall on the passenger side, someone has parked over the line so they're still too close. second to this is people who park in an end space but don't park up to the far edge.

unfortunately being in a car makes many people feel untouchable and turns them into dickheads. Its not just parking.


motorcycle_mayhem - 6/1/15 at 09:37 PM

I remember the Top Gear idiots designing a car for the aged, had a mattress tied around it....


Slimy38 - 6/1/15 at 09:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by BenB
Cars are quite wide for some parking spaces.


I'm not convinced it's just the cars, I am sure parking spaces are shrinking. Our local Sainsbury's recently expanded their car park, but the new spaces seem at least a foot or so narrower than the old ones. I can only assume it's to get one extra space on the end of the row.


scudderfish - 7/1/15 at 06:55 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
Cars are quite wide for some parking spaces.


I'm not convinced it's just the cars, I am sure parking spaces are shrinking. Our local Sainsbury's recently expanded their car park, but the new spaces seem at least a foot or so narrower than the old ones. I can only assume it's to get one extra space on the end of the row.


How about these that appeared at Harpenden train station :-


spaximus - 7/1/15 at 07:12 PM

Many years ago I had a new Capri MK1 which I was sat in when young woman and her mate parked next door to me. She threw open her door on to mine which took a chunk out of the hocky stick down the side.
I got out and told her of my displeasure which was met with abuse and a refusal to hand over any details at all.

I would have loved to have seen her face when she returned to every single panel except the roof kneed in.