Question:
>http://www.parkngard.com >The ParkNGard is a portable,removable door guard that protects cars >from parking lot door dings! Only $19.95 >Visit our web site for more info.
The web site says absolutely nothing about how ParkNGard works or even what it looks like. A scam perhaps? Joe
Response:
Park N Gard protects cars from parking lot door dings for only $19.95/pair. visit the site at www.parkngard.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > There is a company called Dentbusters that can work out most body dents = > where the paint is not damaged. Even if the paint is damaged, work out = > the dent and touch it up. I’ve seen these guys do work fixing damaged = > cars at auto show displays ant they do great work. > http://www.dentbusters.com/ > In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan > Before you buy. > Content-Type: text/html; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> > <HTML><HEAD> > <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = > charset=3Diso-8859-1"> > <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4207.2601" name=3DGENERATOR> > <STYLE></STYLE> > </HEAD> > <BODY bgColor=3D#e1e0d2> > <DIV><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua">There is a company called Dentbusters = > that can=20 > work out most body dents where the paint is not damaged. Even if = > the paint=20 > is damaged, work out the dent and touch it up. I’ve seen these = > guys do=20 > work fixing damaged cars at auto show displays ant they do great=20 > work.</FONT></DIV> > <DIV><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"><A=20
href=3D"http://www.dentbusters.com/">http://www.dentbusters.com/</A></FO N= > T></DIV> > <BLOCKQUOTE=20 > style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = > BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> > <DIV>"terra_nova" <<A=20 deja.com</A>> = > wrote in=20 > message <A=20 > =
o= – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> m</A>…</DIV>In=20 > the past five days I’ve had two new dings<BR>on my new car (that I’m = > keeping=20 > nice and spotless).<BR>Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store = > and<BR>there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s = > nightmare:<BR>a=20 > shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new<BR>boy! = > There the=20 > cart was, resting against the driver<BR>side door (and I’d tried to = > park the=20 > car in an out of<BR>the way spot..I think some jackass did it on=20 > purpose,<BR>just because it was new and spotless). Number = > two<BR>came=20 > yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV<BR>pissant (it’s too high = > for a=20 > car) in the parking lot<BR>of a public park. Is there some way = > to "suck=20 > out" a ding?<BR>I picture a suction cup type thing that might = > work. =20 > But<BR>OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform = > the<BR>metal and=20 > cause it to bulge out and not look any better<BR>after sucking out the = > ding….Any suggestions?<BR><BR>One more thing I’d like some opinions=20 > on. Let’s say you<BR>see someone devious deliberately dinging = > your car=20 > with<BR>their car door, or anything else. How would a=20 > "reasonable"<BR>person handle this? Confront the person, ask if = > they=20 > intend<BR>to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole=20 > thing<BR>slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even = > if<BR>it’s=20 > an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they<BR>intend = > to pay,=20 > and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing<BR>it’s not worth = > risking the=20 > thing escalating out of proportion?<BR>I’d appreciate some good = > feedback guys.=20 you=20 > buy.</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
– http://www.parkngard.com The ParkNGard is a portable,removable door guard that protects cars from parking lot door dings! Only $19.95 Visit our web site for more info. Before you buy.
Response:
There is a company called Dentbusters that can work out most body dents where the paint is not damaged. Even if the paint is damaged, work out the dent and touch it up. I’ve seen these guys do work fixing damaged cars at auto show displays ant they do great work. http://www.dentbusters.com/ In the past five days I’ve had two new dings on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, just because it was new and spotless). Number two came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. — Alan Before you buy.
Response:
> Let’s say you see someone devious deliberately dinging > your car with their car door, or anything else. How > would a "reasonable" person handle this?
I guess the key word here is "reasonable." Years ago my old boss, proud owner of a new Pontiac "Special Touring Edition" (whatever Pontiac thinks that’s supposed to mean…) sat in his car and watched as another car zoomed into the spot next to his and the driver threw open the door and dented the brand new Pontiac. John calmly got out of his car, opened his trunk, took out a ball peen hammer, walked over to the guys door, looked right into the guy’s eyes, and — Bang! — put in a dent at least double the size of the dent the fellow had just put in his car. He then calmly put the hammer back in his trunk and went about his business as the original denter stood there dumbfounded. The bible says… –scott — Before you buy.
Response:
The BEST way to deal with dings. Save your money and buy a used car. I guess people don’t really know about the concept of Entropy…which says that all things go to shit. No use having a new car….it’ll eventually get scratched or dented, and if you really care and keep fixing it….you’re just playing along with the AUTO GAME…which is the game automakers play with the general public in order to get their hard-earned money from them….by convincing them that they NEED TO HAVE a shiney new car. Wake up, people….especially you morons that buy a new car every year.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Anyhow, the officer that went to check out the other car called me >back and said that the other car ‘Didn’t have any obvious damage from >the incident’ (no wonder, it was a piece of shit ‘92 Beretta with dents >on all > sides and peeling, faded red paint), It was not as if I had not >*TRIED* to > avoid damage, I had a quality two-side-covered parking spot and I was >as close to the curb as possible, and nobody was parked next to this >spot — it > seemed good for a nice car. He said that since it didn’t occur when the car > was moving, there was nothing they could do, and since it was in a parking > lot, they couldn’t do anything anyhow (bull, the stupid cop didn’t want to > do the paperwork). Later, I went to get the police report, so that I could > take her to court over the damage. The clerk said that the report was … > and that due to that, they could only give me a copy with EVERYTHING blacked > out, except for my personal info. It was pointless, I couldn’t even file a > small claims case over it without information.
This whole thing sounds very strange to me. I’m not much up on the subject of law, but I’d have looked into this further. Is it possible the person who did it was somehow "connected" with police or city officials? And if the police couldn’t do anything because the car wasn’t moving, and because you were in a parking lot, then why didn’t he initially tell you this? There are sites where (unfortunately, not Georgia where I live) you yourself can, for a fee of course, get info on a person with just a plate number. Here’s one: http://www.dmvdirect.com/searches/Vehicle_Ref_Table.htm > If you see it occur, see if they are reasonable, if they are, get >the info, if not, damage their car — they can’t do anything about it,
Well, they could pull a piece and kill you with it… — Alan Before you buy.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Doesn’t work — I have a *** THREE FOOT LONG GASH *** on my right-hand > door, I receieved it three days after buying the car. > It occured with no less than two witnesses, one of which was *** PINNED > *** in the car by the other cars’ door. The offending car driver *SLAMMED* > their car door against mine with all their weight, since a door on a spots > car just bumping the car wouldn’t be able to shake a 2.5 ton car enough for > a passenger to feel it. The driver did a real job of it too, they had to > drive the car forward to get their door shut when they left. They left an > addissional scratch through to the metal in the process. My passenger > jumped out of the car, and beat on the hood of the other car, they didn’t > stop and almost ran her over. At least she left a few dents on the hood. > We got a licence plate number, description of the car, and description > of the driver and their passenger. I immediately called the police, gave > them the info, and they went to check it out. The police even sent a > photographer to the scene to get pictures of the damage (including the red > paint from the other car that they left on my car), the photographer was > appauled at the site on my otherwise-flawless car, speaking of when they got > a new car and it happened to them too. > Anyhow, the officer that went to check out the other car called me back > and said that the other car ‘Didn’t have any obvious damage from the > incident’ (no wonder, it was a piece of shit ‘92 Beretta with dents on all > sides and peeling, faded red paint), It was not as if I had not *TRIED* to > avoid damage, I had a quality two-side-covered parking spot and I was as > close to the curb as possible, and nobody was parked next to this spot — it > seemed good for a nice car. He said that since it didn’t occur when the car > was moving, there was nothing they could do, and since it was in a parking > lot, they couldn’t do anything anyhow (bull, the stupid cop didn’t want to > do the paperwork). Later, I went to get the police report, so that I could > take her to court over the damage. The clerk said that the report was … > and that due to that, they could only give me a copy with EVERYTHING blacked > out, except for my personal info. It was pointless, I couldn’t even file a > small claims case over it without information. > If you see it occur, see if they are reasonable, if they are, get the > info, if not, damage their car — they can’t do anything about it, and > neither will the police.
That is *BULL F*CKING CRAP*!!!!! When did the laws change that police can only take action against someone who is in a moving vehicle? And so what if it is in a parking lot? You think that same police officer will hesitate to give you a ticket if you proceeded to drive 50mph in the parking lot and doing donuts? And they wonder why our respect for police officers is diminishing. The police is there to enforce the law. And willful damage to private property *IS* a crime punishable by a jail term. Isn’t it vandalism? The least he can do is be a witnes1s to the evidence that was collected in the aftermath of the crime for use in a civil case. The police’s motto is "to serve and to protect", not "to serve and to protect outside of a parking lot against people in moving vehicles". > — > Edge
– Lee Cao – www.leecao.com BlueText Development www.bluetextdev.com
Response:
I’d think your insurance co. would be very interested to have the plate number and witness report and would be able to do something about this. The cop was just lazy – you probably interrupted him while he was busy sitting in the weeds waiting to dole out speeding tickets. I’d think this is classifiable as hit & run or malicious damage. Which state are you in so I can cross it off my list of places to visit? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Doesn’t work — I have a *** THREE FOOT LONG GASH *** on my right-hand >door, I receieved it three days after buying the car. > It occured with no less than two witnesses, one of which was *** PINNED >*** in the car by the other cars’ door. The offending car driver *SLAMMED* >their car door against mine with all their weight, since a door on a spots >car just bumping the car wouldn’t be able to shake a 2.5 ton car enough for >a passenger to feel it. The driver did a real job of it too, they had to >drive the car forward to get their door shut when they left. They left an >addissional scratch through to the metal in the process. My passenger >jumped out of the car, and beat on the hood of the other car, they didn’t >stop and almost ran her over. At least she left a few dents on the hood. > We got a licence plate number, description of the car, and description >of the driver and their passenger. I immediately called the police, gave >them the info, and they went to check it out. The police even sent a >photographer to the scene to get pictures of the damage (including the red >paint from the other car that they left on my car), the photographer was >appauled at the site on my otherwise-flawless car, speaking of when they got >a new car and it happened to them too. > Anyhow, the officer that went to check out the other car called me back >and said that the other car ‘Didn’t have any obvious damage from the >incident’ (no wonder, it was a piece of shit ‘92 Beretta with dents on all >sides and peeling, faded red paint), It was not as if I had not *TRIED* to >avoid damage, I had a quality two-side-covered parking spot and I was as >close to the curb as possible, and nobody was parked next to this spot — it >seemed good for a nice car. He said that since it didn’t occur when the car >was moving, there was nothing they could do, and since it was in a parking >lot, they couldn’t do anything anyhow (bull, the stupid cop didn’t want to >do the paperwork). Later, I went to get the police report, so that I could >take her to court over the damage. The clerk said that the report was … >and that due to that, they could only give me a copy with EVERYTHING blacked >out, except for my personal info. It was pointless, I couldn’t even file a >small claims case over it without information. > If you see it occur, see if they are reasonable, if they are, get the >info, if not, damage their car — they can’t do anything about it, and >neither will the police. >– >Edge > One, if the dings are not particularly large, leave them alone. My truck > has a "parking lot" ding on the right quarter panel, and for the $200 I >may > get raped for to pull the ding and add filler (no way!), I will gladly > accept that from any farther than 5 feet away, I can not notice the ding. > Heck, the metal is already stretched out, so there is really not much that > can be done to it. > As for the deliberate act, get an officer over t the scene, get a license > plate number of the offender, if necessary, and take it to small claims > court.
Rgds, George Macdonald "Just because they’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re not psychotic" – Who, me??
Response:
> paintless debt removal would be your best option if the paint isnt broken, > you are looking at about $85 per panel. tip******* avoid parking next to 2 > door vehicles.
*snipped pointlessness* I’ve gotta look into that, they’ve got hundreds of dollars of repair for mine. There is acutally an entire parking theory that is somewhere on the ‘net. I have a very complex set of rules that governs the way that I park my baby. Facts that you need to know: Most accidents involving men are major-repair damage, or fatal — this is why the insurance rates are high for men. Women have MORE accidents than men (I have checked this out with many women and men, it is true), but, most consist of backing into poles and other minor-damage to virtually no-damage accidents (I once saw a woman in a ford taurus rear-end a ford minivan, both pulled over, the woman in the minivan went back, looked at the spot with the taurus driver, both got back in their cars and drove away, this after a man vs. man accident only a block away occured between a truck and a ford escort… neither drove away). This accounts for their low insurance rates, since they seldom get into major accidents, and when they do get into accidents, most of the time, it is with a concrete barrier or similar (I know two women who have each in one of the last two rainstorms hydroplaned, or spun into walls, with no other cars present). Women don’t care about their cars as much as men do (yes, there are exceptions, there are some men that don’t care about their cars at all, and some women that love their cars more than their children). Men generally don’t ding other cars (it’s some kind of respect thing, a concept no woman I know has). General Questions about the spot: What type of car would be next to you? 2-door cars, it matters on the size and how nice the car is. I avoid fords and toyotas, and their variants, as their owners are notorious for damaging other people’s cars, and these cars are very hard to scan for damage — they use a paint that loses its shine fast, but doesn’t chip easily, so they may not have door-edge chips. If it’s newer, is it a NICE newer car? If it’s a ‘97 that looks as aged as an ‘87, don’t even consider it (I know someone who has a car like this — seriously dangerous to park next to their beast). What type of person drives the car that would be next to you? Does the car shout (no, scream) ‘I am a mans car’, or ‘I am a womans car’? Does the car look like an executive’s car, or the janitor’s car? Does it say ‘I don’t care about my car’ (some weird low-quality men (should be removed from the gene pool), really don’t car about their cars, and may be as dangerous as women, thankfully, they are the exception, not the rule), or does it say ‘I love my car, notice the hand-applied wax’? What parking lot are you in? If it is a parking lot at work, chances are there aren’t many cars with more than one passenger, park close to their passenger side, it is safer for your right side. If it’s church or a soccer game or some other family-oriented location, be extra-careful, children wreak havok on your car and their parents’ car. (My mother once borrowed my car (another rule, never let a woman drive your car), she chipped the edge of my door, and she got me a nice ding in my back door from the car that was parked next to her (contained children, driven by a woman).) Avoid all dodge cars and large cars in these types of places. NEVER park next to an SUV — 80+% of them are driven by women, these will result in damage nearly 100% of the time in places where the woman is accompanied by children. How many sides of your car are covered? I define a ‘Peon’ parking spot as a spot where your car is an island in the lot. A reasonable spot has at least one side defended (next to a curb), the best spots in most lots have two sides defended, some really great places have three sides defended — these are not found at more parking lots, some parking structures have them, and some lots at really exclusive places have them. How wide is your car in comparison to the spot? A wide car in a small spot is bad, a small car in a wide spot is bad. For some weird reason, many parking areas have varying parking spot widths and lengths, choose one near the size of your car. Even though it may seem like a good idea, don’t take two spaces when parking, even in lots that are not crowded, it’s a weird psychological thing, but some women will key a car purely because of it taking two spots, even when there are plenty closer spots. Also, remember, people are stupid, only a person can be smart, therefore, people may try to squeeze between you and the car next to you if there aren’t any good spots, damage is almost certian. What does the terrain look like? Are you parking on a hill? If so, make sure you are uphill (except for those damn carts that roll uphill), you’ll get less accidental damage from gravity pulling a door against your car. Just be smart, I could go on for days listing little things that could save your car. Just carry comprehensive, since nobody sees parking lot accidents that leave major damage, and nobody ever leaves insurance info after hitting your car (believe me, over six thousand dollars later, we put comprehensive insurance on the van, could have done that before the windows (800 each), rear end (twice! (1500 each time)), and deer (2000)…) It costs more, but, if you’re not really careful, it may save you. You could also do a savings thing and carry comp with a high dedutible, the difference between a $100 deduct and $500 deduct, if saved, could leave you with the 500 you’ll need about once every 6 months (at least in Utah, your state may vary)… Sorry about the rant, Edge
Response:
> I’d suggest a high deductable on the insurance policy, bank the premuim > difference, and eventually put the money saved toward paying for a ding > removal session at a body shop. > A motion sensor might set of an alarm when the car is dinged. That might > embarass the dinger into being more careful in future.
Yep, rig it up to a audio chip that would play your voice saying "watch > Maybe not. I sat in my car and watched a woman ding the door, look over, and walk away > unconcerned.
I don’t think I could restrain myself in that scenario. I’d roll down my happened once. I remember once about 20 years ago when I drove a nice Z-28. I had a women who kept following me though back streets each with a stop sign at each intersection. At each stop, she would almost run into me as she stopped. I was really worried, but said to myself, naw, this idiot won’t really run into me. Well, about 3 more stop signs later, sure enuff, she ran into the back of me. I couldn’t believe it!!! I got out and said to the women, you are a %^&* for brains!!! I’m going to leave this intersection, and you damn well better not be behind me when I come to the next stop sign! Lucky for her, the Z-28 bumper was rubber and left no visible dent. Otherwise, I think would would have throttled her right on the spot I was so PO’ed. Well, I left on, and sure enough she stayed away from me from there on. I guess I had that look of impending death in my eyeballs…It seems like the newer the car and the better looking, the more people want to mess it up. It got to the point I’d park that Z-28 out at the far end of parking lots in the park like a normal person without a new dent when I came out. Now that I usually drive old beaters no one wants to dent those… MK — http://web.wt.net/~nm5k
Response:
> Alan, I know of someone recently who brought it to the attention of >the store manager. The store paid for the repair. This was Costco.
Well, I really suspect the shopping cart thing was a deliberate, devious act from a customer and don’t really believe the store was negligent, but thanks EVERYBODY for the responses. I read ‘em all and all were good. The dry ice and boiling water thing sounds very interesting. I intend to give that one a try. I know of a local grocery store that sell the dry ice. — Alan Before you buy.
Response:
Doesn’t work — I have a *** THREE FOOT LONG GASH *** on my right-hand door, I receieved it three days after buying the car. It occured with no less than two witnesses, one of which was *** PINNED *** in the car by the other cars’ door. The offending car driver *SLAMMED* their car door against mine with all their weight, since a door on a spots car just bumping the car wouldn’t be able to shake a 2.5 ton car enough for a passenger to feel it. The driver did a real job of it too, they had to drive the car forward to get their door shut when they left. They left an addissional scratch through to the metal in the process. My passenger jumped out of the car, and beat on the hood of the other car, they didn’t stop and almost ran her over. At least she left a few dents on the hood. We got a licence plate number, description of the car, and description of the driver and their passenger. I immediately called the police, gave them the info, and they went to check it out. The police even sent a photographer to the scene to get pictures of the damage (including the red paint from the other car that they left on my car), the photographer was appauled at the site on my otherwise-flawless car, speaking of when they got a new car and it happened to them too. Anyhow, the officer that went to check out the other car called me back and said that the other car ‘Didn’t have any obvious damage from the incident’ (no wonder, it was a piece of shit ‘92 Beretta with dents on all sides and peeling, faded red paint), It was not as if I had not *TRIED* to avoid damage, I had a quality two-side-covered parking spot and I was as close to the curb as possible, and nobody was parked next to this spot — it seemed good for a nice car. He said that since it didn’t occur when the car was moving, there was nothing they could do, and since it was in a parking lot, they couldn’t do anything anyhow (bull, the stupid cop didn’t want to do the paperwork). Later, I went to get the police report, so that I could take her to court over the damage. The clerk said that the report was … and that due to that, they could only give me a copy with EVERYTHING blacked out, except for my personal info. It was pointless, I couldn’t even file a small claims case over it without information. If you see it occur, see if they are reasonable, if they are, get the info, if not, damage their car — they can’t do anything about it, and neither will the police. — Edge
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> One, if the dings are not particularly large, leave them alone. My truck > has a "parking lot" ding on the right quarter panel, and for the $200 I may > get raped for to pull the ding and add filler (no way!), I will gladly > accept that from any farther than 5 feet away, I can not notice the ding. > Heck, the metal is already stretched out, so there is really not much that > can be done to it. > As for the deliberate act, get an officer over t the scene, get a license > plate number of the offender, if necessary, and take it to small claims > court.
Response:
Alan, I know of someone recently who brought it to the attention of the store manager. The store paid for the repair. This was Costco. Mc – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan > Before you buy.
Response:
I’d suggest a high deductable on the insurance policy, bank the premuim difference, and eventually put the money saved toward paying for a ding removal session at a body shop. A motion sensor might set of an alarm when the car is dinged. That might embarass the dinger into being more careful in future. Maybe not. I sat in my car and watched a woman ding the door, look over, and walk away unconcerned. — National Capital FreeNet www.ncf.ca Ottawa’s free community network
Response:
That kind of repair is better done from the inside. Look up, in your area, for a body shop that does it. As for the confrontation thing : if you do not have two witnesses, a license plate number, money to spend, and time to waste, forget it. Avoid fights. Anyway, it keeps happening, my Gen5 Prelude has a few dings and scratches. I’ll have it fixed when it becomes too ugly… In the next few years, there will be a lot more cars on the streets… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan > Before you buy.
Response:
paintless debt removal would be your best option if the paint isnt broken, you are looking at about $85 per panel. tip******* avoid parking next to 2 door vehicles.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan > Before you buy.
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how do you say,class warfare.no , envy. the schism grows. walmart is for bangers,drive a banger. 4wd raised ram wagon comes to mind.(dodge) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan > Before you buy.
Response:
In the code of fed reg:penal section (not penile), "ripping their lungs out through their nostrils" is suggested as a reasonable and appropriate response. I suppose you’ve seen the Jetta (?) commercial where a shopping cart is rolling towards this car, and from off camera, the owner dives in to prevent the hit..you could hire him to watch your car. This gives me an idea for another product. The make believe, artificial "ding." You slap it on your car. It works 2 ways..maybe even in some ways I haven’t thought of yet. First, it gets you used to what it’s gonna eventually look like when you get that first real ding, and second, it becomes less of a magnet for the "dinger" as it already has one. The dinger may be a person with unconscious intent, a malicious cretan, or the gathering of forces that dislikes perfect looking surfaces. As you can see,I’ve given this some thought. I just bought a new Prelude with nary a side moulding to be found on the acres of shiny new black metal. I’m putting together some removable side mouldings you slap on in portentious situations. If the final part ever comes, I may have a really cool solution to part of the "ding" problem. They won’t work against hail though. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll either tell you how to make some, or sell you one. JSK Before you buy.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->In the past five days I’ve had two new dings >on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). >Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and >there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: >a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new >boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver >side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of >the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, >just because it was new and spotless). Number two >came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV >pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot >of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? >I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But >OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the >metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better >after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions?
It’s hard to avoid these things and the wretches who do it – I guess the death penalty for them would be a bit extreme… opinions?:-) The only thing you can do is park "defensively" (the 50% rule: park in the end slot on the right-hand end) and *hope*… but they always seem to be able to make supermarket carts roll uphill – funny that. There’re some body shops which specialize in paintless ding removal but from what I hear it’s sometimes better to wait until you have a few, to get a better rate. Now, here’s something which was claimed to work but I’ve never tried it and I’d be interested to hear of anyone who has: sponge all around the ding area with boiling water then hold a piece of dry-ice against the center of the dent. Seems too easy and I’m not sure where to get some dry-ice. >One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you >see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with >their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" >person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend >to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing >slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if >it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they >intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing >it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? >I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA.
I’d guess most cops would just shrug but I do know of someone who called a cop who was sympathetic and forced the dinger to reveal her (are women more guilty of this than men?) insurance company details to the dingee. In this case the "ding" was a crease about 3 inches long in a new car so it was an extreme case. The woman was really pissed at the cop but I’d hope her bad habit may have been cured. If the culprit’s vehicle is still there, there’s always retaliation, which may make you feel better… you can be creative here so be prepared with the right tool: magic marker, brake fluid, hammer, chisel, screwdriver… uuh, just kiddin’. 
Rgds, George Macdonald "Just because they’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re not psychotic" – Who, me??
Response:
One, if the dings are not particularly large, leave them alone. My truck has a "parking lot" ding on the right quarter panel, and for the $200 I may get raped for to pull the ding and add filler (no way!), I will gladly accept that from any farther than 5 feet away, I can not notice the ding. Heck, the metal is already stretched out, so there is really not much that can be done to it. As for the deliberate act, get an officer over t the scene, get a license plate number of the offender, if necessary, and take it to small claims court.
Response:
In the past five days I’ve had two new dings on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, just because it was new and spotless). Number two came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. — Alan Before you buy.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > In the past five days I’ve had two new dings > on my new car (that I’m keeping nice and spotless). > Last Sunday I was coming out of a grocery store and > there it was!!!! Every proud new car owner’s nightmare: > a shopping cart had rolled up and collided with my new > boy! There the cart was, resting against the driver > side door (and I’d tried to park the car in an out of > the way spot..I think some jackass did it on purpose, > just because it was new and spotless). Number two > came yesterday, courtesy of some thoughtless SUV > pissant (it’s too high for a car) in the parking lot > of a public park. Is there some way to "suck out" a ding? > I picture a suction cup type thing that might work. But > OTOH, I can also see how such a device might deform the > metal and cause it to bulge out and not look any better > after sucking out the ding….Any suggestions? > One more thing I’d like some opinions on. Let’s say you > see someone devious deliberately dinging your car with > their car door, or anything else. How would a "reasonable" > person handle this? Confront the person, ask if they intend > to pay for the damage, and call police? Let the whole thing > slide and just accept it as a risk of owning a car (even if > it’s an expensive car)? Or confront the person, ask if they > intend to pay, and if they are hostile, let it go, realizing > it’s not worth risking the thing escalating out of proportion? > I’d appreciate some good feedback guys. TIA. > — > Alan
My ‘99 Protege is still ding-free (knock on wood). Basically, I’m just careful where I park, and _never_ park up front at Wal-Mart or at the grocery store. If the parking lot has any of those little "islands" with plants or shrubs, I get within a few inches of the curb. This leaves enough space for the car in the next space to completely open their door without touching mine. Park in the back and get a little exercise! I just pull up and get the first available space. I’m almost always in the store before those other people who cruise the parking lot looking for a closer space. Adam