We got started comparing "war wounds" (windshield cracks, bumper scuffs, etc.) on this thread, and before I derailed it further I started this one up.

What are the worst parking lot nightmares you've experienced/witnessed/heard about second-hand.

I'll start:

(In reference to someone catching a woman launch a shopping cart in the general direction of a cart corral, endangering parked cars.) Wow, I've seen a cart roll and sprinted for it but never actually caught someone in the act of launching it.

I did have to climb into my FEH from the passenger's side about a month ago because some twit parked their F-150 Supercrew (identical to my husband's, but dented all to hell... wonder why?!) so close to my driver's side I couldn't even slither in there sideways if I were 5 feet tall and 98 lbs. Incidentally, I was parked with my passenger side protected and as close to that side as I could get without making it difficult for my passenger to get out of the vehicle.

I was sick to my stomach all the way home, wondering if there were any scrapes, dents or scratches on my driver's side from their parking but thankfully there was no damage. The person was a rude twit, but at least they weren't a criminal rude twit.

This is why I try to park A) only near vehicles that are clearly well cared for (no major body damage, door dings, etc.) and B) protect one side of my vehicle in parking lots, if I can do so without parking away from the flow of traffic/pedestrians/onlookers [theft deterrent]. It worked well in my '92 Corolla, and I'm hoping {{knocking on wood}} it helps keep my FEH pristine, too.

 

People think I park funny because of the cars I drive but that has little to do with the reason for parking the way I do. I always park far away from the door and off to the left as you come out of the store. The reason is many fold but the thing that got me started on it was that out and to the left was the required parking location for Target employees. After working at Target for years I always walked out and to the left by habit reguardless of where I actually parked at a givin store. It is much easier to find your car if you put it where your habit takes you so I started parking out and to the left at all time at all stores.

This turns out to have a secondary benefit. The reason we were required by Target to park out and to the left was that nobody else wanted to park way out there. This is a great thing when you are trying to avoid door dings and the like. People assume I park out and to the left because I don't want my Vette scratched up (which is true) but I'd park the same way reguardless of what I was driving.

The worst thing that ever happened to me in a parking lot was at a McDonalds. My father was parking the nicest, newest car the family had ever owned ( a Volvo) when some stupid chick opened her door so hard into our car that our car actually rocked back and forth. I thought sure dad was going to kill this woman but he mearly mentioned that she should be more careful next time. Her response? "I'm only a good Christian and we are not perfect!!!" Dad was so flabergasted he couldn't speak.

 

I look for shade and park there. I don't mind the walk as long as the car is in shade.

Bob Wilson

 

where are the lions when you need them??



my only stories revolve around those that drive perpendicular to the rows......

 

Ah... I call this whole topic "Parking Lot Psychology".

When my other half would get a new car, it wouldn't be long before he'd get dings in his car -- no matter how careful he was. But he noticed that my cars didn't have dings even after years of ownership. I told him it's because I use "parking lot psychology". He is careful to make sure HE doesn't cause a ding -- the dings are always caused by someone else. The difference between us is that I recognize that it's "everyone else" that I need to worry about so I park in ways that makes it pretty unlikely that my car will get damaged. I've done this for such a long time that I don't really think about it anymore.

So here's my rules. When I pull into a lot, I really think about how people will behave and find a strategic space where my car will be safe. Parking closest to the door is NOT a priority for me (I'm perfectly healthy and capable of walking a few extra steps.)

Rule #1 - Parking lots are not flat. They are sloped slightly to allow water to drain. Always park in a high spot. I've watched shopping carts decide to start rolling just because of a gust of wind -- naturally when this happens they roll down slope and not up. By parking in a high spot, it would take gale force winds to make a shopping cart actually climb the slop -- no shopping cart dings this way.

Rule #2 - Whenever possible, minimize the number of sides of your car that could potentionally be exposed to another car. I prefer to take the space on the end of an aisle instead of in the middle. That way there's only one side where another car could park. Then cheat my car to the side of the space that puts more distance between me and the space next to me. As a side benefit, the end of the aisle is usually a high spot.

Rule #3 - On windy days, park in the space which face INTO the wind -- not away from it. When passengers open their doors and the car is facing away, the wind gust can catch the door, taking the person by surprise, and flinging the door WIDE open and hitting an adjacent car. By parking in space which face into the wind, the wind will tend to push the doors closed instead of pulling them open wide.

Rule #4 - NEVER park next to cars which look like their owners just don't care about them. Ideally you want to park adjacent to people whose cars look like they're as worried about you hitting their doors. Those people will usually be careful. Similarly, never park next to a mini-van or any vehicle that looks like they have kids. Kids are NOT careful when they open doors. Even infants or children so young that they require child seats are a problem -- on more than one occasion, I've watched a mother struggle with getting their child into or out of the child seat (occasionally while still holding their bags, purse, or other encumbering items), and not really watching what's happening with the door, which is scraping the adjacent car.

Rule #5 - Don't park under a light post. Pigeons, gulls, and other air-rats love to flock there. Notice all the bird droppings on the ground next to any light post... park next to that post and similar droppings will soon be on your car. I used to think this was no big deal -- after all it does wash off. Then I found out (and witnessed) that the acid in droppings can permanently damage the clear coat finish.

Finally, not for reasons of protecting the car from damage, but I look for a shady spot. That way the car wont be as hot and I wont have to run the A/C so hard when I return to the car.

 

I never consciously thought of #3, Tim, but I do ALL the others almost always.

 

Be carful of that last one in the Northwest. Pine pitch is very hard to remove.

 

Good advice from all. Here's a tip that can help avoid the worst nightmare -- a collision with an object, inanimate or otherwise: Avoid backing out of parking spaces. Avoiding reverse altogether is best -- pull forward into the second of two end-to-end spaces. But when faced with the choice of backing out or backing in, the latter is safer. Visibility during backing out, especially side-to-side beyond adjacent vehicles, is considerably less than when pulling forward. There are many moving objects -- pedestrians and cars -- crossing your path that need to see you and be seen. When backing in, you can thoroughly survey the area around the space before committing to park. As the rear of the car approaches the threshold of the parking space, there is a much lower chance of pedestrians unexpectedly walking across your path, and no chance of a car moving across it. Get good at using your outside mirrors to judge where you are relative to adjacent objects.

The only hitch to backing in is in a busy lot with cars quickly approaching your rear (perhaps even looking to pull into your spot) as you stop and prepare to back in. Most won't realize what you're doing until it's too late, and don't give you room. Don't fight it; just find another space. Another benefit to parking further away.

 

The worst parking lot nightmare....
Here in South Texas pickup trucks are ubiquitous. And a large amount of those are equipped with tow hitches. Mind you, not those recessed-into-the-bumper types, but rather those aftermarket add-ons which portrude anywhere from 4 inches to over a foot.

Once parked in the mall in a 45-degree parking space, one of those beasts backed up and rammed it exactly between the door and side panel, causing $2500 in damage. By the height of the wound, it must have been an F250 Super Duty or similar.

Another time, I witnessed a similar truck backing up, without even looking into the mirror, into the grille of a Hyundai Sonata. It perforated the grille, of course, but as it sped away I noticed coolant dripping from the poor Sonata...it had perforated the air conditioner condenser, the radiator and who knows what else, causing again several thousand dollars in damage.

 

Thanks for the tip; I'll avoid parking opposite those 2 ton beasts with towing hitches in the future. I remember parking adjacent to them several times and wondering if they'd open their door and ding my HCH or scrape its side while reversing out. Luckily nothing has happened.