hi all,
today i went to the mall with the wife and realized that the enjoyment of taking out my ftype is paralleled by my anxiety of parking lot nightmares, such as door dings, bumper scrapes, malicious keying, etc. the whole time we were at the mall, the singular thought in my head was whether my ftype is ok...is someone backing into it right now? is someone slamming their door against it this minute? i'm sure i'm not the only one with this constant anxiety. was hoping you guys would share some tips/experiences to minimize these risks..or tell me that i am acting crazy!! lol.
my accord is a canvas that is testament to the stupidity of people in parking lots so that's why i'm always on edge when we go out on the jag.

 

Park as far away as possible from store entrances / lower levels of car parks. People are lazy and don't generally like walking, circling forever to get a space close to an entrance.

I can usually be parked, have walked a few mins and still get in the store while they are driving around and around endlessly, and usually there are no other cars around to park next to me.

 

Agree. never mind your car (gasp!) your body will appreciate the forced excuse to walk a little more to and from the car every day...

 

I always parked my XKR as far away from the entrance as possible, as remote as possible. When I returned there was usually a car parked right alongside.

 

thanks for the tips. in my mind, if i park too remotely, then the car is more likely to be keyed or kicked or broken into. i know what you guys mean about parking far from store entrances and i will definitely do that. the ideal parking scenario would be in between a ferrari and another f type... but that isn't always the case!! lol
when signing the lease, i turned down their ding/dent coverage and all that crap. maybe i shouldn't have

 

 

^ I got one-upped by the Huracan pulling the ol' "furthest corner of the lot + diagonal douchebaggery" move

 

Never be a diagonal douchebag!! People will get even more pissed off and likely to do something to your car.

OP - after 3 years of daily driving my car I don't have a single scrape or parking ding. Just be as best aware of surroundings as possible and don't sweat it too much.

There... that just tempted fate didn't it....

 

When you have no choice but to park between two cars park a little closer to the passenger side of the car next to you vs a drivers side. There is only about a 30% chance of the passenger door even needing to be opened.

Also back in as far as you can to try and avoid being clipped.

Another trick is to parked nest to one of those super-wide Handicap spots - rignt up to but not crossing the line.

Never, ever do a douche move like the angular parking unless you want angry people leaving a cowardly signature on your car.

... and #1 ... drive your second car to places like the mall.

 

lol @ the huracan!
thanks for the tips. feel a little better.

 

That's one reason that I always buy used. A door ding or a scratch is going to happen. Since it has happened before I buy the anxiety is gone.

 

15 year old MINI and nary a ding. Park it like I was parking an F-Type (using all the tactics mentioned above).

 

Dogbreath - I here you. I bought a brand new company van four years ago and within one week of having it someone had to do a hit and run sideswipe down the side.

Another was my first Mercedes - within days an old lady had to rear end me.

NEW = idiot/wreck everytime. Since week one after getting the van expired/passed its welcome to the world test ..... 4 years = no incidents whatsoever. The NEW obligatory damage was done.

 

First, avoid the mall in any car. Second, don't take your jag there. Be careful parking too far away or out in the middle. I did that with my XF at a Home Depot and a guy in a Ford F-350 towing a trailer was cutting through the lot and side swiped my car. He didn't see me! So much for parking away from everyone. Next to a curb at the end of a remote row is better and that doesn't even work. I did that when I first had my R , and a young woman in a Hyundai van pulled in right next to me and said " I just bought this new and don't want anyone to scratch it" as she walked away on her phone. I was not able to open the door of my coupe all the way she was so close. The spots next to her were all empty. Sometimes you can't win. I never take my car to the mall.

 

A bit of common sense when it comes to parking; well out of the way from others, prevails.
After a few successful trips the paranoia will ease!


It just teaches one to be a bit more thoughtful and mindful of where and how to park.
That said, when I've parked a million miles away form anyone else in the car-park, after a while other cars seem to gravitate toward the F-Type!

 

If available, use a valet. Tip them well on the front end and tell them you want it left in the front. I know many will say that using a valet is crazy and refer me to youtube videos, but I have not experienced any negatives with valets over a 30 year period.

 

I never take the F-type to the mall. That (and a few other reasons) is why we have a Ford

 

Disagree on the Valet. Like Jay Leno says - never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never.

Halcyondays - you just have never experienced any negatives that you know about.

 

Ixnay on the valet if you have a manual transmission. My MINI was seriously damaged by a parking attendant when he lost control trying to get it up a garage ramp. (The Lexus behind him didn't look to well either).

 

The several car forums I have participated in, over the years, have had some real horror stories about Valet. The practice that I learned from one of them, if you go to a hotel or restaurant that "requires" it is to offer the guy a $20 to get in the passenger seat, show you where to park, and you keep your keys.
I do not care which car I am driving, I will always choose to park far away, in a low density area of the lot. The only exception is when my wife is with me in her car, for which we have a handicap sticker.
Larry