I found a new ding on my 300E this morning, Whoever did it must have used a baseball bat! It's getting to the point where I have to set aside money in the budget every month to take care of dings!

My wife's 500SL even has one. You'd thing it would get better respect!

Anybody else dealing with this, or am I too persnickety?

Got the dings taken out at lunchtime...$65 and it looks perfect.

Now I have to get the SL done, and get the ML REdone...maybe I can get all of them ding-free for about a day or so...before the cycle starts again.

Yes, use 2 parking spots whenever possible. I ALWAYS do this when I can. I know that people probably think that I'm just some ******* in a Mercedes, but who cares if you lose the risk of getting any dings! I have quite a few little dings.... only 1 is really apparent.. and then there are 7 or 8 really really small ones that can only be seen in certain light. And I noticed 2 dings on my hood the other day!!! My hood WAS FLAWLESS! ARGHH... My car was parked at a friend's house, and he was trying to get his garage door open to put my car in there next to his E430 (and his dad's ML55 and Brabus E320, with 300 HP! very cool guy!), anyway. They had just moved and one of the garage doors wasn't automatic, and my car was parked in front of it. He was tugging on it to open, and the door shot him back and he fell on the hood of my car. ARGH... I can't blame him though, you know? Accidents happen.
But G-benz, i know what you mean... very frustrating. And $65 for a ding is the going rate around here.. and the second ding removed is usually about $40.

Tell you what happened to me last week. Well, you know about my star already, but I have another story to tell about idiot parents.

Last week was the USA cup. It's billed as the world's largest soccer tournament with over 17,000 kids playing. Anyway this guy in a conversion van pulls into the space next to me and immediately the side door pops open. This is one of those vans which has a double door on the side. The kid pushes the door open and it hits my mirror. I roll down the window and sternly tell the kid to be careful. The kid looks at me with bewilderment in his eyes and slinks back in. Obviously Dad wonders what's going on so he walks around and asks me what's up and is there any problem. I told him that his kid opened the door right into my side mirror. He looks at it and says that his kid didn't do any damage anyway. At this point I'm pissed and I told him to watch the kids better and that it could have been my door instead. Check out what he said. He said...

"it's not my problem that ya'll drive such a fancy cars."

I was flabbergasted, dumbfounded, tongue tied all at once. I didn't know what to say so I just drove home. Things people say... <sigh>

Kuan

In the mind of the "ding-makers"

** Popped open the door ** BOOM... ** Stare at the new ding **....Oops.... I didn't do it... :D :D


But seriously, some ppl are just being jerks. I was once told that They put dings on the car purposely because we drive a better car than they do!!??? :(

Andy Kuo

I posted a reply to Kuan's post about the father and son in the van... did a moderator remove it? I can't think of why (well a little...) it would be removed? Or maybe the post just didn't go through... Hmmm.

Quite often, children swing open the doors, jump out, and go! Young children are not aware of the damage they can cause and are often allowed to recklessly leave the vehicle......However, the best part is when the parent condones the behavior and defends the action!!! Sound familier???

A few years back, when I still had my Disco, I was parked at a supermarket parking lot waiting for my wife to come out, when this guy in an old and rusted, falling apart pickup truck parks next to me and his wife opened the door and just swung it wide without regard for any car next to them, it hit the side of my door and didn't ding it but scratched the paint instead. So, I got down and told her what she just did, and the husband, comes around and says, what's my problem and I told him what his wife just did, he said, oh, it's an accident don't worry, you'll have a lot of that later. So, I said, that I need their insurance name so I can have it fixed, they just looked at each other, laughed and went on their way. I was pissed off but since their car is already beat up, couldn't do anymore damage to it. Good thing my wife came and and I just decided to let it go and went home instead. Not worth getting stressed about it.

Learned my lesson taking 2 parking spaces before. You avoid dings but them some people just get pissed and key your car. Better to have those dings than being keyed.

It's gotten to the point where e-mails have circulated from the building manager at work scolding people who take up more than one parking space. What a joke! This parking lot is less full than the lot at the Clippers stadium!

I try to teach my own daughter to be careful, but she put a ding on the ML while opening the door to the 300E. And this was on the same day I had just gotten the previous dings on the ML removed! Her friends do the same thing, so it's a losing battle!

I have surrendered and relegated door dings as a way of life, getting them removed in the same manner as one would perform routine oil changes...

Hmm David,

I don't think it would be removed. I have reply notification set on and I didn't see your reply come through. At least I don't think I got an email saying you had replied to my thread. Anyway what was so bad in that email that it may have been removed? Do we get a notification if our posts are removed?

Kuan

Sorry for -yet- another rant...
 

but, I don't think it's ever appropriate to use two parking stalls. In fact, I don't think it's appropriate how 40-50% of the people park their cars. Yes, there are times that parking lines are tight and it's going to be tricky to park a car, but after living/working directly in a city, I think of parking spots as a finite resource.

People who use two stalls or park at an angle are placed neatly in my narcissist file.

If it is possible to park at a distance from the throng of auto assemblage, I still think it's just common courtesy to park in a single spot between the lines.

I have simply accepted that door dings are a part of auto maintenance.

Found this post by accident, but interesting read!

I once had two dings on my brand new black Chryseler Voyager, you take so much care and effort, and some careless jerks just....ahhh!!! Being a wide car it's difficult in some carparks, although it takes longer, but it definitely pays to look around before settling for the lowest-risk space. (I never had the guts to take two spaces...)

One other thing I couldn't really comprehend:
I once visited a Ferrari showroom (pretending...), and had a good look around. To my amazement, two out of three used 360 Modenas had damages to the door areas, like chipped door edges, or scratches/touchups(non pro work) near door handles. One even had scratches and patched paintwork all the way from roof down. (Asked the rep and he said owner had something fell on the car at home) While these are all small imperfections, they're quite noticeable close up.

Don't know how these people look after there cars, but there's more self inflicted damage in 1 year(or 2) then my cheap Ford in 6 years.

G-Benz, I am with you guys on this.
 

I am with you guys on this. There are people out there that have absolutely not respect for other people's property. There are peopoe out who do not care about their auto and drive junkers and assumed that others are the same.

Thre should be a low that mandates they putter soft rubber bumpers on people's doors, but then the scum buckets who have have no regard people's property are the same who would just violate it.

What can you do? You got to be phlisocial about it. Things go from order to dis-order that is the natural state, entrophy. If things are left along they naturaly goes from new to old, prefection to inprefection. Is is just the natural order of things.



You notice the dings on your car door and the touch up paint on you car. But have you ever notice the little scares on youself.


I notice a few scares on my arm and hands from all the time working on my car.

All you could do is park away from everybody and own an 2nd car for all the questionable places you are going to.

blau

When someone invents "self-healing" body parts for cars, that may solve this problem. Someone carelessly opens a car door and bing! A big door ding! Every day you can watch the imperfection slowly heal itself until one day you look and it's gone! How cool!

I've got scrapes on my body, but no dings. Whatever touch-up paint my DNA uses on my healed scars, it doesn't match the surrounding skin very well!

bill17: I've noticed that a lot of exotic (and expensive) vehicles get more than their share of flak on the paintwork...my theory is that these cars were formerly owned by celebrities, and are sometimes approached by fans who have no regard for personal property when attempting to get near their idol. It's not limited to cars either. did you ever see the remains of a front yard of a home where a mob of reporters camped out for days!

My 300E was previously owned by a Fort-Worth sheriff. I always wonder if the car ever saw any action...no bullet holes visible on the body, though.

I remember when Michael Jordan was still with the Bulls, on one interview, he complained about having to replace his vanity plates so frequently because fans kept stealing them as collectibles wherever his MB was parked...

There is a car like that. It's called a Saturn! Not to be confused with Uranus of course :) I don't mind when I see a Benz parked in two stalls. Actually I make a lot of jokes and laugh but it really doesn't bother me that ANYONE parks in two stalls. I just go find other parking. In a big city (I live in Minneapolis, a small big city) where parking is at a premium it might be different, but here in the land of Sven and Ole there doesn't seem to be a shortage of parking.

There is something to be said about having something that's yours. Something that you've worked hard for and something which makes you fell proud allover. There was this kid who worked for me and he used to park his $4,000 "brand new" used truck in two stalls. I knew how hard this kid worked and also a little about his personal life. When he bought the truck everyone in the hotel knew it was his. He would walk clear across the parking lot to get to the back door employee entrance. He really loved his truck.

So I totally understand when people park their Kia or Hyundai in two spots. It's their hard earned money so why should I bother unless it really affects me? If they're willing to park on the 5th floor of a multi-story parking garage and walk an extra three minutes then more power to them I say. Me? I need the exercise, but I'm lazy. :)

kuan

I was recently doored not too long ago, about two weeks ago, but it still seems like if it were yesterday. Anyway, the dent is on the dent-free driver side of the car, near the horizontal center, but right below the character line. Some paint rubbed off, but that doesn't really bother me much. I just hate the distortion that the dent creates in the reflection. When I have some time and find the right person, I will get it smoothed out. Does anyone know if they will (or can) remove a dent with a chipped paint spot?

I'm still ticked off. Even though it's not tooooo huge, nonetheless, the dent is an eyesore, and I hate it! Just from studying the dent, I think it was intentional. The fact that there was paint chip tells me there was some kind of passion involved. That pisses me off even more! All these years of babying my car, sometimes spending extra time just to find that "perfect and safe" parking space, and now this! You bet I'm mad! Sure it's just a car, but as Kuan had said, it's something that I've worked for. Why do people do this?

Sometimes, to find some kind of peace or solace, I try to find cars that are either like mine or better and see if they have any dents. Do any of you guys do that?

ABSOLUTLY!!!!When "shopping" for the right spot, I look around to the other cars. I usually try to find and curbed end spot, (and I don't care how far the walk is), or a spot where similar cares are parked. I also own a truck which I usually drive to questionable parking areas. I plan my trips to the shopping areas accordingly to the vehicle that I take that day. I also have left parking lots due to the poor facilities or lack of safe parking.......Yes, this is a pain, but fortunatly this does not happen too often IF I plan correctly. All this driving around REALLY DRIVES THE WIFE NUTS!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I'd rather walk the extra distance than park near the mall, store, or whatever. I also stay away from SUV's and Minivans...so you can tell that driving with me to a parking lot can be an adventure:D....but hey only one inconspicious ding since I got the car 2 years ago and I got that ding before I wised up.

I used to do the "parking out on the north forty" thing when I was single, but my wife and daughter now fuss about that so I had to stop. So now, I just take whatever spot is open, like every other joe. I do pay attention to what is parked next to me, how big the vehicle is, how they pulled in the lot (wheel orientation), how wide the doors are, etc., but that doesn't really matter. You find a spot you think is perfect, and park there, only to arrive later and find your parking neighbors replaced by two vehicles you wouldn't have considered to park nearby! So it's a losing battle.

Fortunately, I don't get tons of dings, so I guess I haven't lost much. What does bug me is when you go through the trouble to park in a secluded spot, miles away from the masses, only to have someone else park immediately next to you. I think they do that on purpose!

Was in Palm Springs recently and lo and behold came out of the Marriott Desert Springs Resort and found a nice ding in the right rear door of my beautiful black W140 400SEL. While on this trip the odometer turned over to 100K. Got to go to the detail shop and get a detail and some dings removed. Had a nice visit with John and Bibi while we were in the area.

DENT GUARDS
 

I have a dent prevention method that works quite well for me,I have two very large rottweilers that I take with me.and park it with the windows down just enough for them to stick there big ol heads out to welcome anyone thinking about parking next to my wagon you should see the result!!people park then open the door then shut the door and move to another parking spot heh heh its also a great car alarm and you can even leave the key in the car

[Edited by mark cummins on 07-27-2001 at 03:22 PM]

it seems more and more people only give a "sheet" about THEMSELVES and don't give a "rat's asset" about anyone else OR their property!

it SEEMS number 1 rules and screw YOU and the horse you road in on!!

this epidemic is everywhere! it almost seems to be "the new american way". a sad state indeed.

i park as far away as possible from hopefully the thoughtless and wreckless disregard of the jealous or just plain stupid!

my wife either gets dropped off [and retreived] or she walks along,

it's great exercise!!

just my opinion...

peter

Naturally, accidents and dents occur becuase we don't live in a perfect world....

And...more often than not, these occurances are not personal so I myself just do my best to avoid the risks and stress (make it more difficult for these events to play themselves out): pay for attended valet covered parking, park in lighted areas away from the highest traffic areas (vehicle and pedestrian), select parking that limits contact to only one side of the car (or only front/back) & park biased toward the protected side of the car (angled or physically closer).

Let me share a tale to deter occupying two spaces: entering a mall one day for a quick 5 minute errand, I admired a concours condition 328 GTSI Quad Ferrerri occupying two parking spaces directly in front of the department store....scurrying past it when leaving, it horridly wore deep key marks (down to the metal) over each glistening black body panel (except the hood).....since then, I've never put my machines at this risk.

Similarly, after someone innocently poured a soft drink (with ice) on to my leather seats in my convertable, I never left it parked exposed with the top down (it was a scorching day, and gum was also placed on the dash; the car was legally parked after a otherwise perfect all day touring session).

-fad

I am with FAD on parking in two spaces.
 

There are some twisted people out there that would get pissed at you just because you drive a nice car and for no other reason. And parking in two place would just provoke them some more.

So that is my concern in parking in two spaces.

The things is if there are room to park in two spaces you could park away from everybody else and there are not reason to park in two spaces. If there are not enough room to park away from everyone else you certainly would not want to park in two spaces. You would be jsut asking for it.
If you are parking in two spaces make sure you are so fare away people can't even tell you are parking in two spaces without a telescope.

Mercedes should just invent self-deploying armor curtains when the car is parked that is my volt :)

blau.

I wouldn't take up to car stalls. That's a good way to provoke someone to key your car. Instead, just park far away from everyone. I do this even in my ugly old blazer. It's got a straight body and I aim to keep it that way! Same with the the Benz. Way far away!!!! Way WAY far away!!!
Walking is good excersise too!:D

I don't think there is anyone who gets crazier than me when someone does the door ding deed. I have searching for a good parking space which gives the least chance of being dinged, down to a fine art. I have even taught my kids the art. Here are some of my parking space parameters:

Don't park next to a two door, the doors are longer and reach further.

Always be willing to walk a long distance to park where there are no cars, the exercise is good for you anyway. This one is hard when someone such as a client is with you.

Worst case, in a crowded parking lot, try to find a spot at the end so that you can protect one side and then get as close to that curb as you can get without scrubbing tires and wheels on the curb.

If you take up two parking spaces, make sure it is way out where no one parks. I don't even like someone taking two parking places next to the door, but if you do, someone may ding you because they feel the same about that as I do.(It upsets me when someone does this, but I can promise I won't ding this one for meanness). Taking two spaces close to the door where everyone parks is very rude.

When you actually do personally observe someone dinging, politely point out the damage that they caused, so maybe they will think a little more about it next time. If we all do this, maybe we can, together, raise the consciousness of these people. Most of them don't do it maliciously, they're just one of those people who walk around in a daze.

If you have any other tips to add, I'm all eyes, and will appreciate them all.

Have a great day,

I follow the same techniques when parking, Larry. Maybe we went to the same parking schools!

I prefer parking lots where the spaces are aligned diagonally rather than parallel. For some reason, the risk of dings is greatly reduced.

I will park next to mini-vans on the right side, since it has the sliding door on that side. Usually, its kids that cause the dings, and I can attest to that!

Pre-dinged
 

My black 190e is originally from Manhatten and had healthy pre-dinging so new dings won't be the first, won't bother me as much, and I may not notice.

As far as parking in two spaces, that's what my motorcycle is for.

What about car alarms? Don't dings set car alarms off? I thing an air horn on a car alarm would be nice.

Do we wonder why Americans are considered arrogent and ignorant around the world? But GENEROUS!!!

Although I don't have to much to add that hasn't been said already, I choose to share what I have.

My parents own a 1992 250D Turbo which they bought in July 1998, myself I own a 1984 190D which I bought in September 1998. Their car has one tiny ding on the right side underneath the mirror. It's barely noticeable, but we know it's there and it's been there since they bought the car. My car is peppered up with dings on the entire right side (looks as though someone has shot on it..), the left side is fairly good.

Now; The W124 (My parents car) hasn't gotten one single ding since they bought it! Mine however seems to grow them! After an accident I had a little while after I bought the car, the entire left side was repainted and hence had no dings. One week after that the first one appeared, a little while after the second one, etc. It now has four dings, all of them are placed on strange places. :(

Noone (at least not where I live it seems) is more careful than me when it come to parking my car; I always consider the cars parked next to a free spot, etc. So why does these dings appear? And why doesn't the W124 get any? Do the use thicker metal on the W124s contra the W201s?

This is when my parents started to think that perhaps my car was beeing tampered with. A broken star didn't exactly help on that theory ;) I, however, cannot for the world understand why someone would do this, and feel that it's close to paranoia to even consider this. But what can one do? I've had lots of strange reactions considering that I'm only 20 and drive a fairly good-looking Benz, but it is (in my opinion) a long way from beeing sour to damage other peoples property!

It's worth to mention that our first MB, a 1978 280SE didn't have a single ding, nor did it get any during the 6 years we owned it.


Just had to share my story/experience :)

Regards

If you park your nice car that you care about in the deepest portion of your local parking lot you should be fine NOT .
It will just be a magnet for all those who just hate the fact that " that guy thinks his car is so great well I am going to park there". It is a sad thing but envy fills people to the point that they do not care about others property. My friend parked his benz at the back of a Home Depot, he then moved all the carts that were around to prevent rolling damage came back 10 minutes later to find a large plywood dolly resting on his door. I really wish there was a way to electrocute, or maim this trash or even a rod that when your car is dinged it will shoot a hole in them or their sorry ass car. I have had the luxury of catching a dinger red handed and trust me they do not care one bit about your property. We should unite and raid their precious trailerparks and beat the hell out of there home with baseball bats.

I'm still bothered by that unsightly dent on my car, which was received about a month ago. Everytime I see it, and it's very obvious, I start developing mental images of me catching the moron and bashing his head against his car door! It just pisses me off! I really think the dent was not a careless accident--more reason to be really pissed off.

Everytime I walk to my car, I see the dent from this particilar angle, which seems to really magnify the dent more. Oh, it infuriates me! My car doesn't seem perfect anymore. As soon as I find time, I'm going to head to a MB dealer and inquire about Dent Wizard. Just ranting.

Hood stars as well!
 

I never noticed this till I got my MB, the hood stars often get messed up after you straightened it, people must have not paid attention when they walk past your car. I once had a 4WD parked in front of me, and my star was almost flat against the hood!! Lucky it didn't break. I think the frequency of the hood star getting bumped into would explain the mysterious (deep)scratches on the sloping hood of my Chrysler Voyager.

I believe that the hood star disturbance is caused by kids who try to break it off as a souvenir. I have had this happen numerous times, but only the most determined kid can break it off. They are really strong and difficult to break. They must be forged steel.

Have a great day,

Discovered a ding a month ago on my wife's SL, and it's in a location where the ding remover technician would have to drill a small hole to gain access. I vetoed the suggested repair and shuddered at the thought (though I had that done on a former vehicle), until this weekend.

Apparently, the previous owner must have had another difficult-to-get-to ding, because there is an extra black plug that resides on the driver's side door that doesn't exists on the passenger side. :eek: So now, I believe the car is forever tainted, so ON WITH THE DRILLING!

Dinging cars is no accident the lawyers should do something useful and find a way to "ding" these people back. In a grocery parking lot my tundra had a new RED ding next to the Tundra was a piece of crap Camaro. I waited and confronted the person (cigarette stains on the teeth and all) and he basically said "so what who cares you can't do crap" I should have sat quiet and followed him home;)

A Camaro is at the top of my list of cars not to park next to. The door is long with a pointed corner and weighs somewhere between six and seven hundred pounds.

Problem is, how do you keep him from parking next to you after your gone.

Have a great day,

more insurance..
 

Hi!

Maybe it would be wise to carry some addition insurance on your vehicles. I used to have "vandalism" coverage. Isn't that still an option?? I would call getting doored vandalism, wouldn't you?? AND These *******s aren't going to stop bashing your cars no matter where you park...

Maybe someone should invent some sort of big magnetized, impact absorbing, rectangle that you could slap on the side of your ride. Maybe it could come in the exact color of your exterior....but then again, some ASS would probably steal that too....*geez*

~Christy

There actually is a way to totally prevent door dings, but I doubt that any of us would be willing to take the step.

A few weeks ago, I saw a car on the freeway that was like no other I've ever seen. I never have a camera when I need one.

The car was a little red econo hatchback of some sort and there was an impressive complete roll cage welded around the OUTSIDE of the car. There was latch of some sort at the drivers door, but other than that it was a complete roll cage. At that moment I would have given fifty bucks for a throw away Kodak camera. I would love to know the situation behind that extreme step.

Have a great day,

Yesterday I parked at the far end of a Trader Joe's parking lot, 1 empty row and 20 empty stalls in all directions. I came back to see a woman and her kid walking away from a Ford Expectoration (what else - why is it ALWAYS a 5'1" 100 lb woman and 1 kid in these 3 ton SUVs?) parked at an angle up close to my car - we were still the only 2 cars out there. I didn't see any dings looking down the side panel, but when I got home I found she had clobbered my wheel well hard enough to take it right down to the body metal and leave a dent on the edge of the well. (I had just washed the car, so I know the dent wasn't there 1/2 an hour earlier). :mad: :mad: :mad:

I remember thinking I should say something or take down her license number at the time, but telling myself I was getting paranoid and needed to be more positive in my outlook. :rolleyes:

Hhhmmm...
 

Would FLATTENING her tires have been too extreme?? I mean THAT wouldn't even cause permanent damage...just an inconvience...

I think I might have done it...

~Christy

btw...why is it that the 5'1 ' 400lb woman drives the Geo Metro???

Christy its because the ford motor co does NOT offer a crane as standard equipment on any of the suvs, and that suv would be BIGGER than her trailer that she lives in so look out for the geo thats why i take mr G with me so he could have a snack the next time she TRIES to park next to me!

I understand as well as, or better than, anyone, the frustration of seeing my car dinged out of carelessness.

But I think that there is no call for belittling someone because they choose to drive an enormous vehicle. The last time I looked, this was still SUPPOSED to be a free country. We have the freedom to drive an MB and others have the freedom to drive what they want. There are some who have similar attitudes toward us because we drive MB's.

If someone is willing to pay for not only the vehicle, but the fuel bill, it is their right to drive it.

BTW, I would be willing to bet that it would be difficult to find someone that drives one of these expensive vehicles living in a Mobile Home.

Have a great day,

Point well taken! :)

If my comment on the height/weight of the woman who dented my MB offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. In Orange county, CA (can't speak about the rest of the USA) local newspapers have commented that the largest SUVs are typically driven by the most petite women, usually alone or with 1 child. This point, however, was only relevant to the damage to my car if I had pointed out that this is the 4th dent in one of my vehicles initiated by an SUV, and the 3rd time it was caused by a petite woman. Larry correctly points out that similar observations could be made about MB drivers - in fact this same newspaper article pointed out that they are typically driven by young attractive women or grey haired older men, thus generating more stereotypes. (David C Klasse, you have an uphill battle! ;) ).

That said, I would argue the motivation of someone parking at an unusual angle and in close proximity to my car at an unused, far corner of the parking lot, and leaving a dent in my car in the process. To me, this is not carelessness, but deliberate damage to someone else's property. This action tends to feed the stereotype about SUV drivers.

We continually evaluate our environment in relation to our experiences. Sociologists describe stereotypes as learned behavior based on the actions or characteristics of a target group. They describe stereotypes as useful first approximations, with the downside of predisposing opinion, often unfairly. This being the latest of several events initiated by truck based passenger cars, my experience tells me that they are potential trouble to me, and should be viewed with caution and suspicion. This is my opinion, however, and should not infringe on the right of a person of any size or gender to purchase or responsibly operate one of these vehicles. I expect in return that they will not infringe on my right to try to maintain my car in showroom condition.

JCE,

Well put!

I totally understand the frustration and I would probably have reacted with less restraint than you did, you are obviously a gentleman. When my 240D was near new many years ago, I parked at a tool store about 100 feet from the nearest car. There were empty parking spaces by the front door. I came out to find a beat up, rusty pickup parked with it's drivers door about a foot from my car. I could not see any dents, but the 123's have a pretty good rub strip around them so I was lucky. I expect that he parked there with the intention of starting something or intentionally damaging my new car.

I did not from that experience, however, begin to believe and state that all carpenters and plumbers live in mobile homes and go around beating up other people's cars.

To be clear, I have taken no offense at anything anyone has written about the experience. I made earlier comments because I thought it unfair to begin stereotyping all large SUV drivers as living in mobile homes and delighting from denting MB's whenever they can find them in the parking lot. As if they drive around all day looking for them to destroy.

Even though I'm not an SUV person, I think that the class warfare that has been cultivated by the news media surrounding SUV's is not a good thing. This is America and everyone has the right to their ridiculous opinions and tastes.

IMHO, if someone wants to spend their money to drive a Greyhound Bus to work, it should be their business.

Have a great day,

Tracy:

I agree with your comments on politically correct speech - impossible to attain, as it is defined by the politicians in charge! The last 8 years of Washington DC have really distorted the right of free speech with the overlay of 'politically correct' speech, which to me seems like abridgement. And if this is abridged, think what will happen when smart bot tracking dust for your mail and molecular tracking computers for your clothing and money come into production. These things are already off the drawing boards and beta testing, and looking for venture capital right now!

I did not take Larry's comments as specifically aimed at me - I realized that I had been less than clear in explaining the circumstances and background. I either should have added more detail, or omitted the reference to the driver. No offense taken, and I hope none given.

John

lebenz,

If you will notice, my negative comments were not toward JCE for being upset. I am in total sympathy with JCE and would not have been as kind as he was. My negative comments were toward those who because of one incident with an SUV stereotyped EVERYONE who drives that particular SUV as living in a mobile home or some such thing.

If you'll look around this forum some more, I have posted 2,275 times, you should be able to find fault with my comments in many other places. Why stop here, why don't you go slam me in all the other 2,275 posts?

Would you like for me to do a search and give you a list of threads to make it easier?

Unlike you, I am not a perfect person, and my opinions are not perfect either. So you should be able to slam me 2,275 times.

Enjoy,

I share the full range of emotions on this subject. However, why wouldn't a vehicle attract real world scars- - if its in use (daily or even just on the weekend)?

The "results" of "use" are only natural right?

People contact (driver and otherwise) and contact with anything leaves some type of residual- including but not limited to- outright abuse, dings, dents, fender benders, bumper rash, scratches, bugs, rock chips, acid rain, sun damage, bird do doos, mud, grime, oil from the locomotive in front of you....why sweat it? Reasonable & common-sense solutions (and combinations thereof) are readily employable: restore, replace, or live with it & employ an aggressive strategy to minimize the risk. Great suggestions already posted.

I imagine a way to purposefully eliminate "the causes" is to place the vehicle in a huge temperature controlled vault (or something like it) segregated from contact.

Observed a sleek new S500 (no lisc plates yet) with those big AMG wheels expertly parked with two wheels scrubbed and pinned to the sidewalk curb- - and left that way. Fault/ no-fault still a sad sight to see.

Notwithstanding, have a great day.
-fad

Wow...I din't realise how far this had gotten:D

People can drive whatever it is they want to BUT at the very least a person should have some type of rudementary knowledge about their car and its capabilities. In other words are the doors of my car capable of dinging cars I park next to, can I chase this Mercedes round this high speed bend;) , can my car drive through that 3 feet high water at 50mph, or can my car fit between that space. They should use sound judgment. Unfortunately sound judgment doesn't seem to be our forte when it comes to our cars in the US, screw the other guy. How else can you explain the lack of respect for the fastlane or the lack of use of turn signals.
If someone wants to drive a greyhound bus, go ahead, more power to you but you should at least know that one of the things your bus does is make wide turns:eek: right? Wouldn't be sound if you just mowed down everybody at the intersection because your bus had to get through.
I have seen SUV drivers do some of the craziest things and it is always the young female drivers I see. I wish I could say otherwise but i can't, but don't snap at me because statistically what I see cannot be taken as gospel, in other words I could completely be wrong, I know this and so should you when you read this.
By the way I have been dinged by people in regular cars more than I have been by people in SUV's. Go figure :p

Just stop dinging my car you faceless people!!:D :D