2009 Nissan 370Z: Pitfalls of Street Parking

I've got two nice screw dents in my rear bumper, and that was from a parking garage in NYC. of course they clearly state they aren't responsible for that kind of damage. everyone here who cares drives around with bumper bullies on all the time.

Thats why I will never ever live in a place that doesn't have off-street parking. Never.

Wait...you mean you can get your fenders scuffed in when you park in urban environments?

Why didn't I think of that?!

Scott, you're improving by leaps and bounds and someday you'll become a real writer.

so where do you draw the line on what is worthy for note-leaving?

of course in THIS incident the person that did the damage should have left a note. but are there times that it is optional?

what about door dings? do you leave a note for that? what about no damage at all to the metal, it's just a slight scratch? leave them a note and offer to pay for touch up paint?

i ran into my neighbor's (down the street) car and got out and told him. some rubbing compound fixed it.

i was in santiago, chile once in a parking garage and left a slightest mark on another person's door. didn't leave a note.

but one day, visiting my small home town, when my mustang was brand new someone bumped my rear bumper while it was parked and pulled off! i was watching and chased them down in my car and was ready to lay into them when they got of out their car and it was one of my elementary school substitute teacher's and her young grand daughter! (she gave me a $100)

what if you ding a door on an old beater? do you lave a note?

kissel: I liked you better when you wanted to fill everything with manure, now you're becoming a dick.

That's pretty nasty. This is why I don't take my car into New York unless I've checked the parking situation first.

"I CURSE YOUR MOTHER'S NAME! I WILL KICK YOUR DOG! MAY YOUR BUMPERS FALL OFF AND YOUR TIRES BE FLAT!"

Imagine how PO'd you'd be if you'd actually paid for the car.

s197gt: "what about door dings? do you leave a note for that? what about no damage at all to the metal, it's just a slight scratch? leave them a note and offer to pay for touch up paint?"

Yes,Yes, and No. No on the last one because you get to pay for labor too.

"what if you ding a door on an old beater? do you lave a note?"

Why are you dinging all these vehicles? If you damage my property, you get to pay to restore it to pre-damage condition. If you don't like that, be more careful.

Luckily when I got this, I got a License Plate Engraved in the Bumper, as well as a Carmax.com Logo.

Let's face it: people are ignorant

I park and drive like everyone is out to get me.

@ carguy,

I parked there a few days a week for two years and never had a problem. $10 bucks a day with an NYU ID. Greatest deal of all time IF I didn't need to repair my bumper.

Had a similar thing happen to me. I had parked in my apartment complex & some moron who was parked next to me, opened his door & left nice deep dent on my door. Didn't leave a note or anything.

I swear, if I had caught the perp, I would have taught him a lesson his mother should have.

Never mess with a guy's ride!!!

I parked on the street in the North side of Chicago this past week and was very surprised that I had nary a ding, dent or scratch on my car! Of course, it could have been that the people who live near me all drive nice cars. I see a 128i, a few SLKs, a few 80s MBs, a handful of Audis and a lone 986 Boxster street parked in the space of two blocks on my street.

I'm going to give my 3-car garage and my 5-car driveway a great big hug when I get home tonight.

That sucks. I'm always terrified to park my Miata. It's so low most modern car drivers can't see it out of their back window. I have a nice scratch running up the front from something backing up and over. Thank fully my Benz has those big black bumpers so people can wreck their finish against it all they want. I could probably drive that car through a brick wall and it would be fine.

@ yellowbal: they are!

@ Jacobs: now, now, let's not be kicking anyone's dogs. or you'd be a bigger Vick...er, I mean dick than they are.

I live in Brooklyn got a 535xi and live in an apartment building without parking but do rent a spot around the corner other wise i would be driving a honda civic. either way its messed up it seems like people here think its ok to bump you when they are parking. i stop people when i see it happen no matter whos car it is. if it happens to you and the car that did it is still there give him a flat tire. in brooklyn thats perfectly legal.

s197gt-- That's an interesting point you raise.

Frankly I always park out as far away as possible to avoid these infractions, but when I can't park that far away I do the best not to injure other people's cars. One time a gust of wind caught my door and blew it into the Celica who had also parked way out in a parking lot just to be a dick, as there were tons of spots all around me. As he made life harder for me by choosing to park right next to my door when there were a pleathora of other spots I wasn't inclined to leave information.

When I parked on the University of Texas campus in May for a final, I parked in a parking lot at the LBJ museum and someone was kind enough to pull through their parking spot, smash up my front bumper and bent up my hood. They left no information. That's a clear case where insurance should have been left.

I am terrified to drive in this college town, and even more so of parking on the street with my baby. If it wasn't for darn rain or snow or ice I would just ride my bike to campus every day.

brn, i've driven beaters before and i got to say that if someone added a door ding to the other one's on it, it wouldn't bother me too much.

if they left a note i'd probably think more highly of whoever did it but i probably wouldn't even call them back, other then to say "thanks, but no thanks".

i don't think i'd leave a note on a beater. it's just more hassle then is probably necessary. what if they want to get $$$ out of you? now you gotta tell them to pound sand or "see you in small claims court"? i just don't have faith in my fellow man like that...

What happened to black bumpers with a rubber cover? It was already so ugly that you didnt mind the extra little character spots, and furthermore they were black, which showed far less damage.

I live in Boston and my old volvo had lots of battle scars. The worst ones are the asses who have lifted SUV's with high bumpers that don't lineup with yours, so when they "bump" you while parking and then leave, you are stuck with >$500 repairs for all the broken lights.

Boston is vicious for parallel parking. Ironically, I haven't gotten any bumper knicks in the city, but in the outskirts of town in Brookline, I've twice gotten signature license plate screw scars in my rear bumper because. Sigh...

Some DIY touch up paint will cover that right up. Beyond that, it's normal wear and tear. The bumper area that's in front of the trunk opening of my car is scuffed, but I don't mind. It means I use my car, not treat is like a museum piece.

I just got my '08 BMW 135i back from the shop after some lovely person hit my drivers side rear bumper. Insurance covered (Uninsured motorist, hit and run) with a $200 deductible....People either are uninsured or do not want their rates to go up I guess....

Having off street parking at night in the city means squat unless you leave it there all the time and only park in the back of suburban shopping mall lots the rest of the time.

I live just outside Chicago and my wife is in the city all the time. My Subie didn't last a week before it had it's first rear bumper scratch. It's part of why I get nostalgic over the days before body colored plastic bumper covers. you would have had to hit my 1980 Diplomat with a snow plow to leave a visible mark on the front or rear bumper.

Haha, that reminds me of "The Greatest Freak Out Ever" videos. You should have said:
"Freaking wow. OH MY GOD!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU! I. WILL. KILL. YOU. NO! NO! I WILL KILL YOU AND EAT YOUR FIRST BORN CHILD!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBfLOZ2CjQ
lol

s197gt, even though I gave you a hard time, I mostly agree on the beaters. If the relative difference is negligible, it's probably best to not stir the pot.

One more thing. My girlfriend is a teacher in Washington Heights, NY and when she comes out at the end of the day the parents are actually sitting on her car waiting for their kids. She doesn't care anymore as her '02 Civic has gone downhill fast since working in the city. Someone even stole the Civic emblem off her car.

Whatever happened to respecting other people's property?

People are ignorant and this is why individuals will go off the deep end periodically. I find it funny and sad when I hear a news report where someone went off and killed someone else and the people being interviewed ruminate aloud about "how" and "why" could such horrible things happen. I'll tell you how it happens the perpetrator had a horrible day at work and all they want to do is take a relaxing drive home in their car. They come out of their office looking forward to feasting their eyes on curvaceous sheet metal only to see some ass violated what was once a perfectly formed fender or bumper. Well it is then their mind fractures and let's loose on the unsuspecting populace.

I remember many years ago a guy in a old town car beater flung his door out hard enough where it bounced- yes bounced- off my 95 Protege's passenger side front fender. It dented it enoug where the tire came in contact it at full lock. When I confronted the guy he had the nerve to play dumb until I matched his car's open door with the crease he made in my fender. He ended up paying for it but the effort it took to have him fess up was frustrating.

I'm a pretty even-headed guy but when people don't respect other property it drives me crazy. I'm always on my kids to respect other's property to the point where I enable the child locks on my rear door so there is no chance their carelessness will damaged another persons car.

It's just the right thing to do

I had a similar situation to adrean8j, except I wasn't in my car I was in a BMW service loaner. He tried to run but I chased him until the cops pulled him over. The 911 lady kept trying to convince me to stop but I kept yelling back "it's not even my damn car! I'm sure as hell not paying for this!"

I use to care a great deal, but after the first ding / scrape / scratch it doesn't bother as much. I don't plan to keep the car forever and it's a depreciating asset anyways, so I just look forward to my next car.

When the weather's nice, I take my SLK350 into NYC and have lots of problems parallel parking. Since I only drive it on weekends and rarely parallel park, I'm the cause of some of my own scrapes I'm sure.

I feel your pain.....my new 370 (just clicked off 1200 miles) ...oh, have we talked $12 a quart Ester oil) went to - gasp- Wal Mart last weekend. Parked out next to the interstate...347 parking spots around me! Passenger door now has a beautiful slam your door wide open you fat bitch dent in it. Whoops, my sarcasm is showing.

At work our lot has virtually no parking for customers or employees sometimes there is spot open between the 24/26 foot trucks out back.

Great cover from everyone on the lot, until one of those covering truck has to be brought up then you have to worry about the sharped cornered est 750+ lb quarter inch thick steel rear bumper.

While my truck has yet to be hit if it ever does it will be massive and expensive as hell to repair.

The truth shall set you free Scott, so let's be honest:

The real story is that you were practicing full opposite lock on the on ramp, and in an attempt to garner maximum points from the judges, ended up taking a mere nibble out of the barrier with your bumper. Dorifto!

This is clearly a faulty bumper from Nissan. This car is so unreliable.

friends tell me that if you have a nice car (maybe BMW-nice, defninitely Ferrari-nice) in China, you are at high risk of people scratching or otherwise vandalizing your car out of jealousy.

i think drburke is kissel1's smart sibling ... no, alter ego!

i moved to the Boston area 5 years ago from St Louis and was AMAZED that (1) so many nice cars bear so many battle scars because they don't have a garage to park in and (2) some people even seem to think of them as a badge of honor or something.

and then i find so many friends' cars doors and/or rear view mirrors are destroyed while parked, and of course nobody bothered to leave a note ... except one person left a first name and a disconnected phone number.

scratches like that on the 370z are NOTHING to a Bostonian's eye. even i can barely see them anymore. ;) hehe

I got some nice bumper stickers to cover the screw marks. Another reason i hate SUVs -- their darn screws scratch at the top edge of the bumper and i cannot cover them; bumper bullies don't seem to cover that area either.

Do those rubber bumper defenders do anything?

If i lived in NY, i would buy a Yaris just to drive into the city. I would never drive one of my 'nice' cars there for any extended amount of time.

Obviously the lack of accountability people who do stuff like this feel is just wrong and appalling but I blame the DMV for even allowing sh**ty drivers who can't do something as simple as parking onto the roads. I remember how ridiculous the parking part of my driving test was. The instructor told me to park wherever I wanted and I just pulled straight into the parking spot right in front of me and voila! A gold star for me, because apparently that's how easy parking in the real world would ever be. There was no request to parallel park or back up into or even turn into a parking space. The fact that all 4 of the cars that my family owns have been dented in the past two years by unseen hit-and-runners just goes to show how sinfully inept people are at parking (either that or my family's cursed which is probably more likely the case). My car was the latest victim and the repairs cost $1700. That ain't easy money.