2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: What a Jerk

Yes, Honda guy is a jerk, although the proliferation of "compact" spots in LA certainly doesn't help.

Don't care what you want to do to your own car, but PLEASE don't apply your lifestyle to mine.

Just this morning I saw someone using the bumper cap on my neighbor's car as a footstool to tie their shoe. Really?

I can't stand close parkers.

Kinda hard to fault him. He's got a Honda so obviously he can't see the front end of his car.

Since the Jetta has keyless entry and go, this is the only use that switchblade key may ever see...whip it out...

Doesn't edmunds have its own parking garage? So this would be a coworker?

Not touching, and you're not parallel parked, so what exactly is the problem?

@fordson1: I really hope you are only kidding. It isn't the car's fault.

I honestly think some people are so clueless when they drive/park that they just don't notice and certainly don't intend to piss other people off (yes you in the fast lane going the speed limit).

No touching, not blocking you, fail to see the issue. It's the front of the car...so back out and be on your way. We can't see..maybe your front end was over the line?

If they managed to get that close without actually touching the VW at any point in the process, color me impressed.

pretty impressive, unless he/she bounced off before stopping

If you look at the very top edge of the pic, there's a hint of a line that Honda guy may have crossed. Hard to be certain without a wider shot, though.

no harm, no foul. but close enough to make you wonder if it hit you once and then backed up a little. very little. I never use the parking brake on basically flat surfaces, and in an automatic the car will always roll forward an inch or two, so I leave a little extra room for it.

what does this have to do with the long term posts on this car anyway? That just dawned on me

I have a feeling the Honda did bump the Jetta. It's feasable that the Honda moved back an inch or two when it was placed in park. Was the honda an auto or stick?

Yeah I have no tolerance for stuff like this. One guy kissed the back of my car and left two dimples in the bumper from his license plate. It was so f@#$!% annoying.

IMO The majority of people out there are very inattentive to things like this. I can't keep track of how many times I've seen people in parking lots swing a door into a car or bump a car while parking. The situation mckman describes with the shoe rest has also happened. In some cases I've commented to the person about their lack of respect and got the bird in return. Yes People suck sometimes. And it boggles my mind how poorly people take care of what is probably the second most expensive product they will buy, next to their home.

Eh, what can you do? Such is life. I'm always courteous and make sure I don't damage other people's property, but when you take your stuff out into the world there will be plenty of people who either don't care or were distracted.

"Who parks like this ?" just about everybody in Paris, it's bumper car city.

i'm pretty anal about avoiding door dings on my car... i'd be a bit pissed about it.

Life in the big city.

Yes, ed134c, I'm kidding. To all those who said no touch, no harm, no foul...you must have better eyes than me - I can't tell with any certainty that it's not touching. Even if it's not, you really think that car came to rest like that? Or that he touched and then backed off?

And I agree - going by that line visible at the top of the photo, he's definitely in the Jetta's parking space.

Since I doubt anyone can really place his car lengthwise within say 2-3 inches with any consistancy, even if you are just coming within a half-inch without touching, you are taking liberties with someone else's car. Every time I see anyone come within an inch or so of another car on the way into or out of a parking space, I think, "yeah, buddy - you just lucked out - it could just as easily have gone the other way."

+1 to Fordson. I'm tempted to say no touch = no foul, but I'm skeptical he came that close without touching and even if he didn't, he took a risk. And if someone gets in either car, that car will possibly rock forward. Still, I've seen far worse parking offenses. Just this past weekend a car parallel parked down the street from me and was blocked in with cars on both sides barely farther away than this.

I see no evidence of a center white line.

Zcalvert: how do you get door dings from the car parked in front of you?

Mike didn't mention any damage, so again, no harm, no foul.

@bankerdanny -

i meant that simply as a reference... i'm the person who parks alone at the back edge of a parking lot to stay away from other morons; this behavior would similarly annoy me as a door ding would. that's all.

The plates are white, so it looks like there is a space between the cars.

I have to admit, thats my family has a tendency to park because we are alwyas on our phones while driving. (I know thats not the best thing)
HH
66

Those who insist "no harm, no foul" don't understand the concept of personal space.

When you file into a commuter train, window seats get filled first. Entering an elevator, you go to the rear and face forward. When going to the restroom, the unspoken protocol is to use every other urinal first, not the adjacent ones first.

When parking your car, if there's space, use it to keep a respectful distance.

I came out from a restaurant one day and found that a dilapidated Sentra had parked two feet over the end line- actually touching the back bumper of my wife's X3. The imbecile driver had used hex head bolts to attach his front plate and the bolts had gouged a divot out of the X3's bumper. I called the police but I actually let the moron off easy off easy; I was going to have to remove the rear bumper anyway in order to install a trailer hitch so I only made him pay @$250 to cover the cost of a new bumper cover.
Even then he moaned about how "unfair" I was being...

Unless there was room to back up, the Honda would be getting a push from my bumper. Nice thing about driving a beater.

Bordering on rude, but it is license plate touching license plate. That won't hurt either car. Now, license plate touching unprotected rear bumper, that's another matter.

If this parking job is upsetting to folks, don't ever take your car to a large city like Philadelphia. EVERY bumper is scathed and scratched from parallel parking maneuvers.

@roadburner: Good for you being a good guy about it. I recently got rear ended and only asked for the cost of a new cover ordered online + repainting ($500 versus the $1200 quote incl. labor and new badges, etc)...I can do the work myself and did, why would I screw someone that's paying out of pocket? I try to treat others the way I expect to be treated. He admitted fault and we agreed to settle it ourselves so that his insurance didn't skyrocket (he was only 19).

That said, if he had been a jerk about it and not taken responsibility, I would have taken him to small claims court for every penny.

Personal space? I assume you never have to parallel park in a major city, because if you consider this too close you would really hate what you would find in NYC or San Francisco or Chicago.

Also, personal space requires your actual person to be involved doesn't it?

Many people park touching in NYC. There's not enough parking spaces otherwise.

This is in a parking garage. Look at the floor.