Knew it would happen sooner or later :(

First Ever Audi

First Ever Audi

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After taking the advantage of some nice weather yesterday, and giving the 6 month old car some snow foam and Oblitarate, imagine my shock when today i noticed the dreaded Supermarket door ding !

I thought i would manage at least 1 year without any dings but seems not. I always park in descent spaces but inevitably i come back to find the car sandwiched between someone who can't park. or doesn't give a damn when they fling their door open.

It's not a huge ding, but i know it's there.....

No point ranting and getting the blood boiling as sh*t always happens and....there are so many threats out there to our lovely 8V's !!

It's not enough to get it pushed out so i just try to forget it's there

Anyone else suffered the dame with their 8V ?
 
Had mine a month. Same thing, whilst giving it a good clean i noticed in the back pillar between the rear passenger and rear window a creese about 3 inches long. I was gutted!! Thankfully i got it down to some brilliant PDR guys and you would not even know its there now. Good luck.
 
2 weeks in. Needed door respray!
 
Sorry to hear this :(

I always park in the far end of carparks to try and avoid getting dings from inconsiderate motorists - drives my wife mad. Even then, I often come back to find a swarm of cars has collected around mine! It's bl**dy irritating and I hope you get it fixed without costing you too much.
 
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This really hacks me off. I had my mini for 2.5 yrs from new without a mark on it and then was parked in Waitrose car park doing shopping and the wind had got up outside. Came out and found a big door scrape on passenger side where the wind had caught the door of the car next to me. Arrgghhh.
 
One very good reason to get the supermarket to deliver to you instead :D
 
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I've befriended a brilliant paintless dent removal guy - he's saved us and extended family a fortune over the last few years. It seems no matter how careful you are and where you park some senseless moron will hit yer car...
 
This is always a scary topic.

My GF sighs whenever we go to a car park as I look for a suitable space to minimise risk of dings.

I agree with mjcourteney's post. Only yesterday I parked in a quiet spot and 10mins later found a Ford Galaxy next to it when there were enough spaces to enable everyone to use alternate spaces. Just don't get some peoples need to park next to another car.....

John.
 
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mjcourtney said:
I always park in the far end of carparks to try and avoid getting dings from inconsiderate motorists - drives my wife mad. Even then, I often come back to find a swarm of cars has collected around mine!
Click to expand...

I've never understood people's need to swarm park; whether it's need for a sense of order?? Just shows how little free thinking there is in our blinkered society that people haven't got the personal confidence to park in a random spot.

I used to think people might have thought 'If I park next to this nice car then ours won't get nicked / broken into', now I just think it's because people are r******d w*****s! Funnily enough Muzza (forum member) and I were discussing this very random topping whilst swapping wheels on Satuday night!
 
Thankfully not happened to my Audi but my wife bought a new Hyundia IX35, drove straight from the garage to Tesco to pick up some food and some clown reverse parked and scraped her front bumper. Needless to say they didn't admit it and drove away.

Not to worry though, 4 Months later my wife drove into the back of a Landrover Defender and now has shiny new front-end to her car ;)
 
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Within 500 miles of owning mine a stone chip flew up and cracked the windscreen.
I've now got a huge stone chip on the A pillar on the passenger side, 2 smaller chips on the bonnet, and a chip on the front passenger side alloy.

Chips everywhere. :(
 
warren_S3 said:
I've never understood people's need to swarm park; whether it's need for a sense of order?? Just shows how little free thinking there is in our blinkered society that people haven't got the personal confidence to park in a random spot.
Click to expand...

I too have pondered this many times in the past. I wonder if maybe some people find it easier to align themselves with another car rather than the painted lines on the ground?
 
I've always dreamed of trying to come up with a camera that would catch this kind of thing, and their numberplate as well... not sure how you'd do it though! Perhaps a camera on the wing mirror to catch the ding, and one looking out from the C pillar area pointing forwards to catch the numberplate when you have reversed into a space?
 
I think there's a bit of science to this, though I don't have a complete answer. Try not to park next to a car with a baby seat, as the doors have to be opened wider getting the baby out, so could dent your car. If you park further from the car next to you but within the door width, you could get a big dent as the door is swung further than usual and picks up more momentum before hitting your car causing a bigger dent. Parking close will avoid this but could mean scratching as occupants get in and out of their car. As to folding mirrors, I don't get these as it encourages people to park closer to you. In fact, I would get mirrors that move out from the car when parked, if they were available!
 
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mjcourtney said:
Sorry to hear this :(

I always park in the far end of carparks to try and avoid getting dings from inconsiderate motorists - drives my wife mad. Even then, I often come back to find a swarm of cars has collected around mine! It's bl**dy irritating and I hope you get it fixed without costing you too much.
Click to expand...

I get the same thing happening to me! Why is it that I park far far away from people, but there's always cars coming to park next to me, even though there are plenty of spaces. I know you have to use your car, but I really don't like going to places where parking spaces are limited and the space is for a mini sized car. There should be two sections in parking places- those who care about cars, and those who clearly drive a banger and don't give a s***.
 
dieselguy said:
I get the same thing happening to me! Why is it that I park far far away from people, but there's always cars coming to park next to me, even though there are plenty of spaces. I know you have to use your car, but I really don't like going to places where parking spaces are limited and the space is for a mini sized car. There should be two sections in parking places- those who care about cars, and those who clearly drive a banger and don't give a s***.
Click to expand...
You're right. I sometimes think if I parked on the moon someone would park next to me!!!
 
Rexus said:
You're right. I sometimes think if I parked on the moon someone would park next to me!!!
Click to expand...

Haha, Rexus, I like the mirror thing! they should extend out and mark the minimum space that the next car should leave.

Either that or put a camera somewhere! But again, as with the previous post, its difficult to capture everything.
 
I swear I've lost weight with all the extra walking since I started parking in the furthest, most remote spots in carparks.
 
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I'm working on designing a Raspberry PI device with 180 degree camera lens that should capture the full range. Trouble is you need two perhaps three of them... I was also going to include an accelerometer to capture the impact. These sort of things would be so much better built into the car as the only way I can think of mounting it would be stuck to the windows... two cigarette sized boxes suck to the windows just seems a bit tacky and overkill! Perhaps 3 year smart insurance would be more cost effective...
 
If you've ever sat in the car waiting for the missus watching the way some people park, you'd never take your car there again. I never let my kids get out the back unless I'm alongside the door. I've even been sat in the car when someone's opened their door into it. Magnetic door / wing protection strips are the way to go, or a pop up roof mounted machine gun.
 
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dragon said:
If you've ever sat in the car waiting for the missus watching the way some people park, you'd never take your car there again. I never let my kids get out the back unless I'm alongside the door. I've even been sat in the car when someone's opened their door into it. Magnetic door / wing protection strips are the way to go, or a pop up roof mounted machine gun.
Click to expand...

I've had a look at Audi accessories but can't find the machine gun. Is it in ETKA?
 
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I try and find an end spot then line the car up with one side of wheels just over the white line to give maximum distance from any car that decides to park next to me. Still can't stop prats though...

I like the machine gun idea, maybe out of the front lights James Bond style!
 
I've always fancied a snowplough on the front and those spikey spears they have on chariot wheels myself, if only:whip:
 
How about high power microwave emitters all around the car? Anyone who gets too close to the car blood boils and eyeballs pop out!

Too dark? :blink:
 
Wouldn't cover the sides unfortunately, but tempted to get some sort of dashboard cam at some point anyway.
 
Haha, just noticed on the first demo video on that page, an 8V pulls up in front of him in the carpark at the start
 
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cemerson said:
Wouldn't cover the sides unfortunately, but tempted to get some sort of dashboard cam at some point anyway.
Click to expand...

No indeed not. But I think they have a parking mode which means that if the built-in g-sensor detects the car being hit then it starts recording. If it is sensitive enough (and I agree that's a very big IF) to detect the impact of a car door opening against the side of your beloved A3 then the wide angle lense of the rear one should easily capture the culprit's reg as they pull out of an adjacent parking space.

Like you I'm very tempted to get at least one of these.
 
It would be good if cars came with them built into the wing mirrors or something! Perfect place to capture it from - at least when you are forwards into a space. Some other view needed if you reversed in.
 
But what would you realistically do if your camera detects someone knocking their door into your car?
 
Make an insurance claim against them, stating I have video evidence
 
Im the same as the rest of you guys, try to find the furthest away spot. I avoid parking beside people carriers, and cars with child seats. I also try to avoid parking beside scrap heaps or cars that arnt within the lines, as all these things are warning signs as to the type of individual driving. Thankfully my GF is also a big car buff and she does the exact same thing as me, so I dont get any resistance parking far away!
 
My wife gets annoyed with my defensive parking. She often asks me to drop her off at the door to the supermarket before I park at the back of the car park. If she forgets, then she complains about having to hike to the shops.

Will be interesting to see what happens when her new A3 arrives.

I usually find find that there is a row of nice/cared for, cars at the back of the car park. With 1 space in between each.

If I have to park beside other cars I chose carefully.

I have seen other drivers park in the middle of 2 spaces. I don't approve of this tactic. And you risk the wrath of other drivers by doing so.
 
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Rexus said:
I think there's a bit of science to this, though I don't have a complete answer. Try not to park next to a car with a baby seat, as the doors have to be opened wider getting the baby out, so could dent your car. If you park further from the car next to you but within the door width, you could get a big dent as the door is swung further than usual and picks up more momentum before hitting your car causing a bigger dent. Parking close will avoid this but could mean scratching as occupants get in and out of their car. As to folding mirrors, I don't get these as it encourages people to park closer to you. In fact, I would get mirrors that move out from the car when parked, if they were available!
Click to expand...

And...

s3_trev said:
Im the same as the rest of you guys, try to find the furthest away spot. I avoid parking beside people carriers, and cars with child seats. I also try to avoid parking beside scrap heaps or cars that arnt within the lines, as all these things are warning signs as to the type of individual driving. Thankfully my GF is also a big car buff and she does the exact same thing as me, so I dont get any resistance parking far away!
Click to expand...

This is becoming a big list and am getting a sense of déjà vu here... Reassured though that it is not just me being OCD on this.

Two additional items:

Avoid parking next to true 4x4 or some of the Peugeot/Renault coupe-cabs as the doors on those are huge.
One I learned over Christmas (thankfully not the hard way): if v windy, note orientation of cars either side and choose a space where their doors would open against the wind and not get caught by a gust and forced wide open - bang. Saw that twice within 5 mins.

There is taking care but I also see the inconsiderate extreme (always seems to be a BMW?!?) that deliberately takes up 2 spaces in a busy car park, and I'm not talking tyres just over the white line here. Would love to see a Smart car slide in right next to it one day.


John.
 
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parent and baby spaces are for people with nice cars
 
With a fat ***** S5 on thw way Im almost at a point where I'd pay a small amount of money for a lardy space.
 
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Yeah ive often wondered would there be a market for a "premium" car park, where the spacers are considerably wider and/or spaced further apart.
 
The 'standard minimum' width of a space hasn't really changed for decades but cars have become wider. More spaces = more money & capacity of 100 spaces sounds better than 80.

It would also be near possible to enforce who bought higher price ticket as that would mean having parking attendants. Having said that, I would consider paying if the premium was realistic & not over-inflated.

CostCo is one of the few places I know that has proper sized parking spaces.

When we bought our house the car would only just fit through the garage door with mirrors folded so we converted it. House built in an era of narrower cars.
 
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