Has anyone else noticed the increasing lack of care when opening car doors in parking bays. When I first came here from the UK it was nice not to have scratches and dents where people just fling open car doors to exit cars and whack into the car parked next to theirs. I am getting more and more scratches where people knock my car opening their doors and walk away. I am usually pretty careful to park in the middle of a bay to allow room either side for doors. This morning I parked in a large shopping car park and was actually sitting in the car and whack, car alongside flung open his door and another scratch, got out and asked why he didn't take more care, the f..... space is too narrow was his reply (not that he was too fat) and he went to walk off. No you don't, who is going to pay for the repairs, that's why you have insurance was his reply. You are not listening, you or your insurance is going to pay and you are not leaving until you give me details. I think he got the message and opened his wallet and was relieved of some folding to cover the cost. Perhaps he for one will be more careful next time.
My car is crap, i bought it that way and don't really care.. But it would annoy me that somebody scratched or dented it like that..
Sooo my solution is that when i go shopping or park in a multi storey or something I park beside the nicest car possible -- Logic being that I'm pretty sure they won't just throw the door the door open and hit mine.
That's life. No car is invincible against car park damages or stone scratches on the road. No matter how careful one can be, it is tough luck 9 out of 10. My advice use old cars in daily life and commute and leave your beauties for the weekend trips only
It's a big pet peeve of mine, as well. I find that in the German part of Switzerland, people are generally pretty respectful of other peoples' belongings, even where parking spaces are tight.
Over the border in France, it's every man for himself. The French use the 'braille' method of parking, simply tap-tap-tapping everything to judge the length of their car and how far they can open their doors.
You'll recognize my car easily -- it's the Swiss-registered car parked all the way at the back of the lot, miles from anyone French.
I found that in CH (in the german part) people tend to be really careful about this. I noticed this by looking at other cars because...being used to idiots back home, I always park in the most remote, inaccessible, last floor/underground level, if possible in-a-row parking place possible. (which also means I have to cross the whole parking lot and can observe others' behavior)
Yep - have even had the experience of guilty party driving into my car, damaging it and driving away!! Fortunately they were observed and someone had the foresight to write down the plate numbers.
Statistically, in the Swiss German part, people are generally more careful, so my car gets scratched or damaged on average twice a year and I do tend to park away from other cars if possible or other new or well looked-after cars as they tend t damage other cars less.
Whenever I venture into France, though, I come home with a souvenir 9 times out of 10...sadly
They are usually reasonably careful in the Zurich area, but I did have an incident about 4 years ago that was quite outrageous.
Now I must say that I am picky and that my cars will still look new after several years. I take great care and pride in maintaining them.
Anyway I had just purchased a new BMW 335d and I was in a underground garage of an office building waiting for my wife. I had parked (like always) in a spot which was wide and where the doors of the other cars had reasonable room and no excuse to touch my car.
I was sitting in the car (with factory tinted windows) and it was fairly dark in the garage. On my side the was an Opel Zaphira work type vehicle and the workers (3) were coming back. One of the workers opened the rear right door so hard that it hit my car and bounced back and slammed it's self shut. The shock was so hard that it really shook the car from left to right. the whole thing happened so fast that I never had time to react. The best part is that he repeated that 2 more times as it was obviously so much fun for him.
I stormed out of the car and came close to jumping him. I was shouting at him and his idiot friends a bunch of obscenities in English and asked him if should treat his face in the same manner I then told him to immediately write a statement stating his blame, demanded his company card, and took pictures of the damage and the idiot.
I must say that I'm a fairly tall and large guy, and when I got out of the car the imbeciles actually turned white (no exaggeration).
I called their company who seemed to have already been briefed (as they asked no questions) and told them to expect the bill from BMW.
The damage was right on the sheet metal above the wheel well above the left rear wheel where the metal is folded and probably the toughest. The whole thing was caved in.
The cost of the repair was about 2,500 CHF and that would have been at my expense, had I not been in the car and witnessed the whole thing.
There are simple minded idiots out there who will get angry when they see a nice car.
Another reason to park far, far away, where there's no chance of them seeing the nice car
In fact, parking in some of the Zurich parkings shows that we're not the only ones who came to this conclusion: very nice cars can be found if you go far/high/deep enough. Sometimes I'm even a bit embarassed to park in the company of several thousands HP
I think a lot of people have the same parking habits, especially after the first set of dents. Mine first happened in the coop car park. Cost CHF 500 to repair them all (I hate driving with dents and scratches). On the other hand I left the car one week at Zurich airport car park, and I just knew it would be banged up when I got back. Consider the hundreds of cars that would have come and gone during that period I was amazed to find not a single scratch, and someone had folded in the wing mirrors for me. So yes, I think most East Swiss people are considerate in that regard.